[ADF] Toronto Maple Leafs (A2) vs. Florida Panthers (WC2) | Panthers win series 4-1

[King Heffy]

Both Sutherland and Hanson reffing tonight. The NHL clearly doesn't care to even put up the appearance of an attempt to provide honest officials.  Hard to call this game knowing that it's fixed in advance.

[McBackup]

The "Juolevi over Tkachuk" crying is dumb. Yes Juolevi was the wrong pick, but there were plenty of players available that would have been difference makers beside that toxic dipshit. If we're playing the hindsight is 20/20 game they should have taken Fox or McAvoy. 

 

[alt kilgore]

12 minutes ago, DeNiro said:

Pettersson and Tkachuk as linemates would have been something special for sure.

 

He’s really evolved into a leader even if he is still a rat.

Seeing him as a rat on Calgary made me hate him

Seeing him as a rat for Florida makes me envious.

Every good team needs at least one rat (who can score).

 

That would have been quite an interesting pairing.

[rychicken]

[PhillipBlunt]

5 minutes ago, McBackup said:

The "Juolevi over Tkachuk" crying is dumb. Yes Juolevi was the wrong pick, but there were plenty of players available that would have been difference makers beside that toxic dipshit. If we're playing the hindsight is 20/20 game they should have taken Fox or McAvoy. 

 

Wasn't Sergachev also available later on in the draft? McAvoy or Sergachev would have made the defense a lot better, although Benning would have probably found a way to f**k it up. 

[McBackup]

14 minutes ago, PhillipBlunt said:

Wasn't Sergachev also available later on in the draft? McAvoy or Sergachev would have made the defense a lot better, although Benning would have probably found a way to f**k it up. 

Look, I do not think Benning was a good GM. However the drafting in the first round was not the problem with him. It was everything else.

 

2014:

Virtanen was a mistake. First ever draft pick, whoopsie. There were busts taken immediately before and after him as well.

 

McCann was not. Yes Pastrnak was taken right after, but for a 24th overall pick it was a good one. It was the decision to trade him for Gudbranson that was the problem, not drafting him.

 

Since we're riding the vaunted Shames jockstrap about handing them Tkachuk, lets not forget that this is the year they elected to make Mason McDonald the first goalie off the board, handing us Demko two picks later. Every regime f**ks up.

 

2015: 

 

Boeser was a good pick. Yes he's really not lived up to the trajectory he set in his rookie season, but overall getting a player of his calibre at 23rd is fantastic value.

 

2016

 

Juolevi. Oops.

 

2017

 

Pettersson. Let's not pretend this is anything other than a grand slam. Pettersson was projected to go somewhere around 10th, and this was considered a massive reach at the time. The only source that accurately predicted the player Petey would become was some Leafs fan blog,  not pundits or experts. This was one of the best picks in club history, and a massive coup. 

 

2018

 

Quinn Hughes. Obviously incredible pick, but unlike Pettersson fell into our lap because 3 GMs ahead of us made Juolevi-esque errors. Again, happens to everyone. 

 

2019

Podkolzin. Jury is still out.

 

And the rest of his tenure is spent without first round picks. 

 

I am all for people criticizing Jim Benning's time here. It was clear as day by the end of his tenure that he was just fumbling around. He made horrific trades, shortsighted decisions, was a poor drafter in the later rounds, and didn't seem to understand SOP of running an NHL club. However hammering him about his drafting in the first round because of Juolevi simply isn't fair. Its the one area he was consistently good in. 

 

Edited May 2, 2023 by McBackup

[PhillipBlunt]

1 minute ago, McBackup said:

Look, I do not think Benning was a good GM. However the drafting in the first round was not the problem with him. It was everything else.

 

2014:

Virtanen was a mistake. First ever draft pick, whoopsie. There were busts taken immediately before and after him as well.

 

McCann was not. Yes Pastrnak was taken right after, but for a 24th overall pick it was a good one. It was the decision to trade him for Gudbranson that was the problem, not drafting him.

 

Since we're riding the vaunted Shames jockstrap about handing them Tkachuk, lets not forget that this is the year they elected to make Mason McDonald the first goalie off the board, handing us Demko two picks later. Every regime f**ks up.

