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

[Golden_Jet]

Otherwise known as the best D on the market . The Montour deal is terrible and Tanev fits way better for what Toronto needs . What do you think the chances are he plays all those years ? Slim to none but appreciate the concern .

Then your stuck with the cap hit.
Unless you think, he gets LTIR, and somehow gets a couple of independent doctors to sign off on it every October.
Likely different doctors each time, as well.

 

[Oilslick941611]

Tanev went there, OEL went there after getting crapped on in Vancouver, Stolarz went…it’s a destination spot for sure, but it’s not for everyone. You do have to have a strong backbone to go there, but if you win there, you’ll be a legend and your great great great grandkids won’t have to pay for a beer/meal in Toronto.

While I'm all for Toronto continuing the losing streak, after finally winning the Cup, fans should be able to experience that. That collective cheer would be heard all the way down here lol.

All on the back 9 of their careers looking to cash in. No team was seriously going to give tanev that contract. OEL is a head case with a history of being over rated and just happened to be in Florida when they won the cup.

 

[Soundwave]

Did they not just sign the top D available on the Market? Like always it would be atttactive to some players but not others . Are we really lamenting Adam Henrique choosing Edmonton over Toronto? I mean he’s decent depth but I don’t think the sky is falling. Who did they miss out on that would be a game changer ?

Jeff Skinner chose the Oilers over Toronto too. Most "game changers" don't make it to UFA anyway.

 

[Laus723]

All on the back 9 of their careers looking to cash in. No team was seriously going to give tanev that contract. OEL is a head case with a history of being over rated and just happened to be in Florida when they won the cup.

What? A headcase? Happened to be in Florida…lol no. He played a solid role. Tanev is on the back end, but you’re out of your mind if you think he wasn’t wanted elsewhere. Maybe he would’ve gotten less, but he still went.

 

[Oilslick941611]

What? A headcase? Happened to be in Florida…lol no. He played a solid role. Tanev is on the back end, but you’re out of your mind if you think he wasn’t wanted elsewhere. Maybe he would’ve gotten less, but he still went.

From what I saw from Tanev in the playoff. He’s close to done.

 

[57special]

Where? A quick google search returned the usual suspects in the top 10, Zurich, Monaco, Geneva, NYC, San Francisco, LA, Paris, London, etc. even in the top 100 lists I found, I didn’t see Canadian cities cracking the top 50 very often.

I know they’re expensive for Canada. I’m just not sure they’re expensive among NHL markets. My guess would be, kinda average.

Comes up almost weekly in news feeds. Vancouver and Toronto are WAY more expensive to live in than the vast majority of cities in the NHL. It's not just the housing, but the tax rates are also very high. Also things like Mortgage interest not being deductible like in the US.

 

[AvroArrow]

He's not wrong, in Matthews rookie year, or even first 3-4 years there was lots of promise with this core. That really just isn't there right now. Free agents probably saw the potential of the core in previous years, but horrific contracts have destroyed that.

It'll be a desired location again after this upcoming season (Tavares/Marner deals expire)

 

[Laus723]

From what I saw from Tanev in the playoff. He’s close to done.

Could be. Don’t overplay him during the regular season if they can. He’s still a solid shutdown guy heading into next season.

 

[WhyYouHaveToBeMad]

Did they not just sign the top D available on the Market? Like always it would be atttactive to some players but not others . Are we really lamenting Adam Henrique choosing Edmonton over Toronto? I mean he’s decent depth but I don’t think the sky is falling. Who did they miss out on that would be a game changer ?

no they didn't. Montour and Pesce were top d available

 

[WhyYouHaveToBeMad]

I guess Toronto is desirable destination... if you want to have a great regular season, make the playoffs and get bounced in rd 1 and than get overpaid on your next contract.

 

[belair]

Otherwise known as the best D on the market . The Montour deal is terrible and Tanev fits way better for what Toronto needs . What do you think the chances are he plays all those years ? Slim to none but appreciate the concern .

