7 years ago....

Pebble live

Registered User
Oct 17, 2021
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682
Looks similar to our lineup outside of Matthews, Marner and Nylander - none of which Dubas brought in.
I'd add JT in there for sure but that's pretty accurate lol Outside of the big 4 up front the forwards is one of my all time disliked groups.

We have a much better defensive group now though. The organization has to grow some balls and do something about Rielly and obviously we need to find a stud # 1.

The prospect pool is more exciting now as well.
 

ClarkSittler

Registered User
Mar 25, 2014
1,585
1,614
Ah the good ole days of Tank nation, warms my heart. Thought for sure with all the high picks we had every year we'd have a cup by now.

Silly me.
 

Gabriel426

Registered User
Jun 30, 2015
16,765
10,405
Say what you will, but I respect the 2015-16 Leafs for being purpose built to tank but do so in an honourable way, setting up the fairytale Auston Matthews draft.
Well, I don't think they intend to tank for AM. It was more like if they want to get assets for expiring contracts by signing UFAs on one year deal and boast up their stats while also doing that to a few of the contracts they had. Before all the injuries occurred, they were like 6 pts off the playoffs race. \
When guys like JVR and Bozak went down plus the already injured Willie from WJC and the Dion trade, thats pretty much seal the fate of that team. Just surprised Bernier, PAP and Grabner didn't get traded at TDL.
 

IPS

Registered User
Sep 28, 2017
15,596
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it's sad how pathetic the roster Dubas built around what he inherited is , i guess that's why his supporters keep trying to give him credit for players he didn't bring in
Pretty much. Then usually comes the part of "but he re-signed them!"

Wow he retained franchise changing talent (at a terrible cost), how revolutionary.

Left off Tavares for....reasons?

So what you are saying is that the big 3 are being underpaid relative to their worth?

Gotta agree with that.
Tavares is his, you're correct about that.
 
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Stephen

Moderator
Feb 28, 2002
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Well, I don't think they intend to tank for AM. It was more like if they want to get assets for expiring contracts by signing UFAs on one year deal and boast up their stats while also doing that to a few of the contracts they had. Before all the injuries occurred, they were like 6 pts off the playoffs race. \
When guys like JVR and Bozak went down plus the already injured Willie from WJC and the Dion trade, thats pretty much seal the fate of that team. Just surprised Bernier, PAP and Grabner didn't get traded at TDL.

110% believe their mission was to get themselves into the best position possible to get the Auston Matthews pick.

I think they should have moved Grabner for sure. I believe Parenteau was injured at some point which prevented him from being traded. Kind of crazy how many picks the Leafs got for Daniel Winnik over the years. Kind of feel like we could use a Daniel Winnik now...
 
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Mess

Global Moderator
Feb 27, 2002
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Say what you will, but I respect the 2015-16 Leafs for being purpose built to tank but do so in an honourable way, setting up the fairytale Auston Matthews draft.
I've long believed you're either" Winning the Cup" or "Winning the Draft" and selecting #1 overall as the optimal finishes to any season.

Everything in the middle is simply various degrease of failure or opportunity lost to achieve those to outcomes.

Therefore winning the Auston Matthews draft was the next best thing to winning it all that year and like you have great respect for that team to do what was needed to achieve its desired intent. .
 

Stephen

Moderator
Feb 28, 2002
79,009
53,940
I've long believed you're either" Winning the Cup" or "Winning the Draft" and selecting #1 overall as the optimal finishes to any season.

Everything in the middle is simply various degrease of failure or opportunity lost to achieve those to outcomes.

Therefore winning the Auston Matthews draft was the next best thing to winning it all that year and like you have great respect for that team to do what was needed to achieve its desired intent. .

Tanking when you have a mediocre team is really the reasonable approach to move up again and that season set up the franchise well for this current era.
 

