NHL Season 2025-26 - Page 44

EnvisionSaintJohn · #**861** Posted **Jun 2, 2026, 10:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

4th at the Worlds with an OT loss to Denmark (full marks).

Ouch.

*not that anyone I know really watched or cared about this tournament.

I think you meant Norway? Or did Canada lose to Denmark too? 🤯 I know the World Championships isn’t a huge deal for many NHLers, but Canada losing to Norway is straight up embarrassing.

I still think this is the inevitable reckoning of hockey no longer being an important part of Canadian culture and becoming an increasingly unaffordable sport mainly meant for the children of urban elites and the ultra talented few with very devoted parents.

Instead of investing so much in the ultra competitive side of the game, Canada needs to get back to funding the grass roots of the game… things like learn to skate programs, outdoor rinks, and more affordable hockey schools and recreational leagues.

There’s just way too many Canadians with kids who don’t get involved with hockey at all, because of the high costs… and that’s just not right for the sport considered our “national pastime”.

shappy · #**862** Posted **Jun 3, 2026, 1:16 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicko999

Leafs fans better get ready to see Marner hoist the Cup in about 2 weeks. Better start preparing mentally right now. The earlier, the better.

I for one hope he wins it. I don't like the way they traded him and never thought he was the problem. I question Matthews' character and leadership in playoffs much more than Marner's.

jamincan · #**863** Posted **Jun 3, 2026, 1:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicko999

Leafs fans better get ready to see Marner hoist the Cup in about 2 weeks. Better start preparing mentally right now. The earlier, the better.

Vegas in 6, just a better team all around than Carolina now that they have the goaltending.

I don't care if Marner loses or wins but seeing Carter Hart hoist the cup will be a tough pill to swallow. I'm sure he'll talk about all the adversity he had to deal with to get to that point too and finish it off with a Free Alberta.

HomeInMyShoes · #**864** Posted **Jun 3, 2026, 2:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by craner

Gotta cheer for Vegas now as the second round pick the Flames received in the Rasmus Anderson trade turns into a first round pick in 2028 if Vegas wins. That would mean 2 firsts for Anderson + Flames got Whitecloud too. Nice work Conny.

Fair point. What a great game last night. Back and forth. As much as this was the least desired cup out of the final four for me, game one was great.

Zeej · #**865** Posted **Jun 3, 2026, 2:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamincan

I don't care if Marner loses or wins but seeing Carter Hart hoist the cup will be a tough pill to swallow. I'm sure he'll talk about all the adversity he had to deal with to get to that point too and finish it off with a Free Alberta.

His agent had better be working hard on some sort of donation or PR campaign, because even though he was found not guilty, many will have a hard time seeing him win and rightfully so.

suburbanite · #**866** Posted **Jun 3, 2026, 9:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by shappy

I for one hope he wins it. I don't like the way they traded him and never thought he was the problem. I question Matthews' character and leadership in playoffs much more than Marner's.

You don't like the way they traded the guy who said he wasn't going to re-sign and whose camp basically implied he would only go to Vegas?

I have no hard feelings against Marner as a player or a person. By most accounts though his dad and agent were absolutely horrific to work with and have caused a ton of drama.

shappy · #**867** Posted **Jun 4, 2026, 1:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by suburbanite

You don't like the way they traded the guy who said he wasn't going to re-sign and whose camp basically implied he would only go to Vegas?

I have no hard feelings against Marner as a player or a person. By most accounts though his dad and agent were absolutely horrific to work with and have caused a ton of drama.

I don't think he ever explicitly said that, did he? He's a local and a life long fan of the Leafs so I don't think it had to do with him not wanting to play here. He wasn't happy with the conditions and I don't blame him (that's more my point). I think he got disproportionately criticized for the core 4 playoff woes. Then someone leaked his address online while his wife is at home with a new baby. He was also not well-suited for a top heavy team like the Leafs were. It made sense for him to leave. He's had a lot of success in the playoffs with Vegas so far which kind of points to the Leafs being the problem.

