3 year anniversary of the collapse: Would things be differently today?

[Josh92]

Stop lamenting the past. Especially with such a bright future.

But our ****** past and heartbreak is what is bringing us into this bright new future. It's all coming full circle isnt it.

 

[Suntouchable13]

It really opened my eyes and made me realize what a POS core we had. But Leafs management thought that a core of Kessel, Bozak, JvR, Phaneuf, Lupul was good enough. They re-signed everybody as if we were the ****ing Blackhawks. Only thing they kinda got right was to not trust Reimer.

 

[Josh92]

the worst thing that happened to this franchise was making the playoffs, because if we missed it - Nonis would have been fired and everyone wouldn't have been extended.

BUT. we don't get Shanahan . We don't get Babcock. We don't get Dubas, We don't get Hunter. We Don't get Lamoriello.

the the cleaning out happens - but we may just be meh in scouting and all of that jazz. so There you go.

Ya in the end the timing couldn't of been better Daisy I agree

 

[Josh92]

It really opened my eyes and made me realize what a POS core we had. But Leafs management thought that a core of Kessel, Bozak, JvR, Phaneuf, Lupul was good enough. They re-signed everybody as if we were the ****ing Blackhawks. Only thing they kinda got right was to not trust Reimer.

Jvr is still part of this core though. He wasn't isn't the problem. The rest of that core was though no doubt

 

[Bullseye]

The Boston collapse wasn't the straw the broke the back it was ALL the collapses - the 18 wheeler, the game 7 3rd period, and the post Olympic.

In any case, we got Shanny, we got Dubas, we Pridham, we got Hunter, we got Babs, we got Lou, and we got... Matthews. All will be better.

Next acquisition > franchise goal-tender.

 

[Tak7]

Losing game 7 is what opened up lots of our eyes to how crap our core was.

Unfortunately, our management viewed it in the other way - we were 10 minutes away from the second round, so they decided to add to it rather than tear it down; in came Bernier, Clarkson, etc.

It's actually kind of crazy to think just how far this organization has come in 3 years.

 

[BIitz]

Would things be different? Lol no, not with this roster. It was a terrible loss, and at the time I was crushed for a week. But you've got to learn to win, and to lose as a fan. And it'll make the eventual SC all that sweeter. Remember just a couple years before this game the Bruins lost a 3-0 series lead and a 3-0 lead in game 7 against the Flyers.

Either way, looking back on it now, we we're on the receiving end of one of the greatest game 7's in recent memory.

 

[BayStreetBully]

Ummm... happy anniversary...?

But yeah, I don't remember much about this game anymore. Haven't seen highlights of it since, and I'm certainly not going to read an article about it. It's slowly being erased from my memory.

But I will say that I am happy it happened. Everything happens for a reason, and had we won that game 7, then Seguin would still be in Boston because he wouldn't have the chance to choke the rest of those playoffs, and we never would've gotten Matthews. Would we have gotten Nylander and Marner? That's in the realm of possibility. But winning the lottery to get Matthews? No. The lottery would've picked different balls in an alternate universe. I'll put it this way. I wouldn't change anything pre-lottery win.

So because of that choke, we have Matthews, and Boston no longer has Seguin. It's win-win.

 

[Durrr]

Jvr is still part of this core though. He wasn't isn't the problem. The rest of that core was though no doubt

The problem was that the core as a whole was garbage, not with any individual player unless his name was David Clarkson. Every one of that "core" can be a player on a winning roster, just like Kessel is showing now.

 

[hoglund]

We would have won the cup for sure.

I don't know if they would have won the cup, but Boston did make the finals , so you're right they probably would have gone to the finals.

 

[613Leafer]

Im absolutely elated about the current direction of the franchise. Babcock, presumably Matthews, Marner, 12 picks in the 2016 draft, capspace cleared, extra 2nd rounders in at least the next three drafts, etc. Love love the direction.

In saying that... Making the playoffs in 2013 was one of the worst things that could have happened for this franchise. Every single other season with the Kessel + Phaneuf + etc core resulted in a bottom 10 finish. Everyone, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015. But making the playoffs in a 48 game lockout season while some players played well above career norms (e.g. Reimer, Kadri, etc) simply made management think we were closer than we were.

We re-signed Lupul, Kessel, Bozak, and Phaneuf, let MacArthur, Kulemin, etc walk for nothing, missed out on a high pick in a very solid 2013 draft, signed Clarkson, traded for Bolland, etc. Had we finished bottom 10 again in 2013, im fairly confident we would have blown it up at that point. Phaneufs value would have been substantially substantially higher than what we ended up getting, Kessel's likely a bit higher as well and with no salary retention, and we'd be 2 years ahead of where we are now in the rebuild.

