Future of the team is incredibly bleak

[HockeyVirus]

Let's be real here. We have arguably 2 prospects of any note in Cowan and maybe Danford neither move the needle. We have no draft picks because we traded them all at the TDL. 2 of our 4 core pieces are UFAs and likely to walk for nothing. We have no #1 dman, hell no #2 dman.

We have NO future. The only possible move this offseason is to throw money around in free agency. For any long time fans, we've seen this story before. We will end up paying players like Komaserk, Lombardi, Armstrong, Connolly, Clarkson, etc big money in free agency and be trash but with a cap strapped team.

There is a very real chance we have gifted Bruins another top 10 draft pick. I am nearing my breaking point with this team.

 

[centipede2233]

Shanahan needs ro go. With that said, the damage is done. It’ll be scorched earth soon enough, hire another incompetent president rinse and repeat until MLSE sells the team

 

[Tie Domi Esquire]

Fun fact, a few months ago this poster blocked for saying this.

 

[The Shadow]

They are cursed it seems. Like the cubs were

It will take the right leadership to change the culture of this flawed organization

 

[HockeyVirus]

Fun fact, a few months ago this poster blocked for saying this.

You got blocked for following me around to every thread to say they looked like shit while they were grinding away and playing very good hockey in November. The team that was playing that way is no longer with us and hasn't been for a while now.

 

[AllHeartNoSkill]

Shanahan needs ro go. With that said, the damage is done. It’ll be scorched earth soon enough, hire another incompetent president rinse and repeat until MLSE sells the team

Agreed, Shanahan’s time should be up. I would accept a scorched earth but I’m not holding my breath.

 

[Leafsfan74]

Let's be real here. We have arguably 2 prospects of any note in Cowan and maybe Danford neither move the needle. We have no draft picks because we traded them all at the TDL. 2 of our 4 core pieces are UFAs and likely to walk for nothing. We have no #1 dman, hell no #2 dman.

We have NO future. The only possible move this offseason is to throw money around in free agency. For any long time fans, we've seen this story before. We will end up paying players like Komaserk, Lombardi, Armstrong, Connolly, Clarkson, etc big money in free agency and be trash but with a cap strapped team.

There is a very real chance we have gifted Bruins another top 10 draft pick. I am nearing my breaking point with this team.

This is why the Leafs were rated the worst run franchise in the NHL. Some said "they don't deserve this moniker". Yes they do, especially when commensurate to the fanaticism and hopes of their fan base.

They decided to go for it every year around 4 or 5 players. This was always the risk if their core didn't pan out. Some years ago I supported it, but after they lost to Florida and we lost Schenn, Bertuzzi and O'Reilly, Acciari, The Boosh, all players who made the team fairly balanced up and down the lineup, it was clear that NO efforts at any deadline were going to change their spots. Losing so many Game 7s just reinforced to me, "the higher the stakes, the lower the chances that they meet the challenge". If they werent going to win with that lineup, this core was not going to win in a cap system.

I was hopeful that they would have moved Marner before his NMC kicked in. The second best outcome would be to let him walk and use the cap space. They could have done well though by grabbing some 1st Rounders and prospects and moving THEM in the future if they needed to with one less player. Imagine how this years deadline or next would have looked if Leafs had millions more in cap and more prospects 1st Rounders to trade?

They lack the objectivity that a team needs to win. Can they build a strong team of the UFAs available over the next two years? We will see. It is going to have to be a team more middle-of-the-pack regular season but one who rises to the challenge in the post season.

If Leafs are looking for some lower level executives to help guide their team, send me a message and I will consider the opportunity, I'm sure many others will as well. This isn't rocket science guys, stop falling in love with players and consider one goal "what is the RIGHT path to winning a Cup? What is the right DNA?"

Their defense and goaltending provide a glimmer of hope. Their forward MUST sacrifice to the same degree.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

Let's be real here. We have arguably 2 prospects of any note in Cowan and maybe Danford neither move the needle. We have no draft picks because we traded them all at the TDL. 2 of our 4 core pieces are UFAs and likely to walk for nothing. We have no #1 dman, hell no #2 dman.

