Speculation: Chris Johnston "An atom bomb could drop"

[TheGreenTBer]

Another option is Anaheim. Them having Matthews could help quicken their rise in the ranks with Auston as 1C and Leo Carlsson as one heck of a 1-2 punch. Maybe something like Mactavish and Senneke. Gives ya two good size, gritty forwards with skill to help rebuild around. A potential top 6-9 with those 2, Knies and Cowan would play with balls in a few years

Oh good lord if we could somehow bribe Anaheim and Auston into making that trade I would streak in my back yard. That's a dynamite retooling move given the circumstances.

 

[WillNy29]

The nuclear option would have to be Matthews, it just sucks because you're not winning a trade being the team that trades the 69 goal scorer lol.

But it's time. He is not a winner. I think he would accept a trade at this point to an American team. I think he knows his time has run out here.

He can get all the crazy American endorsements and make all the money he wants which is obviously a high priority for him.

I wonder if nuclear means literally everybody. Matthews trade, Marner walk, Tavares walk, Nylander trade (his value is so high right now) and trade Rielly.

The teams changed. Go for it. This experiment doesn't work. I'll suffer gladly for a few years if I know we are trying something new. I hate these Leafs. They are pathetic. No heart. Unlikable team.

last time it was a decade and then we still didnt win when we rebuilt be careful what you wish for

 

[ULF_55]

Worst time possible for a tank job without your own picks.......

For it to be a tank job, they'd have to move Matthews and Nylander.

They wouldn't be letting them go for nothing.

As it is, marner and Tavares are $23mm in Cap Space.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

When I hear that, the only thing that feels justified as a "atom bomb" is a Matthews trade.

If you guys want to trade Matthews what do you even want back?

 

[WillNy29]

Not against a Matthews trade. Yeah points are points, but Huberdeau was an all-star production monster too and look how that trade has worked out for Florida and Calgary. Leafs need winners, not entitled individual trophy seekers.

was tkachuk a winner? he quit on his team and was garbage in the playoffs till he left so not sure the huberdeau trade was made for a winner

 

[sunstersun]

Thanks for clarifying.

Shanny, Tre and Berube all going to get the axe?

I could see it.

Tre really mucked up the trade deadline. Berube is a mismatch of a coach no matter what. And Shanny.

Well, I wish we could sign him to a contract just to fire him.

 

[sunstersun]

For it to be a tank job, they'd have to move Matthews and Nylander.

They wouldn't be letting them go for nothing.

As it is, marner and Tavares are $23mm in Cap Space.

If we move off Matthews and Willy, I much prefer a full reset.

I think we have to do a retool this year, and then try to contend the next, if it fails a full rebuild.

 

[Stephen]

last time it was a decade and then we still didnt win when we rebuilt be careful what you wish for

The Leafs did an epically great job rebuilding during the Shanaplan, but they didn't have the front office experience to do the hard molding work and probably started their climb into the playoffs a year or two ahead of schedule. You add 2 more bluechip top 5-10 picks to that mix, keep costs low and develop a more soldierly culture I think we would have been more proud of the result.

 

[Stephen]

If we move off Matthews and Willy, I much prefer a full reset.

I think we have to do a retool this year, and then try to contend the next, if it fails a full rebuild.

The way I see it, the next thing on the horizon is a McDavid courtship, and if that fails to materialize we are just soft landing the next couple of years without first round picks but can start the sell off of for youth any time. Even at the Laughton, Carlo, OEL, McCabe, level it's not like necessarily need all of them. Those guys could get us a small youth movement. Basically pull the pin like Boston did.

 

[HockeyVirus]

I am a bit rattled by Matthews passenger comment and think he will elaborate tomorrow morning, but I still believe in him. Get him away from p***y Marner in the playoffs give him some men on his line (Knies and someone else) and watch as he performs.

Marner never can win a board battle and throws panic suicide passes into the feet of Matthews all game and then fans blame him

 

[HockeyVirus]

The Leafs did an epically great job rebuilding during the Shanaplan, but they didn't have the front office experience to do the hard molding work and probably started their climb into the playoffs a year or two ahead of schedule. You add 2 more bluechip top 5-10 picks to that mix, keep costs low and develop a more soldierly culture I think we would have been more proud of the result.

No they didn't. Sure they hit on the top picks but they had a thousand picks in 2017, 2018, 2019 and missed on all of them

 

[ULF_55]

Who the hell could afford both?

If the other team sends back one equal contract, quite a few.

Example, Blues Kyrou and Thomas out ... Matthews and marner in.

