Biggest Leaf story of 2015

[King Mapes]

I'm sure I missed some but what's the biggest story we had?

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[WilliamNylander]

Babcock

Kessel

Nylander

My top 3 in that order

 

[Kelly]

Babcock
Kessel
Clarkson

 

[Suntouchable13]

The way the team just mailed it in after Christmas

 

[King Mapes]

The way the team just mailed it in after Christmas

I don't consider that a story. I consider that Leafs hockey

 

[ViewsFromThe6ix]

Kessel
Babcock
Clarkson
Lou

 

[King Mapes]

Surprised at Babcock running away with it so far. But I didn't give my input. Id vote in order:

Kessel
Babcock
Clarkson

At this time last year, I definitely didn't think we could move Clarkson or hire Babcock. Didn't think we'd trade Kessel and definitely didn't expect to drop to 3rd on the money list and actually have fan backlash. We've endured so much and never fought back.

 

[Clark4Ever]

Babcock, AINEC.

 

[RoyalGremlin]

Babcock is gonna run away with this. Marner/Nylander equally at 2nd for me. Kessel 3rd because it wasn't a surprise.

 

[ViewsFromThe6ix]

Surprised at Babcock running away with it so far. But I didn't give my input. Id vote in order:

Kessel
Babcock
Clarkson

At this time last year, I definitely didn't think we could move Clarkson or hire Babcock. Didn't think we'd trade Kessel and definitely didn't expect to drop to 3rd on the money list and actually have fan backlash. We've endured so much and never fought back.

Same order for me.

Kessel #1 not only because of the trade but because of how hard he mailed it in. Never thought he would ever be traded, let alone for the return we got- I expected more.

 

[Cor]

The rise of William Nylander isn't much of a story.

Pretty expected. I've been saying it since during his draft year.

(It's like the one thing I've gotten right, give it to me, okay!)

 

[BoredBrandonPridham]

Babcock is gonna run away with this. Marner/Nylander equally at 2nd for me. Kessel 3rd because it wasn't a surprise.

IMO, Marner wouldn't be up there because the Leafs had a first and they had to draft someone. Drafting Marner wasn't a surprise or anything so not sure there is as big a story there.

Re: Nylander, there hasn't been any "event" that happened with him that warrants a story, he just continues to get better.

As far as a big story goes, I think it'd have to be Babcock, then Kessel, then Lou.

 

[King Mapes]

The rise of William Nylander isn't much of a story.

Pretty expected. I've been saying it since during his draft year.

(It's like the one thing I've gotten right, give it to me, okay!)

It's not. The fall of Bernier isn't that much of a story since we've seen it happen many times before. I just put those options there in case the oddball voted. It's more voting on how it impacted the organization.

Even though I liked the Nylander pick (only pick I loved right away over the years) I was/am surprised his stock is this high. Dominating the AHL at that age is quite impressive.

 

[King Mapes]

IMO, Marner wouldn't be up there because the Leafs had a first and they had to draft someone. Drafting Marner wasn't a surprise or anything so not sure there is as big a story there.

Re: Nylander, there hasn't been any "event" that happened with him that warrants a story, he just continues to get better.

As far as a big story goes, I think it'd have to be Babcock, then Kessel, then Lou.

I guess not really an event but he does lead the AHL in points (I think). So that in itself could be a story.

 

[Pi]

Babcock
Kessel
Clarkson

I still sometimes think and blow my own mind by realizing we got rid of David freaking Clarkson!

 

[Doug Gilmour]

Trading Clarkson. Who in their right mind would have traded for him with that contract and production without having a 1st and prospects coming with him? To get away with Horton, who doesn't even really count cause he's on LTIR and we didn't give anything except Clarkson, now that's highway robbery.

The Kessel trade is surprising for the fact of to who we got to dance with as a trade candidate....this would be my 2nd choice. Hiring Babcock was lent that shocking cause we were rumored (from what I remember) for months to have a serious connection and chance to bring him aboard.

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

Biggest story?

Hmmm. Babcock ended up being the biggest story for sure. It was a bombshell in a way because the Leafs had been written off by the media for what...2 weeks as being in on Babcock? And then they were reporting he was signing with Buffalo the night before he ended up with the Leafs. That was a huge shocker.

But there was build up to the Kessel trade. There were rumours of the Leafs and Pens working on something at least a day or two before, so it got a ton of coverage before it happened.

But Babcock for sure was the longer lasting big story IMO, even though it didn't have the rumour build up.

So I'd go Babcock, Kessel, then Clarkson (which was the most shocking to me this year, more than Babcock! My jaw dropped to the floor when I read the breaking news!!!! The impossible has happened!)

Stuff with Nylander/Marner isn't a big story to me because I had a gut feeling Nylander was something special, like really special and Marner is a great prospect before and after being drafted. They're great stories, in fact the best stories if you're a Leafs fan, but they're not the "biggest" stories IMO.

 

[BigBlu]

Even great managers like Babs and Lou would be hamstrung if Clarkson's contract was still on the books for the next 5 years. Clearing Clarkson away has opened up the future for success.

 

[LeafsNation149]

How is Kessel not #1? wtf

 

[MapleLeafs9]

The way the team just mailed it in after Christmas

Yup, 19-9-3, the whole city talking playoffs again, to drafting 4th overall 6 months later. At least we got Marner

 

[StevieBlunder]

The first is Babcock, no question. Never thought that the Leafs could buy a man's soul, yet here we are.

My second choice was the Clarkson trade. Talk about coming out of left field. I mean in all fairness to Nonis here, the man came up with a brilliant solution to a massive problem he caused. Redeemed? No, but I would buy him a drink for that one (and ask for two to pay us back for that terrible judgment call).

 

[napoleon in rags]

I thought the mass firings at the end of last season were spectacular.

 

[FlareKnight]

How is Kessel not #1? wtf

Why would it be? The team was rebuilding and moving Kessel was an obvious step they were going to take. The return wasn't substantial. It just...happened.

The Babcock hiring was a bigger story. The Leafs being able to go out and get one of the best coaches in the NHL. It had shock value and also huge meaning for our future.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

Trading Clarkson. Who in their right mind would have traded for him with that contract and production without having a 1st and prospects coming with him? To get away with Horton, who doesn't even really count cause he's on LTIR and we didn't give anything except Clarkson, now that's highway robbery.

The Kessel trade is surprising for the fact of to who we got to dance with as a trade candidate....this would be my 2nd choice. Hiring Babcock was lent that shocking cause we were rumored (from what I remember) for months to have a serious connection and chance to bring him aboard.

Even great managers like Babs and Lou would be hamstrung if Clarkson's contract was still on the books for the next 5 years. Clearing Clarkson away has opened up the future for success.

Thank god there are teams in disadvantaged financial positions that we can take advantage of to erase our horrible mistakes.

 

[slozo]

It's extremely close between the Kessel trade and getting Babcock, but the edge to me goes to getting the highest profile coach in some time. We sort of knew Kessel was going to go, but Babcock was a last minute shocker in our favour, and in terms of changing this team, it was even bigger than trading our star winger.

I say 3rd is the (again) epic collapse of the team last half of 2014/15 season to give us a #4 pick. It was an unprecedented slide into oblivion.