MonctonRad · #**868** Posted **Jun 4, 2026, 1:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by shappy

I don't think he ever explicitly said that, did he? He's a local and a life long fan of the Leafs so I don't think it had to do with him not wanting to play here. He wasn't happy with the conditions and I don't blame him (that's more my point). I think he got disproportionately criticized for the core 4 playoff woes. Then someone leaked his address online while his wife is at home with a new baby. He was also not well-suited for a top heavy team like the Leafs were. It made sense for him to leave. He's had a lot of success in the playoffs with Vegas so far which kind of points to the Leafs being the problem.

Agree.

Leafs fans are notoriously bad at scapegoating players. It's a somewhat toxic city for a hockey player to play in.

suburbanite · #**869** Posted **Jun 4, 2026, 3:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by shappy

I don't think he ever explicitly said that, did he? He's a local and a life long fan of the Leafs so I don't think it had to do with him not wanting to play here. He wasn't happy with the conditions and I don't blame him (that's more my point). I think he got disproportionately criticized for the core 4 playoff woes. Then someone leaked his address online while his wife is at home with a new baby. He was also not well-suited for a top heavy team like the Leafs were. It made sense for him to leave. He's had a lot of success in the playoffs with Vegas so far which kind of points to the Leafs being the problem.

Obviously his camp is going to come out and explicitly say that they had no intentions of re-signing, but the actions speak for themselves. I've barely followed the Leafs the last few years, but my recollection is that his camp asked for Matthew's money, negotiations would not go anywhere at those terms, and then he accepted a sign and trade for less money than what he was asking of the Leafs. Those are not the actions of someone trying to get a deal done to stay in their hometown.

Again, I don't hold it against him. There were valid criticisms about his play, but obviously people who direct their frustrations directly at the players or their family are scum of the earth. By many accounts, Marner was overly invested in social media posts about him, and his father is a pretty clearly a psychopath who apparently would send him negative tweets or whatever after games.

Overall, probably a better situation for everyone now. I think there was enough evidence that the Leafs were probably not going to get over the hump by paying Marner even more money. On the flip side, Marner is excelling in a market with a smaller spotlight and on a team where he isn't required to always face the opponents top shutdown guys. Where the Leafs really screwed up is not reading the writing on the wall earlier and working to trade him before his NMC kicked in and they could have actually got some assets for him. That's on Shanahan for the whole Dubas debacle, bringing in a new GM with a couple weeks to get the lay of the land and make that tough decision before the NMC kicked in.

HomeInMyShoes · #**870** Posted **Jun 5, 2026, 2:31 PM**

This is ridiculous playoff hockey.

Coldrsx · #**871** Posted **Jun 5, 2026, 2:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

This is ridiculous playoff hockey.

It's good and a real battle out there.

drew · #**872** Posted **Jun 5, 2026, 2:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by drew

^ This will be a series of whatever team scores first will win that game.

I don't think Vegas is a lock to win this series.

0-2 on my prediction so far.

But still a good series. Manitoba accounted for 4 or 7 goals yesterday.

shappy · #**873** Posted **Jun 5, 2026, 5:34 PM**

Speaking of Marner, he has the most points in the playoffs at 24 with 1.33 points per game over 18 games so far with Vegas!

That's more than any run with the Leafs (9 points over 7 games for 1.29 or 14 points over 11 games for 1.27). Perhaps those Leafs fans that gave him such a hard time should reassess where things went wrong, ha.

harls · #**874** Posted **Jun 5, 2026, 5:36 PM**

Imagine living in a place where the media doesn't scrutinize your every moment. No wonder he's thriving in Sin City.

shappy · #**875** Posted **Jun 5, 2026, 5:58 PM**

^ Along with a few other on-ice reasons I'm sure. And the scrutiny comes with the territory but I think with Marner it was at a fever pitch. And there's no easy way to come back from that.

jc_yyc_ca · #**876** Posted **Jun 5, 2026, 7:32 PM**

The media frenzy around Marner was getting ridiculous. Glad to see he's thriving in a place where there's less pressure.

Great series so far. After bitch slapping their opponents en-route to the final, Carolina is getting some competition.