Dreger: Maple Leafs Among Teams Interested in Hall

[Legion34]

Nope. Still his choice. Always will be.

If you're going through the trouble to take Spezza on waivers when he's playing well, I think you're taking him to play him. Now, no GM is probably going to do that, but, no, it would be Spezza's choice to retire. You signed an NHL contract, subject to the rules and regulations of the league, not an exclusive Toronto Maple Leafs contract. Maybe in your mind you signed an exclusive contract, but, yeah, that's not real.

Maybe the Leafs shouldn't be putting the guy on waivers if he wants to be there so much. Maybe the Leafs need to not disrespect a class and respected player, by using him to manipulate the cap.

Again. You aren’t taking him to play for you……. If he won’t play for you. You are taking him to stick it to another team. and end a career to make a point.


there is a reason why it hasn’t happened and it won’t. Managers of big companies don’t do that.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Again. You aren’t taking him to play for you……. If he won’t play for you. You are taking him to stick it to another team. and end a career to make a point.


there is a reason why it hasn’t happened and it won’t. Managers of big companies don’t do that.

And it's still his choice to retire in that scenario. Stop with the forcing. Nobody is forcing him to retire.

 

[Golden_Jet]

yes. And people know that he will retire. He has made it known.

so a team picking him on waivers will be forcing him to retire.

picking a player on waivers that you have no intention of playing for you so that he can’t play where he wants as a 37 year old who took league min is just nuts

Maybe Tampa, puts a claim in, he’s going there I bet. Spezza is about one thing now, winning a cup before he retires, so he likely takes that option.

 

[JarvisFunk]

Hall will be back in Edmonton. Book it.

 

[Fourier]

Because GMs act as colleagues with one another instead of as competitors. It's the culture of the league.

I have no problem with that sort of thing form a personal perspective. In fact, I like the fact that there is some sort of collegial attitude when it comes to vets. But if the Leafs are going to exploit this to skirt the salary cap to gain a competitive advantage at some point they will likley exhaust the good will.

 

[Legion34]

And it's still his choice to retire in that scenario. Stop with the forcing. Nobody is forcing him to retire.

what is the purpose of any nhl team to claim a player that they 100 percent know will retire?

 

[Fourier]

yes. And people know that he will retire. He has made it known.

so a team picking him on waivers will be forcing him to retire.

picking a player on waivers that you have no intention of playing for you so that he can’t play where he wants as a 37 year old who took league min is just nuts

Personally, I have no issue with teams respecting Spezza's wishes. I would do it myself if I was making the decision. But if we are talking one year I could see this. Especially during the pandemic. But if the Leafs use this as a cap crutch over multiple years they risk changing the equation. How many players can you do this for? Spezza, Thornton, .... How about the Leafs themsleves show some respect to the player and not expose him to this possibility.

You suggest that players have memories. Why then would a young guy not resent being a pawn in this cap juggling game. A guy like Sandin has his salary significantly impacted if he is going to be waived regularly for paper transactions. Anaheim did this with Bobby Ryan and it soured the relations with the team to a degree.

 

[Legion34]

Maybe Tampa, puts a claim in, he’s going there I bet. Spezza is about one thing now, winning a cup before he retires, so he likely takes that option.

he has clearly stated publically and his agent sends out memos saying he will not report and will retire if claimed. when the leafs waived him.
Kinda odd to do so if he wanted to play elsewhere

IF he changes his mind and the leafs waive him. Sure then game on. Good for him.

but if an agent specifically puts out a release that his client will retire if they claim him. No gm will do it.

 

[Legion34]

Personally, I have no issue with teams respecting Spezza's wishes. I would do it myself if I was making the decision. But if we are talking one year I could see this. Especially during the pandemic. But if the Leafs use this as a cap crutch over multiple years they risk changing the equation. How many players can you do this for? Spezza, Thornton, .... How about the Leafs themsleves show some respect to the player and not expose him to this possibility.