 

2015: 

 

Boeser was a good pick. Yes he's really not lived up to the trajectory he set in his rookie season, but overall getting a player of his calibre at 23rd is fantastic value.

 

2016

 

Juolevi. Oops.

 

2017

 

Pettersson. Let's not pretend this is anything other than a grand slam. Pettersson was projected to go somewhere around 10th, and this was considered a massive reach at the time. This was one of the best picks in club history, and a massive coup. 

 

2018

 

Quinn Hughes. Obviously incredible pick, but unlike Pettersson fell into our lap because 3 GMs ahead of us made Juolevi-esque errors. Again, happens to everyone. 

 

2019

Podkolzin. Jury is still out.

 

And the rest of his tenure is spent without first round picks. 

 

I am all for people criticizing Jim Benning's time here. It was clear as day by the end of his tenure that he was just fumbling around. He made horrific trades, shortsighted decisions, was a poor drafter in the later rounds, and didn't seem to understand SOP of running an NHL club. However hammering him about his drafting in the first round because of Juolevi simply isn't fair. Its the one area he was consistently good in. 

 

Overreact much? Note I said probably could have found a way to f**k it up, not absolutely.

 

Never said Benning was the worst GM ever. Picking Pettersson, Hughes, Demko, Boeser, Tryamkin, Podkolzin and Hoglander all speak to his obvious scouting acumen, which is where he really made his name. He also drafted Gustav Forsling, who is a solid player, but sadly traded him for Adam Clendening. 

 

Kole Lind, Jonah Gadjovich, Michael DiPietro, and Jack Rathbone are all picks that many GMs would make, given the circumstances. 

[McBackup]

2 minutes ago, PhillipBlunt said:

Overreact much? 

I don't know you're the one taking it personally

[DownUndaCanuck]

Short turn around for Florida, I think Toronto smash them like 6-1 but the Panthers come back quickly in the series

[PhillipBlunt]

4 minutes ago, McBackup said:

I don't know you're the one taking it personally

 Not at all. Definitely found it funny that you needed to rush to Benning's defense, claiming that some people's perception of his tenure wasn't fair. 

Keep up the good work.
 

[McBackup]

Just now, PhillipBlunt said:

 Not at all. Definitely found it funny that you needed to rush to Benning's defense, claiming that some people's perception of his tenure wasn't fair. 

Keep up the good work.
 

See? You don't need to take it personally. I'm just discussing the draft record of the Canucks over the past decade. There's no reason to let it upset you.

[PhillipBlunt]

2 minutes ago, McBackup said:

See? You don't need to take it personally. I'm just discussing the draft record of the Canucks over the past decade. There's no reason to let it upset you.

I'm thinking you might not understand the meaning of the term personally. Or maybe you just need the internet win today. 

 

Here you go, buds. 

[McBackup]

Just now, PhillipBlunt said:

I'm thinking you might not understand the meaning of the term personally. Or maybe you just need the internet win today. 

 

Here you go, buds. 

Yes this is definitely not the reaction of someone taking it personally.

[PhillipBlunt]

13 minutes ago, McBackup said:

Yes this is definitely not the reaction of someone taking it personally.

How so? Are graphics always indicative of such a thing? I'm having fun here. 

 

Once again, you might want to look into the concept of what taking something personally means. 

[alt kilgore]

1 hour ago, McBackup said:

Look, I do not think Benning was a good GM. However the drafting in the first round was not the problem with him. It was everything else.

 

2014:

Virtanen was a mistake. First ever draft pick, whoopsie. There were busts taken immediately before and after him as well.

 

McCann was not. Yes Pastrnak was taken right after, but for a 24th overall pick it was a good one. It was the decision to trade him for Gudbranson that was the problem, not drafting him.

 

Since we're riding the vaunted Shames jockstrap about handing them Tkachuk, lets not forget that this is the year they elected to make Mason McDonald the first goalie off the board, handing us Demko two picks later. Every regime f**ks up.

 

2015: 

 

Boeser was a good pick. Yes he's really not lived up to the trajectory he set in his rookie season, but overall getting a player of his calibre at 23rd is fantastic value.

 

2016

 

Juolevi. Oops.

 

2017

 

Pettersson. Let's not pretend this is anything other than a grand slam. Pettersson was projected to go somewhere around 10th, and this was considered a massive reach at the time. The only source that accurately predicted the player Petey would become was some Leafs fan blog,  not pundits or experts. This was one of the best picks in club history, and a massive coup. 

