Leafs 2023-2024 Thread

[superstar_88]

I'm well aware of how Vegas did it. Their owner wanted a winner right away. They do not have any one of their first round picks still with the organization and yes being able to pluck players from other teams but that's how an expansion draft works. It paid off for them big time and till continues to do so. The Leafs themselves signed free agents and made trades but unlike Vegas they did it completely wrong. Maybe the Leafs should've left Kerfoot unprotected instead of McCann

You kept going on and on about how Leafs should be doing it the Vegas way and then you kept complaining about Leafs terrible drafting so ...

The expansion draft was actually a huge advantage for Vegas unlike the yesteryears of previous expansion teams.
Marchessault the Conn Smythe winner and current leading scorer for Vegas was acquired through the expansion draft.
The irony is he was made available by Florida. You think the Colorado Rockies had it this good?
Even Seattle was not a bottom feeder right from the get go. Other teams, however, learned from their experience with Vegas.

There are also plenty of teams who don't have 4 forwards making over 10 million who don't win the cup.
Some of them don't even make the playoffs.

 

[Fun For All]

You kept going on and on about how Leafs should be doing it the Vegas way and then you kept complaining about Leafs terrible drafting so ...

The expansion draft was actually a huge advantage for Vegas unlike the yesteryears of previous expansion teams.
Marchessault the Conn Smythe winner and current leading scorer for Vegas was acquired through the expansion draft.
The irony is he was made available by Florida. You think the Colorado Rockies had it this good?
Even Seattle was not a bottom feeder right from the get go. Other teams, however, learned from their experience with Vegas.

I liked it better in the old days when expansion teams would be setting records for losing like Washington, Islanders, etc..they'd have to build and wheel their way to competiveness.

 

[roddermac]

I liked it better in the old days when expansion teams would be setting records for losing like Washington, Islanders, etc..they'd have to build and wheel their way to competiveness.

NHL is so hurting for ratings that they need their new teams to be competitive ASAP.

 

[roddermac]

You kept going on and on about how Leafs should be doing it the Vegas way and then you kept complaining about Leafs terrible drafting so ...

The expansion draft was actually a huge advantage for Vegas unlike the yesteryears of previous expansion teams.
Marchessault the Conn Smythe winner and current leading scorer for Vegas was acquired through the expansion draft.
The irony is he was made available by Florida. You think the Colorado Rockies had it this good?
Even Seattle was not a bottom feeder right from the get go. Other teams, however, learned from their experience with Vegas.

There are also plenty of teams who don't have 4 forwards making over 10 million who don't win the cup.
Some of them don't even make the playoffs.

I never said that the Leafs should do it the Vegas way. I said that Vegas has only one player making $10 plus million and the Leafs have 3. I also said Vegas does trading and free agent signings the right way and the Leafs do it wrong. You really don't know how to read do you. You even mentioned that I said the Leafs should've signed John Tavares when I clearly said they shouldn't have.

 

[roddermac]

There's also not retaining Hyman. Although letting Campbell go was the right move so win some lose some.
Dubas traded away plenty of 1st round draft picks and Amirov was unfortunate. Montreal drafted Guhlie right after.
A 6'3 D. Don't know if he's any good as I don't watch Montreal games. So hard to draft without 1st round picks.

If you have good scouts and are patient in developing players then you're fine without high draft picks.. Look at the Red Wings during the Bowman and somewhat Holland years.

 

[micropenis]

Dubas in not a GM. He's an analytics guy. He can't draft for shit and had to give up numerous draft picks to fit players under the cap. Pittsburgh is missing the playoffs this year under him. Shanny has no business being President of anything let alone for an NHL team. And the Leafs did miss the playoffs in their first year at the helm which I have no issue with because they were tanking for Mathews anyways. What does JFJ have to do with this. He was a rookie GM just like Dubas only he didn't have the young talent and draft picks that Dubas was gifted. He didn't have support from ownership especially the chairman. He wasn't allowed to rebuild which was his original plan. Had bad contracts of players with no trade clauses that refused to waive them. He also had to deal with a meddling coach and a 4ht line goon who was buddies with the chairman. And you know what. He was fired after on a few years on the job. Dubas and Shanny have been on the job since 2014 and so far all they got to show for it is one playoff series win. Don't give me this shit they lost plenty of game 7's. They weren't hired to lose in game 7. They were hired to win a cup.
Vegas has only been in the league for 5 seasons now and have made it to 2 Stanley Cup finals and have won one of them and look to repeat this year. So what if they missed the playoffs one of those years.

