Steve Dangle and Jesse Blake discuss the recent promotion of Alex Kerfoot and demotion of LW Michael Bunting. Should we be worried about the Maple Leafs lines? Then, despite what fans are saying does Kyle Dubas actually deserve an extension?
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40 Comments
I think the biggest issue isn't Dubas, he gives Keefe all the pieces he needs ( I would have moved Kerfoot too, but that's assuming that there was actually any teams inquiring about him). I still think the problem is that Keefe juggles lines waaaaay too much and the team never gets a chance to gain proper chemistry. Then we make stupid mistakes that cost us, because players don't have a feel for where their linemates are supposed to be. I said this exact same thing last year, and it's no different this year. I can't imagine other coaches using the "blender" as much as Keefe and I think we feel it come playoff time when goofy highlight reel goals don't happen anymore.
I was dumbfounded to see this. He should have been traded. He's tool small.
I've always had a theory with Kerfoot that states that he is way more important due to just his ability to be adequate. The Leafs need a guy who they can slot into any position from 2nd line centre to 4th line winger and he will play that position in a pinch because the Leafs don't have the same advantage as other teams. When a top 6 guy gets hurt the leafs need to call someone up, and if they call up someone who has a particularly useful skill set, hes gonna get picked up when the waiver wire hits. Dubas and Keefe need someone who, when the roster is healthy, can play on the 4th line as a winger and be adequate there, but when people are hurt can slot up to cover for them/cover the person covering for the injured guy. Then they can bring up a Marlie who is a 4th liner at best, let him play for them until the top 6 guy gets hurt then send the Marlie back down knowing that if he's lost in wavers that sucks, but at least he was just a bottom line guy at best.
Is there not too many questions going into the playoffs for this to be a team that’s a cup favourite? There’s question marks everywhere
I'm assuming that they put kerfoot on the 1st line to make him shine in order to trade him.
Pasta vs Marner? Pastas better
Matthews vs Bergeron? Matts better
Kerfoot vs Marchand? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
This is what you're looking at for first line matchups if the Leafs want to make it to the ECF
Here's my beef: couldn't McCabe, Lafferty, Gustaffon and Schenn have been Chychrun? Couldn't Dubas have gotten a legit top 4 D instead of flotsam? Quality beats quantity every time. Tavares out, O'Reilly out, probably Matthews should be out (please rest him if he needs it) bring up more Marlies if necessary. It doesn't matter. The season is mostly over, only playoffs matter at this point.
Holl over Mcann and Sandin…why? Kerfoot top line winger instead of second line center to fill in why?
11f 7 d b2b 3 games in 4 nights now you have 2 forward s injured overplaying them and always changing positions, why when you have 10 d and 5 lines of forwards…why?
Holl and Reilly never sit why???
The lineups could change as the game goes on
Lose first round again you need to clean house completely – from top to bottom. I don't really care how you lose. Time to move on from Auston and get a big return. He is not the answer if they lose.
Bunting's problem is his diving subsequently pissing off the ref's once they figured him out – his antics are not working any more so it negates his game completely. He won't re-sign with the Leafs now so they need to figure out the LW position once again. And Rielly is actually the one that needs to be benched – he is brutal, and Leaf fans need to get used to 7 MORE YEARS OF BRUTAL @ $7.5 MIL PER.
This talk about Leafs liking each other is actually sickening and not relevant when you can't play hockey come playoff time.
With Tampa playing like crap…Toronto taking forever to know where players fit on the team which is making it very hard for them to gel …is Boston thinking we went from the toughest path to the cup to one of the easiest?
SO — the guy who has been so absolutely terrible this year, the guy who has somehow missed a handful of open net goals this year, the guy who has shown a lack of effort too many times, the guy who has been the rumour of being trade bate for months but nobody wanted him … now on the first line.
Thanks for coming over to the sane side, Steve!! As I have been saying for the last 10 days and catching flack for — Kyle Dumbass does not deserve an extension. He cannot see the error of his ways. He cannot learn from past mistakes. There was one major hole in the line-up ALL SEASON and he could not see it and fix it.
The biggest drag on this team has been Morgan Reilly….the guy can't defend. I don't believe Kerfoot has been added to the top line because he can score (because he can't), but because he brings energy and some grit – sadly what Bunting has failed to do of late. Maybe put Jarnkrok to 1st, Aston Reese to 2nd and Kerfoot to 3rd. That said, they need to stop the constant tinkering and figure the lines out or they'll never be able to gel come playoff time.
