Are Leaf fans finally ready for a rebuild now.

[darrylsittler27]

I would like to setup a poll to see if leaf fans have finally woken up and are ready for a rebuild or are still in dreamland and want to watch a loser for years to come. If the sentiment of the fans is accepting of refool or rebuild?

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[Boreal01]

We just had a rebuild...

 

[Trapper]

I would like to setup a poll to see if leaf fans have finally woken up and are ready for a rebuild or are still in dreamland and want to watch a loser for years to come. If the sentiment of the fans is accepting of refool or rebuild?

I've called for a rebuild for the past 8 years.
My answer is yes. This core is flawed.

 

[Daisy Jane]

I don't get why fans are getting lumped into the "re-tool" thing. Leaf fans wanted a rebuild when Burke first got here. That's what we were clamoring for.

Burke came here with his bluster and sayings and said "Draft Schmaft!" and traded for Kessel. Now you can paint the lipstick on the pig and point out the positives. I like Phil, but instead of accepting the fact that he made a mistake (his words - he "overestimated the team."). we kept falling flat over and over again, and then (His words) we could get so and so for a 1st round pick, then trade So and So for the 1st pick, and take the time to rebuild the team.

But he didn't. He wanted all the credit when the Leafs made the playoffs last year, but now it's Nonis's team [when the record shows - Nonis only added 3 new players, majority of this team is still Burke's + the same coach], and it's now "Nonis's team, so he'll have to talk about the struggles." Ahuh.

then he goes to Calgary and goes "We are going to build through the draft, and do things slowly here."

 

[Purity*]

Dougie Hamilton and Tyler Seguin would be damn good to start a rebuild.

 

[ECanuck]

We just had a rebuild...

We Had A Retool. First you have to have a rebuild to have a retool. But, most guys come in here and retool right of way which doesn't work 95 percent of the time.
Need to draft some studs first then you can retool properly. It's very difficult to get your core players through trades now. Forget it.

 

[ShortSideFlick]

In the title, please replace "finally" with "still". And my answer is yes, let's do it already.

This time without the pseudo burke style half rebuild where you give up the highest pick the team has had in ages (a franchise centre building block). How many franchises have ever been this bad for this long and never picked higher than 5. Absolutely brutal. Just do right, no shortcuts this time.

 

[Havoc]

First line is fine. Raymond Kulemin and McClement can stay for bottom six. Rebuild the rest.

Defense should be okay once Franson leaves and we get rid of this 7 d garbage.

 

[cack]

We just had a rebuild...

The Leafs have never had a full out rebuild and MLSE is no different from past owners, fans can protest all they want but it will not happen. The owners pull the strings and they will always do just enough to give fans a new hope.

 

[darrylsittler27]

And dont forget we are a critical juncture.

Many of our players will lose value next year and will be too old by the time this team competes.Many may have no value right now i.e Lupul. Phanueff may fetch a 2nd rounder or late first. But Kessel,Bozak's value will never go much higher.

We never had a rebuild,so don't say it.

 

[StringsAttached]

This is just me but another rebuild would take yearsss, i'll be like 30 then (omg noooo!) i'm not patient enough for that but if it comes to finally becoming contenders...who knows I may change my mind.

I love Kessel but we could have had Hamilton/Seguin...

Seguin is a #1C - his ceiling is unbelievably high and he is the player we've been looking for since Sundin. (not the same player but hey he's definitely an elite center). Hamilton hasn't been as impressive as he was made out to be but regardless, he's a 6'5 RHD...in a perfect world him and Mo Riles would have torn this league up in a few years.

fml I don't know what to do at this point...

 

[achtungbaby]

Holy God yes!! Have been waiting for years. We're probably going to keep trying with this core until Phil starts regressing though. Maybe Tim will do us a solid and demand one.

 

[TML FTW*]

We do not need a full rebuild.

 

[Suntouchable13]

First line is fine. Raymond Kulemin and McClement can stay for bottom six. Rebuild the rest.

Defense should be okay once Franson leaves and we get rid of this 7 d garbage.

No, first line is not fine. We will not go anywhere with Bozak as our top C. I just don't think so.

 

[darrylsittler27]

Go away brian!

We do not need a full rebuild.

This is serious now.

 

[Cor]

Thing us, we don't even need a full blown rebuild.

Phil Kessel
Dion Phaneuf
James van Reimsdyk
Morgan Rielly
Jonathan Bernier
Nazem Kadri
Jake Gardiner
Tyler Bozak

Are all great pieces to build with. Add in young bottom 6 guys like Ashton, D'Amigo, Komarov, Holland

And then prospects we have that will be ready soon, Finn, Percy, Granberg, Leivo, Gauthier, Carrick

Next year, just including this "core"

JVR - Bozak - Kessel
XXXXX - Kadri - XXXXX
Komarov - Holland - XXXXX
D'Amigo - XXXXX - Ashton

XXXXX - Phaneuf
Rielly - XXXXX
Gardiner - Granberg/Percy

Bernier
XXXXX

Then you add in Clarkson, Gleason, Gunnarsson, Lupul who we have signed past this season, that can be kept, or traded in deals that get us the missing pieces.

