Speculation: Is Lou really all that great.

MR4

Registered User
Oct 20, 2014
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Let's remember among the teams on Kessel's approved trade list it was only the Penguins who would talk about trading for him.

If anything I think people hated the Leafs agreeing to take on $1.2 million of his contract.
Which we only had to do because Kunitz and their other possible cap dump both had NTCs that they refused to waive to come here.
 

Suntouchable13

Registered User
Dec 20, 2003
43,031
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Toronto, ON
I am very glad he is gone. While he does deserve credit for bringing the Leafs back to respectability. We made the playoffs for 2 straight seasons for the first time in a very long time but I just don't think he can build a Stanley Cup contender anymore. I am very glad we ditched him in favour of the much younger guy. A more forward and a more innovative thinker. Lou would have probably just re-signed at least 2 of our UFAs and we would have come back basically the same team that lost in the first round, not that much closer to a Stanley Cup than the previous year.
 

LeafFever

Registered User
Feb 12, 2016
18,890
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Funny that those Smurfs Habs teams constantly made the playoffs while Burke’s truculence continued in mediocrity
The ironic part is that smurfs team was years ahead of the curve and Bergevin ahs now built an older, much slower team with less skill.
 
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Brobust

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Sep 29, 2017
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He was incredibly conservative and he wasted picks on rentals for 4th liners.

In terms of handling the media, he was perfect for the leafs. As an actual GM, he was a C+ at best.

His best year was obviously his first. Trading Phaneuf, extending Rielly and Kadri.
 

LeafsNation75

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Jan 15, 2010
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Toronto, Ontario
He was incredibly conservative and he wasted picks on rentals for 4th liners.

In terms of handling the media, he was perfect for the leafs. As an actual GM, he was a C+ at best.

His best year was obviously his first. Trading Phaneuf, extending Rielly and Kadri.
With the exceptions of the 2nd round picks Lou gave up for Boyle in 2017 and Plekanec in 2018, the Leafs still had a 2nd round pick last year and San Jose's 2nd round pick this year. So he only gave away Byron Froese in the Boyle trade and Kerby Rychel in the Plekanec trade, both who were playing with the Marlies at the time.

Now with hindsight you can say both trades weren't that good, especially the trade for Plekanec which sucked. However if Lou didn't make any trades he would be bashed for doing nothing.
 

Brobust

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Sep 29, 2017
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With the exceptions of the 2nd round picks Lou gave up for Boyle in 2017 and Plekanec in 2018, the Leafs still had a 2nd round pick last year and San Jose's 2nd round pick this year. So he only gave away Byron Froese in the Boyle trade and Kerby Rychel in the Plekanec trade, both who were playing with the Marlies at the time.

Now with hindsight you can say both trades weren't that good, especially the trade for Plekanec which sucked. However if Lou didn't make any trades he would be bashed for doing nothing.

I don't know if I agree with that line of thinking. 'They had multiple 2nd round picks' is no reason to give them away. At least acquire someone with more permanent value to the team. Leafs got a total of 30 odd games on the 4th line for 2 top 60 picks.

I'm not saying he should or shouldn't have acquired players. I just think he acquired 4th liners and overpaid for it. For perspective, Kane went for a 2nd rounder as a rental, and only turned into a 1st after he extended. Maroon went cheaper than Plekanec, Ian Cole went cheaper than Plekanec etc etc.
 

LeafsNation75

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Jan 15, 2010
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Toronto, Ontario
I don't know if I agree with that line of thinking. 'They had multiple 2nd round picks' is no reason to give them away. At least acquire someone with more permanent value to the team. Leafs got a total of 30 odd games on the 4th line for 2 top 60 picks.

I'm not saying he should or shouldn't have acquired players. I just think he acquired 4th liners and overpaid for it. For perspective, Kane went for a 2nd rounder as a rental, and only turned into a 1st after he extended. Maroon went cheaper than Plekanec, Ian Cole went cheaper than Plekanec etc etc.
My point is some fans were freaking out that Lou gave up 2nd round picks for 4th line rental players. The fact is the Leafs still had multiple 2nd round picks, so it made it easier to trade them.

It's like when Lou traded for Andersen. He traded Pittsburgh's 1st round pick (30th overall) in 2016 and a 2nd round pick (50th overall) in 2017 because he still had other assets to make that type of trade.
 

Brobust

Registered User
Sep 29, 2017
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My point is some fans were freaking out that Lou gave up 2nd round picks for 4th line rental players. The fact is the Leafs still had multiple 2nd round picks, so it made it easier to trade them.

It's like when Lou traded for Andersen. He traded Pittsburgh's 1st round pick (30th overall) in 2016 and a 2nd round pick (50th overall) in 2017 because he still had other assets to make that type of trade.

Do smart rich people burn their excess cash?
 
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Menzinger

Kessel4LadyByng
Apr 24, 2014
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Trading 2nds for Boyle and Plek turned out to be the wrong decision - not to mention not selling at least 1 of the UFAs.

That could have netted the Leafs 3 future assets that could then be spent on getting that much needed D man. Folks might dismiss the value of a 2nd, but I’d love 3 more Dermott level prospects in the Leafs system.
 
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BertCorbeau

F*ck cancer - RIP Fugu and Buffaloed
Jan 6, 2012
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Lou did some good things (contracts to Kadri and Rielly, acquiring Andersen, etc) but also did some not-so-good things (two 2nds for 4th line centres at the deadline, the risky Zaitsev contract, Martin's contract)

Solid job.
 
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rent free

Registered User
Apr 6, 2015
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Let's remember among the teams on Kessel's approved trade list it was only the Penguins who would talk about trading for him.

