Speculation: Ok Leaf Fans. Let's Re-tool!

[Lightsol]

If we get Markstrom out of Calgary I will be exstatic because it will mean we actually have a goalie.

If Markstrom is the solution, why did we even bother releasing Andersen? Get the same result.

 

[Nineteen67]

I would try to sign either Demelo, Pesce or Skjei. Resign Domi to a lower term deal. Trade some of our current bottom 6 guys with term (if possible). let Cowan, Minten or Grebyonkin challenge for a role on this team. Bring in Rod after Carolina gets swept.

I like Brind’Amour but even with a better roster than Toronto his team still comes up short every year. The Canes play a soft game.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

To me the team is fatally flawed BY DESIGN.

4 forwards with so much cap space is a bad plan.

We need a retool. And just allowing JT's contract to expire isn't enough of a change.

I do suspect that is what will be done.

To me, you have to move on from both JT and Marner.

The lack of money to sign UFAs that work out here has caused harm.

Shanny allowed Dubas to mismanage the cap. He needs to go.

 

[cupdreaming]

I like Brind’Amour but even with a better roster than Toronto his team still comes up short every year. The Canes play a soft game.

May be we just have to accept the fact the leafs core is kind of soft. Start to play to their strengths in a structured system. The Leafs are more talented than Carolina up front and it would be interesting to see how Rod would do with the Leafs roster.

 

[Leafsfan74]

Based on the way Friedman was talking last night, he doesn't seem to see big changes, not even with Shanny.

This franchise is for loser fans. I saw it posted "not every loser is a Leafs fan, but every Leafs fan is a loser".

If they "run it back", especially they will see decreased interest. In fact, if not for the current turmoil of losing again, Keefe firing and the intrigue of whether this franchise will find their courage or not, the indifference is already there more than in the past. Once this intrigue passes the fans will exit again for awhile.

The Rangers, who weren't ever the playoff threat Leafs were over the last right years is a game away from a Final Four. Hint to Brad "goalies matter" (not $5M dollar flashy defensemen).

If Leaf owners think some methodical, bean counter approach to building a Cup winner will work, they deserve their fate. They need people who understand people; players. No one cares about the NHL EA stats where every player has a value on their speed and shot, they need to assess the DNA of players.

DNA, heart, commitment, sacrifice.

You give me a team of such players be it a sport or a war and like Napoleon you can conquer the landscape. I use that analogy because he used to choose the poor soldier who couldn't afford a pair of boots at a time when elitism ran militaries. The "nobleman", educated and those from the upper class were considered the best soliders, that was the thought at the time. He had an entirely different thought, believing that those who were most patriotic and driven would win wars. He went to the same military schools as his adversaries but he chose from a different crop.

The Leafs don't choose from the different crop. They keep the same flowers in place that become weeds come playoffs.

 

[Nineteen67]

May be we just have to accept the fact the leafs core is kind of soft. Start to play to their strengths in a structured system. The Leafs are more talented than Carolina up front and it would be interesting to see how Rod would do with the Leafs roster.

After Matthews ( iffy in the playoffs) and Nylander, where is this talent? Probably 110 points and swept in round 2.

 

[Woodman19]

Realistically I think what will probably happen if you were to rationally game plan it out and take emotion out of the equation.

You wait out the Tavares contract and don't bring him back and transition the leadership to Matthews even this year.

Marner you will not get enough value out of in a trade to justify the circus it will create but you do have financial flexibility with Tavares leaving when he would be up for a new contract. This is the time they need to really push back in contract demands and hold the line that he will not be getting paid Matthews or even Nylander money and he does not deserve a raise. If you can retain him for a similar or even slightly lower cap hit to lock him in long term, I see there being enough flexibility post Tavares to live with a big 3 core making 13.25/11.5/10 leaving enough to go around to fully fill out the support depth.

But I feel like if we have an out for a Marner trade and he will waive we would take $0.75 on the dollar.

 

[IrishInOntario]

I don't hate this but Woll ca can't be the #1 next year he's simply not healthy enough. Also Wright needs to be higher-up up in the lineup if you expect to develop into what he can be.

I view that pairing as a position split more than anything. 1A and 1B. Just roll with whoever is hot and make sure to get that guy some rest. Similar to the Adin Hill and Logan Thompson split in Vegas.

 

[NJG]

I’ll just use the players I think we should keep and I'll put a “????????” where we need to add / improve.

Domi - Matthews - ????????
Bertuzzi - ???????? - Nylander
Knies - ???????? - ????????
McMann - Kampf - Reaves

???????? - ????????
Rielly - Lyubushkin
Benoit - McCabe

???????? - Woll

 

[rumman]

Speed is a quality I think the Leafs are sorely in need of.

Outside of Nylander, who really has game changing speed?

I thought they were quite a bit tougher this year, and made it tougher to play against.

Gregor’s fast, but useless as a hockey player……..

 

[djdev]

goalies nowadays are like relievers in baseball, theres a handful of elite ones and then the rest fluctuate performance wise year to year. in reality what we need to use the majority of the cap on is a defense capable of protecting the house, because unless you are trading for someone like saros or ullmark i think the majority of goalies are only as good as the system they play in and the defense in front of them.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

can't be fixed

I disagree, but it might take 2 seasons.