In the same vain, you suggest that players have memories. Why then would a young guy not resent being a pawn in this cap juggling game. A guy like Sandin has his salary significantly impacted if he is going to be waived regularly for paper transactions. Anaheim did this with Bobby Ryan and it soured the relations with the team to a degree.

both are risks the leafs have decided to take. It may blow up in their faces in terms of future negotiations with sandin. Lou screwed marner on SB and it hurt them.

 

[Fourier]

Low class move. Something you would more likely see on Storage Wars than the NHL
I doubt there is a GM in the league that would do that.... at least none that wants a future career dealing with players.

It depends on how common this is and how it is managed. The waiver rules were collectively bargained and teams that may not be as attractive to aging free agents may very well lose patience if the spirit of the rules are broken. Spezza is a respected vet. But the onus really should be on the Leafs to honour his desire to stay there as oppose to their competitors being required to ignore the Leafs ignoring a cap loophole.

 

[Menzinger]

I have no problem with that sort of thing form a personal perspective. In fact, I like the fact that there is some sort of collegial attitude when it comes to vets. But if the Leafs are going to exploit this to skirt the salary cap to gain a competitive advantage at some point they will likley exhaust the good will.

I don't think a GM in this league is going defacto to end Spezza's career because they're mildly annoyed at the Leafs for something like this.

It's an issue of how the league is vs perhaps how it should be. But things are as they are

 

[LEAFSANDBILLSFAN]

I'm a Leaf fan and while I don't know much about the NFL we are nothing like the Cowboys but very similar to Cleveland from what I understand and because of that we have to not take this stuff so seriously.

We are actually most like the Cowboys. Sure they won in the 90s but the NFL isn't remotely anywhere near as old as the NHL so it's all relative. Success is in the 90s for the NFL is ancient news compared to the NHL.

We have an ownership group that can't get out of its own way like the Cowboys. We are the richest club like the Cowboys. The media spends every second of every day blabbering about both the Leafs and the Cowboys. Our fanbase has a silent educated contingent that's drowned out by the loud idiots like the Cowboys fanbase. We both invest everything in offensive star players who don't perform when rubber hits the road. Both clubs think defense is overrated. We are both incredibly entitled.

Even the Leafs arent Browns, Bengals, or Lions level of futility. Thats just another level of bad.

 

[bukwas]

Came to read the Hall discussion. Guess i'll have to look elsewhere.
Maybe it's in the Habs 1st rounder thread.

 

[Fourier]

I don't think a GM in this league is going defacto to end Spezza's career because they're mildly annoyed at the Leafs for something like this.

It's an issue of how the league is vs perhaps how it should be. But things are as they are

I don't disagree that this is the way the League is right now. Though it has not always been that way.

Theissue for me is that this really should be a matter between the Leafs and Spezza. They should give him a NMC and not waive him. By not doing so both parties are in effect having their cake and eating it too. How many of these ... I don't want to move cases ... should teams be able to use this way in order to artificially lower their cap? Should it only be players of a certain age? When Crosby's deal is up should he be able to send a letter around saying that he only wants to play with Pittsburgh effectively giving himself a NMC but still allowing the Pens to waive him to gain extra cap space at the deadline? Why could the Oilers not simply have Connor McDavid tell the rest of the GM's that he only wants to play for the Oilers and that if chosen he will retire. Would all of the GM's honour it? Maybe anyone on a one way deal should be able to declare that they don't want to be claimed on waivers. Where do you draw the line?

I can ceratinly appreciate Spezza's reasons for his decisions but he plays within a system that has been collectively bargained. We have just gone through a playoffs that was controversial due to the Bolts exploiting a cap loop whole to keep their roster together. If signing Hall or any other top UFA is achieved by exploiting another cap loophole it might go unchallenged this time, but it won't go unnoticed.

 

[666]

We are actually most like the Cowboys. Sure they won in the 90s but the NFL isn't remotely anywhere near as old as the NHL so it's all relative. Success is in the 90s for the NFL is ancient news compared to the NHL.

