Leafs set to blow up roster

[YOYOTCROSTER*]

Put a left handed star centre with Kessel like Toews and he gets 100 points a year. The Leafs have done the current build all backwards. That is all on Burke. Misjudgement on quality of team he picked up led to bad trade for a scoring winger where he traded the future. Then misread on Phaneuf as a #1 when he is a #3. All he did was pick up misfits from other teams and hope. Yes he got a couple right but not the core ones.

Folks it starts with a 1C 1D and 1G. You only get those guys through the draft. Leafs need to trade Franson Lupul Kessel Phaneuf Boazk and Bernier and get picks back in this draft. Load up on centres and defence. Next year will be another terrible year and that is ok. Another draft with a couple more high picks of centres and defence. Then in 3 to 4 years you will see a decent team assuming the scouts Leafs have are good. Let Hunter pick the guys from the OHL he knows them and he will get us the right guys. Getting Eichel or Nylander or Marner that BS has to stop. Those guys are the wrong guys. We need a McDavid or a Strome. Those are the right guys to focus on.

 

[NotNotALeafsFan]

I wish this season happened one year earlier. It would have been nice to enter this season without kessel, phaneuf, etc etc... We are spiralling downwards but is it going to be enough to land us mc eichel?

 

[Commander Clueless]

I wish this season happened one year earlier. It would have been nice to enter this season without kessel, phaneuf, etc etc... We are spiralling downwards but is it going to be enough to land us mc eichel?

That's a bit of hindsight, considering it's entirely understandable the team try to build off of the first spark of hope we'd had in a decade when the Leafs made the playoffs in the short season.

That said, no, we aren't in McEichel territory. Barring, of course, some lottery luck (which won't happen because, you know....Leafs).

 

[MJ65]

I think Kessel would be that motivated if we had a Toews and a Keith and our team was that good. I can see Kane being demotivated if he was on the Leafs in Kessel's situation. And I dont even blame Kessel. This team was built ass-backwards. Kessel is like Gaborik, they go to a team as the last piece of the puzzle, not the first piece.

These are all professional athletes make millions of dollars (that should be good enough to motivate these athletes), it was Kessel's decision to sign a big contract and he was aware that he do not have Toews and Keith on his team

The great (super stars) thrive in any situation, the perfect example would be Gilmour

 

[The CyNick]

Put a left handed star centre with Kessel like Toews and he gets 100 points a year. The Leafs have done the current build all backwards. That is all on Burke. Misjudgement on quality of team he picked up led to bad trade for a scoring winger where he traded the future. Then misread on Phaneuf as a #1 when he is a #3. All he did was pick up misfits from other teams and hope. Yes he got a couple right but not the core ones.

Folks it starts with a 1C 1D and 1G. You only get those guys through the draft. Leafs need to trade Franson Lupul Kessel Phaneuf Boazk and Bernier and get picks back in this draft. Load up on centres and defence. Next year will be another terrible year and that is ok. Another draft with a couple more high picks of centres and defence. Then in 3 to 4 years you will see a decent team assuming the scouts Leafs have are good. Let Hunter pick the guys from the OHL he knows them and he will get us the right guys. Getting Eichel or Nylander or Marner that BS has to stop. Those guys are the wrong guys. We need a McDavid or a Strome. Those are the right guys to focus on.

So you know for a fact Strome will be better than Eichel?

 

[613Leafer]

I don't see Giroux checking out on the season in Philly, despite not having Toews or Keith on the team. He's a small guy, but plays a hard two-way game.

Nothing prevents Kessel from being a better player except himself. His compete level for loose pucks, in the defensive zone, backchecking, etc is absolutely terrible.

If he worked harder on his defensive game and had better endurance, he'd be a much better player. Nothing stops him from doing that except himself, and not having Toews/Keith on the team doesn't prevent him either.

 

[SprDaVE]

I'm amazed how people can make such huge statements about 17-18 year old players and their future.

It never ceases to amaze me.

 

[The CyNick]

i don't think Nonis is afraid to make a deal. i'm afraid that he is not competent enough to make a good one, or enough good ones. sure Burke put together a lot of this roster. Nonis was his assistant for most of that time but forget that even. Nonis re-signed the core players, thought Clarkson was a worthwhile investment for where the team was at, traded three 2nd round picks in a year, tried to trade for Josh Gorges last summer.

again my main concern with Nonis is that he wasn't convinced that this was a bad team as recently as like four months ago. he traded picks in the summer, took on salary, was willing to get older on the blueline even. and now he has at least some responsibility for turning it around. it's just puzzling.

I dont think hes in charge of anything right now. Hes just there because he has existing relationships with GMs.