Buds17

Registered User
Nov 29, 2015
8,278
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Well, I don't think they intend to tank for AM. It was more like if they want to get assets for expiring contracts by signing UFAs on one year deal and boast up their stats while also doing that to a few of the contracts they had. Before all the injuries occurred, they were like 6 pts off the playoffs race. \
When guys like JVR and Bozak went down plus the already injured Willie from WJC and the Dion trade, thats pretty much seal the fate of that team. Just surprised Bernier, PAP and Grabner didn't get traded at TDL.
Trading Kessel (with long-term retention) for futures and signing players to one-year deals with the hope of later moving them for assets are precisely the kind of moves made by a team planning to tank/bottom out. Trading away Phaneuf was a further example of a team trying to remove the highest paid/longest commitments from the books.
 
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Cleetus

"snot"
Jan 2, 2012
20,010
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North!
Trading Kessel (with long-term retention) for futures and signing players to one-year deals with the hope of later moving them for assets are precisely the kind of moves made by a team planning to tank/bottom out.
Wish we still had Daniel Winnik, that man gave us lots of draft picks! he was the gift that kept on giving! lol
 
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Buds17

Registered User
Nov 29, 2015
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Wish we still had Daniel Winnik, that man gave us lots of draft picks! he was the gift that kept on giving! lol
Part of me hated to see him traded away that second time after he once again signed a UFA deal with the club (the two year contract obviously helped nicely with the return on that second trade). Team player!
 
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LeafsNation75

Registered User
Jan 15, 2010
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Toronto, Ontario
"The end justifies the means" ... It was all worth setting the stage for Auston Matthews.
Even though the Leafs finished last place overall, it only guaranteed them the best odds in the draft lottery for the 1st overall pick to select Auston Matthews.

They won it with the number combinations of 6-8-5-13. Based on the first three numbers they could only have got the 1st pick if the #13 ball happened to be drawn.


Consider Saturday a night of redemption. The Maple Leafs, who entered with the best odds for the No. 1 overall pick, had some of the worst odds to win the lottery after the first three balls climbed up the chute.

Six. Eight. Five.

No. 13 was the only ball left that could deliver the No. 1 pick to Toronto. It was a scant 9 per cent shot.

The Edmonton Oilers nearly pulled off Grand Theft Lotto for the fifth time. They were one of three teams, along with Winnipeg and Columbus, with two balls in the mix and the best odds.

The Maple Leafs hit the jackpot.
 

Hellcat

Registered User
Jul 13, 2022
2,163
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How?.. What? Who? How? WTF.. how did we ever get that crappy?

Left off Tavares for....reasons?

So what you are saying is that the big 3 are being underpaid relative to their worth?

Gotta agree with that.

LOL ... masterful at stirring the pot....LOL

Kadri and Komarov.

Real Heart.

would not fit with our current team.

Me no understand ... what is this heart thing you speak of ? There is a reason why teams are so reluctant to trade heart and soul guys ...
 

Ianturnedbull

Registered User
Jun 11, 2022
5,016
4,530
still my favorite

number 47.


the 2015-2016 season would still make it seven years ago? early 2016?
Ok. So we had Lupul, Bozak, Gardiner, Rielly, Phaneuf, etc. The OP's roster is taking some of the most mediocre players and calling it "our team 7 years ago". It wasn't. I get it though. We have a better team now, but putting Kadri there as our number 1 center, Winnick, Grabner, Leivo, etc. as our top 6 is simply not true.
 

FerrisRox

"Wanna go, Prettyboy?"
Sep 17, 2003
20,336
13,038
Toronto, Ontario


Seeing Grabner's name reminds me of that bizarre trade the Leafs made to acquire him.

The Leafs traded Taylor Beck, Tom Nilsson, Matt Finn, Christopher Gibson and Carter Verhaeghe to the Islander for Michael Grabner.

Grabner scored 9 goals and 18 points in 80 games for the Leafs and then left as a free agent.

He then joined the Rangers the following season and scored 27 goals. The year after that, he had 25 goals in just 59 games for the Rangers, who then dealt him to the Devils where he scored just 2 goals in the next 21 games.

Verhaeghe, who was part of the bizarre five player package to acquire Grabner has 28-goals this year.

Odd trade to say the least.
 

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