Maple Leafs of 2008/09 vs. Today

[Stephen]

Now I understand why Shanny took so long evaluating the team... That is something the previous regimes did not do, jumped the gun, and plugged holes like that thinking this was a playoff team.

How can anyone even think that lineup just needs an "on the fly retool"... That set us back a good decade.

The phenomenon that was the 2008 Leafs is exactly what I see unfolding before our eyes with the Canucks... They are just nowhere near good enough, but are adding plugs to fill holes and are simply going to be too good to be bad, and too bad to be good.

It's kind of funny how little actual hockey knowledge someone like Burke must have had when he thought that 2010 team was going to be a playoff contender.

 

[Lightsol]

That has got to be some kinda team record. Trading away your 1st round pick at least a year prior, which ends up a top 5 overall pick... 3 times- and 3 times the other team choosing a player who ends up becoming a superstar. I bet most teams have never let that happen even once.

Worse thing about it; those three picks? Check this out:

2010 - 2nd overall - Tyler Seguin
1991 - 3rd overall - Scott Neidermayer
1996 - 4th overall - Roberto Luongo

1989 - 3rd overall - Scott Pearson
2015 - 4th overall - Mitchell Marner
2008 - 5th overall - Luke Schenn
2010 - 5th overall - Morgan Rielly
1986 - 5th overall - Vincent Damphousse
1988 - 5th overall - Scott Pearson
1987 - 7th overall - Luke Richardson
2009 - 7th overall - Nazem Kadri
1992 - 8th overall - Brandon Convery
2014 - 8th overall - William Nylander
1998 - 10th overall - Nik Antropov
1990 - 10th overall - Drake Berehowsky

The last list is every Leaf top 10 draft pick between when Wendel was drafted and getting Matthews this year.

Not only did the Leafs get burned trading away a top 5 pick three times, they only got a top 5 pick five times in 30 years, and three of the times were when the pick was TRADED...

 

[taurine330]

Dear God. Looking at that 09 roster has almost ruined my day. I didn't want to see that. We were so bad. I remember us not winning, at all.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

I wish the Leafs of today had a guy like Pavel Kubina. A big crease clearing defenseman with a bomb of a shot.

Ya, but we had to run him out town for some reason. But it was all good in the end because we replaced him with Exelby instead. Perfect.

 

[Once]

Was this the year Hagman scored 4 goals one night? These **** years all mesh to me now.

Drafting Schenn and Kadri hoping to be our saviours. How times change..

 

[RyanOhReally]

I think I blacked out between '09 and '11. Very little actually comes to my memory and I watched all 82 games each year...

 

[rrc1967]

It's kind of funny how little actual hockey knowledge someone like Burke must have had when he thought that 2010 team was going to be a playoff contender.

hindsight is always 20/20.

leafs were 12 points out of a playoff spot and 20 out of last.

adding more offense aka .. kessel, you could make the argument that the leafs would trend up not down. that being said, he should have protected the picks.

 

[Auston Matthews]

I think I blacked out between '09 and '11. Very little actually comes to my memory and I watched all 82 games each year...

I don't remember anything except Toskala's goal he let in from the other team's net against the islanders.

 

[Mad Brills*]

That 09-10 was decent for CF% except goaltending was laughably bad.

Leafs give up Connolly and Brodin, and no one cares that you gave that up for phil

 

[Menzinger]

That 09-10 was decent for CF% except goaltending was laughably bad.

Leafs give up Connolly and Brodin, and no one cares that you gave that up for phil

Similar problem faced Leafs under Wilson - sunk by terrible goaltending.

 

[hockeystick89]

If I remember correctly, the team that season routinely out-shot the opposition yet struggled to score goals when they really needed them.

 

[arrbez]

hindsight is always 20/20.

leafs were 12 points out of a playoff spot and 20 out of last.

adding more offense aka .. kessel, you could make the argument that the leafs would trend up not down. that being said, he should have protected the picks.

Looking at results and expectations going into that season, there was a really low chance of it backfiring in the manner that it did. Mediocre team looked to be mediocre again, and in theory was actually better on paper.

But Toskala toskala'd us hard, and the season was over before it ever really started. I mean, consider how differently the Kessel trade would be looked at if the Leafs were still trash but their pick ended up being a Gudbrandon, Niederreiter, or Burmistrov. Finishing 2nd-last in a two-player draft was cruel fate.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

hindsight is always 20/20.

leafs were 12 points out of a playoff spot and 20 out of last.

adding more offense aka .. kessel, you could make the argument that the leafs would trend up not down. that being said, he should have protected the picks.

Looking at results and expectations going into that season, there was a really low chance of it backfiring in the manner that it did. Mediocre team looked to be mediocre again, and in theory was actually better on paper.

But Toskala toskala'd us hard, and the season was over before it ever really started. I mean, consider how differently the Kessel trade would be looked at if the Leafs were still trash but their pick ended up being a Gudbrandon, Niederreiter, or Burmistrov. Finishing 2nd-last in a two-player draft was cruel fate.

When it comes to investing and the stock market, there is a wise, old saying - "don't try to time the market".

Burke tried to outsmart or game the draft (the market in the previous analogy) and got badly burnt by it.

I'd have to wonder if a number of GMs/brass (including our own current ones) got a little wiser after seeing how Burke faired with his gamble.