News Article: Maple Leafs need to upgrade, not overhaul

[Teeder9]

The salary cap remains to be seen but there will be an increase so it will help a little.

No, you don't want to overpay for someone asking for too much. If Kulemin asks for 3.5m or 4 would you sign him? A guy who got 20 points this past season? Would you give McClement 2 or more? Or Raymond and Ranger at over 1m? Or how about Bolland apparently wanting 5-6?

Yes Lupul and Clarkson are overpaid, we get it but 1 was signed by Burke and the other was done by Nonis. If someone wants too much, you let them go and before people say"we should have traded", that doesn't mean Nonis didn't try, it takes 2 people to make a trade and hindsight is 20/20

Show me the team next year with signings and how much they'll earn, or the upgrades at that position to make this team better than they were this year. Hint, just getting rid of players and using young players won't make us better, so that's one more year gone

 

[Moncherry]

The tolerance this franchise and fanbase has for failure is staggering.

 

[HellasLEAF]

It's a fair article but agreed it's too rosy.

Some adjustments and a healthy-ish team I truly believe can and will make the playoffs next season.

But this group, just don't see this group winning the cup and in the end, that's what it's all about.

 

[KuleminFan41]

Show me the team next year with signings and how much they'll earn, or the upgrades at that position to make this team better than they were this year. Hint, just getting rid of players and using young players won't make us better, so that's one more year gone

I can't say how much they'll earn because I don't know just like you. My point is if someone wants too much money, management will find someone who will play for less that can replicate what they bring in. Sorry but McClement is a 4th liner and shouldn't be making so much, Kulemin a solid defensive player shouldn't be getting 3.5 or more for little to no offensive production. And a guy who got hurt for majority of the season should not earn 6m

 

[Glenn Isildur Healy]

Some upgrades? With what?

Our achievements:

a) Overpay free agents
b) Trade away draft picks like candy
c) One of the worst farm systems in the league
d) Overpay our own players

 

[Faltorvo]

The tolerance this franchise and fanbase has for failure is staggering.

no sht

47 years and never in the finals

47 years of sell outs and top TV ratings

we hand it to these losers on a silver platter.

 

[ThrillinPhil]

Some upgrades? With what?

Our achievements:

a) Overpay free agents
b) Trade away draft picks like candy
c) One of the worst farm systems in the league
d) Overpay our own players

Marlies have been a good farm system the past few years.

But I agree with everything else

 

[Faltorvo]

Some upgrades? With what?

Our achievements:

a) Overpay free agents
b) Trade away draft picks like candy
c) One of the worst farm systems in the league
d) Overpay our own players

hyperbole

we only needed to shed 10 million in cap space for this roster to fit under it.

 

[Glenn Isildur Healy]

Marlies have been a good farm system the past few years.

But I agree with everything else

We may have some nice 3rd/4th line players coming up like DAmigo, Leivo and McKegg but we lack elite talent. At the end of the day, that is what separates the good farm systems from the bad farm systems.

 

[TMLegend]

Praise mediocrity!

 

[rdawg1234]

We may have some nice 3rd/4th line players coming up like DAmigo, Leivo and McKegg but we lack elite talent. At the end of the day, that is what separates the good farm systems from the bad farm systems.

Our farm system is average, youre forgetting that we also have some very solid defence prospects. Definitely wouldn't call it bad when we have Percy, Granberg and Finn looking to be NHLers very soon and D'amigo, Leivo, Ashton look like capable bottom 6ers as well.

only thing we're lacking is top 6 prospects, which we hopefully fix this season and we have elite talent if you count Rielly.

 

[Bluelines]

Show me the team next year with signings and how much they'll earn, or the upgrades at that position to make this team better than they were this year. Hint, just getting rid of players and using young players won't make us better, so that's one more year gone

This is with a Clarkson buyout... it all fits under the cap ...

JVR 4.25mil/Boz 4.2mil/Kess 8mil
Kadri 2.9mil / Stastny 7 mil /Moulson 6 mil
Leivo 792k/Holland 1.75mil/Ashton 850k
Broll 590k/McClement 2mil/Biggs 894k
Orr 925k

Dion 7mil/Gardnier 2mil
MacDonald 4.5mil/ Gunnarson 3.15mil
Gleason 4 mil/Rielly 894k
Granberg 800k

Bernier 2.9 mil
Sparks 670k

 

[Glenn Isildur Healy]

Our farm system is average, youre forgetting that we also have some very solid defence prospects. Definitely wouldn't call it bad when we have Percy, Granberg and Finn looking to be NHLers very soon and D'amigo, Leivo, Ashton look like capable bottom 6ers as well.

only thing we're lacking is top 6 prospects, which we hopefully fix this season and we have elite talent if you count Rielly.

I don't see many farm systems in the league that are worse than us. We are bottom 5 right now

We don't even have 1 potential top 6 forward in our system and that really hurts. Having a couple of bottom 6ers is nice but good/great farm systems are built on elite talent

 

[Stephen]

This is a house built on faulty foundations. It needs to be completely torn down and rebuilt properly in order to become a champion. Right now it has a leaky roof, no windows, a crooked floor, electrical problems, a flooded basement and in need of a paint job. Technically it needs upgrading in every aspect but everything is inadequate and not worth keeping.

 

[Teeder9]

This is with a Clarkson buyout... it all fits under the cap ...

