The Star: Maple Leafs: Shanahan's gut tells him to go slow: DiManno

[hotpaws]

Well if the retreads don't have any meaningful impact or are unable to improve the team and the 8th worst team last season drops into the bottom 5 this year if the season turns to crap then wouldn't that be considered a success if your #1 priority is draft rebuilding?

With the moves the Leafs have made then this is certainly the possibility. When you replace players with lesser versions of themselves the logical outcome is not to expect improvement.

The higher the draft pick the better the potential to land a better future player.

I agree but if the plan became to burn the year after striking out with the ufa.s and go for one of the highly rated prospects then we'd be better off going with a few Marlies .

 

[gabeliscious]

Hey tanking in frowned upon in these here parts, so don't say this out loud its a secret.

Toronto seems to have masked their ultimate strategy successfully so that not everyone has caught on and some even believe Leafs are actually trying. Hey, if I wanted to tank the season without making it appear obvious of my intentions like trading Kessel or Phaneuf for futures I would do exactly what Nonis did this summer.

The unknown factor in this is the maturation of Leafs youth that can't be predicted on the success of the team.. By "playing the kids" and letting them develop with quality opportunities and ice time potential for more team success is possible if they start taking the next step. We might be pleasantly surprised.

However as part of a draft rebuild plan that is what all teams do. Colorado's rise is directly related to how far Duchene, ROR, Landeskog and MacKinnon will carry them for example after loading up for years. Now Leafs are counting on the Rielly, Kadri, Nylander etc to drive future success while they focus on giving them more support through future drafts.

Heck I have been preaching "Play the kids" when Quinn was still the GM/coach, so I'm on board if this is really the new strategy that Shanahan plans on deploying.

are the leafs REALLY playing the kids though?

jvr-bozak-kessel
lupul-kadri-probably clarkson
komorov-kontiola-santorelli
frattin-holland-bodie/ maybe ashton rotates through

phaneuf-robidas
gardiner-franson
rielly-polak

bernier
reimer

i assume this is more or less what carlyle is going to try going into the season. we have some youngish players but with the exception of rielly who established himself as an everyday nhl defenseman last season we dont really have many young young players. kadri/holland/gardiner/ashton are all around ~23-24 which is young but its not like we are putting in nylander, leivo, carrick, and finn.

i agree that the greatest unknown is what progression our players are going to take. for a player like rielly he could have his coming out party or go through a sophmore slump. franson who likely will be a ufa after this year might have a monster year in a ufa contract year. maybe this is the year lupul stays healthy and clarkson plays like he did in jersey allowing kadri to put up 70 points and dare i say it win a faceoff. maybe bernier is establishes himself as a premier starting goalie.

the way i see it anytime you need to hope for an outcome you are flirting with disaster. simply put there are too many variables that need to go exactly the leafs way for them to be a bubble team/ sneak into 7/8th playoff spot.

im legit praying that we suck though. leafs have been such a mishandled franchise for so long 1 more season wont make a difference. looking at this draft we dont even need to finish bottom 2, a 5-7 last finish will still net us a solid center prospect. also, what if some miracle landed us winning the lottery. adding mcadavid/eichle to this team would go a serious long way to making us respectable

 

[Finnish your Czech]

I refuse to read any article by Rosie DiManno.

 

[Mess]

Any player is able to sign a 2-way deal, but he will now have to pass through waivers to be assigned to the AHL if that is what you mean.

According to capgeek neither Holland, nor Ashton nor Frattin are exempt from NHL waivers regardless of the new deals they sign or have signed.

They are in a similar situation to Joe Colborne last season where they either make the team or need to clear waivers to play for the Marlies which them means they could also potentially be traded.

So part of Leafs strategy to "go slow" is predicated on this fact and having to leave roster spots open for them or risk losing them on waivers.. Its now or never for these guys as Leafs.

 

[Mess]

I agree but if the plan became to burn the year after striking out with the ufa.s and go for one of the highly rated prospects then we'd be better off going with a few Marlies .