We have an ownership group that can't get out of its own way like the Cowboys. We are the richest club like the Cowboys. The media spends every second of every day blabbering about both the Leafs and the Cowboys. Our fanbase has a silent educated contingent that's drowned out by the loud idiots like the Cowboys fanbase. We both invest everything in offensive star players who don't perform when rubber hits the road. Both clubs think defense is overrated. We are both incredibly entitled.

Even the Leafs arent Browns, Bengals, or Lions level of futility. Thats just another level of bad.

C'mon man. Especially since I don't know much about football it's so much easier to see your delusion. The Cowboys are associated with winning. I know names like Staubach and Dorsett and Deion Sanders I couldn't name a single Browns player other than Jim Brown which I had to double check. The Leafs are not associated with winning in the last half century just like the Browns.

I looked it up and it's shocking how similar we are to the Browns. They were champs in the 50's and 60's with their last Superbowl appearance in 1965. Since then, they have only made the playoffs 14 times. They have a pseudo rivalry with Detroit that hasn't meant anything since the 1950's. They supposedly have an extremely loyal (and delusional) fanbase just like us. Yep we are the Cleveland Browns of hockey. Just embrace it.

Cleveland Browns - Wikipedia

 

[LEAFSANDBILLSFAN]

C'mon man. Especially since I don't know much about football it's so much easier to see your delusion. The Cowboys are associated with winning. I know names like Staubach and Dorsett and Deion Sanders I couldn't name a single Browns player other than Jim Brown which I had to double check. The Leafs are not associated with winning in the last half century just like the Browns.

I looked it up and it's shocking how similar we are to the Browns. They were champs in the 50's and 60's with their last Superbowl appearance in 1965. Since then, they have only made the playoffs 14 times. They have a pseudo rivalry with Detroit that hasn't meant anything since the 1950's. They supposedly have an extremely loyal (and delusional) fanbase just like us. Yep we are the Cleveland Browns of hockey. Just embrace it.

Cleveland Browns - Wikipedia

Thanks for educating a Bills season ticket holder, University Player, and now University Coach.

Leafs have a far better track record of making the playoffs than the Browns. Leafs didn't lose their team like the Browns.

No real football fan associates the Cowboys with winning. They laugh at Cowboys fans for thinking their SuperBowl wins happened last year and they're still relevant on the field.

The Cowboys were established in 1960s and did all their winning in the first half of their franchise history. Remind you of anyone?

Browns don't have a rivalry with the Lions. LOL. Their rivals are with the Steelers and Bengals. They play in the AFC North not the NFC North like Detroit. This is where Wikipedia is hilarious. No Browns fans would mention Detroit in their top 10 of rivals. LOL.

To even compare Leafs and Browns fans are adorable. How about this. I run in football circles. You claim you don't. I will leave it there.

 

[Stuzchuk]

hein?? what? who's going to play defense next year?

 

[banks]

There's no pending free agent that I want LESS than Taylor Hall. I'm not even kidding.

Please don't sign this guy.

 

[666]

Thanks for educating a Bills season ticket holder, University Player, and now University Coach.

Leafs have a far better track record of making the playoffs than the Browns. Leafs didn't lose their team like the Browns.

No real football fan associates the Cowboys with winning. They laugh at Cowboys fans for thinking their SuperBowl wins happened last year and they're still relevant on the field.

The Cowboys were established in 1960s and did all their winning in the first half of their franchise history. Remind you of anyone?

Browns don't have a rivalry with the Lions. LOL. Their rivals are with the Steelers and Bengals. They play in the AFC North not the NFC North like Detroit. This is where Wikipedia is hilarious. No Browns fans would mention Detroit in their top 10 of rivals. LOL.

To even compare Leafs and Browns fans are adorable. How about this. I run in football circles. You claim you don't. I will leave it there.

Your superior knowledge of football exposes your delusion even more. You WANT your team to be compared to the Cowboys or Yankees because even though they are hated it's still cool to be associated with their success and their image of the bad guy. We are not the Yankees or Cowboys or anything even close to that. I bet that you mock fans of the Browns but don't see that we are mocked in a very similar way.