Marner and Mathiews should be able to dominate every game. They are paid too. Tavaris was most likely a mistake signing, he never won a playoff round his whole career. Mathiews and Marner are following like him. Plus they take nights off way to often…
Is Dubas in charge of forming the lines?
Add to the fact the Leafs kept Kerfoot and Holl over Jared McCann and traded for Malgin…for Marchment, a LW…
Before deadline – Dubas is great. He added O'Reilly, McCabe, Acciari, Schenn!
After deadline – FIRE HIM!
Lol, so much one broken finger can do )))
“Dubas deserves a contract” really? Strip away all the bs that so many pundits use for justification and simply look at the results. The leafs haven’t won 1 playoff series under him.
Kerfoot, Mathews, and Marner, what a genius idea this is. Put a checker, a digger, a blessing to open up the offensive zone to let Mathews and Marner go to work with the guy who flicks the switch for a goal light.
"Ummm!" What are Ye all talking about?
"I think it's perfect timing."
Management and coach need to go
It's time for a management change. This whole team's attitude needs a major change. Mathews needs to start playing. Dubas and keefe have proven they need to be fired.
Then Bunting becomes a 3rd line winger with ROR
Kerfoot comes alive in the Playoffs.
With 19 games left, they could put Holl center on the first line, I don't care. What I want to see is by the 10-games-left mark or sooner, Keefe has something in place. I know O'Reilly needs to come back, but Keefe should be able to sort this, he has to. I would even consider putting Mo as forward, as he can no longer defend.
reminder y’all protected kerfoot instead of mccann
Finally people r seeing the light re dubas. been banging this drum since 2018.
I said you don't let dubas trade our picks away and most people ragged on me. i said o'reilly is ok but not going to solve the core's problem, no desire to win. i got ragged on.
i was right.
Look at his trade record with this team. In the first three years of trades, we ended up with kerfoot and lost, kadri, moore, brown and two firsts. it's a disgrace.
Bunting is a third liner on tb or boaton.
Kerfoot is one the most useless players on this team, I don't get what Keefe & Dubas see in Kerfoot & Holl both don't deserve the opportunities they been given on this team or the loyalty they have been given. Any other team would have both these guys down in the AHL
Lineup choices aren't his decision though guys.
Keefe has choices but he chooses to repeatedly go back to the same well
I highly doubt Kerfoot is going to be on the first line come playoffs. Keefe probably wants Acciari & Laff to get accustomed to certain players (Kampf & Jarnkrok respectively) more than rewarding Kerfoot who is just a placeholder until Bunting improves or O'Reilly returns.
And after that, who? Who would you have wanted Dubas to acquire? What would the team be willing to give up for that person? And don't say Holl/Kerfoot. There was a reason why Sandin and Engvall were moved instead.
If we loose in the first round. Regardless of how close. He has to be gone. If we lose and I don’t care to who, the problem is even more proven to be the core. You did this all at the deadline. Good. I like the moves. But you bet your season on Matt Murray in net with an unproven samsonov. That’s irresponsible. I don’t care how close. He’s had his time. Regardless if it’s his fault or not he can’t come back. As Steve said. To pigged nosed to try something different
Time for Keefe to go. He babies these players and is totally responsible for not getting everything out of his players. This team doesn’t care about winning the cup. It’s all about the $. Austin is having a down season making 12 million a season. Next year is contract negotiations. He will be all over the ice like a horny rabbit pumping goals on a ridiculous pace. Then he will demand 15+ million a year.
Barf. Kerfoot on the first line is not going to help our playoff woes lol.
I remember when Dubas traded for McCann hoping that Seattle would take him and not Kerfoot in the expansion draft and also protected Holl. What if we had a scenario where they protected McCann instead leaving Holl and Kerfoot available. A first line with Matthews, McCann and either Marner or Nylander sounds way better then Kerfoot on the 1st line. Especially considering McCann has been the top scorer in Seattle over the last two seasons.
Steve relax a little bit.
I think everyone sleeps on Kerfoot. Just being able to play in the Nhl is a valuable asset, and he is able to be plugged in wherever and you know what you're going to get.