We have NO future. The only possible move this offseason is to throw money around in free agency. For any long time fans, we've seen this story before. We will end up paying players like Komaserk, Lombardi, Armstrong, Connolly, Clarkson, etc big money in free agency and be trash but with a cap strapped team.

There is a very real chance we have gifted Bruins another top 10 draft pick. I am nearing my breaking point with this team.

For the sake of your depression you should cheer for another team.

You can't just say that Burke's mistakes are going to be Treliving's mistakes.

To say we don't have a number 2 D is just wild.

Those draft picks are late 1sts. If Toronto's situation is so bad, they can recoup 1st round picks by selling off players like McMann, Tanev, McCabe, or Knies.

We still have many good players locked up for years. Toronto had no one when Komasarak was signed. I think Kaberle was the only talented player left. Like Dubas, Burke got impatient with the what he had. They didn't have a number 1 center until Matthews was drafted. Kadri was a good pick and Bozak was a good signing, but hardly any fire power to speak of. Don't even get me started on how dire it's been in the goalie position for some time.

Don't hold back. It's time for you to cheer for the Utah hockey club. Make room in your closet beside your dusty San Jose Sharks jersey.

 

[HockeyVirus]

For the sake of your depression you should cheer for another team.

You can't just say that Burke's mistakes are going to be Treliving's mistakes.

To say we don't have a number 2 D is just wild.

Those draft picks are late 1sts. If Toronto's situation is so bad, they can recoup 1st round picks by selling off players like McMann, Tanev, McCabe, or Knies.

We still have many good players locked up for years. Toronto had no one when Komasarak was signed. I think Kaberle was the only talented player left. Like Dubas, Burke got impatient with the what he had. They didn't have a number 1 center until Matthews was drafted. Kadri was a good pick and Bozak was a good signing, but hardly any fire power to speak of. Don't even get me started on how dire it's been in the goalie position for some time.

Don't hold back. It's time for you to cheer for the Utah hockey club. Make room in your closet beside your dusty San Jose Sharks jersey.

Treliving is another Burke / Nonis type. Hell Treliving worked with Burke for years and years. I've seen that result with my eyes before.

You're right, the problem is I have too much passion not that this team has been mismanaged and bled dry by greedy f***s.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

Treliving is another Burke / Nonis type. Hell Treliving worked with Burke for years and years. I've seen that result with my eyes before.

You're right, the problem is I have too much passion not that this team has been mismanaged and bled dry by greedy f***s.

So greed is the issue? OK. So minor hockey should be your new bag.

 

[HockeyVirus]

So greed is the issue? OK. So minor hockey should be your new bag.

Imagine still defending these losers at this point. Ian I am disappointed in you.

 

[AvroArrow]

Let's be real here. We have arguably 2 prospects of any note in Cowan and maybe Danford neither move the needle. We have no draft picks because we traded them all at the TDL. 2 of our 4 core pieces are UFAs and likely to walk for nothing. We have no #1 dman, hell no #2 dman.

We have NO future. The only possible move this offseason is to throw money around in free agency. For any long time fans, we've seen this story before. We will end up paying players like Komaserk, Lombardi, Armstrong, Connolly, Clarkson, etc big money in free agency and be trash but with a cap strapped team.

There is a very real chance we have gifted Bruins another top 10 draft pick. I am nearing my breaking point with this team.

Tavares isn't a core piece, he's only paid like one. We're probably better off without him, but again he's re-signing cheap. Said it before, I'll say it again. I have a family member that worked with his wife, he intends to finish his career here and raise his kids here, he has no interest in signing anywhere else. He'll probably be back on a cheap deal, I'm thinking 6Mx3.

If Marner walks, so be it, that's 11M in free cap to balance out the roster and look for a top pairing D-man (Ekblad UFA)

Cowan will be a good middle 6 player at some point, I think Danford will be a fine bottom pairing guy at some point too. Not every prospect is going to be a superstar and that's fine.

Tanev is a great #2 D-man, I'd argue McCabe is a borderline #2 as well. Bonehead play last night on the PK but usually one of our best defenders.

The pick won't be top 10, we got Nylander + Matthews locked up.

Cap is going up, we got money coming off the books we'll be alright. If the core guys were 30+ I might have agreed with you, Matthews/Nylander are in their prime.

