I am beginning to think getting rid of captains is a must for turning around a team. Wheeler and Horvat both gone and teams are magically better.
This is where Chevy dropped the ball for us.
Maybe the Penguins should send Crosby to the Jets.
But at what cost? I think Chevy tried hard to move him the off season before, but with no takers without significant sweeteners, with 2 years left on his contract. Once he got down to one season the buyout became much more manageable, so he no longer needed to pay a team to take on Wheeler's contract.
Canucks would have been fighting for the wild card spot last season if Demko was not hurt which goes to show you how important having a good goalie is.
They/Chevy/Chipman were also unwilling retain which made him unmovable.
Retention was part of the answer but how much would you be willing to add to that?
How do you know the effort?
Their goaltending is definitely a big problem but in the few games i've seen this season they also look to have some forwards who don't play defense.
Add in the 5.5 m that they gave Bertuzzi and you could of bagged a top 2 D man. Leafs fans look like they have decided that the coach is the problem and he might be but Shanahan and Dubas were not the answer and Shanahan and Treliving don't seem to be much better
Nylander is definitely going to get paid, they have to trade one of Matthews, Marner or Nylander in order to get a better all around team. All i can say is i'm glad we have the goaltending we do .
It comes down to getting the right players at the right price, which is something the Leafs have not figured out, and Chevy has. The formula is something like: O/C=V, where
I think leafs were banking on a competitive advantage in older players choosing to play in Toronto at a deep hometown discount.
I hope Nylander stays out east.
Trade him for Adam Larsson!!Yes, this is the way - oilers know what they gotta do to get back in the playoff picture