Anyways, its old news, we're doing it right finally. But that playoff series surely delayed things.

 

[Shwaguy*]

In hindsight things worked out well for us so far.

Still have PTSD though....

 

[8816 others]

On the way home from work I had to listen to Vancouver's Team 1040 play the audio of the OT goal as their Great Clips Clip of The Day. The media/fans out here can't go a day without taking a jab at the Leafs.

 

[Josh92]

On the way home from work I had to listen to Vancouver's Team 1040 play the audio of the OT goal as their Great Clips Clip of The Day. The media/fans out here can't go a day without taking a jab at the Leafs.

Don't worry. As soon as the sedins hang em up that team will be the laughing stock of the NHL for the next decade+

 

[Peasy]

Who cares, honestly.

 

[7even]

Well, since it is also my BDay..... me ......................... no wait....

Happy birthday! Hope it's a good one

 

[RyanOhReally]

If we ever win a cup in the next 5-10 years then May 13 would cease to hurt

It's like getting your heart broken in high school, and then marrying your college sweetheart

 

[Daisy Jane]

Well, since it is also my BDay..... me ......................... no wait....

have a wonderful birthday!!

 

[Cleetus]

Who wants playoffs when you can be dead last and get the 1st OA

lol, pretty sure thats Edmontons motto lol

 

[Lightsol]

No.

I think dummy Nonis still buys Grabo out, lets Macarthur go and uses their combined salaries to buy Clarkson.

So the same damage still happens. Yes that team was imperfect, but Nonis made it even worse.

You um, have seen how terrible Grabo's been since he left, right? He was okay for Washington, but has been absolute trash for the Islanders (there's a reason he's #1 on their list of players whose salaries they want gone).

I understand being pissed about losing MacArthur (that was a bonehead decision everyone unfortunately knew was coming from Nonis) and signing Clarkson, but quite frankly I'm kind of glad we bought out Grabovski, because his contract would likely have just been on top of the pile of other worthless contracts we piled up during that time.

 

[Mad Brills*]

That season is still weird to me. Burke gets fired days before the season starts, instead of after the season (which was likely to happen). At the time, I was fully on tank nation that season, trying to get mackinnon/jones/drouin. And then thinking about moving kessel/phaneuf/lupul/bozak and starting the rebuild then. However they ride a massive PDO bender for the whole season, and when late March comes, I'm on the playoffs train as it's too late to tank. However, it doesn't mean anything as the 3rd period collapse happens.

Clarkson was coming regardless, and Macarthur was gone anyways for no reason. The only thing that may change is that they don't trade for bernier.

However, as I said before, the 2014 collapse is what led to where we are today with this franchise.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

Who keeps track of such anniversarys?

TSN apparently. I saw something on their site (side nav) about it

Ya, there was also some discussion on this subject on one the television game broadcasts as well.

It delayed the teardown and beginning of the current rebuild I would say by about 2 years.

 

[BayStreetBully]

Ya, there was also some discussion on this subject on one the television game broadcasts as well.

It delayed the teardown and beginning of the current rebuild I would say by about 2 years.

Yes, but the question then becomes would you change a thing about the past 3 years? I know I wouldn't. We got Nylander at 8 and Ekblad is the only player I'd definitively take over him in 2014. Marner arguably should have gone #3 in 2015.

So despite the delay in rebuild, it's like we drafted #2 in 2014, #3 in 2015, and #1 in 2016.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

Yes, but the question then becomes would you change a thing about the past 3 years? I know I wouldn't. We got Nylander at 8 and Ekblad is the only player I'd definitively take over him in 2014. Marner arguably should have gone #3 in 2015.

So despite the delay in rebuild, it's like we drafted #2 in 2014, #3 in 2015, and #1 in 2016.

In the 2014 draft, Ekblad, Reinhart, Draisaitl, & Bennet were the top 4 overall selections.

In the 2015 draft the top 2 guys were McDavid & Eichel.

So, its real hard to say, but I don't think its an easy decision or truly clear cut that we are better off today than we would have been. What if we ended up with Ekblad and Eichel as an example?

 

[MSZ]

On the way home from work I had to listen to Vancouver's Team 1040 play the audio of the OT goal as their Great Clips Clip of The Day. The media/fans out here can't go a day without taking a jab at the Leafs.

The Van City Cansucks fans? LOL really? Their awfully sad team couldn't even tank properly, hope them enjoy their decade long rebuild.