Who to sign to change the DNA?

[colchar]

170+ points going out. On a team that's already dropped 7 spots in GF, and isn't all that great defensively.

I expect their offense next year to be closer to the basement than to the top of the league. I expect Matthews to look next year pretty much like he did this year, because he seems to be in denial about how much his injuries are throwing off his game. I expect every team in the league to follow Florida's pattern and assign their #1 defensive guy to stopping William Nylander, and for Nylander's offense to drop considerably from this year now that teams will be honing in on him rather than treating him like an afterthought. I expect his defensive deficiencies to be exposed, especially if the team tries to use him to replace Marner directly.

I also expect that the Leafs won't sign anybody close to changing all that. Boeser's likely going to Minny. Ehlers and Bennett probably resign. Their big "improvement" might be Marchand, and as good as he's been in the playoffs, his regular season suggests he might be hitting the age ceiling.

In short, I 100% expect this team to try the Over-The-Hill Gang strategy, AGAIN, and have it turn out not to work, AGAIN, and in the process choke away some prime assets, AGAIN. And in three or four years, we'll be a few years into a non-rebuild rebuild, because we don't have the picks to rebuild at the moment. The result will probably look like some of Burke's teams.

 

[colchar]

Kane is not signing under $4 million, Jeannot will be more in the $3-3.1 mil range and Faksa is not going to under $3.25 million he signed previously.

Doesn’t make sense to sign 2 forth liners to over $6 mil in cap space. Try other cheaper options for the 4th line.

And then you'll complain that they cheaped out on the fourth line.

 

[ZEBROA]

Do no trades/signings at all except Tavares. Make the team know they need to make it without there comfort blanket.

 

[MajorLeaf]

Look at

And then you'll complain that they cheaped out on the fourth line.

The fourth line is not the problem for the Leafs it’s the first 3 lines that are not producing in the playoffs especially the core 4.

Florida paid Greer, Nosek and Gadjovich all under $1 mil (around $775k) and use this line the least amount of time. The fourth line is the least used line in most games.

The dollars should be going to the first, second and third lines and that is where you spend 2.5+ mil to fill the forward roster.

 

[AnomX]

Finding a way to trade Captain America should be the first step.

I think this is the move as well. You'd have to see what you could get for sure.

 

[A1LeafNation]

Marchand Matthews Kane
Knies O'Reilly Nylander
McMann Tavares Domi
Pacioretty Laughton Perry
Lorentz

 

[Nineteen67]

Seth Jones came in 4th in Norris voting when he was in Columbus. Werenski/Jones pair did not struggle in Columbus, they were quite good.

If you get a Jones on your team you don’t get rid of him in his prime.

 

[Nineteen67]

Finding a way?

It wouldn't be difficult in the slightest to trade Auston Matthews.

But it would be idiotic.

If you can get him two alpha dogs you’d keep him, otherwise what you’ve seen is what you’ll get.

He had a golden opportunity to go to Vegas where he could’ve blended in, but he blew off that opportunity, which makes me wonder about his priorities.

 

[Nineteen67]

You don't trade a franchise center

Has he ever given even the slightest hint that he can playoff style hockey? Showcase and shinny hockey, absolutely, but he doesn’t seem to like the playoff style.

 

[LeafGrief]

Getting a haircut doesn't change the DNA. Unless we bring in someone who takes over top dog status from Matthews, which is maybe two guys in the entire league, the DNA is the same today as it will be in October. Marner leaving is a DNA change, but even bringing in Sam Bennett we know that these are still the Leafs.

The big guns are the DNA, literally everything else is cosmetic. We know this, because we've turned over the entire supporting cast 2-3 teams over the last eight years and the results have been the same. The DNA was five guys.

 

[Banana duck]

If you get a Jones on your team you don’t get rid of him in his prime.

You do if he doesn’t want to re-sign because he doesn’t want to be a part of a rebuild —- and you are tearing it down to re-build.

The joke was on him though that he ended up going to a team that went into a rebuild a couple years after.

 

[ToneDog]

I don't think thats true at all.

The Leafs could trade Matthews for a 3rd round pick tomorrow and send Nylander away from a 37 year old fifth defenseman and the arena would be sold out all of next season.

No team in the league should have less concerns about ticket sales during a rebuild than the Maple Leafs.

I've said it before, if the Leafs swapped rosters with the Marlies tomorrow it wouldn't make any difference at all to their ticket sales.

No but they'd be hearing it from their season ticket holders. Fans are tired of not having much playoff success for the last 20+ years.

 

[ToneDog]

Mathews for Cellebrini and a first and I'm out. Mathews is neither Yzerman nor Ovi and our Gm followed in Dubas shoes trading Grebs and a first for Laughton.

I'd do Matthews for Cellebrini straight up if I knew Matty had back/wrist issues up but I doubt SJ makes that trade. They would be tempted though. Imagine how many Cellebrini jerseys they could sell.

 

[SImpelton]

I don't think you can just move a few deck chairs around and stop this Titanic from sinking. The Leafs were built the wrong way around from day 1, with the focus on forwards and scoring rather than defense and defensive responsibility.

