Kirill Marchenko - the here and now addition needed imho

[LGR4GM]

19 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

But they are improving by adding him.  It’s a great move by the Leaves.  

Are they improving? 

They're biggest issue is depth and a defense Corp that's older and not very good. 

[PerreaultForever]

43 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

But they are improving by adding him.  It’s a great move by the Leaves.  

Arguably yes but I'm mixed on it. I'm unconvinced on how motivated Marchenko is to be really good. 

[Scottysabres]

Just now, PerreaultForever said:

Arguably yes but I'm mixed on it. I'm unconvinced on how motivated Marchenko is to be really good. 

He’s really good. Like 30 goals/70 points a season good without talent like Mathew’s, Nylander, Tavares and McKenna around him. Those numbers are going to go up most assuredly.

The Leafs are going to be a tough out this season, even with subpar D. 

[PerreaultForever]

3 hours ago, Scottysabres said:

He’s really good. Like 30 goals/70 points a season good without talent like Mathew’s, Nylander, Tavares and McKenna around him. Those numbers are going to go up most assuredly.

The Leafs are going to be a tough out this season, even with subpar D. 

is he as good as Marner was? I don't think so. 

Leafs have never been a "tough out". Well, not since the 1960's anyway. 

[Scottysabres]

2 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

is he as good as Marner was? I don't think so. 

Leafs have never been a "tough out". Well, not since the 1960's anyway. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs hold a 20-14-1 record against the Buffalo Sabres over the last 10 seasons (since the 2016–17 season). 
 

That’s Mathews entire time in a Leafs uniform. You can actually look up how players numbers increase when they are his line mate. I don’t know what games you’ve been watching these past 10 years, but yea, 20-14-1 is a “tough out”.
 

The Sabres have not fared well at all against the Mathews Leafs, the just being honest. And they’ve managed to add a very skilled RW’er for him after they lost Marner. I’m not interested in the “see, Toronto chokes in the playoffs” schtick. I’m interested in our Sabres getting in to the playoffs and doing well. The Atlantic division is going to be a tough out, and other teams, the Leafs included, have gotten better. The Sabres have done nothing to address getting better.

[#freejame]

3 hours ago, Scottysabres said:

The Toronto Maple Leafs hold a 20-14-1 record against the Buffalo Sabres over the last 10 seasons (since the 2016–17 season). 

This is more of an indictment of how bad the Leafs have been. The Sabres have been pitiful for 9 of those seasons. The Leafs were supposed to contend for the cup in a few of those. 

[LGR4GM]

The Leafs forgot one of the most important lessons of team building, don't build from the wings in. I think they probably win the trade in a vacuum for sure. My issue is if you're trading Knies, trade him for either a really good #2 defender or a #2 center. You just added another high end winger, maybe you'll prove me wrong. 

Edited September 29 by LGR4GM

[Scottysabres]

1 hour ago, #freejame said:

This is more of an indictment of how bad the Leafs have been. The Sabres have been pitiful for 9 of those seasons. The Leafs were supposed to contend for the cup in a few of those. 

They’ve made the playoffs 9 of Mathews 10 seasons with last season being the only miss. 90% appearances is not something to simply brush off. And I mean that in the sense that both the Leafs and Panthers are in position again to return to the playoffs. Adding them to the Atlantic race with already high compete Montreal and Tampa, an improved Washington in the metro and the Sabres could very well find themselves on the outside looking in or in a tight wild card spot race.

I am not predicting that is what will happen, I am however saying the odds of that happening have increased given the improvements others in the division and conference have made. The pundits aren’t entirely incorrect when they predict the Sabres will regress this season. It’s likely they will since they’ve done nothing to address the offensive out put loss from Byram and Tuch.

[PerreaultForever]

11 hours ago, Scottysabres said:

The Toronto Maple Leafs hold a 20-14-1 record against the Buffalo Sabres over the last 10 seasons (since the 2016–17 season). 
 

That’s Mathews entire time in a Leafs uniform. You can actually look up how players numbers increase when they are his line mate. I don’t know what games you’ve been watching these past 10 years, but yea, 20-14-1 is a “tough out”.
 

The Sabres have not fared well at all against the Mathews Leafs, the just being honest. And they’ve managed to add a very skilled RW’er for him after they lost Marner. I’m not interested in the “see, Toronto chokes in the playoffs” schtick. I’m interested in our Sabres getting in to the playoffs and doing well. The Atlantic division is going to be a tough out, and other teams, the Leafs included, have gotten better. The Sabres have done nothing to address getting better.

Sabres didn't fare well against anybody prior to last year. I don't think we have the same definition of "tough out". You have to first get in the playoffs to be a tough out and then to be a tough out you are hard to play against and you win in the playoffs until you are overwhelmed. Leafs have rarely gotten past the first round. I've already forgotten how many times Bruins ended their hopes because Leafs were not a tough out and Bruins were. (I think 3?) 

Leafs and "tough" just don't go together.