Your Plan Going Forward

[MapleLeaf4ever]

Also see my earlier post about what big name players were traded for especialy the recent Gaborik trade at last years TDL. Selling guys off then is different from NHL 15.

 

[silentbob37*]

The team needs to be blown up, plain and simple

 

[dannysleafs*]

PLAN, The Leafs have a plan??

 

[34]

1. Most important, do what you have to do to move Phaneuf. Bad captain and no leadership.

2. Find a real #1 goalie.

3. Make a few good trades.

 

[Durkin67]

Clarkson hasn't contributed what he was brought in to do, he was a gamble to begin with and it didn't pay off. If they can clear his salary from the cap anyone of those mentioned can fill in what he is doing right now or at the very least Panik can get moved in. Clarkson is only playing sheltered third line mins. These guys all can play those mins and develop into being effective at them.



With the right system in place, having Gardiner and Rielly develop into a one-two punch on D would not require the team to have somebody playing those mins. This was my big point with the coaching change. Most of the problems are a result of the team not having enough defensively responsible players to play the swarm that Randy Carlyle implements. Get the guys skating and moving like Coach Q has Chicago do and a huge difference will be seen with these two guys. all of a sudden it's not about standing still and dumping the puck out and trying to reach it before the other team, it becomes about moving as a full unit pressing the offense and not sitting back trying to play a way none of what we have are capable of.



Not saying he would, but I also don;t see him resigning Tanguay and Briere and Hedja so I believe he will be fine working on Makinnon and Johnson what with Duchene and Landeskog already locked up long term. Not to mention Iginla likely retire's after this contract giving them even more cap to work with



Would You trade ROR for a struggling Gardiner 1 for 1? There will be more needed. I would expect one of Loov Percy or Finn to head with Gardiner as well



Difference is this team has at least went somewhere and still looks to be improving. After Sundin and the JFJ years everyone new that the team needed to be rebuilt. It was in shambles. Look at the roster in the year following Sundin's departure and what the team has now. Look at the Oilers roster after Smyth, Pronger ect. all left and compare it to what the team has now. They have 3 young offensively gifted players. One of which was supposed to be a franchise centre but was thrown in to early and has now been plagued with injury problems. After that? They have nothing. Nothing on D. Nothing up front. Nothing in net. They went 76er's on their rebuild and had nobody there to protect or mentor those kids. Despite this teams problems there have always been veteran players to shelter the kids from the heat. Do any of the players take shots at Rielly, Gardiner or Kadri without expecting the rest of the team to answer to Phanuef, Clarkson, Lupul? Were these 3 guys thrown right into the deep end and expected to swim or did they have to earn the jersey by outplaying vets and dominating at the previous level? When things go bad is it these 3 who take the heat or do we talk about Kessel as the hallmark of this team, Phanuef as a #1D, or Bozak as a #1C? they have been sheltered and its done better for them. They are getting time to learn what they can and can't do at this level. Hall RNH and Eberle are just trying to survive.

You want to replace your team captain who plays approximately 25 minutes a night against the toughest competition in the league with Gardiner, a defensive nightmare, who won't hit or allow himself to be hit and you think this is in any way sane or practical?

Im out.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

Can't see many trading partners for Clarkson unless a toxic contract is coming back, or retaining a chunk of his salary plus a bad contract (just not as large as the first scenario).

Been waiting for years for the patient rebuild. When Burke landed with the Buds it would have been the perfect time to do it. Hard to imagine this organization going in that direction.

Also, I think the compliance window has closed IIRC.

 

[Al14]

I don't have a plan. And, even if I did, it wouldn't count for squat!

What we need is to see, is some sort of REAL PLAN from Shanahan. This team needs some sort of change in a BIG WAY! We see nothing being done to ADDRESS our PROBLEMS!

It appears to me, that Shanahan is just SITTING ON HIS HANDS in his office! Man, get off your duff and DO SOMETHING, other than hiring front office executives, with NO NHL EXPERIENCE!

