Official Tank Thread of the Toronto Maple Leafs

[FlareKnight]

Let's just drop the word tank. I don't think any team is tanking this year, there is no McDavid. Like an actual tank, like what Buffalo did last year.

We are satisfied with a mediocre roster for this season. This is the new tank.

There were tanks before last season.

Just because Matthews isn't McDavid doesn't mean anything. Mediocre is the kind of team that just barely misses the lotto section, this is just plain lacking. It's a tank, no point trying to call it something else just to keep people who don't like the word happy.

 

[JackJ]

It's a tank, no point trying to call it something else just to keep people who don't like the word happy.

Exactly

 

[BoredBrandonPridham]

"Win Now" is what Pittsburgh did with the Kessel trade. Trading away prospects and picks (your future) to win a cup this year or next.

Let's not pretend like Pittsburgh mortgaged their future to get Kessel. They think Kessel is fair value for the pieces they gave up, and considered the future of their team.

No team would ever trade their future season in order to be more competitive in the current season? You mean what a decent chunk of the league does every deadline?

Rebuilding is making moves to acquire future assets. Tanking is making moves to lower your place in the standings in order to get a higher draft pick.

Is that so hard to understand?

Definitely, teams make deadline deals all the time, and give up picks for better players. But take no regard for the future? Cap situations and the fact that they still need a prospect system? Give me a break.

um

did you just become a fan of this team or something?

"win now" is what this team almost ALWAYS did. the problem was, they never won.

Yea but not by this definition. Take the Kessel trade for example, Leafs management genuinely thought that having Kessel for the next 15 years was more valuable than having the 2 mid-late round firsts and a second. They traded to get better now while taking consideration of the future. The problem is, they were wrong about Kessel making the Leafs competitive.

 

[BoredBrandonPridham]

No team would ever trade their future season in order to be more competitive in the current season? You mean what a decent chunk of the league does every deadline?

Rebuilding is making moves to acquire future assets. Tanking is making moves to lower your place in the standings in order to get a higher draft pick.

Is that so hard to understand?

Is it so hard to understand that making moves to acquire future assets means trading players who are good now, thus lowering your place in the standings?

Is it so hard to understand that while making moves to lower your place in the standings, it means acquiring picks and prospects, also known as "future assets" ?

They are the same thing.

 

[Nithoniniel]

Is it so hard to understand that making moves to acquire future assets means trading players who are good now, thus lowering your place in the standings?

Is it so hard to understand that while making moves to lower your place in the standings, it means acquiring picks and prospects, also known as "future assets" ?

They are the same thing.

Tanking originated as an explanation for what for example Penguins did to get Lemieux. They practically gave away quality players in order to be as bad as possible. Little to no regard for what they get back in terms of assets. They only wanted to be bad, so they could get the generational talent. That is tanking.

Last year Buffalo made moves that did nothing but downgrade the roster, with no long-term assets gained. That is tanking.

Toronto has been making moves that strengthen the team while giving us the option to sell for future long-term assets. That is rebuilding.

 

[Mess]

Burke's team in Calgary, Nonis' team in Anaheim are tied with their former team Leafs for 30th in the NHL standings along with David Clarkson's team now in Columbus.

 

[BigWilly]

Burke's team in Calgary, Nonis' team in Anaheim are tied with their former team Leafs for 30th in the NHL standings along with David Clarkson's team now in Columbus.

 

[BoredBrandonPridham]

Last year Buffalo made moves that did nothing but downgrade the roster, with no long-term assets gained. That is tanking.

1st, 2 2nds, 3rd, prospects and cap flexibility?

 

[TML1967]

Throw some numbers at you

Hey everyone, gonna try and do this once every 8 games (roughly 10% of the season).

Leafs - 8 GP - 1 W - 5 L - 2 OTL = 4 points or 41 point pace

Last years worst teams = 54, 56, 62, 68, and 71 points

To tie last years WORST record, Leafs need 50 points

To tie the 3rd worst record from last year they need 58 points

To tie the 5th worst record from last year they need 67 points

Possible records to finish worst - 25-49-0, 20-44-10, 15-39-20
Possible records to finish fifth - 33-40-1, 28-35-11, 23-30-21

So to wind up, Leafs will need to get points at a pace for the remainder of the season at .905 ppg to finish 5th last, or .676 ppg to finish last. With the way we are playing now, and assuming we sell at the deadline I believe with a good amount of certanty we can say the Leafs will finish bottom 5 (likely bottom 3)

 

[Ovate]

Hey everyone, gonna try and do this once every 8 games (roughly 10% of the season).

Leafs - 8 GP - 1 W - 5 L - 2 OTL = 4 points or 41 point pace

Last years worst teams = 54, 56, 62, 68, and 71 points

To tie last years WORST record, Leafs need 50 points

To tie the 3rd worst record from last year they need 58 points

To tie the 5th worst record from last year they need 67 points

Possible records to finish worst - 25-49-0, 20-44-10, 15-39-20
Possible records to finish fifth - 33-40-1, 28-35-11, 23-30-21

So to wind up, Leafs will need to get points at a pace for the remainder of the season at .905 ppg to finish 5th last, or .676 ppg to finish last. With the way we are playing now, and assuming we sell at the deadline I believe with a good amount of certanty we can say the Leafs will finish bottom 5 (likely bottom 3)

Last year wasn't a great year, the race for McDavid divided the worst teams from the average teams more so than usual.