I love the dubas apologists. I’ve always said Dubas is exactly like JFJ with one exception, Dubas had the keys to the team and JFJ did not. Dubas got fucked on contexts by Marner and Matthews without proving that they’re capable of winning anything. Shanny should have kept Lou as GM and let Dubas go to Colorado. He is the worst. Trading away almost every single pick we had for some rental who wasn’t going to resign with us.

 

[superstar_88]

I never said that the Leafs should do it the Vegas way. I said that Vegas has only one player making $10 plus million and the Leafs have 3. I also said Vegas does trading and free agent signings the right way and the Leafs do it wrong. You really don't know how to read do you. You even mentioned that I said the Leafs should've signed John Tavares when I clearly said they shouldn't have.

Why just point out Vegas. No other team in the league has more as many 10 million players as Leafs and we all know half of them didn't even make the playoffs and the other 15 didn't win the cup.

 

[shack]

NHL is so hurting for ratings that they need their new teams to be competitive ASAP.

I think it hurts ratings, especially in the playoffs. They may be popular in their new market, but that excludes the fans in the other 30 markets. So many of the older teams have established wider fan bases. Fans of the Leafs, Habs, Bruins etc. are everywhere. Most Canadians will follow the other Canadian teams if they advance. Nobody has established any connection or have any history with new teams. The players are pretty much no-names that nobody has ever rooted for.

So when these older teams get eliminated, people lose interest. I think it hurts ratings, especially in the playoffs, when the biggest ratings are supposed to be a given.

 

[superstar_88]

Willy's brother called to let Willy know he scored a hat trick against Vegas.

A Nylander has played 11 games with Columbus and has 8 goals

 

[roddermac]

Why just point out Vegas. No other team in the league has more as many 10 million players as Leafs and we all know half of them didn't even make the playoffs and the other 15 didn't win the cup.

I used them as an example because they have had more success in their first 5 years in the league than Toronto has since 1967. Okay Tampa Bay has done it. So have the Blackhawks and Kings. Both of those teams have one 3 Stanley Cups in recent memory. They've drafted well but also developed players and didn't make over the top free agent signings. loos the the Leafs history and you'd see how they have badly overpaid players and given out no trade clauses to role players.

 

[roddermac]

I love the dubas apologists. I’ve always said Dubas is exactly like JFJ with one exception, Dubas had the keys to the team and JFJ did not. Dubas got fucked on contexts by Marner and Matthews without proving that they’re capable of winning anything. Shanny should have kept Lou as GM and let Dubas go to Colorado. He is the worst. Trading away almost every single pick we had for some rental who wasn’t going to resign with us.

He's Pittsburgh's problem now. At least JFJ had some experience working in the NHL being head of scouting for the Blues prior to becoming Leafs GM. Dubas was the GM of an OHL team. Why was he hired to begin with. He's pretty much that pretty women every guy wants until they date her. I think Lou wanted out and if that was the case I can clearly see why.

 

[roddermac]

This probably goes back to Leafs signing Tavares again cause you know that's how free agency works.
Leafs already drafted their number 1 center 1st overall. They already had a 2nd line center in Kadri.
Does a team really need an 11 million 2nd line center? Even with Covid Tavares is still the 4th highest paid center in his 6th year of his contract. Surely you would expect plenty more to have past him by now. Nylander on the other hand has 96 players pass him in salary on his current contract.

Without Tavares they probably are forced to keep Kadri as their 2nd line center at 4.5 mill. Which would not have been a bad thing. Matthews/Marner could possibly have signed for less without Tavares bumping up the internal pay scale. Without Tavares there would have been money for Hyman. So in a nutshell without Tavares they would have had Kadri and Hyman instead. Their top 5 forwards are set. That should have been the core.

This is how I explained it to you and yet you read it as something completely different.