We need to see a Carlyle firing, or, a major core player traded! Something, anything, to change up the same old, same old, which is getting REALLY OLD!

 

[HoweHullOrr]

"and ends on Monday, June 30 at 5 p.m. ET"


edit: first sentence is more clear

"Under the provisions of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team is allowed two compliance buyouts before the start of the 2014-15 season."

Thanks. I was going to look for this, but you saved me the trouble. The freebees are over. Maybe they'll have them again when the next CBA rolls around.

 

[silentbob37*]

1) Fire Carlyle and Nonis

2) spend rest of season seeing how the core respond to new coach

3) if playoffs are clearly out of reach trade out all UFAs and see if someone will be dumb enough to take Clarkson at 50% salary retained

4) constantly explore potential trades for young talent (ie ROR)

5) if core players still look lacklustre blow it up before the draft.

2 - waist of time. We know they aren't good enough, we've seen most for 3/4-6 years and through 2 coaches already.

3 - I'd keep some of the UFAs over s lot of the core players

4 - why are so me y people hung up on O'Reilly? Adding him to this core = no change

5 - why wait?

 

[Menzinger]

2 - waist of time. We know they aren't good enough, we've seen most for 3/4-6 years and through 2 coaches already.

3 - I'd keep some of the UFAs over s lot of the core players

4 - why are so me y people hung up on O'Reilly? Adding him to this core = no change

5 - why wait?

Wilson got much better possession play out of this same roaster - he was plagued by poor goaltending. I'd like to see how they fair under a new coach who isn't awful, like Carlyle.

I like Santos and Winnik, and even Franson - but all are replaceable. And can be used to get some picks.

Why do I want ROR? I'd love to have a defensively responsible centre play alongside Kessel.

As for why wait? What's the rush? I can wait four extra months.

 

[MakeTheIronSing]

The problem with trading people is somebody actually needs to want them.

Good luck with that.

 

[Incetardis]

1. Move at least 1 of the larger contracts. Preferably Clarkson, Phaneuf, Lupul, Gardiner, or Kessel and in that order. Need significant cap flexibility to move in the necessary player(s) to stabilize the group

2. Trade Franson. He's been great this year and might deserve the healthy raise he'll get but he's an offensive D man. Offense isn't the problem

3. Trade either JVR or Bozak + for elite 2way center or top pairing D. Would love to keep JVR but he's probably the best trade chip so if he can bring back someone who addresses the greatest deficiencies I'd consider it cause status quo isn't working

4. Resign Kadri, Santorelli, & Bernier.

5. Play the kids.

6. Don't spend to the cap. Try and sell high on guys you don't see fitting long term and start giving out contracts to players that help the team compete night in and night out.

 

[one77]

Kessel for Jones + 1st
Phaneuf for ROR
Bozak + Lupul for E.Kane

Fire Carlyle. Hire Babcock/Hunter/somebody

-------------------------

Next year:

JVR - Nylander - ROR
Kane - Kadri - Santorelli
Komarov - Holland - Clarkson
Panik - Gauthier - Winnik
-Broll/Brown/Leivo/TOR 1st/NAS 1st

Rielly - Jones
Gardiner - Franson
Percy - Polak
Robidas
-/Loov/Granberg/Finn/Holzer/TOR 1st/NAS 1st

Bernier
Reimer

 

[Pucker77]

Hm.... What would I do.

I would fire Carlyle as soon as I stepped foot into office. I will admit it is more of a personal vendetta against Carlyle that forces me to do that. I wouldnt care whether this team won or lost as long as Carlyle is off the bench. For the remainder of this season I would appoint Horachek or Spott as Interim and hire somebody like Babcock or Bylsma in the offseason (I believe that if the Leafs decide to do a rebuild Babcock will not sign here.)

