GDT: End of season media availability - Pelley speaking Friday at 1PM EST

[Ports]

The radioactivity of that cap penalty is going to hang around till the mid 2030s but almost tempting.

To me just getting him out of the lineup is a net positive. Plus they save $21M on the cap over the next five years. That’s $4.2M a year to pay his replacement. Rielly’s a bottom pairing defenseman on a true cup contender so if that’s what they hope to be $4.2M will get them a much better replacement who would ideally be a RD so their left side could be McCabe, OEL and Benoit with Tanev, Carlo and new guy on RD. Benoit and OEL have more to give on offense that will replace whatever sporadic offense Rielly gave them.

 

[rumman]

Assuming we can’t move Rielly cause he loved the Toronto lifestyle too much.

Tre's going to have to put his big boy pants on and lean on the players hard to get them to waive, threaten them with limited ice time and or pressbox fodder.............

 

[Stephen]

Tre's going to have to put his big boy pants on and lean on the players hard to get them to waive, threaten them with limited ice time and or pressbox fodder.............

Or maybe we could go problem contract for problem contract. Morgan Rielly to Calgary. Jonathan Huberdeau with retention to Toronto. Or something like that.

 

[Ports]

I rewatched game 7 and other parts of the series closely to see what was happening during times when Florida was badly outplaying us. When they're on their game They are incredibly good at playing that super aggressive style and pressuring/suffocating teams in their own end.

Between rewatching the leafs series and what they're doing to Carolina I'm much more of the opinion that what happened in game 7 had less to do with Leafs choking under pressure and more to do with how extremely good Florida is when they're on top of their game.

Not saying I've completely changed my mind on blowing it up but I don't think its unreasonable to think that this version of the Leafs could go deep at some point in the next couple years if they have some things go their way.

They will still have the problem of too much cap space committed to soft forwards who teams like Florida will push out of the series in the playoffs. Marner isn’t going to get bigger and stronger, Tavares faster nor Matthews and Nylander braver. You can have a few of those type of players in the regular season but at most one or two in the playoffs who need to be protected by bigger, tougher line mates surrounding them.

 

[Ports]

If that’s permissible with a no movement clause I would do it because you could get more stable system based defense at minimum wage that Mo’s crisis play.

It’s not. No movement means exactly that unfortunately.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

If that’s permissible with a no movement clause I would do it because you could get more stable system based defense at minimum wage that Mo’s crisis play.

If a non-retiring player doesn't waive his NMC and you can't LTIR him, the only thing you can do is a buyout. Anyone can be bought out unless they are injured.

 

[Stephen]

If a non-retiring player doesn't waive his NMC and you can't LTIR him, the only thing you can do is a buyout. Anyone can be bought out unless they are injured.

I figure the Leafs may just have to soft land his contract as much as possible and use him as a 5-6.

 

[rumman]

Or maybe we could go problem contract for problem contract. Morgan Rielly to Calgary. Jonathan Huberdeau with retention to Toronto. Or something like that.

I'm all for getting rid of players that don't work for players that might work if no other options are available. Sometime a change of scenery is all it takes to revive a career, Benny's a good example of that...........

 

[ACC1224]

I wonder how upset you'd be if he actually spends the whole year without an extension.

Why would anyone be upset, that would be great. I think what that post meant was if he’s going to re-sign do it early so we can forget about the thought of him coming.
The longer he doesn’t re-sign the better chance that he becomes available

 

[Kurtz]

You think they would actually keep 3/4 or 4/4 next year?

Absolutely. We know AM and WN are coming back, and there is no way that this team would pass up JT on a ~$5m/year deal, especially with the lack of centres in free agency.

Mitch seems like 50/50.

 

[Ports]

If a non-retiring player doesn't waive his NMC and you can't LTIR him, the only thing you can do is a buyout. Anyone can be bought out unless they are injured.

You’re right. Here’s another potential solution. Tell Rielly he has to report to camp at 200 lbs or he’s on LTIR until he gets down to that. Not sure how legal that is either but maybe it gets him to waive his NMC.

 

[Wrong Wilson]

You’re right. Here’s another potential solution. Tell Rielly he has to report to camp at 200 lbs or he’s on LTIR until he gets down to that. Not sure how legal that is either but maybe it gets him to waive his NMC.

They could attempt to terminate his contract due to material breach (neglecting his responsibilities by not showing up to camp in shape), but they risk a fight with the NHLPA at that point.

 

[Apex Predator]

Yeah 8 years from now. I hope the Oilers sign him July 1st so this nonsense can stop. He's not coming home.

I don’t think he’s coming home but everyone said the same with Tavares so you never know.

 

[Apex Predator]

He was in the lineup and played in the 4N so I don’t believe he was injured at at all.

He missed a game at the 4 Nations so he either got hurt there or was playing hurt still.

 

[Apex Predator]

It’s not. No movement means exactly that unfortunately.

Other teams seem to figure it out so the question is why don’t the leafs?

 

[thewave]

Probably the Luksusowa influencing my reply ...

If anyone is interested, have tried many Vodka's and find the Luksusowa potato vodka a great value.

Haven't spent more than $70 on a bottle of vodka, so if there a niche vodka I wouldn't have tried it.

Yes, Kirkland is okay.

Got one bottle in BC, a smaller distiller in the interior north, and ended up using it as a cleaner. Don't believe everything you read in reviews ...