 

[superstar_88]

I used them as an example because they have had more success in their first 5 years in the league than Toronto has since 1967. Okay Tampa Bay has done it. So have the Blackhawks and Kings. Both of those teams have one 3 Stanley Cups in recent memory. They've drafted well but also developed players and didn't make over the top free agent signings. loos the the Leafs history and you'd see how they have badly overpaid players and given out no trade clauses to role players.

My point was you had no point. Plenty of teams with no success who don't have 10 plus million players.

 

[roddermac]

My point was you had no point. Plenty of teams with no success who don't have 10 plus million players.

I have a point. And my point is that the Leafs don't know what the fuck they are doing. As usual you can't understand my comments even though I explained them to you very well.

 

[superstar_88]

I have a point. And my point is that the Leafs don't know what the fuck they are doing. As usual you can't understand my comments even though I explained them to you very well.

Pittsburgh won a cup with a no name defense when Letang was injured. They had Crosby, Malkin, Kessel and Ron Hainsay on D. 31 teams each year don't win the cup. Half don't make the playoffs.
Edmonton has only 1 player making over 10 million and guess what McD no cup

Bottom line is to win a cup you need everything. Ideally no holes or weaknesses. In the cap era you need value for your money. Nylander at under 7 million is clearly great value. Matthews I would say is also good value since he is the best goal scorer right now. Marner? Probably over-paid but perhaps by a million or two. Tavares is the one player that is way over-paid for what he's bringing right now.

Most recent Conn Smythe winners:
Marchessault
Maker
Vasilevsky
Hedman
O'Rielly
Ovi
Crosby

Leafs supposed strength is in the forward group so one or more of Matthews/Marner/Nylander will need to play at a Conn Smythe worthy pace in order for Leafs to win a cup. Whether they have it in them we have not seen it yet.
Pittsburgh the year they won the cup Matt Murray had a .937 save percentage and a 1.70 GAA in the playoffs.
Just so happens Leafs have the same Matt Murray on the team and available for the playoffs.
Letang was also their best offensive defenseman and Leafs D played great without Rielly ... hmmmm

 

[chrispalen]

Sad loss by the Leafs to the Hurricanes in OT shootout. The Leafs was leading in period 2 and they were playing and scoring well. Their St.Patrick's jersey was sharp contrast to the
Hurricanes dark jersey. Hurricanes was able to force a tie and OT in the final 2 minutes of the game, to their credit. Sadly the Leafs lost in the OT shootout.

CP

 

[glamphotographer]

If I was Keefe I would've pulled the goalie on the PP in overtime, give up the point to get two. These last few games are meaningless, the Leafs are locked in 3rd in the Atlantic division, may as well try new things. But also get their own house in order.

 

[Fun For All]

NHL is so hurting for ratings that they need their new teams to be competitive ASAP.

I don't think it's the ratings it's how much a city would put up with a losing last place team, I don't think the Las Vegas franchise would have had good support from the locals if they had 10-win last place non-playoff teams...shitty teams is what did the Kansas City Scouts/Colorado Rockies and Atlanta Thrashers in.

 

[chuckertmg]

NHL is so hurting for ratings that they need their new teams to be competitive ASAP.

It's driven by expansion fees, not ratings.

Vegas and Seattle both agreed to pay premium prices for their franchises' with the agreement that the expansion draft would be updated to provide a contender right off the bat.

The Vegas owner paid $500 million; Seattle paid $650 million for the same privilege.

Because it's not "hockey-related revenue" it goes straight into the owners pockets, not the players.
That's why Bettman and the owners approved the new-style expansion draft that produced contenders right away.

By contrast it cost TNE $170 million to bring a team back to Winnipeg 10 years ago.
Minnesota paid $80 million but that was 20 years ago.

 

[glamphotographer]

I don't think it's the ratings it's how much a city would put up with a losing last place team, I don't think the Las Vegas franchise would have had good support from the locals if they had 10-win last place non-playoff teams...shitty teams is what did the Kansas City Scouts/Colorado Rockies and Atlanta Thrashers in.

So the NHL is rigged, I knew it all along. Canadian teams will never win another cup.