Come the trade deadline I would try to trade Jake Gardiner to a weaker team looking to add to their defense core hoping for a #1 pick or core piece (TWD or TWF). I would also try my best to deal Reimer, the situation this organization put him in is unfair and we should allow him to play somewhere else. As for the return on Reimer I would not care very much worst case is the we have cap space to resign Bernier. Also, if a team is desperate enough to offer a 1st for Franson you take it and run!

Once the offseason comes I would try my best to remove anybody on this team that is 30 or older (Phaneuf, Robidas, Lupul, Clarkson) for futures, whether they be picks, prospects, or young roster players. Obviously, Phaneuf and Clarksons contracts will be hard to unload, but this would help cause the majority of the team to peak around the same time.

Draft high end skill in the draft, if they have two-way ability great, if not we can offload them later. I would rather have too much skill and trade it because we need a two-way guy because teams value skill and that creates more trade possibilities.

In the offseason sign players that are known and revered for their work ethic both on the ice and in the weight room (like a Gary Roberts, Rod Brindamour, and Roman Polak) people that the young ones can emulate.

I would wait a few more years before contemplating a Kessel trade. Basically, I would wait until he is 30 or older because he would still have a couple years in his prime so that teams would be willing to offer a lot. Also, the cap will more than likely increase so $8 mil would not be as much of a burden on a team (plus, teams would be able to see how the Blackhawks have survived with the Kane and Toews contracts), the last reason is because There would only be 4-5 years left on his contract so it wont be looked upon as just an albatross.

Like many have said I would try my best to incorporate several two-way players into this team whether the Leafs could land an O'Reilly like so many seem to speculate or we sign them in FA.

I know that the Phaneuf and Clarkson contracts are probably not an option but for the next season I would see a line up like this:

JVR-(O'Reilly?)-Kessel
(Free Agent)-Kadri-Nylander
Komarov-Bozak-Panik
(Free Agent/Winnik)-Holland-Clarkson

Phaneuf-(Free Agent)
Reilly-(Free Agent)
Percy-Polak

Bernier
(experienced back up)

EDIT: Also, in contract negotiations I would very rarely hand out NTC and it would NEVER be a Full NTC at most, my star players have to submit a list of 15 teams they would be willing to be traded to.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Once the offseason comes I would try my best to remove anybody on this team that is 30 or older (Phaneuf, Robidas, Lupul, Clarkson) for futures, whether they be picks, prospects, or young roster players. Obviously, Phaneuf and Clarksons contracts will be hard to unload, but this would help cause the majority of the team to peak around the same time.

I had to bring this up.
(I like your plan by the way)

I wouldn't remove Robidas. unless you were going to bring in same age but better players. players like Robidas are essential for younger teams (according to your plan) and help them be accountable. Why is Florida so "ooh, look!" and Buffalo not languishing in crap like many thought? because of players like Luongo, Gionta and Gorges.

Phaneuf - yes, Lupul, sure, Clarkson, a miracle, but i would seriously re-consider your plan re: Robidas. I think people north of 32 need to be on this team. (talented and skilled yes, but still).

 

[WilliamNylander]

Fire Randy and trade Bozak while promoting Kadri and Holland

easy fixes

 

[Pucker77]

I had to bring this up.
(I like your plan by the way)

I wouldn't remove Robidas. unless you were going to bring in same age but better players. players like Robidas are essential for younger teams (according to your plan) and help them be accountable. Why is Florida so "ooh, look!" and Buffalo not languishing in crap like many thought? because of players like Luongo, Gionta and Gorges.

Phaneuf - yes, Lupul, sure, Clarkson, a miracle, but i would seriously re-consider your plan re: Robidas. I think people north of 32 need to be on this team. (talented and skilled yes, but still).

I understand why you say that, but what I had intended was for cap relief. When the Leafs first signed Robidas I was excited because living on the west coast I saw a lot of Stars games and knew what he would bring to the Leafs. With that said, Robidas has been scratched a few times and if he is getting scratched with the way the Leafs have been playing it scares me. (Im sure some of that has to do with no offseason training or training camp while he was recovering from his second broken leg in a year)

I contemplated taking his name out of the mix but with his injury prone history and advanced age I would say to trade him and sign somebody younger and cheaper. With that said I bet people are thinking "people probably dont want Robidas for the exact reasons that you want to trade him." Thats fair, I dont expect any of my suggestions to truly happen but I like the idea of instilling new blood once players exceed their "prime years." Many suggest a players prime years to be 27-33 so I would at least look into the possibility of trades after that thrshold.

