Chelios: No veteran free agent wanted to play for Babcock

[LeafFever]

I don't agree with the assumption that veteran players wouldn't want to play for Babcock. Sinking to this level of argument is weak. Pick 3 underwhelming FA signings and act like that is the only narrative.

Successful veteran FA signings severely outweigh the unsuccessful signings. Eriksson* has been a slow starter wherever he has been. He's under all criticism right now but there are a lot of factors at play here.

Aren't Leaf fans willing to give their soul/mother to the devil for a shot at signing Tavares?

Whatever happened to the Leafnation meltdown over Stamkos coming, and then not coming?

No. Things have changed. They are stacked at centre with young, cheap talent. The Stamkos talk was before they got the #1 pick and a franchise centre.
Besides, Brian Boyle seem to have no issues.
Signing UFAs are a very small part to building a winner in the cap era. I don't see the typical 6 years/6 million deal for veterens on July 1st as being a way to build.

 

[Neutral Hockey Fan]

Can't you please list the severly out weighing number of veteran free agents who have come in and made a huge impact on a team versus the busts recently (since 2005)

I'd like to see this list of his as well. I'm assuming they have a list, seeing as how they made the claim but never backed it up, of course

 

[therealkoho]

There's no room for Tavares on the Leafs.

It really doesn't matter if there's room or not! Tavares won't go to Toronto, because Chelios said that vets don't like Babcock, and by vets he means he hates Babcock and that in itself, not only makes it so, but gives it the all out gravity of a tweet

 

[Voight]

He's a ridiculously overrated coach who rode the coattails of a top 5 alltime D and a ton of other star players yet still underachieved with a Detroit team that was better than the Chicago squads that won 3 cups, and has been a 2nd round exit or worse coach since the Wings core peaked 8 years ago.

Overrated coach yet nearly beat peak NJD in the finals with a hodge-podge Anaheim team, and also nearly won back to back cups.

Also Detroit hasn't had a better team than us since '09. We have been deeper and better since.

 

[Seedling]

I remember Scotty Bowman was ridiculously hard to play for too, but the players would forgive him because they'd win.

Yes, but Ilitch also bought every free agent and gave them ridiculous contracts. That is a big factor too in the pre-cap era.

 

[BlueWhite]

Jurco

There’s so much stuff to do,†Jurco said about Chicago, during an interview with the Chicago Tribune. “In Detroit, we were so bored, my girlfriend and I, we didn’t know what to do. … There wasn’t much to do. Here there’s so much stuff to do.

-Tomas Jurco

Maybe it's the city and having to work with an out fit that would employ Chelios.Here we have a guy that threatened Bettman and his families lives.

 

[Leafs87]

I'd like to see this list of his as well. I'm assuming they have a list, seeing as how they made the claim but never backed it up, of course

I'm assuming it doesn't exist

 

[These Are The Days]

Yeah but when it comes to the Olympics all the vets are on their knees praising babs

Considering they don't have to put up with him for an entire season and win a medal I'm sure they do.

 

[ECanuck]

Jurco

-Tomas Jurco

Maybe it's the city and having to work with an out fit that would employ Chelios.Here we have a guy that threatened Bettman and his families lives.

That's Gold. Can't believe he had the stones to say that (even though it's a heat of the moment thing).

 

[EXPECT THE LEAFS]

Jurco

-Tomas Jurco

Maybe it's the city and having to work with an out fit that would employ Chelios.Here we have a guy that threatened Bettman and his families lives.

I didn't hear any threats... he's just stating potential outcomes.

 

[Wendelstache]

I have to admit this Zack hyman stuff is frustrating.

Great coach, but i'm sick of the Hyman and Ben Smith love.

Hyman is a good 4th liner not someone you put with Matthews.

Ben Smith is borderline beer leaguer.

 

[Hawksfan2828]

Jurco

-Tomas Jurco

Maybe it's the city and having to work with an out fit that would employ Chelios.Here we have a guy that threatened Bettman and his families lives.

What a clown.... Could you imagine a player saying that today?