JVR 4.25mil/Boz 4.2mil/Kess 8mil
Kadri 2.9mil / Stastny 7 mil /Moulson 6 mil
Leivo 792k/Holland 1.75mil/Ashton 850k
Broll 590k/McClement 2mil/Biggs 894k
Orr 925k

Dion 7mil/Gardnier 2mil
MacDonald 4.5mil/ Gunnarson 3.15mil
Gleason 4 mil/Rielly 894k
Granberg 800k

Bernier 2.9 mil
Sparks 670k

We're buying out Clarkson to make that team? That's an upgrade on this season? Holy sweet jesus. 2026 can't come fast enough

Edit- Where did Lupul go? This is going by the 71m cap and not what people have been saying is a lower cap limit. Why would Gardiner sign for 2m when his best comparable is Leddy in Chicago making 2.7? What are the contract lengths on MacDonald, Moulson and Stastny? If the cap goes up by only 2m next season where does the money come from for Kadri and Bernier?

 

[KuleminFan41]

Some upgrades? With what?

Our achievements:

a) Overpay free agents
b) Trade away draft picks like candy
c) One of the worst farm systems in the league
d) Overpay our own players

Farm systems or youth players?

Marlies

2011-2012 - 1st in the division and 2nd in the conference , made the finals of the Calder Cup
7 Drafted players (in playoff games)


2012-2013 - 1st in the division , 2nd in the conference , eliminated conference semi's
11 drafted players(in playoff games)

2013-2014 - 1st in the division ,3rd in the conference , playoffs hasn't started yet
13 players that would be considered regulars on the team.

That isn't too bad for a farm team thats the "worst"

 

[Glenn Isildur Healy]

This is a house built on faulty foundations. It needs to be completely torn down and rebuilt properly in order to become a champion. Right now it has a leaky roof, no windows, a crooked floor, electrical problems, a flooded basement and in need of a paint job. Technically it needs upgrading in every aspect but everything is inadequate and not worth keeping.

That's not even the biggest problem. The biggest problem is that no one realizes this yet. Even I could be a little optimistic if someone in this organization would admit that the base of this team is completely flawed

Until that happens, problems will continue to stack itself

 

[RayzorIsDull]

This is a house built on faulty foundations. It needs to be completely torn down and rebuilt properly in order to become a champion. Right now it has a leaky roof, no windows, a crooked floor, electrical problems, a flooded basement and in need of a paint job. Technically it needs upgrading in every aspect but everything is inadequate and not worth keeping.

Solid hyperbole

 

[rdawg1234]

I don't see many farm systems in the league that are worse than us. We are bottom 5 right now

We don't even have 1 potential top 6 forward in our system and that really hurts. Having a couple of bottom 6ers is nice but good/great farm systems are built on elite talent

Well this website says we're 23rd, plus you basically assuming all of our prospects will fail.

we have a d-heavy prospect system and a few projects, plus we havent even given a shot to most of our forwards so I can't predict who will become good right now.

prospects are a crap-shoot, Colborne was an 8.0 on this site a few years ago, hes a 20 point centre right now 5 years later.

anyway this is pointless, I agree our farm system needs forward improvement, and hopefully we get a big forward prospect this draft, we already got our bluechip d-man in Rielly(and gardiner too if you count him)

 

[Dreakmur]

This is with a Clarkson buyout... it all fits under the cap ...

JVR 4.25mil/Boz 4.2mil/Kess 8mil
Kadri 2.9mil / Stastny 7 mil /Moulson 6 mil
Leivo 792k/Holland 1.75mil/Ashton 850k
Broll 590k/McClement 2mil/Biggs 894k
Orr 925k

Dion 7mil/Gardnier 2mil
MacDonald 4.5mil/ Gunnarson 3.15mil
Gleason 4 mil/Rielly 894k
Granberg 800k

Bernier 2.9 mil
Sparks 670k

How much cap space do you think a Clarkson buy-out will give us?

 

[AustonMitchWilly]

Kessel is making franchise player money while doing half as much on the ice as true franchise players.

How many players did Kessel outperform while getting paid equal to or more than?

 

[Kyle Doobas*]

This is a house built on faulty foundations. It needs to be completely torn down and rebuilt properly in order to become a champion. Right now it has a leaky roof, no windows, a crooked floor, electrical problems, a flooded basement and in need of a paint job. Technically it needs upgrading in every aspect but everything is inadequate and not worth keeping.

Haha. It's like a busted-up house built on faulty foundations, with big-screen TVs and chandeliers and spiffy furniture and decorations throughout. A whole bunch of fancy, expensive stuff that doesn't do **** for you when the weather gets bad.

 

[Faltorvo]

How many players did Kessel outperform while getting paid equal to or more than?

his last cheap year just finished and it was 8th last

big effen wooooop?

9th highest cap hit in the entire league next year, yeeeeeehaaaaaaa!

when do we plan the parade?

 

[Dreakmur]

How many players did Kessel outperform while getting paid equal to or more than?

Being a point per game player is great, but putting up points is not everything required to win hockey games.

 

[Teeder9]

Haha. It's like a busted-up house built on faulty foundations, with big-screen TVs and chandeliers and spiffy furniture and decorations throughout. A whole bunch of fancy stuff that doesn't do **** for you when the weather gets bad.

That's us on the hill