 

[showtime8]

Outside of a better possession system, this is what I would do for this team:

1. Establish a better development plan within the organization. This team is built off trades and free agents and there is no wonder there is no identity with this team. There are currently 5 players that are drafted that are on the roster (Kadri,Komarov,Rielly,Reimer & Holzer). That is awful player development and/or scouting.

Implement the Red Wings rule of thumb: A player, once drafted, must spend at least 1.5 years in the American League before they are brought up to the big club, regardless of where they were drafted. It isn't a hard thing to figure out. Guys like Tatar (almost 4 full years in the AHL), Darren Helm (2 years), Abdelkader (1.5 years), Gustav Nyqvist (almost 2 full years), Riley Sheahan (1.5 years), Nik Kronwall (1.5 years). I bring this up every time, but it isn't rocket science. There's a reason that the Red Wings works and the Leafs best prospect in the past 20 years is Tomas Kaberle or Nik Antropov? That's embarassing.


2. Go back to the Burke mold of 5 year contracts. Kessel is out of shape at the age of 27. What is he going to look like when he's 32 and the Leafs are expecting him for 30 goals? If he doesn't want 5 years, then show a backbone and get a very high return on him.

You also have instances with guys like David Clarkson where you completely handcuff yourself. And this ties in with my first point. If you actually had good development, then you wouldn't have to cave in July 1st and pay him that sort of money.


3. Fix the defensive structure, fast. That includes a team defense approach. They seem to be running around too much and not understanding assignments. That's obvious, but guys tend to avoid checks and cause turnovers. They should figure out how to take a hit (like Robidas) or not go back. And the forwards need to understand how to chip and chase off the boards. Too many times they get the puck below the hashmarks and are handcuffed because the centreman is back for support and the other winger has flown the zone.

4. Trade a lot of the big ticket contracts: The following aren't exact, but a basis of who I would try and target.

To Edmonton
F - David Clarkson with 40% retained

To Toronto
F - Matt Hendricks
*The only big contacts the Oilers have are with their youngsters. Clarkson is better than Hendricks (even if we don't want to admit it). Clarkson @ 3mill isn't terrible, but it isn't good. David plays up in their lineup and gets more minutes (also on the PP). Hendricks is a 4th liner and the only reason the Leafs do this is to shed contract and years from their books.


To Toronto
D - Zack Bogosian

To Winnipeg
D - Dion Phaneuf

*Not sure the incentive here, but Dion is the punching bag when the Leafs lose and gets no credit when they win. Leafs will have to entice the Jets to do this, by probably adding in an average prospect and picks.


To Colorado
F - Phil Kessel

To Toronto
F - Ryan O'Rielly + 1st round pick
or
F - Matt Duchene

*Highly doubt that the Avs would move Matt Duchene. Simply a pipe dream to have him in blue and white. With O'Rielly's year, he'd be the one that would get moved first. Kessel is among the league's best when it comes to scoring and the Avs are among the bottom third of the league. Not sure what gets added here.


To Arizona
D - Jake Gardiner +

To Toronto
D - Keith Yandle

*If there is a team and system that could improve a players structure it's Arizona. Gardiner is a dynamic skater and we've seen his potential, but it is a constant struggle to have his consistency. Yandle has 2 years left on his deal, but really is a bridge gap until Morgan Rielly is ready to take over the #1 minutes on the team.


To Dallas
D - Stephane Robidas

To Toronto
2015 5th round pick

*Dallas almost looked worse than the Leafs did at defence. This has more to do with who the Leafs are acquiring than anything. Robidas is a solid vet, but really I don't want anything to do with that contract after this year.