Ultimately i think he will be removed as GM and kept on as an advisor until something else comes up for him

 

[johnny_rudeboy]

I think Kessel would be that motivated if we had a Toews and a Keith and our team was that good. I can see Kane being demotivated if he was on the Leafs in Kessel's situation. And I dont even blame Kessel. This team was built ass-backwards. Kessel is like Gaborik, they go to a team as the last piece of the puzzle, not the first piece.

? Kessel already turned his back on a team where he could play the Kane role insulated on a contender. He turned his back on it because playing like that, with those demands, is not his style. He wanted to get paid for running and gunning.

 

[91Kadri91*]

Put a left handed star centre with Kessel like Toews and he gets 100 points a year. The Leafs have done the current build all backwards. That is all on Burke. Misjudgement on quality of team he picked up led to bad trade for a scoring winger where he traded the future. Then misread on Phaneuf as a #1 when he is a #3. All he did was pick up misfits from other teams and hope. Yes he got a couple right but not the core ones.

Folks it starts with a 1C 1D and 1G. You only get those guys through the draft. Leafs need to trade Franson Lupul Kessel Phaneuf Boazk and Bernier and get picks back in this draft. Load up on centres and defence. Next year will be another terrible year and that is ok. Another draft with a couple more high picks of centres and defence. Then in 3 to 4 years you will see a decent team assuming the scouts Leafs have are good. Let Hunter pick the guys from the OHL he knows them and he will get us the right guys. Getting Eichel or Nylander or Marner that BS has to stop. Those guys are the wrong guys. We need a McDavid or a Strome. Those are the right guys to focus on.

Easily one of the most absolutely ridiculous things I have read on this forum this week. Are you seriously suggesting you would take Strome over Eichel? Hell, I'd take Marner over Strome, but Eichel is on another tier when compared to either of those guys.

I'm also not really sure what Nylander has to do with who we pick this year.

 

[King Mapes]

Put a left handed star centre with Kessel like Toews and he gets 100 points a year. The Leafs have done the current build all backwards. That is all on Burke. Misjudgement on quality of team he picked up led to bad trade for a scoring winger where he traded the future. Then misread on Phaneuf as a #1 when he is a #3. All he did was pick up misfits from other teams and hope. Yes he got a couple right but not the core ones.

Folks it starts with a 1C 1D and 1G. You only get those guys through the draft. Leafs need to trade Franson Lupul Kessel Phaneuf Boazk and Bernier and get picks back in this draft. Load up on centres and defence. Next year will be another terrible year and that is ok. Another draft with a couple more high picks of centres and defence. Then in 3 to 4 years you will see a decent team assuming the scouts Leafs have are good. Let Hunter pick the guys from the OHL he knows them and he will get us the right guys. Getting Eichel or Nylander or Marner that BS has to stop. Those guys are the wrong guys. We need a McDavid or a Strome. Those are the right guys to focus on.

You can get goalies through trade or FA. Rask, Bishop, Anderson, Bernier, Varlamov, Halak, Mason, Schneider, Bobrovski, Elliott, Hiller... That's like half the leagues starters not drafted by their current team and I probably missed some.

 

[leafs in five]

I dont think hes in charge of anything right now. Hes just there because he has existing relationships with GMs.

Ultimately i think he will be removed as GM and kept on as an advisor until something else comes up for him

i just think it's weird for a guy to serve as an adviser to a project that requires the exact opposite perspective on the team than the one he's held through his entire time as GM - we're young and improved or at least improving, i know this group can win, we've seen it, we just need to get back to playing a bit tougher or something. he made moves this summer that reflected this more optimistic view - four years for Komarov, the Polak trade, the attempt to get Gorges. unless his role as adviser is to say what he would do so the rest of the front office can do the opposite.

 

[Cor]

Yeah, chances are Mark Hunter will replace Nonis as GM, and Nonis will get an advisor role until he finds something else (like Burke did).

 

[SprDaVE]

Yeah, chances are Mark Hunter will replace Nonis as GM, and Nonis will get an advisor role until he finds something else (like Burke did).

Nonis will be the Vice President of the Flames before 2016. The guy follows Burke around like a dog.

I still don't think Hunter will be the GM either. I think he replaces Morrison and will be tasked to revamp that part of the franchise.

 

[A1LeafNation]

Its funny that Leaf fans are even excited at the thought of a full rebuild anymore. It would be a massacre at this point if there wasnt!

 

[SprDaVE]

Its funny that Lefs fans are even excited at the thought of a full rebuild anymore. It would be a massacre at this point if there wasnt!

That's all there is to look forward to. This core proved time and time again it can't play over expectations. It's a terribly assembled team and the results are evident. They can't even play mediocre hockey.

