Are the 2017/2018 Leafs legitimate contenders for the Cup?

[ITM]

People are being hopeful vs practical.
We are rebuilding.
It's great we've had marginal premature success.
But you dont stop a rebuild prematurely.
That's how you get stuck in never never land between pretender and contender.

It's a fine line that's for sure.

 

[Gallagbi]

Moving UFAs at the deadline helps improve the Leaf's future chances. It's not difficult.

We *AREN'T* a WIN now team.

So, good asset management dictates you move your vets for picks and prospects if the opportunity arises.

Not hard.

Which is why everyone does this....but we rarely see it happen. So bizarre.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

I will be pretty pissed off if we trade JVR/Bozak and the Leafs start trending downward the rest of the season.

Why ? Because the Leafs are winning Lord Stanley this year ?

 

[BAM]

Why ? Because the Leafs are winning Lord Stanley this year ?

WE DON"T KNOW YET

 

[Gallagbi]

you implied it. you said "if this case we should be selling matthews now" when i said the leafs should trade them both.
incase you don't know, matthews will be crucial to the goal of winning while jvr/bozak will not

Read the post again and see if you can get to why I made that statement..shouldn't be difficulty but I'll elaborate if needed.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

WE DON"T KNOW YET

You should.

You probably were against the Kessel trade because "He's our best player".

 

[rent free]

WE DON"T KNOW YET

its not rocket science to know that

 

[Mr Hockey]

its not rocket science to know that

Give your top 2 reasons why we are not a contending team?

 

[BAM]

You should.

You probably were against the Kessel trade because "He's our best player".

No, the Kessel trade was necessary and he was our best player on those teams. He was obviously not the player that can be your best player on a cup-winning team. He's a great second or 3rd guy which there is nothing wrong with. He was miscast in his role in Toronto, he's a great player that was expected to be something he just simply couldn't be.

What are the lottery numbers for tomorrow?

 

[BAM]

its not rocket science to know that

So you wanna lessen your chances before you find out?

That's like cutting your foot off before a race and wondering why you came in last.

 

[Liminality]

I've got a question, would the Leafs be in a better position if they were a bottom 5 team this year rather than be a team that's almost certainly going to make the playoffs? I mean you're getting another top prospect to help build your team since we're not winning the cup this year anyways.

Do teams need cup experience at all before they win a cup?

 

[BAM]

I've got a question, would the Leafs be in a better position if they were a bottom 5 team this year rather than be a team that's almost certainly going to make the playoffs? I mean you're getting another top prospect to help build your team since we're not winning the cup this year anyways.

Do teams need cup experience at all before they win a cup?

No, one year the Leafs are just going to be given the cup because they have the best odds for it according to the logic of some of the posters here.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

What are the lottery numbers for tomorrow?

That I know.

15 25 32 42 47 51

 

[Suntouchable13]

So you wanna lessen your chances before you find out?

That's like cutting your foot off before a race and wondering why you came in last.

Are you trading anybody that is crucial to your success? No. Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Kadri, Andersen, Rielly are not going anywhere. Bozak and JvR are our 9th and 10th best players, at best.

 

[Mr Hockey]

Are you trading anybody that is crucial to your success? No. Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Kadri, Andersen, Rielly are not going anywhere. Bozak and JvR are our 9th and 10th best players, at
best.

Matthews, Nylander, Kadri have only been better than JVR/Bozak ... I am not much of a JVR fan either, imo

 

[Suntouchable13]

Matthews, Nylander, Kadri have only been better than JVR/Bozak ... I am not much of a JVR fan either.

I'd take Rielly, Andersen, Gardiner, Hainsey, all ahead of them in terms of importance to our team.

 

[BAM]

Are you trading anybody that is crucial to your success? No. Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Kadri, Andersen, Rielly are not going anywhere. They are our 9th and 10th best players.

In the playoffs, there are no bad teams, pretty much every team has a #1 C, #1 D, #1 G, scoring depth wins in the playoffs. If this logic of trading pending UFA's to gain assets was so great, why aren't teams doing it league wide?