Scoring is the last part of that thing you do when you create offense, not the first. As a result it is the least important part of building a consistent team. you do need talent there, because you need talent everwhere, but focusing on the least important of the three zones makes less sense the more you think about it.

Gotta get your puck through the other 2 zones with consistency before the offensive zone matters very much, if you follow me. Stacking offensive zone talent at the cost of neutral zone and defensive zone talent is... a unique decision.

Bottom line the Leafs have already committed their cap to what amounts to an effort to eat dessert first and are finding the hard way that you can't live on only dessert. I'm convinced there is no easy fix or "get this guy" that's gonna get them out of the hole they dug. They are built to the wrong philosophy altogether

 

[The Apologist]

just accept the decline to the next rebuild.

Which would be a terrible move considering we just lost in seven to a team that nobody else really challenged at all.

Regardless, without the NHL allowing a level playing field with the officiating none of it matters.

 

[ULF_55]

Which would be a terrible move considering we just lost in seven to a team that nobody else really challenged at all.

Regardless, without the NHL allowing a level playing field with the officiating none of it matters.

Leaving out the rest of the quote makes the post meaningless.

If they don't sign players (free agents) they have to use Marlies.

Their assets without clauses aren't worth much, unless trading Knies.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Was there ever a chance McD is coming? Like Oilers is a much better team than the Leafs. Why would McD wants to play for the Leafs and leave the Oilers. If the position of both teams are reversed, I can see McD signing with the Leafs.

But reading JT AM da real deal post, who had mentioned many times about MM in his younger days, don’t think McD will be coming at all, lol.

Yep chances of McJesus coming home is close to zero .. he is so close to Cup in Edmonton .. a few changes thats it

 

[ToneDog]

Yep chances of McJesus coming home is close to zero .. he is so close to Cup in Edmonton .. a few changes thats it

Friedman said his wife recently opened some kind of store in Edmonton. Slim chance he leaves. Only hope is Tre can surround 34 and 88 them with men who will do anything to win a SC.

Love to get a Posposil, O'Connor (COL), Gadjovic, Lomberg, Frederic, AJ Greer type player(s) for our 4th line.

 

[Trapper]

Which would be a terrible move considering we just lost in seven to a team that nobody else really challenged at all.

Regardless, without the NHL allowing a level playing field with the officiating none of it matters.

You think if Marner walks we’re going to be the same team that challenged them at all?

Some people say we challenged them, I say Florida was sleeping from rolling over Tampa, didn’t take us seriously and then woke up and took us out 4 games to 1. Everyone has a different way of looking at I guess. I might even buy that way if the last 8 years hadn’t proved we aren’t that team.

 

[AllHeartNoSkill]

You think if Marner walks we’re going to be the same team that challenged them at all?

Some people say we challenged them, I say Florida was sleeping from rolling over Tampa, didn’t take us seriously and then woke up and took us out 4 games to 1. Everyone has a different way of looking at I guess. I might even buy that way if the last 8 years hadn’t proved we aren’t that team.

I see it the same way. Bobrovsky was shaky the first 2-1/3 games. Once he dialed in it was over for the Leafs.

 

[Tak7]

Marchand Matthews Kane
Knies O'Reilly Nylander
McMann Tavares Domi
Pacioretty Laughton Perry
Lorentz

ROR didn't want to extend here.
ROR didn't want to come here last season.
I'm not sure why ROR continues to appear in so many mock lineups. He shouldn't

 

[mjd1001]

I don't think there's anyone you can sign to change the team's DNA.

The culture, the work ethic, the attitude starts from Matthews and goes down from there. Anyone you sign is going to be slotted in below Matthews.

Maybe if you removed Matthews from the team and in the year replaced him with McDavid... That would lead to a culture or DNA change. But as long as Matthews is here... Toronto's version of club med

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

It boggles my mind the excuses people come up with for this team.

Bettman, refs, DoPS, taxes, toxic fans, media, pressure, babies being born. You name it someone will use it as a reason to justify the losing. Then to suggest running it back at ever greater cost than before because they lost in seven games this year instead of five.

Respect in the handshake lineup type mentality.

Meanwhile ignoring the reality they still lost. To the same team in the same round as last year for that matter. I guess the thought these guys just aren't good enough never crossed their minds.

Their shameless devotion to a few players have lowered their convictions for the team.

Losers with a loser mentality cheering for other losers losing. I'm not sure what they hope to gain from it all. But a stanley cup winning team isn't one of them.

There really is no excusing this anymore.

 

[A1LeafNation]

ROR didn't want to extend here.
ROR didn't want to come here last season.
I'm not sure why ROR continues to appear in so many mock lineups. He shouldn't

Rumor is Keefe was the issue.

Probably didn't like Marner as well. Both are gone. Time to revisit

 

[ACC1224]

Rumor is Keefe was the issue.

Probably didn't like Marner as well. Both are gone. Time to revisit

He tried to bring Marner to Nashville last summer.