Around the League - 2023/24

[dahrougem2]

I feel like the biggest problem with the Tavares signing was that he isn't a defensemen.

That team, even without him, had offense for days. What they could not do and still can't do is defend.

We say offense for days, yet go look at how many goals they have scored in the playoffs the last several years.

It is ugly.

 

[McMetal]

The craziest part of the Tavares disaster is that when you have a superstar player like that hitting the open market who WANTS TO SIGN WITH YOUR TEAM, how do you say no? Conventional wisdom would say that adding the best free agent to go to UFA in years is always the right move, and you figure out the rest later. That's a no-brainer. Hindsight really lays bare the carnage it wrought on that team, but it's hard to blame Toronto's management for jumping at the opportunity.

 

[henchman21]

The craziest part of the Tavares disaster is that when you have a superstar player like that hitting the open market who WANTS TO SIGN WITH YOUR TEAM, how do you say no? Conventional wisdom would say that adding the best free agent to go to UFA in years is always the right move, and you figure out the rest later. That's a no-brainer. Hindsight really lays bare the carnage it wrought on that team, but it's hard to blame Toronto's management for jumping at the opportunity.

IMO the big issue they made is the second they signed him, they didn't push chips into the middle. The waited and waited... and by the time they really pushed there was no cap room with a massively imbalanced roster.

 

[Pokecheque]

That's not what happened. They kept him around after signing Tavares, they thought they would have this amazing luxury of having three top centers down the middle (Tavares, Matthews, Kadri). They traded Kadri because he was their best asset to land a defenceman at that point, and because Kadri then got himself into trouble once again in the playoffs. Kinda like Keefe being fired today, it's not about not liking the player. It's just that the situation became untenable.

What ruined them was going after the big name UFA center and handing him top dollar without realizing that they have two rookies on the roster that will become better players than said UFA player before their ELCs are up. And these rookies and their agents are going to take that into the negotiations instead of being pushed around like rookies 10 years ago.

Regardless they decided Kadri wasn’t good enough to be a 2C on a legit contender. Obviously that’s not true.

 

[LOFIN]

Regardless they decided Kadri wasn’t good enough to be a 2C on a legit contender. Obviously that’s not true.

No, they just saw a premier free agent UFA and signed him while absolutely paying no regard to their roster construction and future. It had nothing to do with how they felt about Kadri, they signed Tavares because they could.

I could make plenty of comparisons about women but you probably get the idea. The Tavares signing was an awesome moment of euphoria for Leafs fans. And sucked ever after that July 1st.

 

[John Mandalorian]

No, they just saw a premier free agent UFA and signed him while absolutely paying no regard to their roster construction and future. It had nothing to do with how they felt about Kadri, they signed Tavares because they could.

I could make plenty of comparisons about women but you probably get the idea. The Tavares signing was an awesome moment of euphoria for Leafs fans. And sucked ever after that July 1st.

Put another way, they should have ignored the blonde.

 

[dahrougem2]

The craziest part of the Tavares disaster is that when you have a superstar player like that hitting the open market who WANTS TO SIGN WITH YOUR TEAM, how do you say no? Conventional wisdom would say that adding the best free agent to go to UFA in years is always the right move, and you figure out the rest later. That's a no-brainer. Hindsight really lays bare the carnage it wrought on that team, but it's hard to blame Toronto's management for jumping at the opportunity.

They should have found a way to bargain a bit more.

"Oh, your dream is to play here? Well is it to play here for 8M per season so that we can build a better team? No? Ok, enjoy San Jose."

Obviously ownership demanded the Leafs sign him but Tavares got everything he wanted as a UFA from Toronto with no pushback.

 

[LOFIN]

They should have found a way to bargain a bit more.

"Oh, your dream is to play here? Well is it to play here for 8M per season so that we can build a better team? No? Ok, enjoy San Jose."

Obviously ownership demanded the Leafs sign him but Tavares got everything he wanted as a UFA from Toronto with no pushback.

It's crazy that San Jose reportedly offered 13mil so Tavares actually took a discount. Imagine how that contract would look like now?

 

[Pokecheque]

They should have found a way to bargain a bit more.

"Oh, your dream is to play here? Well is it to play here for 8M per season so that we can build a better team? No? Ok, enjoy San Jose."

