Speculation: Is Lou really all that great.

Halla

Registered User
Jan 28, 2016
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Dubas being the potential GM is some pretty great news.
Lou is a weak link of this management group.
As Nithonel mentioned, the GM has made some very poor decisions.
Plekanec trade
Not getting assets back for JVR/Bozak(both have been invisible in these playoffs)
Zaitsev(maybe)
The drafting has gotten worse since Lou came in(all though Hunter is still finding some solid players).
Should Lou be replaced?

JVR and Bozak have 3 of the 8 goals the team has scored. not bad production from the 3rd line.
without them its likely 3-0 bruins
 

Hockeyholic

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Apr 20, 2017
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Not getting anything for JVR will sting a few years from now when we need good cost controlled young players.

Had Lou traded, and ultimately got something for JVR, fans would be upset that the team handicapped a 100 point team heading into the playoffs. Yet, those same fans will be the ones upset on July 1st when JVR goes elsewhere. Either way, it was a no win situation for Lou & company.
 

Gary Nylund

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Oct 10, 2013
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Had Lou traded, and ultimately got something for JVR, fans would be upset that the team handicapped a 100 point team heading into the playoffs. Yet, those same fans will be the ones upset on July 1st when JVR goes elsewhere. Either way, it was a no win situation for Lou & company.

If Lou had traded JVR in the off-season, we probably still get 100+ points with Leivo/Johnsson playing in his place. The fans would be thrilled to have such a good season and extra picks in the next draft as a bonus (unless we parlayed the picks into a top 4 Dman in which case the fans would be even more happy). By now they would have forgotten JVR ever played here and someone else would now be the 8th/9th most important player on our team.
 

Trapper

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Nov 21, 2013
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If Lou had traded JVR in the off-season, we probably still get 100+ points with Leivo/Johnsson playing in his place. The fans would be thrilled to have such a good season and extra picks in the next draft as a bonus (unless we parlayed the picks into a top 4 Dman in which case the fans would be even more happy). By now they would have forgotten JVR ever played here and someone else would now be the 8th/9th most important player on our team.
If JVR walks in the summer he's not here so people will have to get used to it anyway. So instead of trading him in the summer, he walks in the summer.
 
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hotpaws

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Nov 21, 2009
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I wanted JVR traded and they tried last summer . I also knew once the season started he wouldn't be moved unless we were out of a playoff spot .

teams don't give up equally valued C/D's for wingers and after a decade plus in the toilet there's no way we were going to trade JvR at the deadline for picks/prospects and weaken the team even if that was the most prudent thing to do

LL's done an excellent job under the mandate he was given , unfortunately there's a small minority who want to slag him so they can then turn around and heap all the credit for our success on their favorite to take over his spot .
 
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ACC1224

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If Lou had traded JVR in the off-season, we probably still get 100+ points with Leivo/Johnsson playing in his place. The fans would be thrilled to have such a good season and extra picks in the next draft as a bonus (unless we parlayed the picks into a top 4 Dman in which case the fans would be even more happy). By now they would have forgotten JVR ever played here and someone else would now be the 8th/9th most important player on our team.
This. Off season was the time for dumping guys, not the deadline.
 
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ShaneFalco

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Jul 15, 2012
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He took a gamble and kept the UFAs
He also didn't address the D enough the whole year.....
Now what does he do with Gardiner? Lack of C depth? Guys that are past their prime (ie Komarov)?

This will be a huge off-season for Lou et al

And regarding the regular season, we're not the Sens of a a few years back. If you do really well in the regular season but get destroyed in the playoffs, your regular season point total means very little
 

Trapper

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Nov 21, 2013
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This. Off season was the time for dumping guys, not the deadline.
I think that's the general consensus from most.
I was unhappy he wasn't moved in the summer and understood he wasn't going to be moved at the deadline. Doesn't mean I still liked it but the ship had sailed.

We had 2 opportunities. The summer and about 13-15 games in when I really wished we would have called up Chia in Edmonton and tried our luck. LA scored 3 goals in 4 playoff games. They traded for Phaneuf when they could have used JVR. Or any scoring for that matter.
 

