Confirmed with Link: Big changes, Nonis and co let go (Press conference 2pm)

[SeenSchenn2]

I'd be hiring Chiarelli right away. Big mistake from Boston. A decline was inevitable with Boston's aging core and salary cap restrictions.

His drafting history sort of scares me. Personally loved what Mike Futa had to say and he's my preference.

 

[CellarDweller0]

Chiarelli & McLellan? Yes please

 

[hfdshdh]

I'd be hiring Chiarelli right away. Big mistake from Boston. A decline was inevitable with Boston's aging core and salary cap restrictions.

It wasn't inevitable. They just didn't manage their assets or the cap very well at all. That Seguin trade is maybe even worse than anything the Leafs have done in the last 10+ years.

Jeff Gorton, Mike Futa, Paul Fenton would all be much better candidates IMO.

 

[Commander Clueless]

I'd take Chiarelli and hope he gets as good a deal out of Kessel this time as he did last time.

 

[Commander Clueless]

His drafting history sort of scares me. Personally loved what Mike Futa had to say and he's my preference.

Thing about the GM position in Toronto is that it seems he won't have full autonomy. From what Shanahan has said, Mark Hunter is in control of scouting.


Seems like Hunter is king when it comes to the draft.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

If you've identified two pieces that you think are core, you should be figuring out what complementary pieces allow them to maximize their strengths while minimizing their weaknesses. For example, what makes Phaneuf special is his hitting and offense. With the tools he has, to really exploit those things, he needs to take high risk. In an ideal world we could find a way to make him above average on both fronts but in most cases that doesn't happen. What you don't do is remove the thing he can do that is above average. So you very specifically hunt for that partner that allows him to exploit his strengths. Look at what we have paired him with and where they fit elsewhere. Same goes with Phil. Boston very clearly showed that when paired properly, Phil is a positive force. You don't need people like you are suggesting (the as good or better). You need guys like Steen, Bergeron, etc. who will never command the upper salaries but perfectly offset the other person's skill set. Don't get me wrong, if you can get the player that has everything, great but that's unlikely.

Pat Burns was probably the best coach I've seen in my 5 decades of watching the Leafs. He excelled at the concepts of maximizing strengths/minimizing weakness, getting buy in to roles and overall getting the most out of what he had.

Is it "above average" or "special"? Can't really think anyone would think these terms are interchangeable. In the offense category, PK or Karlsson are "special". Phaneuf is more in the "above average" category.

Regardless, don't think DP is an elite defender that would enable us to be in the contender category …. IMHO.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Chiarelli would not cost us a 2nd rd pick, this is a plus. Everyone looks at the Seguin trade. Not a great one. But he has made some shrewd trades like getting Peverley, Seidenburg, Recchi, signing Tim Thomas and Chara. Trading for Rask. That were all instrumental in making the Bruins a powerhouse up until last season. His first draft he also got Kessel, Lucic, and Marchand in one draft. Most things to like, not perfect, but overall very solid GM.

 

[SeenSchenn2]

Thing about the GM position in Toronto is that it seems he won't have full autonomy. From what Shanahan has said, Mark Hunter is in control of scouting.


Seems like Hunter is king when it comes to the draft.

Fair enough. I'd tend to agree. He does have some experience rebuilding, so maybe it'll be a good fit.

Hits: Kessel, Lucic, Marchand, Seguin (easy-choice), Hamilton, Pastrnak looking good.

Misses: Hamill, Colborne, Knight, Caron, arguably Spooner based on who was available.

Like you said, this is Hunter's area of expertise and his job, so i could see a good fit.

 

[Cor]

I'm willing to be Chia is one of the guys that this job "won't be for"

He won't have the control of the team.

 

[11111111111]

Chiarelli would not cost us a 2nd rd pick, this is a plus. Everyone looks at the Seguin trade. Not a great one. But he has made some shrewd trades like getting Peverley, Seidenburg, Recchi, signing Tim Thomas and Chara. Trading for Rask. That were all instrumental in making the Bruins a powerhouse up until last season. His first draft he also got Kessel, Lucic, and Marchand in one draft. Most things to like, not perfect, but overall very solid GM.

He wanted to trade for Pogge. Leafs refused, he settled for Rask. Hard to give him credit for that.

Moreover, his first draft was a month after he was hired. I am not certain how much influence he had. I'm hesitant to point to that draft and say "good work", especially since the drafting track record since has been mixed.

He traded for Kaberle, who fell flat on his face.

He gave up Wheeler for Peverley. At absolute best, an even trade, probably a loss for Boston because Wheeler looks good for another 5 years.

I will say he made some great UFA signings.

All-in-all, I don't think he had a spectacular run as GM of Boston. He oversaw a strong team and helped them, at times sacrificing young players for a year or two of veterans such as Kaberle. He's probably a decent candidate, but there's no reason to think he would drastically improve the Leafs, given that they don't have the type of player base or potential upcoming UFAs that were available to him in Boston.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

He wanted to trade for Pogge. Leafs refused, he settled for Rask. Hard to give him credit for that.

Moreover, his first draft was a month after he was hired. I am not certain how much influence he had. I'm hesitant to point to that draft and say "good work", especially since the drafting track record since has been mixed.

He traded for Kaberle, who fell flat on his face.

He gave up Wheeler for Peverley. At absolute best, an even trade, probably a loss for Boston because Wheeler looks good for another 5 years.

I will say he made some great UFA signings.

All-in-all, I don't think he had a spectacular run as GM of Boston. He oversaw a strong team and helped them, at times sacrificing young players for a year or two of veterans such as Kaberle. He's probably a decent candidate, but there's no reason to think he would drastically improve the Leafs, given that they don't have the type of player base or potential upcoming UFAs that were available to him in Boston.

No GM is perfect, but look at his record. How many GM's were more successful than Peter during the span he was in the NHL from 2007 to 2015? You can count them on one hand. He rebuilt Boston into a powerhouse in his time there. There is no denying this.

 

[613Leafer]

He wanted to trade for Pogge. Leafs refused, he settled for Rask. Hard to give him credit for that.

Moreover, his first draft was a month after he was hired. I am not certain how much influence he had. I'm hesitant to point to that draft and say "good work", especially since the drafting track record since has been mixed.

He traded for Kaberle, who fell flat on his face.

Hunter is in charge of our scouting staff, so while a previous GMs draft record is a factor, thats also not the primary thing we're bringing a head GM in for. Its mostly for his trades, signings, etc.

Kaberle was their highest scoring D in the playoffs with 11 points in 25 games. They may not have won a Cup without him

The fact is that Chiarelli inherited a team finishing bottom 5 in the league, and turned it around into a team that made the playoffs for 8 straight years, won a Cup, went to another SC final, and won a Presidents Trophy.

There are some issues with cap management over the past few years, but its justifiable when youre contending with a closing window around a guy like Chara, its not acceptable when youre a bottom feeder like Toronto. Not to mention, his Raycroft/Kessel trades helped keep Boston strong through the ~2012-2014 seasons, and also helped them manage the cap well through their Cup win.

 

[BertCorbeau]

Alright, since this thread is almost full and we're running this same discussion in another thread (the re-build thread) I'm closing this one up. Take the discussion to that thread:

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1873391&page=29