Why aren't the caps trying to trade Lars Eller?
Why aren't the Sharks trying to trade Joe Thornton? He surely isn't part of their long-term plans
The pens with Hornqvist?

 

[BAM]

I'd take Rielly, Andersen, Gardiner, Hainsey, all ahead of them in terms of importance to our team.

Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Kadri are the only forwards I deem better than JVR. Considering the fact that Matthews and Nylander play on one line, and Kadri and Marner play on one line, if we trade JVR and Bozak, we become a 2 line team going into the playoffs which makes it a lot easier for other teams to gameplan for Matthews and co.

Scoring depth matters. Some of you should be mad in advance for when the Leafs don't trade away JVR and Bozak at the deadline.

 

[MapleLeafs9]

We're contenders. Especially after we make a deadline deal or 2. It's just that TB, Boston, and Pittsburgh are also contenders and we unfortunately gotta get through 2 of them to even get to the 3rd round.

 

[Suntouchable13]

In the playoffs, there are no bad teams, pretty much every team has a #1 C, #1 D, #1 G, scoring depth wins in the playoffs. If this logic of trading pending UFA's to gain assets was so great, why aren't teams doing it league wide?

Why aren't the caps trying to trade Lars Eller?
Why aren't the Sharks trying to trade Joe Thornton? He surely isn't part of their long-term plans
The pens with Hornqvist?

Yea, you're right. It does not happen that often. GMs are not afraid of letting guys walk at the end of the season when they are in the playoffs. I am not going to cry about not getting a late first rounder, a second rounder and a couple of middling prospects. But I am not going to cry about losing JvR and Bozak either. Not a fan of those guys. I am just eager to see them go away, I guess.

 

[BAM]

Yea, you're right. It does not happen that often. GMs are not afraid of letting guys walk at the end of the season when they are in the playoffs. I am not going to cry about not getting a late first rounder, a second rounder and a couple of middling prospects. But I am not going to cry about losing JvR and Bozak either. Not a fan of those guys. I am just eager to see them go away, I guess.

Oh believe me, I'm not interested in keeping them past the year either, but they are useful to the Leafs this year in the playoffs. My ideal offseason would be to use the money from JVR, Bozak and Komorov on Tavares if possible. Also a fan of trying to trade Martin, not really a great use of a roster spot for what they're paying him and he's got term left. I'm actually good with the defense moving forward too, with the only issue being a long-term replacement for Hainsey. Rielly, Zaitsev, Gardiner, Dermott is a fast/two-way top 4 core that fits Babcock's system and the way the game is played now. Borgman I think is more than capable for one of those last 2 spots and of course Liljegren is developing in the AHL as well.

 

[-DeMo-]

In the playoffs, there are no bad teams, pretty much every team has a #1 C, #1 D, #1 G, scoring depth wins in the playoffs. If this logic of trading pending UFA's to gain assets was so great, why aren't teams doing it league wide?

Why aren't the caps trying to trade Lars Eller?
Why aren't the Sharks trying to trade Joe Thornton? He surely isn't part of their long-term plans
The pens with Hornqvist?

those teams have a window to win that most would say are closing, while were in year 1 of what should be a 10 year window at minimum to win? why throw away the assets we could get back in year 1 when we would be an underdog in the first round to win?

also a lot of other teams choose to keep players because of money, there's a lot of teams who lose money, break even or make a small profit without playoff revenue, so that Revenue can make a huge difference to those organizations, as well as creating a stronger market ie creating new fans, that alone can be totally worth losing a JVR for nothing, but that's 2 things MLSE have no issue's with and therefore shouldn't take into account. that's why alot of teams don't sell pending UFA's when they probably should. and the other reason is emotion.

 

[Duckrider]

Once in the play offs we are a couple key injuries away from a cup. Every team is. As for trade deadline find a place for Leivo by trade if there is a good offer.

 

[rent free]

So you wanna lessen your chances before you find out?

That's like cutting your foot off before a race and wondering why you came in last.

If lessening our chances makes us a better team in the future, a future in which we can actually contend, yes.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

Once in the play offs we are a couple key injuries away from a cup.

haha.
no.