 

[WillNy29]

The Leafs did an epically great job rebuilding during the Shanaplan, but they didn't have the front office experience to do the hard molding work and probably started their climb into the playoffs a year or two ahead of schedule. You add 2 more bluechip top 5-10 picks to that mix, keep costs low and develop a more soldierly culture I think we would have been more proud of the result.

for all the flak and lots of it deserved that the players get we could easily just turn into buffalo. Mark Hunter, Lou Lamiorello, Kyle dubas and babsuck were a huge mistake. We had so many picks and decent prospects and all we managed in that time Frame was matthews, marner and Nylander thats disgraceful. Look at what the stars and hurricanes did, why did we trade down from the konecny pick and listen to our coach's incessant whining about drafting a defensemen?

we could've had Kelly mccrimmon as shiny wanted him but he didnt wanna work with Dubas and Hunter

 

[Trapper]

If you guys want to trade Matthews what do you even want back?

I believe Matthews has a full NMC. So first he’d have to agree and/or pick the team. Too hard to say because you might only get one choice of teams.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

last time it was a decade and then we still didnt win when we rebuilt be careful what you wish for

I'd rather wish for something than wait for NOTHING.

 

[WillNy29]

My buddy had floated the idea of trading Matthews for Byfield and Clarke out of LA. Gives you 2 possible emerging players for cheap and developing Clarke could allow you to move on from Rielly. Honestly wouldn't be the worst trade, if we moved on from Auston.

Or maybe to a team like the wild. They are a team that could use more offense and a guy to play with Kaprizov. Something like Buium and Ohgren plus.

cant wait to get this loser so we can lose to the same team 4 years in a row

 

[WillNy29]

I'd rather wish for something than wait for NOTHING.

LOL "I wish I had Smallpox! it's better than being healthy!"

 

[TheGreenTBer]

The way I see it, the next thing on the horizon is a McDavid courtship, and if that fails to materialize we are just soft landing the next couple of years without first round picks but can start the sell off of for youth any time. Even at the Laughton, Carlo, OEL, McCabe, level it's not like necessarily need all of them. Those guys could get us a small youth movement. Basically pull the pin like Boston did.

Exactly.

The only way this team even remotely has a window is if McDavid miraculously wants to come here for some reason. He won't, but that's the only way this group still even remotely has a window...and even 97 might not be enough.

Other than that? Slow burn until we get our picks back and then a total teardown of everything not named Knies.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

LOL "I wish I had Smallpox! it's better than being healthy!"

That's the dumbest strawman argument anyone here has ever produced and you know it.

 

[WillNy29]

Another option is Anaheim. Them having Matthews could help quicken their rise in the ranks with Auston as 1C and Leo Carlsson as one heck of a 1-2 punch. Maybe something like Mactavish and Senneke. Gives ya two good size, gritty forwards with skill to help rebuild around. A potential top 6-9 with those 2, Knies and Cowan would play with balls in a few years

what have mactavish and sennecke done that makes it worth the leafs while to get ride of a 60+ goal scoring Hart winning C who plays selke level D? there is legitimately no winning moving a franchise C it took us 15 years the last time to get another one, how do you suppose we do it this time?

 

[WillNy29]

That's the dumbest strawman argument anyone here has ever produced and you know it.

absolutely not because im not arguing against a straw man, I am saying that the decade of darkness is being romanticized right now

 

[ULF_55]

I believe Matthews has a full NMC. So first he’d have to agree and/or pick the team. Too hard to say because you might only get one choice of teams.

Then he doesn't get traded right?

Just because he agrees to a trade doesn't mean you do a bad one.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Another option is Anaheim. Them having Matthews could help quicken their rise in the ranks with Auston as 1C and Leo Carlsson as one heck of a 1-2 punch. Maybe something like Mactavish and Senneke. Gives ya two good size, gritty forwards with skill to help rebuild around. A potential top 6-9 with those 2, Knies and Cowan would play with balls in a few years

But in a few years, our D will be old and useless. We're basically screwed no matter what we do. I suspect that we'll pretend we're a contender, replace Marner with whatever and give it another shot next season which kind of makes sense considering how long and painful the rebuild will be no matter what.

I could make a case for this working too. Marner sucks in the playoffs so lose him and in terms of playoffs, what have we lost really? If Matthews is healthy next playoffs (a big if I know), then that alone makes up for the loss of Marner. Then if Stolarz is healthy, that's another big boost. If Knies takes another step forward and Cowan can play, that's another boost and then add hopefully some grit in the forward group that Marner's freed up cap space lets us do and already we're a tougher out then the group that almost made it to the EFC this time.

Of course I'm ignoring the fact that Matthews threw the team under the bus and I don't want him back, much less back as captain. Maybe he can spin it, apologize, I dunno ...

 

[Tak7]

Didn't CJ tease heavily a few summers ago that the Leafs were going to pull off a huge trade that would involve them getting a player back that fans would love?

...and then nothing happened lol?

I wouldnt put any value into what any of the talking heads are saying right now. We've seen this before: team underperforms, organization gets emotional, insiders predict big changes on the heels of that emotion, time passes, heads calm, and status quo remains.

 

[Gary Nylund]

If you guys want to trade Matthews what do you even want back?

Valuable assets.