is one year of tanking in our best interest long term?

[number72]

I wouldn't call it tanking but instead one short year of playing the kids (and trading away the baggage like connolly, lombardi and sitting komisarek) as an investment into the future.

 

[TmlHockeyFan]

Play the kids.
Trade MacArthur for a 1st round pick. Trade Steckel, Lombardi and Connolly for any draft pick you can get.


Lupul-Kadri/Grabovski-Kessel
JVR-Kadri/Grabovski-Kulemin
Frattin-Colborne/Bozak-Bozak/Colborne
Komorav-McClement-Ashton

This won't happen (obviously). The top line would probably get less +/- than last year anyways because of Carlyle's defensive system.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

With the current lack of quality at D and G, no need to tank, this team looks leaky. Wonder how long until it abandons the defensive approach once it gets behind in a game. Bad defence and bad goaltending equal losses, but we have some really bright people posting here that if Seth Jones is available we should pass on him, great logic. Amateur armchair GM's.

If Jones was available a team will draft him, no doubt about it unless Mackinnon pulls up his game, only guy that can get back to #1.

 

[TheBigThree]

It probably is worth it in a strong draft like this year but I am sick of the team losing and would prefer if they won. If our goalies suck we won't have to worry about tanking .

 

[The Winter Soldier]

It probably is worth it in a strong draft like this year but I am sick of the team losing and would prefer if they won. If our goalies suck we won't have to worry about tanking .

This team is not making the playoffs, I see no reason to try to finish 22nd or 23rd. Want to finish 29th or 3oth so we ensure ourselves of Jones or Mackinnon.

 

[Hero]

I'd rather have playoffs. But getting a #1C in this draft would be huge and fill one of our 3 major holes.

 

[NASCL]

Bruins were a dog franchise when Chara and Savard signed as UFAs.

Original Six team will have no trouble attracting free agents as dollars ultimately talk.

 

[KuleminFan41]

It probably is worth it in a strong draft like this year but I am sick of the team losing and would prefer if they won. If our goalies suck we won't have to worry about tanking .

Every year its either"this is a very deep draft" or"this is a very weak draft"

And every year , there will always be people who want to talk and people who think you can draft 21 super stars

 

[nsleaf]

The current team does not need to "tank"(stupid idea) they are not very good and most likely will be in the lottery mix anyway.
Some here say play the 'kids' so the team can tank. Does not say much for the 'kids'!
What if they do play the 'kids' and they actually win, where do the tankers go from there?
Or what if they do play the 'kids' and they get regularly thumped? Can't be good for a young player's('kids) confidence.

 

[HockeyGuruPitka]

Some Of Our Players Career Bests:

Phil Kessel = 82p (2011/2012)
Joffrey Lupul = 67p (2011/2012)
Tyler Bozak = 47p (2011/2012)
Mikhail Grabovski = 58p (2010/2011)
Nikolai Kulemin = 57p (2010/2011)
Clarke MacArthur = 62p (2010/2011)
Tim Connolly = 65p (2009/2010 73gp)
Matthew Lombardi = 53p (2009/2010)
James Van Riemsdyk = 40p (2010/2011)
Dion Phaneuf = 60p (2007/2008)
John Michael Liles = 46p (2010/2011)
Cody Franson = 29p (2010/2011)
Jake Gardiner = 30p (2011/2012)

This team was a near playoff team last year pre-collapse, while getting the worst goaltending in the league. We have now adopted a defensive style, acquired one of the best penalty killers in the game (Mcclement) and have a healthy Reimer.
Jay Mcclement was St.louis and Colorado's #1 pker. Last year Colorado was ranked #12 in the league in PK improving from a league worst the year before because of the addition of Mcclement. They got 0.913 SV% from Varlamov. In 10/11 when in St.Louis their PK was #1 in the league. They got .910sv% from Halak.

Both of these teams had no where near the offensive talent that Toronto has. IF Mcclement helps our PK and saves us 15-20 goals (which will improve our goalies statistics) and on top of that manage to get average goaltending from Reimer, this team will be challenging for a p/o spot.

 

[nsleaf]

Some Of Our Players Career Bests:

Phil Kessel = 82p (2011/2012)
Joffrey Lupul = 67p (2011/2012)
Tyler Bozak = 47p (2011/2012)
Mikhail Grabovski = 58p (2010/2011)
Nikolai Kulemin = 57p (2010/2011)
Clarke MacArthur = 62p (2010/2011)
Tim Connolly = 65p (2009/2010 73gp)
Matthew Lombardi = 53p (2009/2010)
James Van Riemsdyk = 40p (2010/2011)
Dion Phaneuf = 60p (2007/2008)
John Michael Liles = 46p (2010/2011)
Cody Franson = 29p (2010/2011)
Jake Gardiner = 30p (2011/2012)
















This team was a near playoff team last year pre-collapse, while getting the worst goaltending in the league. We have now adopted a defensive style, acquired one of the best penalty killers in the game (Mcclement) and have a healthy Reimer.
Jay Mcclement was St.louis and Colorado's #1 pker. Last year Colorado was ranked #12 in the league in PK improving from a league worst the year before because of the addition of Mcclement. They got 0.913 SV% from Varlamov. In 10/11 when in St.Louis their PK was #1 in the league. They got .910sv% from Halak.