 

2018

 

Quinn Hughes. Obviously incredible pick, but unlike Pettersson fell into our lap because 3 GMs ahead of us made Juolevi-esque errors. Again, happens to everyone. 

 

2019

Podkolzin. Jury is still out.

 

And the rest of his tenure is spent without first round picks. 

 

I am all for people criticizing Jim Benning's time here. It was clear as day by the end of his tenure that he was just fumbling around. He made horrific trades, shortsighted decisions, was a poor drafter in the later rounds, and didn't seem to understand SOP of running an NHL club. However hammering him about his drafting in the first round because of Juolevi simply isn't fair. Its the one area he was consistently good in. 

 

However hammering him about his drafting in the first round because of Juolevi simply isn't fair. Its the one area he was consistently good in. 

 

I think you mean....didn't $%^& up entirely.  His few good picks, mostly when Brackett was in charge, only stand out to give his amateur drafting a polish, making him look good in comparison to every other aspect of managing an NHL team.

Petey was a slight gamble. But Hughes was a slam dunk where he landed.  Benning was pretty average if you balance out hits and misses for top ten, and those who haven't proven themselves yet.  His dismal record in landing gems in later rounds wasn't anything to brag about. Hardly consistent.

 

But as you alluded to, it was his management that was the real problem. It does no good even with above average drafting ability, which wasn't the case with Jim IMO, you still need to keep and develop players. You can't really separate the two things. 

 

One could argue that his first draft of 2014 was his most potentially* successful in that department even with the Virtanen miss. McCann, Forsling, Demko, and Tryamkin.  Too bad he f'd up the #6 pick with Nylander, Ehlers, Fiala, and Larkin still on the board. But even the other drafted players could have been a nice beginning to a new core if he and Aquaman had a different mind set. * Especially if he had also added any of those other players available instead of Lazy Jake at #6. If he'd simply kept all his picks and developed the ones he had, bonus if he'd stocked up on extra picks, JB could have been a God here if he'd just done things right from the beginning.

 

Benning was a lazy arrogant pos when he played here, and a lazy arrogant pos as a GM. "day to day", "we ran out of time"....In way over his head.

Excerpt from Wiki,

 

The Canucks, according to coach Bob McCammon, however, found greater success without Benning in their lineup, though it was "no reflection on him."^[23]Benning believed he was playing well, resulting in confusion between the two sides.^[23] Following a streak of nine consecutive games scratched from the Canucks' lineup, the team requested that Benning be demoted to their International Hockey League affiliate Milwaukee Admirals, although he declined.

 

And then, 24 years later, our idiot owner brings this guy back and hires him as a first time GM.

 

 

 

Edited May 2, 2023 by kilgore

[canuckwings]

Saw some of the discussions from leafs fans and pro leaf analysts about how not to underestimate the panthers because they took Boston out. But if you read between the lines and their series predictions, that don't actually feel that way. They are so relieved it's not Boston and are planning for the 3rd round already lol. 

 

I wonder why Lyon is starting game 1? I trust Paul Maurice but I can't find a reason other than Bobrovsky is hurting. 

[VegasCanuck]

This will be interesting, Toronto beat a fairly depleted Tampa team. Florida underperformed this season, but have now proven that they can rise to the occassion.

 

I think Toronto can win this, but I'm not sure they can beat the winner of Carolina / New Jersey series. I'm not sure that they could handle the speed of NJ.

[MaxVerstappen33]

Doug Mclean had a hot take on the Mccowen cast. Bunting won the Leafs the series by dispatching Cernak.

 

In the old playoffs , when a game was out of reach , some coaches would send guys out to injure. It's a good strategy. (my hot take)

[Wise Guy]

2 hours ago, King Heffy said:

Both Sutherland and Hanson reffing tonight. The NHL clearly doesn't care to even put up the appearance of an attempt to provide honest officials.  Hard to call this game knowing that it's fixed in advance.

Just curious, who’s it fixed for so I can bet.

[King Heffy]

17 minutes ago, Wise Guy said:

Just curious, who’s it fixed for so I can bet.

No way of knowing, but there's no chance if those two acting like professionals in a playoff game.