What we need to do this off-season, try and move Rielly for a more reliable defender if possible, sign JT cheap as a depth C + try and sign Ekblad.

Oh and 2 years ago Florida unloaded 3 future 1st round picks and almost all their assets, guess what ? They were still able to build a championship team. We'll be ok.

 

[Malachi Crunch]

I still have some hope, but if this continues, we need big moves in the summer.

What sucks though is that I'm pretty sure Bennett and Chychrun are going to stay on their teams.

Provorov could replace Rielly though. Not sure about Mitch and JT. There's not many C's in the free agent market. Maybe keep JT at a low price and go hard after both Ehlers and Boeser. Or maybe replace JT with Duchene at 3 million-ish.

 

[Mentat]

They are cursed it seems. Like the cubs were

It will take the right leadership to change the culture of this flawed organization

There is nothing supernatural about it.
It´s just MLSE´s managemente being unable or unwilling to smell the coffee and face the facts. It has been crystal clear for (at least) a couple of years now that our core group of superstars will not get the job done. Everything has changed around our core. Yet the core still remains unscathed
Lunacy.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

Imagine still defending these losers at this point. Ian I am disappointed in you.

This is insane.

You come on a Leafs fan forum and you're shocked to discover that someone is not a fair weather fan?

I refuse to be like those stupid Oilers fans who were losing their minds a few weeks ago even though they were 1st in their division. They have a deep team. They almost won a Cup last season. They are proven to be battle hardy. They have the best player in league. OK. So maybe their goaltending is going through a rough patch (possible injuries). Who knows? Is their problem greed? It's a tough sport. Sometimes many things can go right for a team in a short stretch of time.

I can't be your therapist. If your Leafs hobby us making you tear up as you eat your sad pea soup, then I suggest you do something else. It's just hockey, and hockey is a past-time. It's not really important.

 

[Rare Jewel]

Unfortunately, I've had doubts about this core and the mental and emotional capabilities since they did the mutiny on Babcock. As it turned out, it was justified because the more people learned about him, the more he became an arsole.

Still, the way they played and capitulated really made me wonder if they had the fortitude in an emotional sense to actually win. At this point, we only had the two series with Boston to go off, but they regained their bravery like kids with a substitute teacher under Keefe, which was followed up by two of the more embarrassing playoff/in performances. So, since then, I've been everything from apathetic to highly doubtful about these players and management.

I wouldn't say a complete rebuild is necessary (I wouldn't object to it), but a thorough cleaning of the upper management and coaching staff and probably half the roster, including, and I hate to say it, Matthews.

 

[thewave]

Unfortunately, I've had doubts about this core and the mental and emotional capabilities since they did the mutiny on Babcock. As it turned out, it was justified because the more people learned about him, the more he became an arsole.

Still, the way they played and capitulated really made me wonder if they had the fortitude in an emotional sense to actually win. At this point, we only had the two series with Boston to go off, but they regained their bravery like kids with a substitute teacher under Keefe, which was followed up by two of the more embarrassing playoff/in performances. So, since then, I've been everything from apathetic to highly doubtful about these players and management.

I wouldn't say a complete rebuild is necessary (I wouldn't object to it), but a thorough cleaning of the upper management and coaching staff and probably half the roster, including, and I hate to say it, Matthews.

MTL series was the time to change things.

Nylander Matthews Woll Stolarz and Knies Tanev are the players to keep. Matthews is just having an off year, maybe a lot of drama in the room with he Marner situations etc.

 

[HockeyVirus]

This is insane.

You come on a Leafs fan forum and you're shocked to discover that someone is not a fair weather fan?

I refuse to be like those stupid Oilers fans who were losing their minds a few weeks ago even though they were 1st in their division. They have a deep team. They almost won a Cup last season. They are proven to be battle hardy. They have the best player in league. OK. So maybe their goaltending is going through a rough patch (possible injuries). Who knows? Is their problem greed? It's a tough sport. Sometimes many things can go right for a team in a short stretch of time.

I can't be your therapist. If your Leafs hobby us making you tear up as you eat your sad pea soup, then I suggest you do something else. It's just hockey, and hockey is a past-time. It's not really important.

