News Article: NHL Front Office Confidence Rankings (Leafs 30th)

[I am Canadian]

Surely the Sabres, Jackets, Flames, Sens, Flyers, Red Wings, Kings should be rated lower than Leafs management

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

Pretty deserved ranking, at some point you need to accomplish something. Seattle has as much to show for as we do

 

[Leafs87]

The truth is, we lucked out and hit gold on 3 picks. How we managed them afterwards was awful. We didn’t build a winning team and culture. We overpaid these 3(+1 UFA) very heavily and never built a real contender. Once these 3 are aged out, our “success” won’t continue. Not like Boston where they rebuild without tanking and still maintain a winning team/culture.

 

[Nineteen67]

Surely the Sabres, Jackets, Flames, Sens, Flyers, Red Wings, Kings should be rated lower than Leafs management

Thats probably the grouping they belong in. You could mix them in any order, but Ottawa and Buffalo are always at the bottom.

 

[HockeyVirus]

Next offseason is the one I expect fireworks for. His hands have been tied with stars needing to be dealt with contract wise and short deadlines to meet.

Next offseason we'll have the cap space certainty to make some big moves we haven't had the last few years. We'll also have a year of seeing these guys under a different coaching group. Top it off with a likely Shanny firing, seems obvious the team will be vastly different next season.

For now... Well GLG

 

[HockeyVirus]

Had the ping ball bounced differently for the 2016 draft are they consistently between the 10-16 best team every year?

Well they wouldn't be a playoff team as fast but maybe they get a few more top 10 picks and one of them is a Hieskanen or Makar. They were commited to a proper rebuild which meant the team would be competitive eventually.

 

[The Masters]

Masai is the Raps Vice-Chairman, Team President and Alternate NBA Governor, Bobby Webster is the Rap's General Manager, Shanny holds a similar role as the Team President & Alternate Governor.

Those are just titles. Masai is the de facto GM and ultimate decision maker. It's his vision for the team and he's still dealing with all the GM's across the league on trades, just as he did with SA and Indiana. He was promoted to Vice Chairman because he delivered a championship but he still runs the team. Think of Bobby as the Asst. GM. It's run very different with Shanny/Tre.

 

[Gabriel426]

I think this ranking is based on the direction, and the goal/expectation of the team.

I don't agree with it completely but can see the logic why some tanking teams are ranked higher.

Not really going to comment on the Leafs as everyone knows who they are at this point. It doesn't matter if a lab built the best President, GM and the whole Front Office from nothing, the team will only go as far as the Beta Chokers. If they continue their trend of choking, it will be another first round exit or if lucky making it to the second round and losing in 5 games.
It will be fun cheering AM going after 70 goals, MM and Willie getting 100 pts, or guys like Knies, McMann and even Robbie scoring goals here and there in the regular season though.

 

[Torontonian]

Sure it's true. What's the vision? The org. has been going in circles for years now while he sticks on his position that eventually they will break through. Why? Just cuz the Detroit Red Wings did it? Lol. It's laughable. The core group continues to fail after he doubled, tripled down on it. Every fanbase has to have belief in their front office to produce and get better. That belief with Shanny running things is gone. Anyone saying otherwise is delusional.

I just told you what their vision is...... Make the playoffs and see if you can win 4 rounds... That's Shanahan thought process, as long as you make the playoffs every year, you have a chance to win that year. That's a majority of every organization thought process. It would be a different story if the team missed the playoffs every other year.

I can't think of a team just because they can't win in the playoffs, blowing it up or trading pieces away and retooling. I understand lack of playoff success and not being able to advance past round 1 is super frustrating, but until the team doesn't make the playoffs or declines A LOT, Toronto is going to keep doing the same thing. There can only be 1 champion every year.

Toronto also plays in the hardest division in the NHL.

 

[The Masters]

I just told you what their vision is...... Make the playoffs and see if you can win 4 rounds... That's Shanahan thought process, as long as you make the playoffs every year, you have a chance to win that year. That's a majority of every organization thought process. It would be a different story if the team missed the playoffs every other year.

I can't think of a team just because they can't win in the playoffs, blowing it up or trading pieces away and retooling. I understand lack of playoff success and not being able to advance past round 1 is super frustrating, but until the team doesn't make the playoffs or declines A LOT, Toronto is going to keep doing the same thing. There can only be 1 champion every year.

Toronto also plays in the hardest division in the NHL.