A re-tool is not a scorched earth move. It's more of a motion to keep certain key players, and then chip away around those key players.

Leaf fans would easily wait 2 seasons to see their team not struggle to make it past the first round.

 

[StuckOutHere]

Turning Marner's money into Lindholm and Pesce's money would be an interesting concept.

 

[Just Rude]

 

[Lightsol]

If they "run it back", especially they will see decreased interest. In fact, if not for the current turmoil of losing again, Keefe firing and the intrigue of whether this franchise will find their courage or not, the indifference is already there more than in the past. Once this intrigue passes the fans will exit again for awhile.

Myabe Leaf fans need to realize that because of their contract situation, it's entirely possible "run it back one more year" might be the ONLY option.

 

[sunstersun]

To me the team is fatally flawed BY DESIGN.

4 forwards with so much cap space is a bad plan.

We need a retool. And just allowing JT's contract to expire isn't enough of a change.

I do suspect that is what will be done.

To me, you have to move on from both JT and Marner.

The lack of money to sign UFAs that work out here has caused harm.

Shanny allowed Dubas to mismanage the cap. He needs to go.

The problem isn't the design. I agree we may as well try a much more balanced team, but in principle there's nothing wrong with being top heavy, if those top heavy guys are worth it.

If we had Sid and Malkin would anyone be talking about top heavy? Hell no, they won a chip without Letang lol.

The problem with the Leafs in the playoffs is Tavares declined from a high end 1C to a meh 2C VERY quickly, and then barely a 3C. Marner is marner. Matthews also can't self create and we don't have a system so he also falls off. The only one who ended up being surplus value on the Leafs was Nylander. Everyone else at least in the postseason was a huge EV negative.

 

[Leafsfan74]

Myabe Leaf fans need to realize that because of their contract situation, it's entirely possible "run it back one more year" might be the ONLY option.

Yeah, that's with a club run like a corporation, not one I run.

Let the player know "we need to try out different players in PP situations etc".

Cut minutes by 5 a game, cut offensive starts. Let them go into UFA as a 75 point player and then try and get $12M a year.

To me NMC are absurd anyways. Giving them to RFAs was awful. This is basically "constructive trade acceptance".

WHy would a player want to be somewhere he is no longer wanted anyways? 8-9 Years is enough time to decide if you are a winner or not. The only ones who normally stay are those who enjoy the Country Club.

 

[Lightsol]

Yeah, that's with a club run like a corporation, not one I run.

Let the player know "we need to try out different players in PP situations etc".

Cut minutes by 5 a game, cut offensive starts. Let them go into UFA as a 75 point player and then try and get $12M a year.

To me NMC are absurd anyways. Giving them to RFAs was awful. This is basically "constructive trade acceptance".

WHy would a player want to be somewhere he is no longer wanted anyways? 8-9 Years is enough time to decide if you are a winner or not. The only ones who normally stay are those who enjoy the Country Club.

So f*** the player over intentionally if he won't waive - Larry Murphy on steroids. Yeah, that'll convince players to sign here, all right...

 

[AuraSphere]

Trade Marner for Picks/Dman

Sign Reinhart in offseason

Ez pz

This team went the opposite way trading Kadri/Hyman - guys with heart lol

 

[HamiltonNHL]

To me, you have to move on from both JT and Marner.

Signing Marner = Leafs are jersey sellers.

Certainly Marner sells a lot of jerseys for the Leafs

 

[Hoglund4MvP]

To me the team is fatally flawed BY DESIGN.

4 forwards with so much cap space is a bad plan.

We need a retool. And just allowing JT's contract to expire isn't enough of a change.

I do suspect that is what will be done.

To me, you have to move on from both JT and Marner.

The lack of money to sign UFAs that work out here has caused harm.

Shanny allowed Dubas to mismanage the cap. He needs to go.

Posts like this give me a headache.

All they need to do is grab a mobile D for the top 4 as the missing piece. The cap room will be there to be leaders in goals and hits while adding this missing piece.

You guys don't know hockey. This place is hard to come to.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

All they need to do is grab a mobile D for the top 4 as the missing piece

If you think the Leafs are “1 mobile top 4 D” away from Lord Stanley, I don’t know what to do to help you.

Put another way, in the history of hockey has a team EVER won allocating so much cap space to 4 forwards ? Let alone to these 4 ? Only Nylander’s game translates into the post season.

 

[Anthrax442]

I'm curious to see how close Cowan and Grebyonkin are to contributing.

 

[egd27]

I’m sure this thread will be filled with many fresh and new ideas.

Has anyone mentioned trying to trade Marner and Tavares yet?

 

[ToneDog]

Has anyone mentioned trying to trade Marner and Tavares yet?

They have NMCs.

Posts like this give me a headache.

All they need to do is grab a mobile D for the top 4 as the missing piece. The cap room will be there to be leaders in goals and hits while adding this missing piece.

You guys don't know hockey. This place is hard to come to.

You might want to tell Shanny because it sure sounds like they have seen enough of the core and will be moving on.

Also as Tre said, this team can't score goals in the playoffs. How does your solution fix that?