We have been told Gardiner and Rielly are expected to get bigger roles.. Kadri also likely going to get more opportunities.

Holland, Ashton and Frattin all have to either make the team or potentially be lost on waivers.

Granberg and Nylander have been told and Nonis announced publicly that they will be given every opportunity to make the squad.

There are NHL roster spots for all of them if Leafs decide to put vets Orr, McLaren, Trevor Smith and possibly Bodie on NHL waivers.

 

[hotpaws]

So you want to just hand the spots to young guys, whether they have earned it or not? That seems like more of the same old 'entitlement' that was a problem for the Leafs in the past. What happens if the Marlies are handed these spots and then show that they can't handle it? At least this way, we have guys who can step in and allow our prospects to continue developing in the minors instead of rushing them if they aren't ready for the NHL.

How many years in the minors do you think every prospect needs ? It's time we give guys like Ashton among others a chance to show if they can play in the league and if they can't then get rid of them for the next crop of prospects.

Every year we have graduating prospects and there's only so much room and only so many contracts we can have on the books.

The problem with this team over the years hasn't been a "sense of entitlement" it's been a lack of talent and horrible mang . The rest is just bs spewed by failures like Burke.

 

[Ricky Bobby]

I can't even stomach reasding a full article that she writes.

She should go back to writing about saving the whales or cyclist or Rob Ford or Conrad Black or whatever other # of subject that she attempts to write about as long as she stays away from the Leafs.

 

[ACC1224]

I refuse to read any article by Rosie DiManno.

That goes without saying.

 

[Tyler Biggs*]

The Leafs management took a great stride forward in no Tim Connolly-type signings and that's a sign of hope. Keep this up - smart decision making - and the team will only keep improving. And that's all we ask can for.

 

[indigobuffalo]

Both were former employees of Gary Bettman.

Until Shanahan makes some meaningful change in the right direction (i.e. moving our rotten core players out), I remain suspicious of his motives here.

At this point, I'm pretty sure Bettman sent both Shanahan and Burke to sabotage the team to further subsidize and prop up his American teams.

Can I borrow some of that tin foil?

 

[Menzinger]

I'm fine with this. I definitely would enjoy watching playoff hockey in the spring and will be cheering for the team to win, but wouldn't also mind another bottom 10 pick in the next draft. If things do go sour this season, i'd love for Carlyle and even Nonis to be relieved of their duities.

Less ice time = less goals against hopefully, and perhaps the trio can remain as productive offensively, being fresher with 2 less minutes a night. Maybe JVR and Bozak will not kill penalties either this season as those are tough minutes and tiring as well.

The best thing for the team, will have a 4th line who can play 10-12 minutes a night. That's how teams like LA and Chicago are structured. I'm very confident that Kessel/JVR will be able to produce at their normal pace with reduced icetime. It was pretty evident how exhausted they both looked by the end of last season, that Carlyle's preference of giving them so much ice time throughout the year was a disaster.

This shouldn't be seen as a knock against JVR/Kessel, but rather a means of maximizing their usage. Keeping them fresher for the entity of the season, ect.

 

[Silver91]

You're not wrong in your belief as management as stated publicly it plans to play the 3rd and 4th lines more this year.

By process of elimination it means Leafs top 2 lines get less ice time.

Can the top 6 forwards be as productive with less ice time by being fresher and can the Leafs be better defensively by keeping its weakest defensive players off the ice more?. That is the million question as to how it will effect team results.

I think the biggest byproduct of having stronger depth and playing the lower lines more is that it rests the big guys more for later in the game and gives them more O-zone starts. I think that isn't something you can overlook too easily.

This is, of course, assuming Randy goes with the plan

 

[RayzorIsDull]

This Detroit model is a slippery slope since the cap came in and the first couple years after the Wings were good. Since 09 ask Wings fans what they think of Ken Holland. He sits on his hands, afraid to make trades or touch prospects, not active in free agency and it's been a slow slide down. I am not sure this Red Wings model people speak of is sustainable in a cap era.

