2016 nhl draft we finally get the #1 pk

[horner]

I remember people on this boards saying that cried when we got the #1 pick

We were going to draft this kid Mathews that was going to talk us to the Stanley Cup.

Then we signed JT and ruined everything because that is what our management always does.

I thought it was not needed.

Our defense sucked and still does

Now we may be stuck with mathews for 14 million.

Wow time fly's

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[HamiltonNHL]

Then we signed JT and ruined everything because that is what our management always does.

Rookie mistake.

You don't overpay Cap money when your core isn't locked up.

And your core was expensive forwards. Not hard to know you should be looking for D / Goalie.

Dubas wouldn't have wanted Tavares if he knew he had to overpay the core to get them to stay.

UFA splashes are for final pieces.

 

[socko]

Never pay franchise money to a guy who is one of the worst skaters in the league.

 

[Sypher04]

I remember people on this boards saying that cried when we got the #1 pick

We were going to draft this kid Mathews that was going to talk us to the Stanley Cup.

Then we signed JT and ruined everything because that is what our management always does.

I thought it was not needed.

Our defense sucked and still does

Now we may be stuck with mathews for 14 million.

Wow time fly's

I can think of much worse things than being “stuck with” one of the best players in the NHL at his market value.

Also our defense in no way sucks.

Matthews and co may well still be here for a cup in the future. It’s been bumpy for sure, but this group still has lots of hockey in them, just maybe not all of them here.

 

[Lemontree]

Never pay franchise money to a guy who is one of the worst skaters in the league.

Not that I disagree and he is likely the exception to the rule but Draistail is a terribly slow skater, his next contract will be massive.

 

[socko]

Not that I disagree and he is likely the exception to the rule but Draistail is a terribly slow skater, his next contract will be massive.

I can see your point, but I would put Tavares more on a David Andreychuk level of skating. He's truly terrible.

 

[thewave]

I can see your point, but I would put Tavares more on a David Andreychuk level of skating. He's truly terrible.

My skating coach was a tyrant. She would have him pumping those legs and generating some speed.

 

[Leafblooded]

Ah yes

Matthews
Kadri

Insert Tavares for 11 million and everything goes down hill from there.

Kadri for Kerfoot and Barrie was the icing on the cake

 

[Lauro]

I can't remember any negative comment here back then when we signed Tavares.

 

[Divine]

Yeah, speak about revisionist history.

If there was a poll asking if we should sign Tavares to that contract, I bet you it'd be 80% yes. Now that we didn't win, it'll be 80% no.

If we're sitting here with the same cap situation but have a Cup or two under our belt because we added a PPG centre for just cap, no one would care.

The problem wasn't Tavares, it was the team underperforming. Keefe also needs to go, he cannot get this team ready. I would try this team with a new coach before I would blow it up.

Washington core couldn't win until they got a new coach... and then they won.

 

[Aashir]

Yeah, speak about revisionist history.

If there was a poll asking if we should sign Tavares to that contract, I bet you it'd be 80% yes. Now that we didn't win, it'll be 80% no.

If we're sitting here with the same cap situation but have a Cup or two under our belt because we added a PPG centre for just cap, no one would care.

The problem wasn't Tavares, it was the team underperforming. Keefe also needs to go, he cannot get this team ready. I would try this team with a new coach before I would blow it up.

Washington core couldn't win until they got a new coach... and then they won.

The problem is absolutely Tavares

He never lived up to that 11 million contract even once. We pretend he did in year one, but he got carried to that

He was an 80 point player with the islanders. He played with plumbers and Kyle okposo

He was an 80 point player with Hyman Marner. He was an 80 point player with nylander and other wingers

If he actually got better with his lines mates and produced 90+ points then we could say otherwise. He alone underperformed his contract grossly his entire tenure

He is a huge reason as to all the failure that has come our way. Both contractually and play-wise

 

[mikeyz]

Not that I disagree and he is likely the exception to the rule but Draistail is a terribly slow skater, his next contract will be massive.

Did you seriously just compare Tavares to Draistail???

 

[AcerComputer]

This is all hindsight 202/20 pre-covid. Tavares contract wasn't really suppose to be an issue because the cap was meant to go up to $90m+ by now - but no one could have predicted a once in a century pandemic. Tavares at the end of the day has lived up to that contract. Compare that to a guy like a Brad Richards who every Leaf fan an media pundit wanted, and the guy was done after 3 years into his 9 year deal - and only played 2 more NHL seasons after that. NYR was lucky to get rid of him with a compliance buyout - due to the lockout.

Matthews is one piece in a larger puzzle. We missed Kadri in the #2 spot, who was a 30/30 guy who could shutdown the other teams top centre - we don't have that anymore. The most likeable version of this team was when we played WSH in 2017 and lost in 6 games, but every one of those games went to OT except 1 - and they were all 1 goal games.

 

[um]

Yeah, speak about revisionist history.

If there was a poll asking if we should sign Tavares to that contract, I bet you it'd be 80% yes. Now that we didn't win, it'll be 80% no.

If we're sitting here with the same cap situation but have a Cup or two under our belt because we added a PPG centre for just cap, no one would care.

The problem wasn't Tavares, it was the team underperforming. Keefe also needs to go, he cannot get this team ready. I would try this team with a new coach before I would blow it up.

Washington core couldn't win until they got a new coach... and then they won.

Here's the Core 4 for the Caps.

They did a lot more than fire their coach.

