When you have a 60+ goal-scorer, it's not unreasonable to lean on him to provide some timely goals. But fundamentally Matthews is not reliable in the playoffs, so in many ways having him is worse than not having him. The misplaced expectations cause problems throughout the lineup.
The Leafs are quite literally living the Thornton-era Sharks teams except with not making it out of the first round instead of generic “couldn’t get it done (what It means is nebulous”) so it’s even worse. Every year there’s some excuse for why the Leafs couldn’t win, like injuries or that they were the underdogs, actually. And they’re legit excuses. But the problem is that history isn’t going to look at the different excuses for each year they didn’t get it done, it’s just going to show that they didn’t get it done.
www.tsn.ca
Isn’t that good ole Tim Burke? Or was DWJr technically running that one?
If we're gonna be fair, it was whoever f'd it up at SJS, but also literally every other pick other than McJesus, including Eichel and Marner.
www.eliteprospects.com
Don't get me wrong; I really like Rantanen. But, he's in a very unique situation; he's the Milan Hedjuk of his time. Makar and MacKinnon do all the heavy lifting and get the tough assignments, giving Rantanen the room to excel in. Given the opportunity, could he thrive? Possibly. But Eichel was the best player on a cup-winning team.If we're gonna be fair, it was whoever f'd it up at SJS, but also literally every other pick other than McJesus, including Eichel and Marner.
People don't realize just how good Rantanen is. He could go 2OA in a redraft. I certainly would take him over Marner and arguably Eichel.
Elite Prospects - NHL Entry Draft 2015
NHL Entry Draft 2015 - full list of selections with facts and stats.
Matthews is basically the goal-scoring version of Thornton. Dominant in the regular season at his speciality and subpar as hell when defenses get tighter in the playoffs.
I'm sorry, but this is very wrong. I can say this definitively as I live in Denver and pay close attention to the Avs, and the stats (counting and advanced) will also tell you the same. Rantanen is an elite power forward. Rantanen many games drives the play on whatever line he's on. He's incredibly skilled and powerful, and incredibly undervalued on these boards.
I can't claim to have lived in Denver
, but I've watched practically every Avalanche playoff game in their history, and while Rantanen is a great player he is at best the #3 guy for that organization. Mackinnon and Makar stir the drink for that franchise.
Didn't rantanen carry the offensive mail when macK was hurt two years ago?I can't claim to have lived in Denver
Being the #3 behind MacKinnon and Makar isn't exactly an indictment.I can't claim to have lived in Denver
Don't have to roll your eyes man. Of course he's the #3 -- MacKinnon is an MVP candidate and Makar is a perennial Norris candidate, but he's not a passenger, which is what your original post said.I can't claim to have lived in Denver
I'll concede that the Hejduk comparison was unfair to Rantanen, but I think that Meier/Marner/Barzal would see their numbers jump significantly in Rantanen's position. To the extent that there would be a dropoff, I don't think it would be enough for Colorado to not win the cup.