Obviously ownership demanded the Leafs sign him but Tavares got everything he wanted as a UFA from Toronto with no pushback.

I’ve always wondered about that. So many players through the years who grew up in the GTA and said they dreamed of playing for the Leafs but when the time came they either took no discount or were so past their prime they still signed at or above market value. If Toronto has such a hometown advantage, they either never use it or players really just don’t care that much about playing at home.

Last time I remember a player taking a true “hometown discount” was Kevin Shattenkirk with the Rangers. And even that one ended in a buyout.

 

[Jazzguitar]

Disappointed that Raptors isn't on the list, but Black Diamonds isn't all bad

I wonder if there would be legal issues with their pickleball team if they were to choose the Black Diamonds? Yes, this is the first I've learned of there being a major pickleball league lol.

 

[Balthazar]

They should have found a way to bargain a bit more.

"Oh, your dream is to play here? Well is it to play here for 8M per season so that we can build a better team? No? Ok, enjoy San Jose."

Obviously ownership demanded the Leafs sign him but Tavares got everything he wanted as a UFA from Toronto with no pushback.

It wasn't happening, you may not remember the whole seduction thing to bring him to Toronto with Dubas, Shanahan and Babcock meeting with him somewhere on the west coast.

Tavares only accepted to meet a couple of teams and his agent is on record saying that money wasn't an issue since he'd get it anywhere. Toronto wasn't going to try to save a few bucks. They had an elaborated sale pitch to bring him to Toronto.

 

[dahrougem2]

It wasn't happening, you may not remember the whole seduction thing to bring him to Toronto with Dubas, Shanahan and Babcock meeting with him somewhere on the west coast.

Tavares only accepted to meet a couple of teams and his agent is on record saying that money wasn't an issue since he'd get it anywhere. Toronto wasn't going to try to save a few bucks. They had an elaborated sale pitch to bring him to Toronto.

I know it wasn't happening; it SHOULD have happened.

If it was his lifelong dream to sign in Toronto, take less and make the team better. Tavares will probably claim he did take less because SJ offered more money, but he still handcuffed Toronto with that insane cap hit. 13.83% of the salary cap at the time, basically the same as Auston Matthews' current contract and we know he's nothing close to the caliber of player Matthews is.

It was shortsighted by Toronto ownership and management.

 

[Balthazar]

Once again, Sid Seixeiro is right @dahrougem2

 

[henchman21]

Once again, Sid Seixeiro is right @dahrougem2

This was a missed opportunity to use the Bernie meme.

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

 

[The Abusement Park]

Keefe in NJ would be a great fit.

 

[Balthazar]

When you think about it it's crazy how the league is constantly recycling the same coaches.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

When you think about it it's crazy how the league is constantly recycling the same coaches.

It's how the GMs try to avoid responsibility for building flawed teams.

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

When you think about it it's crazy how the league is constantly recycling the same coaches.

NFL and NBA do this too. Rarely does it work.

"Hey, it didn't work for them, but it just might work for us!"

 

[Avs91]

tbf recycling Keefe is way better than Berube, Boudreau, McLellan, Quenneville... Babcock.....

 

[Pokecheque]

When you think about it it's crazy how the league is constantly recycling the same coaches.

Well, unfortunately it works. Laviolette is on like his 10th team and look what's happened there this year.

I do like it when they try someone new, but for every Jared Bednar, there's probably two or three Pascal Vincents.

 

[Chiarelli]

Pretty intense microscope the leafs are under. Tough not to feel for the fans and to a lesser degree some of the players. Edmonton has won a couple more series with their generational talent and got swept when they faced a real team. LA loses to the same team every year. Canes get wrecked and can’t score goals. It’s a tough league and only 1 team is successful in a cup or bust mentality.

 

[Balthazar]

Why on Earth is Rossi on the trade block?

 

[Pokecheque]

Why on Earth is Rossi on the trade block?

Don’t know but I approve

 

[Pokecheque]

Friedman speculated on 32T that Keith Tkachuk may have encouraged the Sens to hire Green since the two of them were teammates in Phoenix.

FTR I don’t think Green is a horrid head coach. I doubt he’ll be the guy who turns it around but I don’t think he’ll be a total disaster either.