I believe in Steve Simmons to be right... Please be right... please...

 

[silentbob37*]

Put a left handed star centre with Kessel like Toews and he gets 100 points a year. The Leafs have done the current build all backwards. That is all on Burke. Misjudgement on quality of team he picked up led to bad trade for a scoring winger where he traded the future. Then misread on Phaneuf as a #1 when he is a #3. All he did was pick up misfits from other teams and hope. Yes he got a couple right but not the core ones.

Folks it starts with a 1C 1D and 1G. You only get those guys through the draft. Leafs need to trade Franson Lupul Kessel Phaneuf Boazk and Bernier and get picks back in this draft. Load up on centres and defence. Next year will be another terrible year and that is ok. Another draft with a couple more high picks of centres and defence. Then in 3 to 4 years you will see a decent team assuming the scouts Leafs have are good. Let Hunter pick the guys from the OHL he knows them and he will get us the right guys. Getting Eichel or Nylander or Marner that BS has to stop. Those guys are the wrong guys. We need a McDavid or a Strome. Those are the right guys to focus on.

First you don't NEED your franchise players spread over Center, defense and goaltending. The Devils won without a "real" #1 center. The Penguins won without a franchise D. The Wings won with Osgood in need. The Hawks don't have a franchise centerman, the Ducks won with MacDonald as their #1 center etc... You need franchise PLAYERS, you don't need them in those positions.

And Strome is not the player the NEED. They need McDavid, Eichel or Hannifin. Strome is very good 2nd place prize. Unfortunately, this year, its not likely the Leafs ended up in a positio to get one of the franchise prospects.

? Kessel already turned his back on a team where he could play the Kane role insulated on a contender. He turned his back on it because playing like that, with those demands, is not his style. He wanted to get paid for running and gunning.

To be fair he didn't like the Bruins system and coaching and culture or the money they offered. He didn't "turn his back" on the idea of playing with all-star talent.

 

[leafs in five]

Yeah, chances are Mark Hunter will replace Nonis as GM, and Nonis will get an advisor role until he finds something else (like Burke did).

one of the weirdest things about this team.

 

[Cor]

one of the weirdest things about this team.

"YOU"RE FIRED!!!!!! "

......

......

"but can you please advise us on what to do?"

 

[Stats01]

Its funny that Leaf fans are even excited at the thought of a full rebuild anymore. It would be a massacre at this point if there wasnt!

Well it is exciting at least for me. I'm embracing this rebuild, it's something that's needed to happen for at least a decade. All we've gotten up to this point are quick fixes and hope that we can sneak in to the 8th and final playoff spot. It's refreshing to have a man like Shanahan who knows what it takes to win come in here and pretty much say "we're blowing this thing up." Outside of Rielly and Nylander, Kadri I hope this team listens on everybody.

 

[613Leafer]

2008 - the majority of Leafs fans WANTED a rebuild. Wanted to build through the draft.
2009 - Burke comes in guns blazing, TELLS Leaf fans that they don't want a rebuild, that they can't handle one, despite the majority of fans saying the exact opposite. Then he commenced operation aggressive retool

2015 - Operation aggressive retool is a complete failure, 6 years largely wasted, and now a full-blown rebuild is again the general consensus on the direction this franchise should go in

Thanks for wasting a half dozen years Burke/Nonis! Maybe you should have just done what the fan based wanted to begin with.

We do have some good trade chips to get this rebuild off to a good start, and already have Rielly/Nylander in the system. But it's still annoying that we had to sit through that aggressive retool, when the majority of fans didn't want anything of the sort at the time.

Hopefully Shanny's ego isn't as big as Burke's, and he's legitimately interested in blowing the team up and focusing primarily on drafting/developing.

 

[William Hylander]

There's a danger that trading Kessel might actually improve the team. So hopefully we stick it out until the offseason.

 

[Faltorvo]

Like Jeff O'Neil said earlier right after the game on TSN radio I'll paraphrase..."At this point every single player should be looked at to be moved." Even JVR. Maybe Rielly is the only one you don't touch but the rest...try and see what you can get. JVR wasn't much better than the rest of the group tonight.

the only way, only way I even consider moving JVR is if it's for a can't miss blue chip prospect and a 1rst.

JVRs contract/age/skill set and track record make him our 2nd most valuable asset next to MR.

 

[silentbob37*]

the only way, only way I even consider moving JVR is if it's for a can't miss blue chip prospect and a 1rst.

JVRs contract/age/skill set and track record make him our 2nd most valuable asset next to MR.

This boys and girls, is what we call "over rating" a player.

 

[Lauro]

About time. It will be difficult, people will be disappointed about the return we get, but we can hope now. I will take a deep breath the day Kessel is traded.