Best Chance of Winning the Cup is...

[roosterman]

We have heard the debate many, many times. What method of building the Leafs has the best chance of building a Stanley Cup winner (not just making the playoffs)? The kind of team that can consistantly compete with the best teams in the league. When you answer this question it is important to consider the age of our best players. Kessel (26) and Phaneuf (29) are getting older and will they be at their prime when the Leafs are ready to contend?

Option 1 - Continue to build / develop / trade our way to the top. This implies that we will not tank for a chance to draft a top end blue chip prospect.

Option 2 - Trade the likes of Kessel, Phaneuf, etc. for high end prospects, finish at or very near the bottom of the league and draft blue chip prospects (McDavid, etc.).

Vote away.

Click to read more...

 

[Peasy]

Nice poll.

But 2, I don't see this core winning anything tbh.

 

[HEAVY DUTY]

option 1

 

[Peace Frog]

Option 2 would be my choice. Trade for picks and top prospects and build through the draft. Hey, it's the only thing the Leafs haven't tried, so it's likely the way we should go (but won't).

 

[TMLegend]

option 1

Please elaborate.

 

[Feenom]

When we are a bad team we're not bad enough to get a top 3 draft pick so I say just develop through the draft and have patience...oh wait.

 

[HEAVY DUTY]

Please elaborate.

please see oilers and islanders.

this roster has issues, but we don't have to go far as to dismantle it and start from scratch. tanking isn't the only way to build good teams. drafting well and making good trades can do wonders as well.

 

[threeGo]

Option 2. I'd trade Phaneuf, Lupul and Clarkson (unlikely). I'd hold onto Kessel as he's 26 would still be in his prime if we did manage to get McDavid (he'll have 4 years nhl experience by the time Kessel is 30/31). But if Kessel can also get us the 2nd overall pick then we can have McDavid + Eichel.

Rebuilded team: Team still has veterans on it so we likely won't end up like the Oilers.

JVR - McDavid - Kessel
Kadri - Nylander - Holland <-- this line has 3 centers. Might need to trade Holland and get someone who is big and plays wing.
Komarov - Bozak - Clarkson
xx - xx- xx

Reilly - XX
Gardiner - XX
Fin - XX

Bernier
XX

Obviously still have some holes but we do have our 1st line set here and have the main pieces of a solid team #1C, #1D, #1G. We can fill out the missing spots through pieces we get for Phaneuf, Lupul or Free Agency. This is when Free Agency works for a team because you don't depend on it to produce your core pieces.

 

[johnny_rudeboy]

Option 2 would be my choice. Trade for picks and top prospects and build through the draft. Hey, it's the only thing the Leafs haven't tried, so it's likely the way we should go (but won't).

Bingo. Rebuilding is not a guarantee but it is the best way. Hawks, Kings, Pens etc would not have won their cups had they not rebuilt and added high picks.

 

[leafstilldeath*]

Sorry guys as awesome as Kessel is he is NOT the guy you build around. He is an additional asset you acquire when you think you are set (ex: Gaborik by Kings).

Quite frankly its an absolute shame that we have no one to build around with 10 years of sucking. May be Reilly I guess. But seriously WTFranson!!!



I used to be one of the guys that always favoured Burke. but seeing what he is doing with the Flames seriously **** HIM. **** THAT MOTHER ****ER!

Flames now have Mohanan and Bennett

Leafs have what? ****ing tyler bozak? ****ing BS

 

[PuckMagi]

We have the potential to beat any team in the league IMO. It's often that we beat the good teams and lose to the bad teams.

We've got a great goalie, one of the top goal scorers... we've got a lot of talent... I like our team a lot right now and I think we've got as good a chance to win as anyone in the East.

 

[cack]

They are doing option A and option B.

 

[Feenom]

We have the potential to beat any team in the league IMO. It's often that we beat the good teams and lose to the bad teams.

We've got a great goalie, one of the top goal scorers... we've got a lot of talent... I like our team a lot right now and I think we've got as good a chance to win as anyone in the East.

Shanny?

 

[TheThrill81*]

Bingo. Rebuilding is not a guarantee but it is the best way. Hawks, Kings, Pens etc would not have won their cups had they not rebuilt and added high picks.

The Pens didn't rebuild, they tanked. There's a subtle difference.

 

[johnny_rudeboy]

Option 2. I'd trade Phaneuf, Lupul and Clarkson (unlikely). I'd hold onto Kessel as he's 26 would still be in his prime if we did manage to get McDavid (he'll have 4 years nhl experience by the time Kessel is 30/31). But if Kessel can also get us the 2nd overall pick then we can have McDavid + Eichel.

Rebuilded team: Team still has veterans on it so we likely won't end up like the Oilers.