Last year, Buffalo started with 5 points in their first 12 games, scoring only 12 goals in that time, while letting in 33. Despite further tearing their team down throughout the season, they still finished with 50 points. A team just can't stay horrible for an entire season.

The Leafs this year are better than the Sabres last year. We're going to get 60+ points.

 

[Swayze*]

yeah last year was the perfect year to tank


if you finished last you were guaranteed mcjesus or eichel

to franchise C's

this year there is one and I"ll bet you a few dollars that Arizona will figure out a way to tank HARD soon

 

[Cor]

yeah last year was the perfect year to tank


if you finished last you were guaranteed mcjesus or eichel

to franchise C's

this year there is one and I"ll bet you a few dollars that Arizona will figure out a way to tank HARD soon

Why?

People are thinking too hard into Matthews being from Arizona.

If they can bring Strome and Dvorak into the team in a winning environment of a team that was in the playoffs this season, I think they'd take that.

 

[666]

Tanking originated as an explanation for what for example Penguins did to get Lemieux. They practically gave away quality players in order to be as bad as possible. Little to no regard for what they get back in terms of assets. They only wanted to be bad, so they could get the generational talent. That is tanking.

Last year Buffalo made moves that did nothing but downgrade the roster, with no long-term assets gained. That is tanking.

Toronto has been making moves that strengthen the team while giving us the option to sell for future long-term assets. That is rebuilding.

There are certainly degrees of tanking but tanking by definition is losing on purpose to get a better draft position.

 

[Gabriel426]

To me Tanking are teams who just want to finish last to get the best chance at getting #1 overall in the draft. Buffalo did that last year.
Leafs is tanking b/c they didn't try to improve their roster from last year, will be trading away their players for assets instead of players whom can help them win now, and lastly, rebuilding and tanking is pretty much the same thing. Except in rebuilding teams will try to sign or trade young players who can help them right away with draft picks. Kind of like Columbus and Calgary when they traded for Saad and Hamilton.

 

[mallory67]

There are certainly degrees of tanking but tanking by definition is losing on purpose to get a better draft position.

Tanking is not losing on purpose. Tanking is a management level thing. COaches and players are always trying to win ... since they have nothing to gain from tanking. Players play to win.

Leafs management has setup this season with a bunch of knuckle dragging rentals ... I am looking at you Parenteau, Arcobello, Spaling etc.

These are short term patches that they know won't make us very good. They knew that going into the season. But its the right thing to do. Keep flexibility and cap space and get a good 2016 pick ... while letting Babs change the culture a bit.

Trade whoever you can later in the season to get even more picks ... and tank harder.
And don't trade for anyone of any quality to help you win games this year.

All of this = TANK

 

[JackJ]

Kessel coming through for the leafs with the GWG. Pit back on track.

 

[King85Kong]

Burke's team in Calgary, Nonis' team in Anaheim are tied with their former team Leafs for 30th in the NHL standings along with David Clarkson's team now in Columbus.

It comes full circle.
I'm interested to see what they are going to do with JVR. Will he get traded this season? We could probably fetch a great return for him, and with him gone a top pick is all but guaranteed. Roster looks terrible without him on it.

 

[dballislife2]

we're in 3rd place, im so happy

 

[JackJ]

It comes full circle.
I'm interested to see what they are going to do with JVR. Will he get traded this season? We could probably fetch a great return for him, and with him gone a top pick is all but guaranteed. Roster looks terrible without him on it.

Expect him to be moved before his Modified NTC kicks in this summer.

 

[KGL]

Expect him to be moved before his Modified NTC kicks in this summer.

Wasn't aware that was kicking in this summer. Would certainly make sense to move him before that. Unless they decide they want to keep him throughout the rebuild, in which case he won't be moved. He's young enough after all.

yeah last year was the perfect year to tank


if you finished last you were guaranteed mcjesus or eichel

to franchise C's

this year there is one and I"ll bet you a few dollars that Arizona will figure out a way to tank HARD soon

If Arizona was hell bent on tanking for Matthews they would've sent down Domi and Duclair.

 

[JackJ]

Wasn't aware that was kicking in this summer. Would certainly make sense to move him before that. Unless they decide they want to keep him throughout the rebuild, in which case he won't be moved. He's young enough after all.
.

Same here until someone here mentioned it a month ago. Given his age, contract and ability there has to be a long list of suitors once they decide to move him.

If he's on pace for another 25/25 season before the deadline, a first and an excellent prospect (D) has to be the minimum return.

 

[FlareKnight]

Calgary just can't get it done right now. Though they at least got a point.

Still, if we're going to stay around this point probably can't afford to go on a win streak . Staying at 4 points for a while would be handy.

 

[champs*]

Calgary just can't get it done right now. Though they at least got a point.

Still, if we're going to stay around this point probably can't afford to go on a win streak . Staying at 4 points for a while would be handy.

 

[KGL]

Calgary just can't get it done right now. Though they at least got a point.

Still, if we're going to stay around this point probably can't afford to go on a win streak . Staying at 4 points for a while would be handy.

Already begun the scoreboard watching I see? A little early for me but I respect the ambition.

 

[FlareKnight]

Already begun the scoreboard watching I see? A little early for me but I respect the ambition.

Haha I'm just used to it by now.

Plus will just be consistent since I'd be doing the same at the end of the season anyways. Add onto that the Ducks and Columbus having such surprise terrible starts to the season I can't help but keep an eye on the standings just to renew my amazement at how things sometimes really go against expectations .