Around the NHL XXXIX

[Lonnie Loach]

So the Leafs went from Lou/Hunter/Dubas/Babcock to......Dubas.

Not sure if this is how the Shanaplan was supposed to unfold!

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

I am pretty sure that Spezza made the call, being oldest in the organization

 

[NyQuil]

Haha, lots of posters in here throwing stones from glass houses. Watch the Leafs have a successful season after firing Babcock.

It's entirely possible.

Sometimes switching goalies in a game works even if it's not the goalie's fault.

It'll be interesting to see how much of a leash Dubas gets now that he's put himself on the hot seat.

Toronto went from "be patient, trust the process" to "we have to win now" very quickly with the Tavares signing and the subsequent contracts to Marner, Nylander and Matthews.

There are so many reasons you can lose in the playoffs, that not making them entirely is simply not an option for a team that has to show improvement.

 

[NyQuil]

Whoops, I responded to this in the "Around the NHL" thread.

 

[milkbag]

Getting a whole slew of their players this off-season wasn't good enough? We gotta have dedicated threads for them now?

 

[Sensfan4life]

Doesn’t this belong in the ‘around the nhl’ thread? Seems a little dirty to have a TML thread in here....

I agree wholeheartedly. Just one of the 30 other teams. No need for a stand alone thread, IMO.

 

[JD1]

Doesn’t this belong in the ‘around the nhl’ thread? Seems a little dirty to have a TML thread in here....

Is it dirty though? A thread about the Leafs imploding seems like it'd sell well in here

 

[JungleBeat]

Little man syndrome.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

 

[Micklebot]

This, 100 percent. Except I dont want Babcock anywhere close to a rebuilding team. He is a finisher, bring him in once the team is ready to take the next step. Leafs did it backwards.

That last bit about him coming here was my attempt at humour. I will just show myself out now...

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

 

[DueDiligence]

And everyone thought the NHL Tire Fire would be in Ottawa this year!

 

[DueDiligence]

Sheldon Keefe is an incredible coach. The leafs are going to go on a tear, it was pretty obvious that team had tuned out Babcock. Not sticking up for each other and the serious lack of compete day in day out.

Sheldon Keefe is good but benefited greatly by coaching a minor league team with the deepest pockets.
They leafs will go on a run short term but jury is still out on how he will do in the long run.

 

[Tundraman]

That last bit about him coming here was my attempt at humour. I will just show myself out now...

Nah.... Babcock is not coming here - Sportsnet had him fired because they have a hole to fill on Coaches Corner

 

[Clayonator]

I think Calgary is a dark horse for his services. Vancouver too if they start to fall. A big time org like Chigago/NYR might not be able to help themselves. San Jose I’d say as well, but they seem to have their heir present already in Boughner. NJD maybe?

 

[bert]

Sheldon Keefe is good but benefited greatly by coaching a minor league team with the deepest pockets.
They leafs will go on a run short term but jury is still out on how he will do in the long run.

He has dominated at every single level. I know guys that have played for him and they all say he is the best coach they have ever had. He is prepared, demanding, smart and will challenge you as an individual. He is a modern coach that knows how to get the most out of his players. He isnt for everyone though some guys cant handle the intensity.

 

[Hale The Villain]

Dubas made some good moves in the off-season, but also made some bad ones.

Kadri for Barrie (@ 50%) and Kerfoot was a great move, even if Barrie is starting the year very slowly. As was getting out of Zaitsev's deal at no cost at all. Should have definitely cost them big time to get rid of his contract, given how bad he was the last two years. Also Ilya Mikhayev is looking like a fantastic free wallet with 12P in 23GP.

Definitely wouldn't have traded a 1st just to get rid of Marleau's contract, given that all he had was one year left. Would have been smarter not to give Ceci 4.5M and let him walk insetad. Could have made up the difference by trading Kapanen/Johnsson, getting 3.5M in cap space and assets that could be used to acquire a replacement D.

Can argue he deserves to be fired just for messing up the Matthews and Marner contracts. No idea how you give your young stars a combined 21.5M a year with them negotiating as RFAs and having little bargaining power, and only get them locked up for 5 and 6 years. Both could walk by 2025/26. Such bad planning by Dubas.

 

[Hale The Villain]

Sheldon Keefe is good but benefited greatly by coaching a minor league team with the deepest pockets.
They leafs will go on a run short term but jury is still out on how he will do in the long run.

Sheldon Keefe Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

His results speak for themselves. Has not missed the playoffs in a year as head coach going back to 2006/07. Has won multiple championships, gone deep in the playoffs in almost every year he has coached at the OHL and AHL levels, and his winning percentage is absurd.

 

[Masked]

He has dominated at every single level. I know guys that have played for him and they all say he is the best coach they have ever had. He is prepared, demanding, smart and will challenge you as an individual. He is a modern coach that knows how to get the most out of his players. He isnt for everyone though some guys cant handle the intensity.

Has he won at the World Junior, NHL and Olympic level? Because Babcock has.

I wonder when Keefe's ties to David Frost will start getting talked about.

 

[starling]

I think Calgary is a dark horse for his services. Vancouver too if they start to fall. A big time org like Chigago/NYR might not be able to help themselves. San Jose I’d say as well, but they seem to have their heir present already in Boughner. NJD maybe?

Best part is that he doesn't have to worry about his salary. He can sign for cheap and Leafs will be paying the difference for the next 4 years.

 

[Tuna99]

This could just be the case off you run Matthews, Tavares, Marner at 25 minutes a night and everyone thinks you’re a coaching genius.

 

[Mark Stones Spleen]

We apparently had 3.25M left in the budget to acquire Namestnikov, at the cost of a pick, so spending 4M to get a 1st should have been a no brainer.

Especially when that 1st could potentially be turned into a young difference maker on a 3YR ELC that would save Melnyk a ton of money. Think of how much money Chabot and White earning under 1M the last couple years has saved Melnyk compared to if he had to pay a comparable quality UFA.

Even if it was the Leafs not wanting to send a 1st in the division (which I doubt, Dubas isn't Dorion), we could have beat the Canes offer by sending them a sweetener like a secondary player, prospect or pick.

Does seem like a missed opportunity.

Rangers retention plus Ebert's salary is 1.45m, so we're only paying Namestnikov 2.55m to actually have a player play for the team.

If you think the Sens were going to be willing to pay $4M for someone to play for a different team, then it's your expectations that are too high... Particularly given that we gift draft picks for other teams to help us financially.

We were never going to be in a deal like that, and it's certainly possible that we were never going to be offered a deal like that.

 

[SanderSen]

Hee, Hee, Smith was the Leafs version of Nick Nurse ...

 

[Ice-Tray]

Is it dirty though? A thread about the Leafs imploding seems like it'd sell well in here

But they’re likely looking at it as a positive, and could bounce back!!!