Bleacher Report blogger says that Toronto no longer appeals to free agents, not considered a winning organization

[stewy04]

Toronto has never won a third round series when they won their last cup the 3rd round was the final round. Crazy! People had not landed on the moon yet!

 

[FMichael]

Is there a free agent Tronna hasn't signed yet?

 

[thegazelle]

I think to a degree this is true in essence, but not in practice. Obviously Toronto can win - their regular season record is proof of that and is undebatable that they can have success.

But the Leafs' success is only skin deep, in my opinion, as the playoff record lies in stark contrast. Plus, the over-reliance on several players does not equate to a winning CULTURE, which suggests things like team cohesion, ability to battle together, sacrifice, perseverance, etc. It seems to me anyways that the Leafs success is more individually driven rather than team driven. Winning is still occurring, which is why perhaps it can be technically true that the Leafs can win, but still paradoxically be that they are not truly winning.

 

[JPT]

Toronto has never won a third round series when they won their last cup the 3rd round was the final round. Crazy! People had not landed on the moon yet!

Pretty sure it was only two rounds back then.

 

[Michel Beauchamp]

Pretty sure it was only two rounds back then.

Pretty sure it was a slip of the finger...

 

[JPT]

Pretty sure it was a slip of the finger...

Maybe their finger slipped twice in a row, but it was still only two rounds back then.

 

[Michel Beauchamp]

Maybe their finger slipped twice in a row, but it was still only two rounds back then.

Twice in a row ??? Re-read the post.

 

[nhlfan9191]

Their 3-4 stars take up half the cap. Doesn’t leave Toronto with a lot of money left over to spend elsewhere.

 

[CanadasTeam99]

It's not surprising. Some very good players, but what have they done?

Edmonton hasn't "won" anything, but they have been close now. 2 conference finals last 3 years. 1 SCF game 7 and lose 2-1. You also see the talent they have. They are still in their prime.

Add the media scrutiny to it. It's big in Edmonton too and most Canadian cities.

 

[CanadasTeam99]

Winnipeg, EDM, sure.

Vancouver and Toronto regularly get into the the "Top 10 Most Expensive Cities In The World to Live In".

WPG yes, Edmonton too, but there are a TON of ON and BC people moving to Edmonton. I swear every other license plater is from there. They might have made fun of Edmonton, but noew they are flocking here because they can never afford to buy even a townhouse in their dreams. Edmonton is going to go up like CGY already has. Already have CGY people flocking up here.

 

[robertmac43]

Between the noise, taxes, and lack of money for anyone outside of the core; I don't blame anyone for not signing with the Leafs.

 

[Nogatco Rd]

Yes, send Matthews and the Leafs to the AHL.

I'm kinda curious how Marner would fare in the Calder Cup playoffs

 

[Staniowski]

No doubt it's a lot less appealing than it was four or five years ago, when it looked like the Leafs might be going somewhere in the playoffs. The future doesn't look nearly as bright now.

 

[CanadasTeam99]

That’s not a uniquely Canadian thing despite what some people on the right believe.

A 700k house in Edmonton probably costs about 2 million in a lot of BC. Close to that. Toronto too.

 

[stewy04]

Pretty sure it was only two rounds back then.

Sorry my bad

 

[shortfuze]

riiiiiiight!!! taking the opinion of a perennial loser. lmao. which im sure he didnt even say. which guys said this? just insiders drumming up business for themselves.

 

[JPT]

Sorry my bad

No worries. I didn't mean it as a condescending correction or anything.

 

[JPT]

Twice in a row ??? Re-read the post.

I read it fine the first time. I'm not sure what re-reading it will do, but ok. The poster I replied to doesn't seem to be taking offense to what I said. I'm not sure why you are.

 

[ToDavid]

I don’t see how a player (like Skinner) choosing to ultimately sign in Edmonton after they were 2 goals from the Stanley Cup and having the best player in the world on their roster should be considered a negative reflection on the places he chose not to sign. That’s not how it works.

Someone here said Henrique took 500k less than Toronto offered to stay in Edmonton. First of all, never heard anything regarding Toronto & Henrique - sounds make up. But even if it’s true, should it be surprising a player wanted to stay in a situation that was good for them?

As far as I can tell he may be combining two different stories. Leafs were reportedly interest in Henrique but it was the Jets who reportedly offered him (or were prepared to) $3.5 million.

 

[fahad203]

I live in Toronto and I can tell you it's not appealing as a city as it used to

High taxes.
Constant traffic

I loved growing up here. Just don't recognize this city anymore

 

[Oilslick941611]

A 700k house in Edmonton probably costs about 2 million in a lot of BC. Close to that. Toronto too.

I’m not saying I don’t believe you. I’m just saying it’s not unique to Canada. Edmonton has a lot of undesirability that would lead its housing market to be lower than say Vancouver, Montreal or Toronto. It’s not a Canada only thing.

 

[Bizz]

Bleacher Report blogger says water is wet. More at 11.

 

[Ford Prefect]

This would be true if Canadian products were priced at the same number as American products. 1 million doesn’t get you the same size house in Toronto that 1 million gets you in Carolina or Texas, it’s not close even if you add a 30% bonus onto the Toronto budget. Pick any grocery store product and it’s probably more than 30% more expensive in Toronto than most American cities.

If you think this is true, then you have not been comparing prices. As someone who does quite a bit of cross-border shopping, I can tell you that is not at all the case. There are some things that are certainly cheaper (produce, dairy, eggs) but there are others that are substantially more expensive (processed foods, dry goods, soda, etc.).

 

[34]

Cup or bust

 

[Suntouchable13]

Cup or bust

They are not getting by Boston or Florida. 1st round exit. Couldn’t give a crap about 35 year old Tanev.