If anything I think people hated the Leafs agreeing to take on $1.2 million of his contract.
They will defend the trade to death and be ignorant about it.
 

CantLoseWithMatthews

Registered User
Sep 28, 2015
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I don't know if I agree with that line of thinking. 'They had multiple 2nd round picks' is no reason to give them away. At least acquire someone with more permanent value to the team. Leafs got a total of 30 odd games on the 4th line for 2 top 60 picks.

I'm not saying he should or shouldn't have acquired players. I just think he acquired 4th liners and overpaid for it. For perspective, Kane went for a 2nd rounder as a rental, and only turned into a 1st after he extended. Maroon went cheaper than Plekanec, Ian Cole went cheaper than Plekanec etc etc.
maybe not give them away, but using excess future assets to improve our team now is a strategy i'm good with. Let's not forget how effective Plekanec was when he went head to head with Bergeron, and that we'd probably all be viewing the trade very differently if not for Andersen and Gardiner blowing game 7
 

93LEAFS

Registered User
Nov 7, 2009
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Toronto
Trading 2nds for Boyle and Plek turned out to be the wrong decision - not to mention not selling at least 1 of the UFAs.

That could have netted the Leafs 3 future assets that could then be spent on getting that much needed D man. Folks might dismiss the value of a 2nd, but I’d love 3 more Dermott level prospects in the Leafs system.
The odds of getting Dermott level players is about 1 in 5, if Dermott is what we think he is. I'd have more issue with the trades if we were trading completely out the 2nd, but we had built sufficient draft capital to make moves like that. Plus, the value of a pick at 33 is higher than a pick in the 50's.
 

bluumax

Registered User
Mar 7, 2008
2,169
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A great GM who set the table for Dubas to continue the rebuild.

No idea where all of the resentment towards Lou comes from, seems very unwarranted.

Wish he'd traded JVR but he was damned if he did and damned if he didn't. The flipfloppers would've just been sat here saying he robbed us of a shot at the cup if he traded JVR for prospects/picks.
 

Sypher04

Registered User
Jan 20, 2011
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I don't know that we can put the trading of a 2nd for Boyle & a 2nd for Plekanec in the same boat

Boyle provided minimal offense, but filled the role we need him to and stabilized a fourth line position that we'd struggled to fill effectively throughout the season. We squeaked into the playoffs by a single point and he played a part. I don't think we can definitely say we make it without that move.
 

rent free

Registered User
Apr 6, 2015
20,427
6,114
A great GM who set the table for Dubas to continue the rebuild.

No idea where all of the resentment towards Lou comes from, seems very unwarranted.

Wish he'd traded JVR but he was damned if he did and damned if he didn't. The flipfloppers would've just been sat here saying he robbed us of a shot at the cup if he traded JVR for prospects/picks.
leafs fans want to change the narrative from "lou is a great gm" to "lou wasn't even that good of a gm" so they will think the rest of hf won't mock them for losing a great gm.
 

CantLoseWithMatthews

Registered User
Sep 28, 2015
49,556
59,149
I'm glad Lou is gone. He always struck me as immoral and shady, and he didn't really do much good in his time here. That doesn't mean he's not a good GM, but he wasn't a fit
 

Notsince67

Papi and the Lamplighters
Apr 27, 2018
15,854
11,052
He was incredibly conservative and he wasted picks on rentals for 4th liners.

In terms of handling the media, he was perfect for the leafs. As an actual GM, he was a C+ at best.

His best year was obviously his first. Trading Phaneuf, extending Rielly and Kadri.
He wasted a pick by having Montreal retain salary. This wasn't necessary. Maybe he was looking to make a defensive move that didn't pan out. That second round pick was an over payment for sure
 

ShaneFalco

Registered User
Jul 15, 2012
21,414
15,770
London, On
He made some good moves, he made some bad ones
Very conservative over-all
But in the end, the Leafs still have big holes on D and at C
 

Menzinger

Kessel4LadyByng
Apr 24, 2014
40,975
32,364
St. Paul, MN
The odds of getting Dermott level players is about 1 in 5, if Dermott is what we think he is. I'd have more issue with the trades if we were trading completely out the 2nd, but we had built sufficient draft capital to make moves like that. Plus, the value of a pick at 33 is higher than a pick in the 50's.

Even if the value is lower than Dermott, they’d still be assets in hand to potentially make moves.

It’s hindsight sure, But in retrospect management gambled and lost when it came flipping these futures.
 

93LEAFS

Registered User
Nov 7, 2009
33,841
20,903
Toronto
Even if the value is lower than Dermott, they’d still be assets in hand to potentially make moves.

It’s hindsight sure, But in retrospect management gambled and lost when it came flipping these futures.
It depends. Its hard to value what making the playoffs in year one of Matthews, Marner and Nylander. If that helps the team get a step ahead and some confidence, I am fine with that deal. Considering how close we were to finishing outside of the playoffs, Boyle absolutely helped accomplish this.
 

hullsy47

Registered User
Dec 7, 2005
6,338
1,043
Lou did some good things (contracts to Kadri and Rielly, acquiring Andersen, etc) but also did some not-so-good things (two 2nds for 4th line centres at the deadline, the risky Zaitsev contract, Martin's contract)

Solid job.
solid don't make u great ....it makes u one of 16 smart GM ;S that particular season
 

LeafsNation75

Registered User
Jan 15, 2010
37,975
12,506
Toronto, Ontario
I'm glad Lou is gone. He always struck me as immoral and shady, and he didn't really do much good in his time here. That doesn't mean he's not a good GM, but he wasn't a fit
I will admit prior to Shanahan hiring Lou I thought kind of the same things and how he always seem to get whatever the Devils wanted. However since he was in Toronto my opinion of Lou changed for the better.
 

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