 

[Hockeyfan2390]

I am responding to the questioning Chris Chelios' work ethic on the ice. Chelios is a guy you would typically expect Babcock to love. A guy that would run through a wall for his team and made solid puck decisions shift after shift.

When he was on Chicago he took some pretty cheap shots on Yzerman. I always remembered that, so like when other teams would rag on him for being dirty I really didn't defend it. Chelios crossed the line lots throughout his career and was a very mean hockey player. Just loved to compete, that is a part of why he played until he flat out couldn't anymore.

Ah, I read your post wrong then; I thought you meant something about Babcock and Yzerman.

 

[Hockeyfan2390]

Chris Chelios's opinion means nothing.

Geez, stil bitter about him leaving in 1999?

 

[Birko19]

A lot of people can speculate all they want, the coach is hard to please, the city is boring, the media is mean, etc. At the end of the day none of this matters if you have a team that is consistently competing for the cup, top free agents will come regardless of all this other stuff for a chance to win the cup.

The main reason why top vets have not come to Detroit lately had very little to do with Babcock or the city of Detroit, it's the team. Back in the day we had Bowman who was just as bad if not worse than Babcock, in fact Babcock actually picked up a pointer or two from him when he arrived to Detroit, and I would not be surprised if this was something he learned from Scotty. Despite that, we were able to get veterans like Hull, Robitaille, Verbeek, Duchesne, etc.

I think what helped Detroit is they built a winning environment and had their main core players adapt to that culture, this made it easier for free agents to get over the coach or city. This is pretty much what the Leafs are doing now with their young core.

 

[DanZ]

No. Things have changed. They are stacked at centre with young, cheap talent. The Stamkos talk was before they got the #1 pick and a franchise centre.
Besides, Brian Boyle seem to have no issues.
Signing UFAs are a very small part to building a winner in the cap era. I don't see the typical 6 years/6 million deal for veterens on July 1st as being a way to build.

The Stamkos talk was well after they knew they were drafting #1. Nice revisionist history.

 

[DanZ]

Jurco

-Tomas Jurco

Maybe it's the city and having to work with an out fit that would employ Chelios.Here we have a guy that threatened Bettman and his families lives.

Jurco's just bitter and looking for someone else to blame for his failure's as a player. Detroit has historically had zero problem attracting big name free agents, across multiple sports, until Babcock.

 

[FrozenJagrt]

Jurco's just bitter and looking for someone else to blame for his failure's as a player. Detroit has historically had zero problem attracting big name free agents, across multiple sports, until Babcock.

What big names has Detroit even gone after? They landed Hossa, struck out on Stamkos (can't blame Babcock there), who else is there? I'm surely missing some.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Jurco's just bitter and looking for someone else to blame for his failure's as a player. Detroit has historically had zero problem attracting big name free agents, across multiple sports, until Babcock.

Babcock's first year in Detroit also happened to be the first one under the salary cap so you're not exactly comparing apples to apples here with Detroit's history of signing free agents.

 

[Hammettf2b]

Great coach, but i'm sick of the Hyman and Ben Smith love.

Hyman is a good 4th liner not someone you put with Matthews.

Ben Smith is borderline beer leaguer.

Get used to it. Just be thankful your GM is not Ken Holland that would reward these guys with stupid contracts.

 

[Grandrift145]

Aren't all free agents vets? If he means borderline NHLer vets, good.

 

[Hockeyfan2390]

What big names has Detroit even gone after? They landed Hossa, struck out on Stamkos (can't blame Babcock there), who else is there? I'm surely missing some.

Suter/Parise in 2012. I think Holland thought signing Suter was a sure-thing because he was becoming a FA right at the same time Lidstrom retired.

Once that plan fell through, he didn't have a plan B. At least that's how I see it.

 

[Redline]

Haha, Chelios.
His mouth always did fire up before his brain activated.

 

[LeafFever]

The Stamkos talk was well after they knew they were drafting #1. Nice revisionist history.

The Leafs won the lottery in late April.

 

[DanZ]

Babcock's first year in Detroit also happened to be the first one under the salary cap so you're not exactly comparing apples to apples here with Detroit's history of signing free agents.

Still shows that the city has nothing to do with it.