We are still VERY young, we just need to move a guy like Lupul, maybe with Reimer for a guy like Andrew Ladd to play with Kadri, and then look at signing Moulson/Vanek to be the scorer for that line.

Clarkson probably plugs in on that 3rd line, McClement would be the 4th guy, as he is probably back, or a guy like Marcel Goc.

There are several guys in FA we can look at to fill the defensive D we need, and a backup goalie isn't that hard to find.

 

[achtungbaby]

We do not need a full rebuild.

Now where did we hear that before?

 

[socko]

Rebuilding is for suckers. When is the last time that the Detroit Red Wings did a rebuild? Some time in the 1980s? Edmonton has been rebuilding for a few years now. How about you just get a better GM that doesn't pay $5 million a year for a guy who can't skate? And skip the rebuilding.

 

[Swarez]

No, first line is not fine. We will not go anywhere with Bozak as our top C. I just don't think so.

If we had a 2nd line that could play two way hockey I think bozak would be fine. Kadri/lupol either don't or can't play d which leads to lots of problems. I really think this is an over looked part of the equation every playoff team in the east has either a 1st or 2nd line that is solid defensively, we don't.

 

[rdawg1234]

Don't need a rebuild if we make smart trades here.

We have some great pieces on the team already, and some pieces that have value, the team just doesnt gel well.

As i've said numerous times we were on the rise last year and had a great identity and looked like we just needed to round out the team.

But instead we upgraded one position(bernier) and thought we upgraded with Clarkson but actually got much worse in both offense and even defence. We lost our tough mentality, got rid of offensive depth that helped us last year(i.e frattin) and got rid of guys with a lot of passion in clutch situations(MacA, Grabo, Komarov)

I dont miss MacA and Grabo, but their replacements(Raymond, Clarkson) bring nothing in terms of passion and dissapear in big games.

 

[Teeder9]

We do not need a full rebuild.

In the sense that we trade everyone and build around JVR, Rielly, and Bernier, than you're right

 

[ECanuck]

Rebuilding is for suckers. When is the last time that the Detroit Red Wings did a rebuild? Some time in the 1980s? Edmonton has been rebuilding for a few years now. How about you just get a better GM that doesn't pay $5 million a year for a guy who can't skate? And skip the rebuilding.

They do the rebuild. Detroit brings up their draft picks late. 25 years is when they break into the team most of the time. But a lot of the core players they draft themselves.

 

[ChuckWoods]

As some people have suggested, we don't need a "full" rebuild.

This team has some bright young pieces in place with the likes of; Bernier, Rielly, Gardiner, JVR and Kessel.

Is Kessel going to captain a team to the Stanley Cup? No.

But he's not a piece that should be relied upon for that sort of leadership. That sort of fire power and one shot striking ability a huge piece to be a contender.


Our major holes are clear, they're systematic and it lacks leadership.

I've always been a Dion Phaneuf fan, but not as a Captain, and not as a #1.

What this team needs is to shed some layers and start bringing in the youth that is currently in our system.

Not overpaying for Kulemin, Bolland, McClement, Raymond and Franson is going to be crucial this off-season to see this team pushed into the right direction.


I am completely content with a top line of; JVR-Bozak-Kessel, as long as it can be supplemented with a secondary scoring unit that can ease some pressure off of that very productive line.

Lupul is a good start on the wing, if he's paired with the right Center. I don't believe Kadri has a place on this team and should be looked at as an option to move this summer to shore up our middle.

I wouldn't be shocked to see him being shopped this summer with Reimer and the rights to several other pieces.

Yes he's highly talented, but he's a difficult player to coach and harness into a system. He's either going to get it, or he's not.


This team first needs to remove Carlyle to see what it can do in a system that can potentially suit the core better. If this team fails to provide further results then we'd see some significant shake ups where nearly everyone but Reilly and Bernier is an option to be shown the door.

 

[Faltorvo]

This is just me but another rebuild would take yearsss, i'll be like 30 then (omg noooo!) i'm not patient enough for that but if it comes to finally becoming contenders...who knows I may change my mind.

I love Kessel but we could have had Hamilton/Seguin...

Seguin is a #1C - his ceiling is unbelievably high and he is the player we've been looking for since Sundin. (not the same player but hey he's definitely an elite center). Hamilton hasn't been as impressive as he was made out to be but regardless, he's a 6'5 RHD...in a perfect world him and Mo Riles would have torn this league up in a few years.

fml I don't know what to do at this point...

OMG man what exactly did you expect of Hamilton , the kid is only 20 years old and in his first full NHL season. 60 gp 25 points and + 23.

If he was here he would be talked about with Riels as our 1/2 pairing for the next 15 years.

 

[Swarez]

Rebuilding is for suckers. When is the last time that the Detroit Red Wings did a rebuild? Some time in the 1980s? Edmonton has been rebuilding for a few years now. How about you just get a better GM that doesn't pay $5 million a year for a guy who can't skate? And skip the rebuilding.

A team that has made the playoffs 22 straight year hasn't rebuilt??? Shocking.