Just saw what they gave up, I’m glad we didn’t try to out bid them
Glad Dubas didn't pay that price
Be ever great-full that we have a stats geek technocrat - and I mean that in a praiseworthy way- as a GM who is not going to blow brains out on a trade with an unequal Magic X Secret Sauce return from which we all know, disaster stem
So what- honestly- so what if we don't go all in this year and don't win the cup? You know what would be worse than not winning the cup? Not wining the cup after trading away the Marlies for some over-the- hill, torn ACL rentals, which is never ever nice
That lack of stupidity among GM's and their staff, that all GMs have a not -fallen -off - the - turnip - truck scouting staff, have every player ranked internally on their own spreadsheet, have videos of every player, and for every reason Leafs Nation wants to be rid of a player is the exact reason other GMs don't want him, and then, after you do your analytics and scouting staff input, you need to recalculate all the math based on the salary cap, and now you have 3'rd rounders going for rights to unsigned 2'nd round picks but the Leafs will not be - hopefully - involved in any 'win now' future give away trades that we should universally condemn
But what the Leafs can do and should do, as they do have buckets of cash and no pockets to ram the cash in, is make deals to other teams for unsigned KHL players- yes, you have to kind of sort of have some ugulyiness, in dealing with the KHL, but you have that cash anyway, and you have a competent player you can plug in right away, so for a 2nd rounder, you do it, and get that European with all that skating, passing and scoring and bring him here at no cost to any roster - a move that is worth a roll of the dice.