The best D on the market was probably Montour. Then it was Pesce. Then Skjei. Then Zadorov. Then I'd probably have Tanev a bit ahead of Sean Walker, who came apart in the playoffs.

Tanev's deal was probably the riskiest of all of them due to the likelihood of regression. I'm not a fan of the Montour deal in terms of cost, but they have a clear need of a puckmover and he fits there like a glove.

OEL was a tremendous add though.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

"Healthy Tanev" is better than Zadorov, and Skjei.

But yeah those two are probably better than the 75% of the time when he's playing through an injury.

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

Chris Johnston also provided insight into Skinner’s decision, saying that Toronto no longer appeals to free agents with the franchise not considered a winning organization across the league.

Do you agree or disagree? I also saw an article the other day on why Stamkos rejected to sign with Toronto this summer.

Starts at 27:32



More in detail here.

Maple Leafs 'No Longer a Championship Destination': Report

The Maple Leafs lost forward Jeff Skinner to the Oilers sparking a discussion about Toronto's appeal as a winning team.

heavy.com

Obsession. On full display.

Stamkos? Skinner?

Leafs suck. Let us actual fans get on with it without all this horsecrap eh?

 

[leafsfan5]

Not necessarily, Henrique was offered 500k more by Toronto but went back to Edmonton instead

Who reported this and when?

CJ also never said anything about what OP is claiming, it's some random writer from Bleacher Report

 

[93LEAFS]

Jeff Skinner, the ultimate winner in the NHL (the guy with the record of most games played while never making the playoffs) chose not to sign with Toronto because they are not a winner...... He's just great at identifying winning organizations because he's been with so many....

 

[geebster]

Good forwards don't just sign at a discount to good teams and are happy sitting on the 3rd line with no PP minutes etc. If you had to choose Toronto or another team similar in the standings, it's likely the latter would have more first line and PP etc opportunities.

Toronto has the most expensive top 4 players in the league and no one is even close and they all play the same position. To get good money and an opportunity to grow your career and stand out, Toronto isn't the best option.

 

[leafsfan5]

From what I saw from Tanev in the playoff. He’s close to done.

He quite literally just shutdown Eichel + Mackinnon in back-to-back series. If McDavid is the one to clown you, it is what it is

Tanev may suddenly be done due to age + injury history, but his playoffs were excellent overall and didn't suggest he's finished

 

[Three On Zero]

He quite literally just shutdown Eichel + Mackinnon in back-to-back series. If McDavid is the one to clown you, it is what it is

Tanev may suddenly be done due to age + injury history, but his playoffs were excellent overall and didn't suggest he's finished

Tanev is a defensive defenceman and was stellar in the playoffs. He doesn’t look cooked at all.

 

[PaulD]

Yep. That's not criticizing the player he is. He's the exact defenseman you want in your team to set that competitive bar. But that contract will not age well. They're a team likely to be playing in LTI in the not so distant future.

I find it odd that Toronto always ends up with these big name D that are on the back nine of their careers. A trend that dates back pre-salary cap.

So true.

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

What cost?

Dubas ordered his private jet that he thought the Leafs would pay for on MLSE dime.........major down payment non-refundable.

 

[Hisch13r]

“No longer” they never did outside of Tavares anyway lol

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

Then your stuck with the cap hit.
Unless you think, he gets LTIR, and somehow gets a couple of independent doctors to sign off on it every October.
Likely different doctors each time, as well.

You don't think Tanev and the Leafs already know that's he's going to "LTIR retire" at some point?

Most likely? They already know this is probably going to happen.

 

[BigGoalBrad]

There should be a second Toronto area team. I think it would be extremely popular with players.

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

There should be a second Toronto area team. I think it would be extremely popular with players.

Imagine they allowed MLSE to have a second team called the St Pats? Who play in the western conference?

One can dream. I could root for two teams.

 

[PaulD]

Tanev is a defensive defenceman and was stellar in the playoffs. He doesn’t look cooked at all.

Solid yes.
But I've never seen a vet Dman go to Toronto and not have his game go south to some degree.