first things first...
pat quinn...buh-bye. not for any reasons other than the fact he has been here a little too long. the players know his little nuances, and tune him out far too often. quinn is a little too reluctant to make changes, either in-game, or from game to game. he relies on his old and tried methods, but, in this day and age (and with the players he has to work with), most do not work.
john ferguson jr...if the leafs could somehow scoop up dean lombardi as their new gm, they should jump at it. failing that, i don't like fergie jr., but dont see much else out there for the leafs to go out and get, to let him go and still pay him.
richard peddie...the biggest problem both the leafs and raps have. but, he makes MLSE money hand over fist, and that is all that counts for the beancounters.
when it comes to players, the leafs have a very good young player in alex steen. he will be the next captain of the leafs. kyle wellwood is a nice kid too, a solid second line player (reminds me alot of stevie sullivan). matt stajan needs a coach who will let him play, he will be another good serviceable player for years to come for toronto. quinn simply doesnt seem to want to play him, for whatever reasons.
jason allison? what did the leafs expect? they knew he was never a swift skater, that he was coming off a very lengthy layoff, due to injuries. they got out of him, for the money, their value's worth. he put up good point totals. i would not bring him back though. same for jeff o'neill. sure his brother's passing was a factor, but his game was on the decline in carolina already. tie domi, the guy is a waste of time. he thinks more of himself as a player, than anyone else does. get rid of him, very useless, and selfish. antropov, please. can the leafs not see this kid will never amount to anything, at least not in toronto? nik needs a change of scenery, and the leafs need him out of here. sundin is just fine, so is tucker, and ponikarovsky looks like he may be serviceable. chad kilger has his role, but i do think the leafs just overpaid to keep him around. sundin needs two permanent wingers.
on defence, offer mccabe the same as kaberle, as another poster pointed out, or goodbye. i would love to see toronto sign redden, very underrated. aki berg, khavanov, see ya. give the kids a chance, see who sticks it out.
goaltending...toughie. aubin is not the answer. he had a good rookie season in pittsburrgh, but has never been able to stick around in the NHL since. leafs need to go out and get a serviceable veteran in the nets. cujo is there, and he wants to come back. dwayne roloson may even be there, if edmonton doesnt sign him up. tellqvist??? leafs gave up on him too soon after the montreal losses. they were not all his fault, though he failed to step up when he had a glorious chance to do so.
two guys i really think the leafs should look at, are new jersey winger patrick elias, and tampa bay d-man pavel kubina. leafs need a good compliment for mats sundin, and kubina is a very good nhl d-man. there will be some other bit parts around, but, hope the leafs dont overpay for it. i tell you something else, i dont care for the guy, but i'd rather have sean avery around, than domi and belak.
Plyrs99