Both of these teams had no where near the offensive talent that Toronto has. IF Mcclement helps our PK and saves us 15-20 goals (which will improve our goalies statistics) and on top of that manage to get average goaltending from Reimer, this team will be challenging for a p/o spot.

I hope you are correct!

 

[ACC1224]

They won't tank but I can see them running with the Team as is and waiting for next year to reload.

 

[FelixPotvin29]

It's been 7 years already...

3.5-4 years... another won't hurt.

The other three well... that's what happens when you go all out for the playoffs and miss and miss and miss.

 

[FelixPotvin29]

I'd rather have playoffs. But getting a #1C in this draft would be huge and fill one of our 3 major holes.

Two.

 

[sangreale]

Bruins were a dog franchise when Chara and Savard signed as UFAs.

Original Six team will have no trouble attracting free agents as dollars ultimately talk.

Excellent example. Sign a couple of studs and then all we need is someone stupid enough to give us 2 high first round picks.

 

[Pi]

Nope.

I want this team to take a step forward. Losing is not okay. I'd even take an agonizing last day defeat and miss the playoffs by a point than tank this year from the get go.

If we have an awful start to the season..I can understand that the Leafs would be better off to have a firesale, get a chance to draft Jones/Mac/Drouin etc.

 

[Mess]

While no one will argue that this team is in serious need of an influx of talent, and that would best be served via a high draft pick in the upcoming draft, writing this year off intentionally is simply not the intended desired outcome.

If it occurs like it has in previous years, resulting in a top 5 pick like Morgan Rielly was, then it will occur by itself based on GM performance and not GM desire.

 

[BlueStorm]

It looks like Montreal is starting to warm up the tank. Buying out Gomez and Subban sitting without a contract. If the habs get MacKinnon that will be a great injustice to the hockey world.

 

[DaveT83*]

"Gee Golly I'd sure love to watch playoff hockey ehehe"
Nothing could be worse for this Franchise - Nothing positive comes from it - Collectively we all need to forget that the playoffs even exist for the next 2 years. Until we can replace


Tank is an absolute must. We should have been tanking for years. We'd be winning cups right now had JFJ's message not fallen on deaf ears. Or had Brian Burke not traded Sequin/Hamilton

 

[Auston Marlander]

While no one will argue that this team is in serious need of an influx of talent, and that would best be served via a high draft pick in the upcoming draft, writing this year off intentionally is simply not the intended desired outcome.

If it occurs like it has in previous years, resulting in a top 5 pick like Morgan Rielly was, then it will occur by itself based on GM performance and not GM desire.

So if the Leafs do poorly in a 48 game season, you are putting this on Nonis? You really are hard on GMs

 

[BlueBaron]

"Gee Golly I'd sure love to watch playoff hockey ehehe"
Nothing could be worse for this Franchise - Nothing positive comes from it - Collectively we all need to forget that the playoffs even exist for the next 2 years. Until we can replace


Tank is an absolute must. We should have been tanking for years. We'd be winning cups right now had JFJ's message not fallen on deaf ears. Or had Brian Burke not traded Sequin/Hamilton

ROFL, another post of your usual quality.

Nothing positive ? Hmm playoff experience, the obvious improvement of numerous players to even achieve the playoffs, learning to win, confidence, setting a higher standard etc etc. These are all positives.

Would it hinder our ability to add another blue chip prospect ? Sure. But that is the only negative I can see, everything else would be pretty positive in my opinion.

 

[613Leafer]

While no one will argue that this team is in serious need of an influx of talent, and that would best be served via a high draft pick in the upcoming draft, writing this year off intentionally is simply not the intended desired outcome.

If it occurs like it has in previous years, resulting in a top 5 pick like Morgan Rielly was, then it will occur by itself based on GM performance and not GM desire.

Intentionally tanking IMO would mean trading away good players under contract.

But trading away guys who are pending UFAs who arent part of the longterm plan? I don't think that counts.

 

[Hockeylaw]

My only concern with tanking this year (beyond the fact that it won't be easy to watch, and is contrary to the spirit of the game) is that it might come back to haunt us in free agency. If we get a good pick out of it... wonderful. But what if it costs us Getzlaf, Perry, or another high quality UFA who simply does not wish to sign with a team that has proven it is dysfunctional for an eighth straight season?

 

[indigobuffalo]

No team ever tanks, wish this fantasy could be put to rest one day.

It's evven stupider to tank with the new CBA, because now all non-playoff teams are lottery picks.

If any one of you would rather miss the playoffs to grab a better draft pick, I hate you...

 

[Drmckool]

What I really want is for Nonis to "Peter Charelli" another team in a trade and end up with 1 or 2 high draft picks much above the value of the player traded for.