Again completely disagree. If the yotes went Marner 3. We probably trade back and get Rantanen, Werenski or Provorov on top of Konecny and probably end up more balanced anyways. Or they just hold the pick and end up taking Hanifin or Provorov like Babcock wanted anyways.
I’m not sure what you’re trying to get at the first round of the 2015 draft was not an issue for the leafs. As I’ve said many times and others said, the leafs ended up having the best odds to get McDavid anyways after the first 3 balls. So the January tank was still successful.
And again factually incorrect, you can’t move guys with full NMC’s who don’t want to be moved. The leafs made the playoffs the year before and were not expecting to be bad in 2014/2015.
The core would have moved if we asked them to waive their NMC, every other team is able to move out players when entering a rebuild if they are still good players. Players dont want to stay in a rebuilding envirnoment in their primish years
Kessel literally did waive his NMC in 2015 summer and from what I recall he didnt just give us the pens, but he had the panthers and another team I'm forgetting he was willing to waive to
The 2015 team contending was such a non sensical decision its hard to believe we actually tried to be a playoff team after half a decade of routine epic collapses.
That was twice under shanahan he stayed status quo and put off a tough decision to avoid potential for failure/being critiques at the cost of a proper direction and potential for ling term rewards.
The 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014 Kessel + Phaneuf led core leafs choked epicly in the reg season and failed
2013 we failed in the playoffs in R1 due to a shortened year otherwise likely would have missed the playoffs as well that year.
Shanahan was brought in to make tough decisions, be an advanced thinker and have foresight on direction we needed to go. He failed to do any of that and his 10 year term has been incredibly disapointing starting from 2015 year when he failed to he proactive.
Shanahan + Nonis went for a prayer in 2015 just like Shanahan and Treliving are going for a prayer in 2025.
A decade has paased and Shanahans incompetences hasn't changed. Hes willing to run the status quo and hope for the extremely improbable occurring.
This current core > kessel era core so they arent a risk to miss playoffs, but they are a guaranteed R1 exit.
Shanahan is sticking with this b/c its easier than making tough moves and potentially facing backlash initally for a trade (marner or nylander move) which later helps build up the team to be more complete and win (panthers were mocked initially for huberdeau + weegar + 1st for tkachuk)
2015 we missed out on starting the rebuild right by recoupung assets for bozak + lupul + kessel + phaneuf at their peak values.
2018 - 2020 we held onto own rentals in bozak, jvr, komorav, Gardiner, Andersen, Hyman and lost out on numerous quality picks and prospect chances to build up our depth pool
Management incompetence has been there for a decade. The approach to roster building with Shanahan/Lou/bab, Shanahan/dubas/keefe, Shanahan/Treliving/Berube soon us unlike anyother contending team
Tampa, Avs, Canes, Pens/Caps at their peak etc didnt operate in this manner
We are dysfunctional top to bottom starting from MLSE who doesnt want to change things towards building a winner at cost of potential failure and mid period retool/rebuild