That's not a vision. You aren't understanding. Every team wants to make the playoffs for a chance for a deep run. Lol. What are you saying. I'm talking about a vision for the team with the type of players that will help us get to the ultimate goal. A team style that is both successful in the regular season and playoffs. A player development system that will help push the existing players and who can create roles for themself which offers us options either through trade or saving money in free agency. And most importantly, a culture and a chartered course that is all about winning and the team. This team doesn't have a vision. He failed miserably as the leader of this organization in every aspect I just described. He looks like a complete moron after 10 years and no one has any faith in him and his so called leadership.

 

[All Mod Cons]

Thanks, I won't keep going back and forth line by like because that is not great viewing for others.

My primary point was that Tre came in at a weird time and therefore last off season was not a fair time to make a definitive assessment of what he can do. He definitely didn't handcuff us with long term problems, including Keefe. Shanny pretty much declared the core four were coming back, so he wasn't doing anything drastic.

I was afraid we might be buyers of expensive players at the TDL and I am glad that we weren't. I would say he traded four picks for rentals (Webber and Dewar are not rentals) and retention. The guys be got did pretty well as UFAs so he definitely got players with value and didn't move top picks or prospects. He also did well to pick up extra picks and Danford this year.

He also did not extend Marner or Tavares and we could be looking back at those non moves as good ones.

I am not at all sold on Treliving and didn't want him in here. I will say it is too early to know if I was right.

The line by line responding from 2 or 3 posters on this board should be outlawed.

 

[Fogelhund]

Highest revenue of any NHL team. Highest franchise value of any team.

How mad do you think ownership is?

 

[BrannigansLaw]

Highest revenue of any NHL team. Highest franchise value of any team.

How mad do you think ownership is?

Can’t wait for our “highest revenue” banner raising ceremony this fall.

 

[Racer88]

Shanny is a clown, needs to go
Pelley is a clown , needs to go
They basically implied things were going to be different and nothing has changed. Another year of changing the surrounding plays and the same core that has been unable to elevate the team. Management absolutely should be considered worst in the league …..all this money and supposed talent and failure after failure.

 

[Torontonian]

That's not a vision. You aren't understanding. Every team wants to make the playoffs for a chance for a deep run. Lol. What are you saying. I'm talking about a vision for the team with the type of players that will help us get to the ultimate goal. A team style that is both successful in the regular season and playoffs. A player development system that will help push the existing players and who can create roles for themself which offers us options either through trade or saving money in free agency. And most importantly, a culture and a chartered course that is all about winning and the team. This team doesn't have a vision. He failed miserably as the leader of this organization in every aspect I just described. He looks like a complete moron after 10 years and no one has any faith in him and his so called leadership.

I understand now that you made it clear, saying "no vision" and then expecting people to know your talking about on ice-style of play, player development, and having a team culture...... But ok.

Toronto actually has had vision for their style of play on ice, puck possession and nothing but skill and finesse on forward and d-core, it clearly didn't work and now are starting to change it up, they are bigger on D but the forward group is a work in progress in that department.

Player Development is a issue, I agree.. Toronto has only Knies and Robertson been effective forwards at a low cap hit in 8 years, and now recently McMann and Holmberg. The team can never splurge in FA/Trades because they get no value out of younger players that can play in the roster.

Think calling Shanahan a failure, is just ignorance on your part. he's turned the Leafs from a laughing stock of the league that would finish bottom 10 every year for 10 years to a team that's constantly top 10 in the league and competing for the Stanley Cup the past 8 years. They haven't won and it's frustrating, but he's done WAY more good then bad in his time here.

 

[tmlms13]

We're behind a front office that hasn't made the playoffs in a decade?

We're behind a front office that fired its coach before he even got to 1 training camp then admitted we didn't do our due diligence?

Despite what has happened in the playoffs this is a very good team that has spent more money off the ice than any other team in the nhl.

Would you trade places with Buffalo for the last 10 years?

How is Utah even allowed on this list they have no fans yet to vote

The list is absurd and should be completely ignored

 

[The Masters]

I understand now that you made it clear, saying "no vision" and then expecting people to know your talking about on ice-style of play, player development, and having a team culture...... But ok.

Toronto actually has had vision for their style of play on ice, puck possession and nothing but skill and finesse on forward and d-core, it clearly didn't work and now are starting to change it up, they are bigger on D but the forward group is a work in progress in that department.