To NY Rangers
F - Tyler Bozak +

To Toronto
F - Chris Kreider
or
F - JT Miller+picks

*I think Kreider is a guy that you want on your team in the long run. Losing Bozak is huge for the Leafs right now though. I highly doubt the Rangers want to move him, but if you could convince them, he would be a very nice piece.

*Again, these aren't the exact trades that I would make but are the guys that I would target to play on the team.

Then, this is how I would contstruct the lineup:

Lupul - O'Rielly - Kreider
JVR - Kadri - Santorelli
Panik - Holland - Komarov
Hendricks - Carrick -Winnik

*Hardworking 3rd and 4th lines combined with young top 6. This roster won't win you a lot of games early on, but establishes a structure.

Yandle - Bogosian
Rielly - Franson
Percy - Polak

*Yandle and Bogosian eat up minutes for you for the next couple years while you allow Rielly and Percy to develop. The Leafs see Rielly as a Drew Doughty type and if you want him to get there, you need him to make mistakes when he's young surrounded with guys that will help. Then Rielly goes up to the top pairing, Percy moves up to the 2nd pairing and you bring in a guy like Loov or Finn to play on the bottom pairing. Then it becomes a better situation for players to come into and guys that you draft might actually have a chance to play.


5. Figure out who the coach is and give him a 7 year contract. If Carlyle has to go, then so be it. Figure out who can establish a system and be given the players to actually run the system.

 

[Ratboy]

Trade the whole roster for Anaheim. so simple.

 

[Willchel Marlynder]

Kessel for Jones + 1st
Phaneuf for ROR
Bozak + Lupul for E.Kane

Fire Carlyle. Hire Babcock/Hunter/somebody

-------------------------

Next year:

JVR - Nylander - ROR
Kane - Kadri - Santorelli
Komarov - Holland - Clarkson
Panik - Gauthier - Winnik
-Broll/Brown/Leivo/TOR 1st/NAS 1st

Rielly - Jones
Gardiner - Franson
Percy - Polak
Robidas
-/Loov/Granberg/Finn/Holzer/TOR 1st/NAS 1st

Bernier
Reimer

First trade works. No way second trade works and third trade is just a pipe dream. Phanuef and Bozak for Evander is more likely and personally I'm OK with that.

 

[Willchel Marlynder]

Not enough depth at C to trade Kadri or Bozak, they are both here for at least 2 years. Lupul does unfortunately look like he will be the one traded should management make room for Franson and can't unload Clarkson

Not enough depth? You trade Bozak for anything good. Kadri can stay as his rounding out will make him a good to great 2nd or 3rd line center who can play on the 1st line. Our top 10 draft pick should be a center and you hope Him and Nylander and Kadri can provide a lethal 1-2-3 punch. Even if Nylander isn't ready next year, Kadri as the number 1 for 2015-2016 is OK with me. He might really emerge with the added responsibility. Someone like Holland, Santorelli or a UFA stop gap can play as the 2nd line center.

 

[Trapper]

The plan going forward should be simple.
Re-organize the strength of this team.
Trade whoever/whatever to:

1. Build down the center of the ice. Need a 1 C.
2. Build the defense. Need a 1 D.
3. Shed salary.

 

[The CyNick]

The plan going forward should be simple.
Re-organize the strength of this team.
Trade whoever/whatever to:

1. Build down the center of the ice. Need a 1 C.
2. Build the defense. Need a 1 D.
3. Shed salary.

underpants gnomb theory. i like it

 

[Trapper]

underpants gnomb theory. i like it

Yes as opposed to the failure-tolerant Leader strategy currently employed.
The growing acceptance of failure is changing the way companies approach innovation.
Nobody beats us.

 

[The CyNick]

Yes as opposed to the failure-tolerant Leader strategy currently employed.
The growing acceptance of failure is changing the way companies approach innovation.
Nobody beats us.

vs your innovation of "just get better players yo"