ECF: Florida Panthers (A3) vs Carolina Hurricanes (M3) - PANTHERS WIN 4-1

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

What is your end game here?

Putting a top draft pick in a position to succeed is a good thing. Florida got what Calgary could not figure out and put him as a 2C .. with consistent line mates , and it worked

Calgary at best put him on the top line 25 percent of the time as a winger, when he is a C… what a vote of confidence

Sutter ? He worked for a bit then got run out of town.

Who cares. Bennett had potential, Calgary mismanaged it, Florida made the fix seem pretty ####ing simple, and unless things go really wrong he will be a key piece in 3 straight Cup finals

It’s a heck of a lot more than his side of the street that needed to be kept clean. So much that he had it with Calgary and said ‘#### this, trade me’

Line mate stats, it’s all been beaten to death, at this point you are hanging on to a narrative that is just weird

Yeah not sure why someone is bringing Sutter into the conversation, who coached Bennett for maybe 15 games in the weirdest NHL season in history. No idea what that little sample size is going to prove.

[Itse]

I wonder if this series is making Toronto look at their team a little differently. I think it should.

Florida is so hot right now they make other teams look bad.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Itse

I wonder if this series is making Toronto look at their team a little differently. I think it should.

Florida is so hot right now they make other teams look bad.

I can totally see Toronto offering a dump truck of money to Bennett this offseason and completely regretting it come December

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Itse

I wonder if this series is making Toronto look at their team a little differently. I think it should.

Florida is so hot right now they make other teams look bad.

no kidding, boo your team off the ice, throw jerseys, run your top offensive player out of town. All this because you took what could be the cup champs to 7 games. Canes will probably pick up Marner and get over the hump lol.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by dino7c

no kidding, boo your team off the ice, throw jerseys, run your top offensive player out of town. All this because you took what could be the cup champs to 7 games.

It’s not because they lost a series to the Panthers. It’s because their core players have been awful in big game after big game after big game for 8 straight years. Their record in elimination games is woeful.

[EVERLAST]

Bennetts game was simplified . He was told not every game can be played like a playoff game.

Work on positioning. Conserve energy. Be efficient . He also grew up in a manner of maturing enough that when told these things his Ego didn't take a hit.

Paul Maurice played a big role in that because he changed too and grew up.

This changed Tkachuk too. Florida was really good for them . You see the difference in Lomberg and i see it in Weegar and Huberdeau has come around.

We needed a culture change and were seeing it now with Craig on top . You have Iginla, Gelinas Stone around the team and all contribute to a better pedigree of winning and success.

Kadri, Coleman and Lomberg have won . Happy for Sam. Really happy.

Panthers deserve to win. Thats a monster of a team they have .

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

I can totally see Toronto offering a dump truck of money to Bennett this offseason and completely regretting it come December

Yeah but they won't regret it come playoff time which is the point of any team signing Bennett as he's a playoff beast. One of the best playoff players in the NHL.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

It’s not because they lost a series to the Panthers. It’s because their core players have been awful in big game after big game after big game for 8 straight years. Their record in elimination games is woeful.

Yeah you can't make any case that Leafs management hasn't been faithful with this group. They have had more than enough chances to show they have what it takes in the playoffs and have failed. They need a shakeup and it just started with Shanahan not being renewed which probably gives the green light to Treliving to start making changes.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

The issue is perhaps they lack elite players
They tried to address that with Rantanen and it backfired

I think this is pretty well their ceiling as a team. Good enough to win a round or two in the playoffs but lack the gamebreaker(s) to beat elite teams on their way to the Stanley Cup finals.

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by EVERLAST

Bennetts game was simplified . He was told not every game can be played like a playoff game.

Work on positioning. Conserve energy. Be efficient . He also grew up in a manner of maturing enough that when told these things his Ego didn't take a hit.

Paul Maurice played a big role in that because he changed too and grew up.

This changed Tkachuk too. Florida was really good for them . You see the difference in Lomberg and i see it in Weegar and Huberdeau has come around.

We needed a culture change and were seeing it now with Craig on top . You have Iginla, Gelinas Stone around the team and all contribute to a better pedigree of winning and success.

Kadri, Coleman and Lomberg have won . Happy for Sam. Really happy.

Panthers deserve to win. Thats a monster of a team they have .

I don't think Tkachuk has been better in Florida than he was here. Bennett for sure, but I don't think the same is true for Tkachuk.

[Paulie Walnuts]

What happened to Chucky ?

That could be 2 massive blows.

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I think this is pretty well their ceiling as a team. Good enough to win a round or two in the playoffs but lack the gamebreaker(s) to beat elite teams on their way to the Stanley Cup finals.

Their division has been the lesser of the Eastern conference for ages now so suspect they have been carried somewhat by that. An Atlantic division team has won the eastern conference 5 years in a row (ignoring Covid year where the division were all changed up)

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

What is your end game here?