Trapper

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Nov 21, 2013
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He took a gamble and kept the UFAs
He also didn't address the D enough the whole year.....
Now what does he do with Gardiner? Lack of C depth? Guys that are past their prime (ie Komarov)?

This will be a huge off-season for Lou et al

And regarding the regular season, we're not the Sens of a a few years back. If you do really well in the regular season but get destroyed in the playoffs, your regular season point total means very little
Gardiner is going to be a big "keep an eye on".
I'm sorry but this team is not poised to let a 30 goal scorer walk in one summer and a top 4 D walk the next.
They played the cards this season. And please don't give another 2nd for a 4C rental. Fix the problem.
 
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ACC1224

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I think that's the general consensus from most.
I was unhappy he wasn't moved in the summer and understood he wasn't going to be moved at the deadline. Doesn't mean I still liked it but the ship had sailed.

We had 2 opportunities. The summer and about 13-15 games in when I really wished we would have called up Chia in Edmonton and tried our luck. LA scored 3 goals in 4 playoff games. They traded for Phaneuf when they could have used JVR. Or any scoring for that matter.
Yeah, for me once New Year hit it was obvious they weren't moving anyone.
To me not addressing the D was a bigger issue, that seems like a mistake.
 

The Iceman

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Sep 22, 2007
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I think Lou saw the prices for D rentals and knew that he had some serviceable depth in Carrick, Holl, and Borgman and decided to stand pat. I agree with his decision.
 

Gary Nylund

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Oct 10, 2013
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JVR and Bozak have 3 of the 8 goals the team has scored. not bad production from the 3rd line.
without them its likely 3-0 bruins

Defence is a thing too. JVR is -1, Bozak is +1 so meh.

Yeah, for me once New Year hit it was obvious they weren't moving anyone.
To me not addressing the D was a bigger issue, that seems like a mistake.

At one point in January we were 16th overall, no reason we couldn't have shipped someone out at that point.
 
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HoweHullOrr

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Oct 3, 2013
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I think that's the general consensus from most.
I was unhappy he wasn't moved in the summer and understood he wasn't going to be moved at the deadline. Doesn't mean I still liked it but the ship had sailed.

We had 2 opportunities. The summer and about 13-15 games in when I really wished we would have called up Chia in Edmonton and tried our luck. LA scored 3 goals in 4 playoff games. They traded for Phaneuf when they could have used JVR. Or any scoring for that matter.

To me, it was more logical that he would have been moved two (2) summers ago. Coaches, management and fans all seemed to acknowledge that we were rebuilding at that time. If you have a long range plan, which I think we did, then why not stick with it (rebuild), especially in the early phases? To use an analogy, you don't start planning for your retirement one year before you retire.
 

Mess

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Feb 27, 2002
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Lou Lam's biggest contribution to the Leafs was educating Mark Hunter and reminding him he was no longer drafting for his junior team but rather an NHL team instead.
 

ACC1224

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Lou Lam's biggest contribution to the Leafs was educating Mark Hunter and reminding him he was no longer drafting for his junior team but rather an NHL team instead.
can you expand on that?
 

hotpaws

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Nov 21, 2009
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you can get win with a small team in jr and it's easier to acquire pieces to fill your needs there as well but it doesn't work that way in the NHL
 
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SprDaVE

Moderator
Sep 20, 2008
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it means a forward group consisting of skilled midgets isn't going to get you anywhere

Midgets like Marner and Dermott? What about Johnsson? We don't care about good players anymore?

It's almost like size is irrelevant when you're drafting players.

Lamoriello would be the first to know this and Hunter doesn't need to be schooled on that, at least I hope so or else we might have a problem on our hands.
 

hotpaws

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Nov 21, 2009
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Midgets like Marner and Dermott? What about Johnsson? We don't care about good players anymore?

It's almost like size is irrelevant when you're drafting players.

Lamoriello would be the first to know this and Hunter doesn't need to be schooled on that, at least I hope so or else we might have a problem on our hands.
if you can find 12 Marners that might work but my point is you need a mix of players and loading up on small skilled guys every draft isn't an effective use of your picks
 

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