Player Development is a issue, I agree.. Toronto has only Knies and Robertson been effective forwards at a low cap hit in 8 years, and now recently McMann and Holmberg. The team can never splurge in FA/Trades because they get no value out of younger players that can play in the roster.

Think calling Shanahan a failure, is just ignorance on your part. he's turned the Leafs from a laughing stock of the league that would finish bottom 10 every year for 10 years to a team that's constantly top 10 in the league and competing for the Stanley Cup the past 8 years. They haven't won and it's frustrating, but he's done WAY more good then bad in his time here.

A team vision is what I explained, not just hoping for the playoffs and hoping for a deep run. I didn't think I had to explain that but now you got it.

Shanahan has been a failure. In 10 years, they've won one series. There's no debating that. All the issues I described in my previous post contribute to it. To think otherwise is actually pretty ignorant on your part. There are reasons why we have had no success in the playoffs - the team dynamic and culture isn't there (I'm a big believer in that), the roster composition is poorly constructed and he sat back thinking this will be like the Red Wings and they will pull through. For a leader of an organization to think that, is just stupid when all the weaknesses were quite evident since MTL series. He deserves to be fired and I fully expect him to be let go at seasons end.

 

[ITM]

The ranking is obviously contrived towards controversy and clicks.

We're more in the 11-15 range: Perennial 100-point club with a few stars that haven't figured out how to beat (at times) the eventual Stanley Cup champions in the first round, but have mastered the choke: Montreal, Columbus, a Brisebois-less, Chara-less Bruins club.

Absurd ranking.

 

[ACC1224]

The ranking is obviously contrived towards controversy and clicks.

We're more in the 11-15 range: Perennial 100-point club with a few stars that haven't figured out how to beat (at times) the eventual Stanley Cup champions in the first round, but have mastered the choke: Montreal, Columbus, a Brisebois-less, Chara-less Bruins club.

Absurd ranking.

Seems pretty accurate to me, the fan base seems to have very little confidence in Management.

 

[Kurtz]

The Athletic's entire business model is to get people to sign up for their $1/year offer and then hope that they forget to cancel. Trolling is part of that business model; I wouldn't take anything they post seriously.

 

[ITM]

Seems pretty accurate to me, the fan base seems to have very little confidence in Management.

I think schadenfreude is socially desirable amongst our fanbase..

A dispassionate examination of our management sees continued mediocrity albeit at a high level. It's inconvenient to point out that we've lost to Stanley Cup champions in close series, while impossibly reconciling teams we should have beat.

So I don't know if league beating distrust in our management is justified, moreover given recent responses.

I think part of the feeling is the aggregate and a real discomfort with "starting over again" and again...and again.

But that's where we're at - and it's not entirely on management's shoulders.

I think the topic is a little opportunistic. But that's the state of most journalism today:

Why think on a subject and arrive at the truth when you can feel your way to whatever truth feels best, even when it feels terrible?

 

[ACC1224]

Why are Maple Leafs’ fans so down on the front office? - Video - TSN

Bryan Hayes and Jason Strudwick are joined by Jamie McLennan to discuss why the Maple Leafs are listed so low on the Athletic’s NHL front-office confidence rankings.

www.tsn.ca

 

[ITM]

Why are Maple Leafs’ fans so down on the front office? - Video - TSN

Bryan Hayes and Jason Strudwick are joined by Jamie McLennan to discuss why the Maple Leafs are listed so low on the Athletic’s NHL front-office confidence rankings.

www.tsn.ca

For anyone clicking/watching, the relevant discussion begins at 10:56.

Thanks for the link, ACC.

For our American (and other international) friends, the YT link of the same discussion from TSN.

 

[Racer88]

The truth is, we lucked out and hit gold on 3 picks. How we managed them afterwards was awful. We didn’t build a winning team and culture. We overpaid these 3(+1 UFA) very heavily and never built a real contender. Once these 3 are aged out, our “success” won’t continue. Not like Boston where they rebuild without tanking and still maintain a winning team/culture.

This is absolutely it. Shanny and Dubas are going to be looked at as the most wasteful duo in hockey management. Gives talent and blew it from there

 

[Sypher04]

The Athletic's entire business model is to get people to sign up for their $1/year offer and then hope that they forget to cancel. Trolling is part of that business model; I wouldn't take anything they post seriously.

I generally agree. Most of what they post is not worth reading