Putting a top draft pick in a position to succeed is a good thing. Florida got what Calgary could not figure out and put him as a 2C .. with consistent line mates , and it worked

Calgary at best put him on the top line 25 percent of the time as a winger, when he is a C… what a vote of confidence

Sutter ? He worked for a bit then got run out of town.

Who cares. Bennett had potential, Calgary mismanaged it, Florida made the fix seem pretty ####ing simple, and unless things go really wrong he will be a key piece in 3 straight Cup finals

It’s a heck of a lot more than his side of the street that needed to be kept clean. So much that he had it with Calgary and said ‘#### this, trade me’

Line mate stats, it’s all been beaten to death, at this point you are hanging on to a narrative that is just weird

I have no end game. I simply prefer to keep things honest about the narrative others are pushing. People seem to have pretty narrow memories about how Bennett performed, including what Sutter did with him in his limited time (it wasn't me who brought up Sutter).

Calgary didn't gift Bennett centre time over Monahan, Backlund or Lindholm, it's true. And it's also true that Bennett used to display a lot of tunnel vision which didn't assist his case. If you don't see that Bennett played a different game after his trade, fine. I do.

There's fault on both sides of that case. But the fault is with GMs and coaches who aren't here, and a player who isn't here. It's 5 years ago. It's time to let it go.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I think this is pretty well their ceiling as a team. Good enough to win a round or two in the playoffs but lack the gamebreaker(s) to beat elite teams on their way to the Stanley Cup finals.

I'd say they are the old Sharks but the Sharks had Thornton who was elite in anyone's books. They have a lot of really good to great players. And Freddie Andersen is not going to steal you games.

[Saqe]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

It’s not because they lost a series to the Panthers. It’s because their core players have been awful in big game after big game after big game for 8 straight years. Their record in elimination games is woeful.

Yeah. If Toronto again runs it back just because they went to game seven against the Panthers it would be hilarious. Exactly what the Panthers would want, they're not going anywhere in that division and know exactly how to shutdown that core four.

Originally Posted by dino7c

no kidding, boo your team off the ice, throw jerseys, run your top offensive player out of town. All this because you took what could be the cup champs to 7 games. Canes will probably pick up Marner and get over the hump lol.

What the Canes need is Bennett, not Marner.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Saqe

Yeah. If Toronto again runs it back just because they went to game seven against the Panthers it would be hilarious. Exactly what the Panthers would want, they're not going anywhere in that division and know exactly how to shutdown that core four.






What the Canes need is Bennett, not Marner.

Yup not sure what the obsession is with a playoff flake like Marner who is soft af and can’t handle the pressure. I bet he’s secretly hoping he’s a Flame but he never will be confirmed again this week by Dreger.

He is actually perfect for Carolina and the Thornton comparison.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I have no end game. I simply prefer to keep things honest about the narrative others are pushing. People seem to have pretty narrow memories about how Bennett performed, including what Sutter did with him in his limited time (it wasn't me who brought up Sutter).

Calgary didn't gift Bennett centre time over Monahan, Backlund or Lindholm, it's true. And it's also true that Bennett used to display a lot of tunnel vision which didn't assist his case. If you don't see that Bennett played a different game after his trade, fine. I do.

There's fault on both sides of that case. But the fault is with GMs and coaches who aren't here, and a player who isn't here. It's 5 years ago. It's time to let it go.

I blame Gulutzan a lot for kind of setting things in motion for Bennett to fall to bottom 6 status but the player has to take some of the blame as well as he didn't play well enough at times. Still he was always one of the Flames best players in the playoffs and performing well in the playoffs was a thing for him before he was a Panther.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Yup not sure what the obsession is with a playoff flake like Marner who is soft af and can’t handle the pressure. I bet he’s secretly hoping he’s a Flame but he never will be confirmed again this week by Dreger.

He is actually perfect for Carolina and the Thornton comparison.

We were talking about the Leafs so I said Marner...there is no pressure in Carolina, thats the point. Just discussing how hilarious it will be when he suceeds elsewhere because its gonna happen. Always happena to the Leafs when theu run someone out of town.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by dino7c

We were talking about the Leafs so I said Marner...there is no pressure in Carolina, thats the point. Just discussing how hilarious it will be when he suceeds elsewhere because its gonna happen. Always happena to the Leafs when theu run someone out of town.

Since Marner is a good player, it's likely that he'll do well wherever he goes, and a good chance he makes that team better.

...which is why it's stupid of Treliving to let him walk, because teams would have paid well for Marner.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Itse

Since Marner is a good player, it's likely that he'll do well wherever he goes, and a good chance he makes that team better.

...which is why it's stupid of Treliving to let him walk, because teams would have paid well for Marner.

So you think they should have traded one of their key players, this season - a season in which they won the division?