News Article: Mirtle: Maple Leafs Ownership Could Make Massive Changes if 'Really Disappointing First-Round Exit' Happens Again in the Playoffs

[darrylsittler27]

Myrtle doubling down on his comments on JD bunkis this morning saying Ownership hasnt been happy with lack of playoff success

They have techinically lost Billions. Not only is the franchsie devalued plus playoff revenues but sales of merchandise in general. When the NHL expands many new fans will jump to expansion teams who have a better chance of winning. The management of Toronto is clearly incompetent. Samsonov is now 6 and 14 in the playoffs. You dont bring back Keefe either. You make those 2 small changes and the Leafs win that series but they always want to replay a losing hand. Spend all your money on 4 forwards and neglect your back end will never work in the East. Ownership should be furious. Its like taking Coca cola and making them into Pepsi light.

See Mirtle said "disappointing first round exit".

The trick is there is no such thing anymore. This is just status quo.

Run it back boys!

They did that and wasted the year again. They also have no picks next year. The window is closing and everyone of our big four are now past their prime and about to decline.

 

[Commander Clueless]

They did that and wasted the year again. They also have no picks next year. The window is closing and everyone of our big four are now past their prime and about to decline.

For the record, I was joking

 

[thewave]

How about they just make the changes and stop hiding behind these weird belifs that you get x years to run a crappy program or prove it works lile they did with Keefe.

Toronto should be 3 year contracts for mgmt.

 

[HockeyVirus]

People don't want to hear it but the team is close. It needs tweaks not to be blown up. Marner is a clear problem, he is ineffective in the post season. Tavares is also old. Having that 22M is going to make a big difference.

2 years from now we have Knies and Woll (and maybe Robertson) solidly established in their NHL careers and Cowan and others coming up to give cheap depth.

We need a new coach and we need to retool. Our defense is too old, needs to be made in the same style but younger and we need a few good young centers. And a good goalie who can compliment Woll.

Could be worse than using next year as a transition year.

 

[Gallagbi]

People don't want to hear it but the team is close. It needs tweaks not to be blown up. Marner is a clear problem, he is ineffective in the post season. Tavares is also old. Having that 22M is going to make a big difference.

2 years from now we have Knies and Woll (and maybe Robertson) solidly established in their NHL careers and Cowan and others coming up to give cheap depth.

We need a new coach and we need to retool. Our defense is too old, needs to be made in the same style but younger and we need a few good young centers. And a good goalie who can compliment Woll.

Could be worse than using next year as a transition year.

Close to what?

We lost to a mediocre Bruins team while showing a complete inability to score. Our special teams was awful and we have some major roadblocks to move.

Right now we're an okay team, but it's honestly rough to see the way forward. It's not hopeless, but they need to find something we haven't seen

 

[JEI]

People don't want to hear it but the team is close. It needs tweaks not to be blown up. Marner is a clear problem, he is ineffective in the post season. Tavares is also old. Having that 22M is going to make a big difference.

2 years from now we have Knies and Woll (and maybe Robertson) solidly established in their NHL careers and Cowan and others coming up to give cheap depth.

We need a new coach and we need to retool. Our defense is too old, needs to be made in the same style but younger and we need a few good young centers. And a good goalie who can compliment Woll.

Could be worse than using next year as a transition year.

I'd say getting rid of Marner, Tavares, new defensive core and the coaching staff classifies as a blow it up approach.

 

[A1LeafNation]

Shanahan made the decision to keep these guys together for all this time and no meaningful results in that time. GTFO.

 

[IPS]

Replace Tavares and Marner's $22M in combined cap space to some intelligent FA acquisitions and we probably win the series.

$22M for one goal and 5 points combined over 7 games, that is such a crippling disadvantage.

The worst thing to happen to the maple leafs since the unprecedented dramatic overpayments was winning game 5. That was a DISASTER for the team. Now they've lost in OT in game 7 with injuries to key players. They have their f***ing excuses again. Nothing will change. They'll run it back and say Tavares is off the books after next season which is when the shuffle should happen.

The leafs winning game 5 means we'll have 1 more season of this bullshit. A complete write off season.

I don't think so man, the fanbase is officially over the core 4, you can see it.

 

[darrylsittler27]

I have no idea what the problem is duh....