Lukso is a good Vodka. It punches way above it's weight class. I keep a bottle around at all times.

 

[Ports]

Other teams seem to figure it out so the question is why don’t the leafs?

Fear. They don’t have the stomach for it. The media would have a field day and the noise from the fan base would be intense. Not an excuse not to do it. Just my thinking. When Tampa forced McDonough to waive his NMC I doubt it created any waves in Tampa because hockey isn’t big news down there. And the Bruins do things like that but they’re the fourth place sport in their market. Leafs have tried to make it a safe environment for their players as Babcock ironically put it but it’s gone too far where the accountability is gone. Rielly can play 20 lbs overweight and they do nothing about it. It’s a problem.

 

[rumman]

Probably the Luksusowa influencing my reply ...

If anyone is interested, have tried many Vodka's and find the Luksusowa potato vodka a great value.

Haven't spent more than $70 on a bottle of vodka, so if there a niche vodka I wouldn't have tried it.

Yes, Kirkland is okay.

Got one bottle in BC, a smaller distiller in the interior north, and ended up using it as a cleaner. Don't believe everything you read in reviews ...

Luksusowa is my go to vodka, better than Grey Goose and Belvedere at s much cheater price……

 

[rumman]

Lukso is a good Vodka. It punches way above it's weight class. I keep a bottle around at all times.

Always a bottle in my freezer……

 

[darrylsittler27]

Let me guess. He said we are running it back again. Jersey sales are down. Clowns

 

[hockeywiz542]

How Will Keith Pelley Dictate The Future Of The Maple Leafs?

There’s one thing you have to know about Keith Pelley, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE): he’s spent his life in the communications world. He understands the power of messaging and the impact of spin.

thehockeynews.com

Yes, he said all the right things at Friday’s press conference, but in choosing not to name a replacement for Shanahan as Leafs president, Pelley has become the ultimate target for disgruntled Leafs fans – especially now that it’s possible, if not probable, that Toronto will part ways with star right winger Mitch Marner when he becomes a UFA on July 1.

Now, moving on from Marner could be the right move for the Leafs, in the same way that the Florida Panthers traded left winger Jonathan Huberdeau before Florida won a Cup. And the hints that Pelley dropped about Leafs coach Craig Berube getting more of a say in roster moves also indicates that Toronto’s way of doing business will differ from the Shanahan Era. But what if Pelley believes that the right move would be to re-sign Marner? That may be the most unpopular decision Pelley makes at this point in his tenure.

Moreover, will Pelley throw money at the UFA player du jour this summer, or will he decide to wait to use the Leafs’ cap space until 2026, when a far deeper group of UFAs hits the market? For every choice and crossroad that’s out there for Toronto, there’s an alternative that could be fraught with as much potential danger and disappointment as any option. But the path forward for the Leafs is now Pelley’s to decide, and being Toronto’s final voice of authority could be a lonely place to be for him.

In the 1970s and 80s, it was never unclear where the buck stopped for the Leafs. For better or worse – and it was almost always for worse – the curmudgeonly Harold Ballard earned his place as one of the most hated sports figures in Toronto’s history by bungling every key decision he made for the team.

But as Leafs ownership moved down the road to corporate control, finding a figure to direct hatred at has become more difficult for Buds fans thoroughly exhausted by all the excuses for Toronto’s failures. Shanahan did many good things for the Leafs, but after 11 years on the job, and despite his Cup-winning pedigree, Shanahan eventually felt the wrath of Maple Leafs fans, just as everyone did before him.

And now, that target for Leafs fans has moved squarely in the middle of Pelley’s shoulders. He’s firmly on the clock, and his every move is going to be hyper-analyzed until such time as either the Leafs eventually win a championship, or until public sentiment and Leafs ownership decides it’s time for a different corporate voice to replace him.

Pelley comes into this new era with the best intentions, but it’s not as if any of his predecessors in the Leafs’ power pyramid took the job with the desire to do harm. The problem for Pelley is how to get from Point A – where the Maple Leafs are right now – to Point B, which is celebrating the organization’s first Cup win since 1967.

 

[WillNy29]

It wouldn't bother me at all. It's more that I hate the non stop chatter about McDavid is coming home to save the franchise. It was the same with Stamkos. It's more annoying than anything.

Stamkos actually met with the leafs though and probably would have signed here had the leafs been a playoff team (like tavares did). I went to university with stamkos' sister though and from what I recall he wasnt keen on moving back anyways because his wife is from florida but I might be wrong that was like 12 years ago.

 

[rielledup]

I don't see how anyone who is watching this fla carolina series can not be having some doubts about making big changes to this team. This is coming from someone who was all aboard not only the make big changes train but do a complete rebuild train just a week ago

 

[colchar]

Stamkos actually met with the leafs though and probably would have signed here had the leafs been a playoff team (like tavares did).

Wrong. Apparently he walked out because their presentation was over the top. They apparently toned things down for Tavares.

I went to university with stamkos' sister though and from what I recall he wasnt keen on moving back anyways because his wife is from florida but I might be wrong that was like 12 years ago.

His wife isn't from Florida. She is from Markham, and they were high school sweethearts.

 

[colchar]

It wouldn't bother me at all. It's more that I hate the non stop chatter about McDavid is coming home to save the franchise. It was the same with Stamkos. It's more annoying than anything.

Fan speculation bothers you? Probably time to get over it.