Today's Leafs similar to the 2009/2010 Calgary Flames?

[Vinny01]

All this talk about the Leafs winning games while being outplayed remind me of the season with so much promise that unravelled into a nightmare for Flames fans.

The Flames entered that year with new coach Brent Sutter and prized offseason acquisition Jay Bouwmeester. The biggest question marks for the team was scoring with the loss of Cammalleri and Bertuzzi many wondered if the Flames would score. Optimists stated that Olli Jokinen would pick up the slack

The Flames opened the season scoring at a torrid pace with a ridiculous shooting percentage. They were consistenly outshot but a pp over 30% and a ridiculous amount of puckluck had the team looking deadly. Iggy had 12 goals in November alone. Entering December the team was 17-6-3 but shortly after the wheels started to fall off. .500 in December and the terrible losing streak in January caused the Phaneuf trade, Jokinen trade, Staios trade and the team missed the playoffs for the first time in 5 years. Even when the Flames were winning you could see that Brent Sutter was not happy with the way the team played.

The Leafs are a very similar team this year in terms of puckluck being outplayed many nights but getting great goaltending and a lot of lucky bounces. They are winning games but Carlyle doesn't seem too pleased with the way his team is playing. If the goaltending gets worse the this team might fall apart completely.

Another coincidence is both seasons were Olympic years.

Personally I think the Leafs are close to falling off a cliff and could spiral out of a playoff spot in similar fashion as the Flames in 2010. I doubt they make the same drastic roster overhaul but I am not convinced this is even a playoff team let alone top team in the east

[mrdonkey]

The East is really bad. The Leafs are probably good enough to make the playoffs in that conference. Doubtful they make it past a team like Boston, Pittsburgh, or Detroit however.

[Vinny01]

Will Ottawa continue to struggle? I still think the Rangers can go on a run to get back in the mix. Toronto's puck possession stats the past 2 seasons have been terrible. They have some game Breann forwards that seem to score when it counts which is what that Flames team severely lacked (Jokinen played pretty awful and Bourque was the only other player to get more than 20 with Iggy).

The Flames had arguably the best defense on paper that year but both Bouw and Dion were somewhat struggling offensively.

[Ashasx]

The Leafs are one of the youngest teams in the league...

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

The Leafs are one of the youngest teams in the league...

Yeah that is a difference but the Flames were not that old either

Dion 24
Bouw 25
Bourque 28
Gio 26
Glencross 27
Regehr and Iggy 32
Dawes/Nystrom/Moss/Boyd all in their 20's

Flames played Backlund only 23 games that year and didn't have a guy like Kadri or Rielly.

This is more about style of play and eventual results of the team this year

[strombad]

I can't imagine this season taking the kind of swing that Calgary had, and I truly believe they are a playoff team (not hard in the East) but I don't think they are a real contender in any way. There's far too much luck going into their game, and I imagine when everything balances out they'll sit around 5 or 6 in the East, out in the second round.

[Enoch Root]

Yeah, they probably make the playoffs in the east, but I don't see anything close to an elite team.

To the OP comparison, their success to date is definitely similar in that their play hasn't been as good as their record.

[TurnedTheCorner]

They both play hockey in the NHL. I'd say the resemblance is uncanny.

[opendoor]

The fact that they can have a 10% shooting percentage and a .941 sv% at 5-on-5 yet are only a +2 in 5-on-5 goal differential says a lot. Once those numbers normalize a bit they're going to be in a lot of trouble if they can't start to improve their shot differential. Never mind their .940 sv% on the PK which will also obviously come down.

They've survived so far with excellent goaltending and a good PP, but can they maintain it? Are Bernier and Reimer .935 goalies over an 82 game season? Not IMO, though I have been impressed by those two guys' play so far.

[Hockey_Ninja]

I hope so. That means they'll crash and burn and trade Phaneuf for crap.

[H2SO4(aq)]

I think Toronto looks like a really good team on paper. I think they need better coaching before they are a legit contender though.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Hockey_Ninja

I hope so. That means they'll crash and burn and trade Phaneuf for crap.

Phaneuf+defensive prospect+4th line grinder for stajan+butler+jackman+street

Come on Burke bring it all back around full circle

[N-E-B]

I can't see them missing the playoffs, especially in the east. I bet the Flames would be a playoff team in the east.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Brent was sure of himself and over coached the team. Toronto is not in the midst of a philosophical change to its style of play.

Despite the commonality of being outshot, this is a much larger difference

[FlameZilla]

Unless Nonis goes full-Daryl & pulls the trigger on a series of apocalyptically terrible trades then I think the Leafs will be fine (unfortunately).

Argh... Didn't the Flames annihilate the Oilers the night before the Phaneuf trade? Those are the kind of games where momentum shifts & teams start to win thereafter. I want to Hara-Kiri myself when I think of that trade.

[Mister Yamoto]

Nope. The Canucks are the 2010 Flames. Their window of opportunity has closed and everyone knows it but them.

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by H2SO4(aq)

I think Toronto looks like a really good team on paper. I think they need better coaching before they are a legit contender though.

Yeah, that Carlyle is no good......his name is on the cup under the circumstance column, right above Chris dingman.......

[Badgers Nose]

Leafs will be fine because they don't have Jokinen. He single handed lay ruined the Flames. I am Mathew Barnaby, I should know.

[Vinny01]

Bumping this to talk about the Leafs free fall

[Roof-Daddy]

I still don't think they resemble anything close to the 2009-2010 Flames.

Look at their roster. You go down the list of their scoring leaders and you don't hit a 30 year old until #17 with Jay McClement who is just 30 this season.

Kessel 25
JVR 24
Raymond 27
Kadri 22
Lupul 29
Franson 26
Bozak 27
Phaneuf 28

etc, etc.....

Even their goalies are both 25.

That Flames team had an aging core, nothing real decent in the pipe line coming up and other than Dion, no elite talent in the 22-27 range.

There is definitely something wrong with this Leafs team, but it's not a similar situation to that Flames team IMO.