 

[NastyKnies]

It's pretty simple they failed. Everyone knew It was time to let go of Dubas and Keefe last season

 

[Aashir]

Here's the Core 4 for the Caps.

View attachment 708376

They did a lot more than fire their coach.

Is that a hockey core or a European boy band

But yea, the caps also did a lot of shuffling within the core. They ended up with 2 of those 4 and instead added Kuznetsov and developed Carlson into the mike green role when they won. Oshie was added in 2015 and was a Lowkey add.

 

[The Best Leafs Everr]

John Tavares' value should've been his previous contract. Dubas f***ed up big time signing him here.

 

[WillNy29]

The problem is absolutely Tavares

He never lived up to that 11 million contract even once. We pretend he did in year one, but he got carried to that

He was an 80 point player with the islanders. He played with plumbers and Kyle okposo

He was an 80 point player with Hyman Marner. He was an 80 point player with nylander and other wingers

If he actually got better with his lines mates and produced 90+ points then we could say otherwise. He alone underperformed his contract grossly his entire tenure

He is a huge reason as to all the failure that has come our way. Both contractually and play-wise

didn't he score 47 goals and have the most productive post UFA year in like decades or something

 

[rdogg]

I can't remember any negative comment here back then when we signed Tavares.

It was before Covid. The salary cap was expected to keep rising every year.

Then the Leafs overpaid Matthews & Marner with horrible contracts. After that covid hit, and the cap went flat for a while. By this point the Leafs were screwed via the salary cap and the horrible GM moves

 

[um]

Is that a hockey core or a European boy band

But yea, the caps also did a lot of shuffling within the core. They ended up with 2 of those 4 and instead added Kuznetsov and developed Carlson into the mike green role when they won. Oshie was added in 2015 and was a Lowkey add.

Yep. After Boudreau left in 2011 the Caps were mediocre for a few years. Then Trotz came in in 2015 and he changed the teams whole identity and play style. It was also largely helped by getting Niskanen and Orpik in 2015, then Oshie and Williams the next summer.

This Leafs season reminds me of the Caps 2010-11 season. Triumphant first round, embarrassing 2nd round.

I don't know what will fix the Leafs, but a coach like Trotz would do wonders.

 

[koyvoo]

It’s not that there were many people against the idea of the signing at the time.

The vast majority supported it.

The interesting is that most of the concerns of the minority opposing the signing player pretty much exactly as they said it would, including the argument that another offensive C wasn’t the best place to spend the money, that it would cause the younger, more marquee players to have overinflated contracts too early in their careers, and how it works all lead to terribly handcuffing the ability to pay for depth/defence/goaltending etc.

There was definitely not as many people against it than as there are now, but there were a few who were making those exact arguments. People should listen to those posters more.

 

[Gabriel426]

Looking back, missing the playoffs during their first season, 16-17, might actually be better than making it.
Still would have drafted Lilly unless they win the lottery or be in top 5 and somehow ended up getting Makar, lol.
But missing playoff that year. Lou will probably be able to trade at least two of JVR, Bozak and Leo for more picks. Hunter’s draft will probably not be overager as they thought the team needs player who can be more ready bc AM, MM and Willie are ahead of schedule.
Won’t trade for Boyle. Won’t sign Marleau but will sign Hainsey though since they need Dman.
Not sure how that second season would have gone down if JVR, Bozak and Marleau are not there. Leivo, Kap and AJ will get more play time. They might sign Chris Kunitz for leadership. Convert Willie to C between Kap and AJ….might sneak in the playoffs as the 2nd WC.
Even if they don’t make the playoffs, pretty sure they will still sign JT. Or JT might still want to come home. But it will still be under Dubas and not Lou.
At the end, unless they someone drafted Makar instead of Lilly in the 2017 draft, I just don’t see a scenario where JT won’t sign with the Leafs. But the expectations will be lower from the get go.

While typing this, I realized if any teams are rebuilding, unless they already have a great goalie in the system or drafted one, they should never trade for a goalie until their new guys are at least two seasons into their career bc having a good goalie will mask a lot of mistakes and bad habits. Let the young guys learn how to play defense and grind out wins, let them learn that any mistakes or lack of focus will result in goals against, let them understand that it takes more than talent and skill to succeed in this league and most importantly they need to learn to be clutch and score on every good chance.

 

[Gabriel426]

It’s not that there were many people against the idea of the signing at the time.

The vast majority supported it.

The interesting is that most of the concerns of the minority opposing the signing player pretty much exactly as they said it would, including the argument that another offensive C wasn’t the best place to spend the money, that it would cause the younger, more marquee players to have overinflated contracts too early in their careers, and how it works all lead to terribly handcuffing the ability to pay for depth/defence/goaltending etc.

There was definitely not as many people against it than as there are now, but there were a few who were making those exact arguments. People should listen to those posters more.

I think nobody anticipated Willie to hold out.
Then have MM getting that contract after getting 94pts.
The AAV for AM is fine bc there is no way he would take less than Eichel at that time.
Maybe Lou should had stayed one more year and let him handled Willie, AM and MM new contract.

 

[Lemontree]

Did you seriously just compare Tavares to Draistail???

Read the post that I was responding to. The person I responded to understood what I was saying.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

I can't remember any negative comments here back then when we signed Tavares.

There were quite a few leaf fans that were high on Tavares wine on July 1st, 2018. I do remember a couple people that were skeptical and, certainly didn't like the 11 million bucks. You certainly cannot speak of this narrative without mentioning Kadri, Kerfoot/Barrie and the "young guns" contracts.