JVR - McDavid - Kessel
Kadri - Nylander - Holland <-- this line has 3 centers. Might need to trade Holland and get someone who is big and plays wing.
Komarov - Bozak - Clarkson
xx - xx- xx

Reilly - XX
Gardiner - XX
Fin - XX

Bernier
XX

Obviously still have some holes but we do have our 1st line set here and have the main pieces of a solid team #1C, #1D, #1G. We can fill out the missing spots through pieces we get for Phaneuf, Lupul or Free Agency. This is when Free Agency works for a team because you don't depend on it to produce your core pieces.

Keeping Kessel is likely since even do he is 27 next season our top picks would still benefit from his prime years. But Kessel getting us Eichel is unrealistic. First of all the value is not there. And who ever ends up with the 2nd overall would have no intentions of adding a then 28 year old winger when they can have an 18 year old soon to be franchise center.

 

[threeGo]

We have the potential to beat any team in the league IMO. It's often that we beat the good teams and lose to the bad teams.

We've got a great goalie, one of the top goal scorers... we've got a lot of talent... I like our team a lot right now and I think we've got as good a chance to win as anyone in the East.

Lol. I guess you're happy with 1 playoff experience in over 10 years. Your hope in winning the east hinges on everyone almost everyone having a career year, with no injury problems and their disappearing act in crucial games disappearing. This is not going to happen.

 

[johnny_rudeboy]

The Pens didn't rebuild, they tanked. There's a subtle difference.

LA kind of did that as well. Trading away your captain, best forwards and best defenseman in a year is considered tanking. Even the Hawks traded away some really good players but I think they are more a case of incompetence turning out to something good.

 

[roosterman]

We have the potential to beat any team in the league IMO. It's often that we beat the good teams and lose to the bad teams.

We've got a great goalie, one of the top goal scorers... we've got a lot of talent... I like our team a lot right now and I think we've got as good a chance to win as anyone in the East.

wow... remember the goal is to compete for the cup on a consistant basis.

 

[Leaf Rocket]

Tank eh....

Hmm aside from the penguins and hawks...let's list some teams that's been tanking recently:

Atlanta Thrashers/Winnpeg Jets, Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators(daigle, zibanejad...blah blah), Hell let's also throw in the Washington Capitals.

Must i continue?

 

[ChickenMcNugget]

Option 1: we already have a lot of top 10 overall picks in the lineup. Kessel, JVR, Rielly, Kadri and Phaneuf. There's no sense in thinking that another Top 5 pick will magically turn this team around, Just look at the Oilers. What we need is a good coach and some depth in our group to take us to the next level

 

[TMLegend]

Tank eh....

Hmm aside from the penguins and hawks...let's list some teams that's been tanking recently:

Atlanta Thrashers/Winnpeg Jets, Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators(daigle, zibanejad...blah blah), Hell let's also throw in the Washington Capitals.

Must i continue?

Clearly the path the Leafs are on right now will lead the Leafs to sustained success right? Because that's what you're insinuating.

It's impossible to build upon a core as flawed and rotten as this one. We'll never win a damn thing with Kessel and Phaneuf on this team, and you can quote me on that.

 

[JMcLeaf]

Tank eh....

Hmm aside from the penguins and hawks...let's list some teams that's been tanking recently:

Atlanta Thrashers/Winnpeg Jets, Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators(daigle, zibanejad...blah blah), Hell let's also throw in the Washington Capitals.

Must i continue?

All have very bright futures IMO. Expecting great seasons from Columbus and Dallas next season. To be fair though Columbus and Dallas weren't built the way they are from tanking. Just good management.

 

[Grant]

Went with Option 1.

For tanking and building through the draft, you still need competent management to build a team and I am fully convinced we won't have that so I think that our best chance is to just do what we do and hope we go on some fluke cinderella run to the cup.

 

[TheThrill81*]

Clearly the path the Leafs are on right now will lead the Leafs to sustained success right? Because that's what you're insinuating.

I'm curious as to how trading Phaneuf and Kessel will get us multiple blue chip prospects. How exactly does that work? Is this a fairy tale land where bottom feeders who aren't contending are willing to just give away their draft picks to the Leafs?

 

[roosterman]

Tank eh....

Hmm aside from the penguins and hawks...let's list some teams that's been tanking recently:

Atlanta Thrashers/Winnpeg Jets, Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators(daigle, zibanejad...blah blah), Hell let's also throw in the Washington Capitals.

Must i continue?

I counter this logic with...

Winnipeg, Florida, Columbus, Ottawa are not in the same catagory as the Leafs as the Leafs will be able to spend to the cap when needed and will be able to retain their blue chip prospects.

Dallas, Buffalo have not tanked and drafted blue chip prospects. Only recently has Buffalo finished really low and it's too early to tell where they will be.

Edmonton is the classic case of a tank gone wrong.

I would say look at teams like Pitts (crosby, malkin), Chicago (toews, kane, keith), LA (doughty, koptiar), Van (Sedins) who were able to draft blue chip prospects and build around them.

There are no guarantees either way but which method of development has a better chance of building a consistant stanley cup competitor?