	NAME	REC	SEASON	TM	GP	PTS	GS	W	L	T	OTL	SA	GA	GAA	SV	SV%	SHO	MIN
	Ilya Samsonov	0-3-0	2020-21	WSH	3	0	3	0	3	0	0	99	10	2.99	89	.899	0	201
	Ilya Samsonov	1-3-0	2021-22	WSH	5	0	4	1	3	0	0	148	13	2.97	135	.912	0	263
	Ilya Samsonov	4-4-0	2022-23	TOR	9	0	9	4	4	0	0	255	26	3.13	229	.898	0	498
	Ilya Samsonov	1-4-0	2023-24	TOR	5	0	5	1	4	0	0	134	14	3.01	120	.896	0	279

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[Blanka]

Guess they don't make Swedes like they used too
View attachment 857454

Weren't these guys Vikings at one point? Draw from that DNA and get mad ffs.

 

[Maple Leaf]

Would prefer to dissolve the team and the franchise
Bring in a new expansion team

 

[Leafsfan74]

It's frightening how obviously flawed this construction was. Maybe 5 years ago, even before the loss to the Habs, I said "I worry this team is going to be like those 2000s Oilers or San Jose Sharks, plenty of talent and flash but playoff failures". I couldn't have expected this much futility.

I was a lone voice in the woods that said Leafs wouldn't beat Columbus and I was mercilessly mocked.

It should have been fixed three years ago but it wasn't. Three good years wasted.

Matthews is in his prime. You have Knies who will be a future playoff performer for years. They have a Benoit in his prime, McCabe. Nylander for all his inconsistencies finds a way to show up come playoffs, which, in my hockey world is what matters most.

For the record, I disagreed with the money paid to Reilly though that was what the market bore at the time. I campaigned with a post that they should go after Petrioangelo. When you can pick up a #1 at any position as a UFA, you have to consider it. The assets the Leafs would have spent would probably have been Reilly. The guy has two rings now.

Shanny has to be gone. If he isn't, then we are basically living in the Ballard years except we get a round of playoff disappointments to extend our misery each season.

 

[hullsy47]

*licks chops.

Make changes the majority of the fanbase has wanted since the Montreal series.

Replace Tavares and Marner's $22M in combined cap space to some intelligent FA acquisitions and we probably win the series.

$22M for one goal and 5 points combined over 7 games, that is such a crippling disadvantage.


I don't think so man, the fanbase is officially over the core 4, you can see it.

If it's true that dubas was gonna deal marner and Shanahan balked
It all makes sense why Shanahan will ve fired Tuesday

 

[Leafsfan74]

Would prefer to dissolve the team and the franchise
Bring in a new expansion team

The NHL definitely has to find a way to convince the Leafs to allow a second T.O team. I think Ottawa and Buffalo have to agree too due to the location radius but I could be wrong.

Good luck convincing Leafs to allow that. I'd love to see the number of zeros they write on that napkin to allow a second team...

 

[HockeyVirus]

Close to what?

We lost to a mediocre Bruins team while showing a complete inability to score. Our special teams was awful and we have some major roadblocks to move.

Right now we're an okay team, but it's honestly rough to see the way forward. It's not hopeless, but they need to find something we haven't seen

The way they defended, this is the skeleton of a good team. The core didn't show up for various reasons from injuries to not being good enough. If they swap out Marner for a guy who can play playoff hockey and score and JT for a piece or 2 on defense who can move the puck they are a team who can win the cup

 

[Stephen]

The NHL definitely has to find a way to convince the Leafs to allow a second T.O team. I think Ottawa and Buffalo have to agree too due to the location radius but I could be wrong.

Good luck convincing Leafs to allow that. I'd love to see the number of zeros they write on that napkin to allow a second team...

It would be a slow suicide for the Toronto Maple Leafs to allow a second NHL team in the City of Toronto or Greater Toronto Area.

If there was even a moderately well run team, built in the opposite way of these Leafs, I could imagine that team getting some real eyeballs on a post elimination morning like this. Factor that out year after year, a lot of people would jump. Just tired of the Leafy storylines.

 

[Blanka]

If it's true that dubas was gonna deal marner and Shanahan balked
It all makes sense why Shanahan will ve fired Tuesday

 

[notbias]

Close to what?

We lost to a mediocre Bruins team while showing a complete inability to score. Our special teams was awful and we have some major roadblocks to move.