Fair weather fan? We are entering year 10 of this crap and we have never won more than 5 games in a playoff run. We do not deserve to be compared to the Oilers, they have actually shown reasons to believe in their group.

 

[kevsh]

They look like a psychologically broken team.

What optimism is there going to be when the season starts and they look around the locker room and see the same main guys they lost with last year, the year before and each year before that? It's got to take it's toll.

I said the same thing a few years ago: MLSE should show these players some mercy and trade them somewhere else (of course convincing them to waive would be the challenge). Give them a fresh start with a group of guys that haven't failed every year. Marner in Colorado? He probably has a monster playoff and they win a Cup. Matthews, same thing. But here? Never going to happen.

In this market, with the depressing history of the Maple Leafs, all that pressure to win, it's cruel to keep sending them back out there when they clearly don't have it in them. And at least playing here, they never will. At this point, a part of me feels sorry for these guys. They just look like they have nothing left.

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

Should've broke up the core after the Habs defeat

 

[Nineteen67]

Let's be real here. We have arguably 2 prospects of any note in Cowan and maybe Danford neither move the needle. We have no draft picks because we traded them all at the TDL. 2 of our 4 core pieces are UFAs and likely to walk for nothing. We have no #1 dman, hell no #2 dman.

We have NO future. The only possible move this offseason is to throw money around in free agency. For any long time fans, we've seen this story before. We will end up paying players like Komaserk, Lombardi, Armstrong, Connolly, Clarkson, etc big money in free agency and be trash but with a cap strapped team.

There is a very real chance we have gifted Bruins another top 10 draft pick. I am nearing my breaking point with this team.

Isn’t the pick top 5 protected? Probably will draft 6th or 7th.

 

[Rare Jewel]

MTL series was the time to change things.

Nylander Matthews Woll Stolarz and Knies Tanev are the players to keep. Matthews is just having an off year, maybe a lot of drama in the room with he Marner situations etc.

Even with that reasoning, You're a professional making a lot of money (the most money in the NHL this season). I'm not buying that as an excuse, and it really only backs up the claim that these boys can't do it here.

But the more pressing issue with Matthews, for me, is what is his injury and can be fixed with surgery.

 

[thewave]

Even with that reasoning, You're a professional making a lot of money (the most money in the NHL this season). I'm not buying that as an excuse, and it really only backs up that perhaps these boys can't do it here.

But the more pressing issue with Matthews, for me, is what is his injury and whether it can be fixed with surgery.

He is signed. No need to panic with Matthews. The Rocket was last year. He had procedures in Germany. I can wait for that.

I can't wait for JT Rielly Marner. Heck of JT would go 1 year I would even do that but the rest is really nasty business. Including a coach that can't manage these players.

At the end of the day you can't just throw gas on it and blow it up in a single off season.

 

[Rare Jewel]

He is signed. No need to panic with Matthews. The Rocket was last year. He had procedures in Germany. I can wait for that.

I can't wait for JT Rielly Marner. Heck of JT would go 1 year I would even do that but the rest is really nasty business. Including a coach that can't manage these players.

At the end of the day you can't just throw gas on it and blow it up in a single off season.

You could do it if someone had the balls to do it. The issue is that every manager thinks their tonic can fix it. Just look at Treliving. He wanted time to "access what he had." - No need, Brad, we've seen it.

Also, the Rocket Richard means sweet f4%k all if he plays like crap in the postseason, either through normal circumstances or injury.

 

[DuncanMacpherson]

Let's be real here. We have arguably 2 prospects of any note in Cowan and maybe Danford neither move the needle. We have no draft picks because we traded them all at the TDL. 2 of our 4 core pieces are UFAs and likely to walk for nothing. We have no #1 dman, hell no #2 dman.

We have NO future. The only possible move this offseason is to throw money around in free agency. For any long time fans, we've seen this story before. We will end up paying players like Komaserk, Lombardi, Armstrong, Connolly, Clarkson, etc big money in free agency and be trash but with a cap strapped team.

There is a very real chance we have gifted Bruins another top 10 draft pick. I am nearing my breaking point with this team.

Also look at how old our blueline Will be in a few years and we have no first round pick until 2028. Better pray we hit on our second or third round pick this year