What is wrong with the Leafs (long text beware) tank thread
The Leafs are a flawed team. There is no example in the NHL where you core was built through trades, why? Because no successful franchise has built their team this way. Boston had Kessel, since they have been the best team in the East winning a Stanley cup and are currently in 1st place. If he was a core player, one you NEEDED to win Boston woudn’t have traded him, and since they have they have won. Phaneuf was also acquired in trade, Lupul, Gardiner, JVR(but to some extent it was a core for core players, he had injury problem ect) and Bernier who is a #1 behind a very good goalie in Quick. If any of these players were players you win with the teams that drafted them wouldn’t have traded them.
The class of the NHL is jonathan Toews, Sydney Crosby. Why are these players so successful as well as winners? Because they care, they backcheck, they hit fight get into arguments get angry ect. Kessel (our star player) doesn’t back check he doesn’t hit, when we need a big play he shy’s away from contact. Phaneuf he is one of our core players as well, when Backes challenged him (St. Louis #1 Center not some bum on the 4th line) he shied away. When Simmonds challenged him he shied away, and then took on Voracheck? (sp?) What does that mean to your younger players or depth players who you are expected to fight, to backcheck? It is a trickle down effect from your best players to your worst. It will wear off on them when they see these star players getting paid 5,7, 8 million who don’t do anything it takes to actually win a game? No, this goes to my 1st point, don’t sign players to long-term deals unless they have actually won something. I have said it for a long time, I would trade Kessel and Phaneuf before giving them those deals, those players aren’t winners, they havn’t won anything and have just successfully collapsed for a 3rd straight year.
This comes to my 2nd point, how to build a successful team. Thinking back to Brian Burke yesterday his philosophy is to build a winning culture. We saw this wasn’t a good game plan in Vancouver (idc about playoffs, I care about actually winning the cup) but we saw this was a good game plan in Anaheim (after a core was built with Getz, Perry ect). Toronto doesn’t have that core, they have a bunch of has-beens. They had it even worse when Burke got here. The normal Toronto fan hears Toews is amazing blah blah blah, but I hear Bennet is amazing and the only way to acquire a Toews calibre player is to draft them. Toews will never be traded because he is a star player, that can win and we cannot get a player like that unless we draft them. Building through the draft is the only way to build a successful team. Yes it doesn’t work everytime, but its based on the players you draft. You have a much more likely chance to draft a star player with more picks (simple math) and higher picks (getting to pick the player you want more likely). You need that one player who will do everything to win and will push every player to get better. For example Kobe calls out his players all the time when they suck, I have yet to hear kessel or phaneuf call anyone out on their play. Need a franchise player who isn’t someone’s hamie downs, someone another team didn’t want. No teams have built there team to be a successful one without drafting core pieces. Toronto is the only team in the league who built their core primarily through trades. Drafting and Developing leads to long-term success rather than trading and hoping cause people want it to be a speedy process but it isn’t. It isn’t like soccer where u can buy a player, or the MLB where you can just pay players, to be successful in the NHL you need to draft and develop your own talent.
I remember the day Mats Sundin wasn’t traded (who u think is amazing, but yet was traded to the leafs and surprise surprise didn’t win anything) and we were destined to be mediocure forever, Mccabe, Kaberle, ect didn’t want to move. We had no picks and went into the draft selecting 7th. We should have been in last, grabbing either Stamkos or Doughty but “we need playoffs†attitude is so wrong. Once you have a core (like Edmontons) then you can say “we need playoffs†but we don’t have a core, we had nothing and should have rebuilt the team. Since then we have traded for everyone’s hamie downs and players who can help your core, but are signed as our core. I have wanted a proper rebuild since the days of sundin, we could have picked Stamkos/Doughty, Tavares/Duchene, Seguin/Hall, RNH/Huberdeau/Couterier, but no, instead we got Kessel at a stupid cap hit, JVR, and Kadri. On what planet is Kessel, JVR (which was an amazing trade by management) and Kadri (who was properly developed) better than (at worst) Doughty, Duchene, Seguin and Couterier? I am tired of watching the Leafs team try and make quick fixes and try and make the playoffs faster, its about building through the draft, replenishing picks for dwindling assets and I have no idea how this idea how this theory just escaped the Toronto maple leafs for so long. I have no idea why management is so inept in making simple asset management decisions.
Last point, which teams are successful in hockey? I am not looking at anything, this is all from memory but here are my top teams:
St. Louis Blue (still haven’t won anything) drafted players: Pieterangelo, Backes, Oshie (traded for non core players Bouwemester, Steen, Miller)
Pitsburgh Penguins (won) drafted players: Sydney Crosby, Marc Andre Fluery, Malkin, Letang. And this doesn’t include all their good Dmen they have selected (traded for non core players Neal, Kunitz)
LA Kings drafted players include: Brown, Kopitar, Doughty (have failed a lot in the draft too, but they got Richards and Carter through trades with one of their top picks in Schenn and Johnson but top picks<<<< playoffs right?)
Chicago Blackhawks core players: Toews, Seabrook, Keith, Kane (non core players Hossa (UFA) Sharp)
Boston Bruins (PROLLY CLOSEST THING YOU WILL SEE TO ACTUALLY NOT USING THE DRAFT) core players Bergeron, Lucic, Marchand, Kreicji (other core players Chara UFA, Rask trade, Seguin and Hamilton through a guy they took top 5)
San Jose Sharks (STILL HAVNâ€T WON ANYTHING) core players Marleau, Couture, Vlasic (other core players Thornton Trade, Boyle)
Anaheim Getz, Perry, Fowler, (other core pieces Hiller UFA, Selanne)
Winning the Stanley cup is the ultimate goal, not just making the playoffs and this core has proven 3 straight years they cant even make the playoffs rather than win, blow it up. As far as im concerned Rielly, JVR (mostly because of his contract is so nice) and Bernier are our only untouchables, build through the draft, bring in core pieces that want to win, that have heart and leadership. We have the toughest position set, we just need the 2-3 more core pieces aka Bennet/Ekblad and a McDavid type of player and we would finally be a legit contender every year for the next decade. I would prefer that and lose all of next season than try and make the playoffs, miss (or even make it), get beat out in the 1st round and draft 20’s. This team needs a star player, they aren’t available through trades, or UFA but the draft, you need to get lucky but I would rather takin my chances with the draft than constantly being mediocre and saying “were so close†with mediocre players.