Right now we're an okay team, but it's honestly rough to see the way forward. It's not hopeless, but they need to find something we haven't seen

Genuinely curious.. how is Boston mediocre?

Our fanbase always cries about how we need better D and goaltending, then we play a team with arguably the best goaltending and a top 5 D and we call them mediocre?

 

[Leafy Undergrowth]

*taps watch impatiently*

 

[notbias]

Replace Tavares and Marner's $22M in combined cap space to some intelligent FA acquisitions and we probably win the series.

$22M for one goal and 5 points combined over 7 games, that is such a crippling disadvantage.

What intelligent FA acquisitions though? Those are rare.

We went 1 for like 6 on FA acquisitions this year.

 

[Stephen]

The way they defended, this is the skeleton of a good team. The core didn't show up for various reasons from injuries to not being good enough. If they swap out Marner for a guy who can play playoff hockey and score and JT for a piece or 2 on defense who can move the puck they are a team who can win the cup

We look like the skeleton of an 8th seed that could go on a Cinderella run, like if everything went right we could be the 2021 Montreal Canadiens, and we couldn't even do that...

I think I'd group it like this:

Matthews, Nylander - committed star power.

Domi, McCabe, Edmundson, Reaves - possible culture setters. Reaves is a tough one to put here but he's got 2 more years and was big in setting the Vegas culture.

Holmberg, Benoit, Knies, Woll, Robertson, McMann and soon Cowan, Minten, Grebonkin - cost controlled youth movement.

Jarnkrok, Bertuzzi, Kampf - meh, whatever.

Samsonov, Tavares, Rielly, Marner, Liljegren, Brodie, Giordano, Timmins, Jones - trash bin.

 

[LeafParade]

Would prefer to dissolve the team and the franchise
Bring in a new expansion team

Why would you do that. I want another GTA franchise at the same time just so when they win the cup before the Leafs, it's even more embarrassing.

 

[HockeyVirus]

We look like the skeleton of an 8th seed that could go on a Cinderella run, like if everything went right we could be the 2021 Montreal Canadiens, and we couldn't even do that...

I think I'd group it like this:

Matthews, Nylander - committed star power.

Domi, McCabe, Edmundson, Reaves - possible culture setters. Reaves is a tough one to put here but he's got 2 more years and was big in setting the Vegas culture.

Holmberg, Benoit, Knies, Woll, Robertson, McMann and soon Cowan, Minten, Grebonkin - cost controlled youth movement.

Jarnkrok, Bertuzzi, Kampf - meh, whatever.

Samsonov, Tavares, Rielly, Marner, Liljegren, Brodie, Giordano, Timmins, Jones - trash bin.

Every good team has that skeleton. Do you think other teams have olympic rosters? The team was able to set the tone physically and defend strongly. Can't ask more than that. The change is needed to the top end as I said.

Not sure how people are arguing with me. People seriously think this team needs to be ripped down to the studs to win? They are a yearly playoff team and have a lot of good qualities. It is a handful of players not stepping up each year

 

[Leafsfan74]

We look like the skeleton of an 8th seed that could go on a Cinderella run, like if everything went right we could be the 2021 Montreal Canadiens, and we couldn't even do that...

I think I'd group it like this:

Matthews, Nylander - committed star power.

Domi, McCabe, Edmundson, Reaves - possible culture setters. Reaves is a tough one to put here but he's got 2 more years and was big in setting the Vegas culture.

Holmberg, Benoit, Knies, Woll, Robertson, McMann and soon Cowan, Minten, Grebonkin - cost controlled youth movement.

Jarnkrok, Bertuzzi, Kampf - meh, whatever.

Samsonov, Tavares, Rielly, Marner, Liljegren, Brodie, Giordano, Timmins, Jones - trash bin.

Minus the hyperbole, generally, yes.

 

[Gallagbi]

Genuinely curious.. how is Boston mediocre?

Our fanbase always cries about how we need better D and goaltending, then we play a team with arguably the best goaltending and a top 5 D and we call them mediocre?

You have 16 playoff teams. I have Vegas, Dallas, Edmonton, Florida clearly ahead. Likely Carolina, NYR and a healthy Van too. So a middle of the pack playoff team aka mediocre.

They lack scoring, their D is shallow but Swayman is solid