Left Wing: What if?

[LeafSteel]

Who knew Konecny could go? Pionk is such a douche.

Thought I would share as I’m sure others would enjoy seeing Pionk plunked. Nice to see him get his ass kicked.

Who did we trade down to draft instead of Konecny?

It is what it is.

Happy Friday everyone.

 

[All Mod Cons]

We should never have moved on from Hyman. Said it before, during and after.

 

[ToneDog]

I’ll be honest, what ifs bore me. I’d rather focus on how we win from where we are than dwell on mistakes made along the way.

Until they admit that paying these 4 forwards half the cap will never work (IMO), there isn't much they can do to win and we should focus on how to win in 2025/2026. Should be interesting to see if they have learned anything from their loss to Florida last year, when the meet them again in April.

 

[Nineteen67]

Who knew Konecny could go? Pionk is such a douche.

Thought I would share as I’m sure others would enjoy seeing Pionk plunked. Nice to see him get his ass kicked.

Who did we trade down to draft instead of Konecny?

It is what it is.

Happy Friday everyone.

We were told Winnipeg is a juggernaut. The past two weeks the Pens and the Leafs beat them and they’ve been manhandled by Boston and Philly.

They look slow and listless from what I saw so is it a slump or have they caved again this season?

 

[ACC1224]

Until they admit that paying these 4 forwards half the cap will never work (IMO), there isn't much they can do to win and we should focus on how to win in 2025/2026. Should be interesting to see if they have learned anything from their loss to Florida last year, when the meet them again in April.

Seems pretty apparent by now(at least it should) that they don't believe that.

 

[The Iceman]

Verhaeghe can complete his story this summer

8 years 5M come home sweet prince

Leafs can only offer 7 years and he isn't a FA until 2025 when he will be 29 years old.

 

[ToneDog]

Seems pretty apparent by now(at least it should) that they don't believe that.

Agreed but I doubt Shanny admits it. Will be interesting to see him squirm at his presser if they lose in round #1.

 

[ACC1224]

Agreed but I doubt Shanny admits it. Will be interesting to see him squirm at his presser if they lose in round #1.

I wouldn't expect him to admit to something they obviously don't believe.

 

[ToneDog]

I wouldn't expect him to admit to something they obviously don't believe.

Shanny has said it numerous times. "We will win with this core". Moving on from them is admitting he was wrong. My bet is he would rather run it back than admit they were wrong.

 

[ACC1224]

Shanny has said it numerous times. "We will win with this core". Moving on from them is admitting he was wrong. My bet is he would rather run it back than admit they were wrong.

That's certainly a theory. I'd be surprised if they were worried about admitting they were wrong.

 

[Tarmore]

I’ll be honest, what ifs bore me. I’d rather focus on how we win from where we are than dwell on mistakes made along the way.

This.

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I also love how the complainers seem make it sound like the Leafs are the only NHL team to make 'mistakes'.

 

[Hellcat]

Agreed but I doubt Shanny admits it. Will be interesting to see him squirm at his presser if they lose in round #1.

When not if..when.. with that said there might be a chance with a wildcard they get to go through the metro we might make it past the 1st round

 

[GoonieFace]

What If I didn’t eat that 5th taco, would I have made it to the toilet in time?

 

[Hellcat]

That's certainly a theory. I'd be surprised if they were worried about admitting they were wrong.

Over the last 6 years, same coach, same core four, same asset mismanagement, same cap mismanagement, would have been same GM if it wasn't for Kyle stepping on Shanny's toes, with no correction, if it's not an ability to honestly assess the situation and admit you made mistakes that need correction, what is it?

Wasn't it Bill Belichick who said .. "The key to building a winning franchise is being able to quickly assess when you made a mistake and quickly pivot?"

What If I didn’t eat that 5th taco, would I have made it to the toilet in time?

The amount of Taco's and sphincter failure is not related...

 

[Fogelhund]

It's always fun having hindsight as a reason to create another thread to complain.

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

I think it's pretty obvious Hyman would never have reached his potential if he stayed.

Keefe would have made sure of that. Hyman was a work horse and fan favourite. Letting him walk was a huge mistake.

I'm not a fan of the "what if" game normally myself.

That things would be different if only different things happened. But the fact LW has been a sore spot for years begs the question. What alternate history could we be experiencing right now if the Leafs had smart people in charge.

Instead of the dodums currently running the show.

They coulda been real contenders. Instead of a bunch of bums. It only takes one dumb mistake to derail even the best laid plans.

Meanwhile everything this team does is facepalmingly stupid.

 

[robertmac43]

With these what ifs you got to pose them the other way as well. What if the Leafs kept these players? Would they have developed the same way? Probably not.

Timing is so important for these kinds of things.

 

[Lightsol]

As I have said, our pro scouts must be terrible or our gm never listens.

GMs, with an S. Because Verhaghe was traded by Dave Nonis; he was one of the 5 guys traded for Michael Grabner.

 

[ToneDog]

GMs, with an S. Because Verhaghe was traded by Dave Nonis; he was one of the 5 guys traded for Michael Grabner.

I thought Lou made that deal.

 

[Lightsol]

If they didn't have the JT deal I think there is a good chance Hyman gets extended. By 2021 Tavares was not looking like a force and Hymans game didn't project to age well so less money for the D but now with two declining forwards? I think it was the smart call at the time and I don't think KD let him walk lightly. Although without the Tavares spend I think they have Hamilton so maybe no money for Zach anyhow.

I don't look at the guys that are succeeding with other teams the way some do. I think the bouncing around and clawing for the brass ring is maybe what made these guys. If they want to show foresight how about re-sign Benoit before he works his was into the top pair FFS JK but even going back to Dubas it seems like the club wants to watch players thrive for so long they have to pay them peak money. Schenn, Bush? So they walk as not cap friendly but the club signs Kampf for 4 years

What's hilarious about Hyman is that I'd say 80% of Leaf fans wanted him gone when he hit free agency, because the complaining about the guy being too high up the lineup was reaching Justin Holl levels...

 

[Menzinger]

I thought Lou made that deal.

It was. Part of a 5 for 1 deal to the Islanders

 

[Ciao]

By the same token, what if the Leafs hadn't traded Greg McKegg for Zach Hyman?

What if every last team including the Leafs hadn't passed on Mason Marchment in every year of his eligibility for the amateur entry draft?

What if Florida hadn't let Marchment walk as a UFA?

WHAT if Tampa had given Carter Verhaegue a QO instead of letting him walk as a UFA as well?

What if the Leafs had re-signed any or all of them when they reached free agency?

There's a lot of what ifs here, and any team could have had any or all of these players. They were each free agents at one time or another.

It seems the Leafs weren't the only team to underestimate their value.

 

[kevsh]

Trevor Moore is in the top 30 goal scorers in the league.

I doubt he'd ever have gotten to that level in Toronto given that Keefe likes to ride the stars and there's little ice time left for anyone else (relatively speaking), but along with Kadri are the two I wish we still had. (In Kadri's case I completely understand why Dubas traded him, just wish he hadn't forced Kyle's hand with his short temper).