 

[rdawg1234]

This Detroit model is a slippery slope since the cap came in and the first couple years after the Wings were good. Since 09 ask Wings fans what they think of Ken Holland. He sits on his hands, afraid to make trades or touch prospects, not active in free agency and it's been a slow slide down. I am not sure this Red Wings model people speak of is sustainable in a cap era.

Not really much he can do, all of the all-stars of that era are aging, Lidstrom, their perennial norris winner left and they've been an average team at best ever since. Berg and Datsyuk are starting to run into injury trouble too.

They are going to miss the playoffs soon, i'd say that streak will be over within a season or two barring some major FA signing or huge trade.

 

[TheThrill81*]

Not really much he can do, all of the all-stars of that era are aging, Lidstrom, their perennial norris winner left and they've been an average team at best ever since. Berg and Datsyuk are starting to run into injury trouble too.

They are going to miss the playoffs soon, i'd say that streak will be over within a season or two barring some major FA signing or huge trade.

Not at least for another season, Dan Cleary was re-signed.

 

[Purity*]

Both were former employees of Gary Bettman.

Until Shanahan makes some meaningful change in the right direction (i.e. moving our rotten core players out), I remain suspicious of his motives here.

At this point, I'm pretty sure Bettman sent both Shanahan and Burke to sabotage the team to further subsidize and prop up his American teams.

It makes so much sense!

That's also why Burke went to Calgary

 

[Kurtz]

Has Dimanno ever written a hockey article where she doesn't discuss a players looks?

Picture a male journalist being tasked with covering female sports, and then talking about a player's appearance in every piece. Would he stay employed for longer than 2 weeks? (provided he wasn't writing for the Sun, off course).

 

[kihei]

Gotta trust someone and he seems a good candidate.

 

[Northern Dancer]

Has Dimanno ever written a hockey article where she doesn't discuss a players looks?

Picture a male journalist being tasked with covering female sports, and then talking about a player's appearance in every piece. Would he stay employed for longer than 2 weeks? (provided he wasn't writing for the Sun, off course).

Great point.

If a man were alone in the forest and a tree fell, would he still be wrong?

 

[Man Bear Pig]

I'll believe this "patient" approach when he stops Nonis from handing picks out like candy. Nothing says knee-jerk reaction than to deal away your second rounders till 2024.

 

[TheThrill81*]

I'll believe this "patient" approach when he stops Nonis from handing picks out like candy. Nothing says knee-jerk reaction than to deal away your second rounders till 2024.

So you were opposed to trading for Bernier? Because as it stands, we still have our 2nd round picks for 2016 and onwards.

 

[BozakKadriKessel]

For one I am perfectly fine with the leafs off season this season. They never overpaid, never gave out long contracts didn;t make stupid moves. They brought in some toughness and leadership on the backend with Robidas and Polak who will mentor reilly and gardiner. They brought back a super pest in komarov who can still play hockey and be effective on the pk. Brought in a couple of players who u hope can contribute in the bottom six and still under short contracts like santorelli and Kontiola who are cheap. They signed back other bottom six players such as ashton and holland for cheap contracts to see what they have in them and if they can contriubte. I really like the additions and I feel as if the team is set up for one big try out. I am fine with the leafs struggling this year and be patient and see what we have in these young guys. This year its a make or break year for so many leafs. Gardiner, Kadri, Franson(if we resign), Holland, Ashton etc. so many young players with so many to prove. I do not think Toronto will be as bad as some ppl thinks they will be. I think they are fast, skilled and are finally filled with a lot of hungry players out to prove something. With Beriner, Gardiner (potentially) kadri coming for a contract year and clarkson, lupul showing they can bounce back. I don't think anybody knows what to expect with this years leafs team.

 

[Tyler Biggs*]

These 2 new assistants are much better than the former 3 assistants. 2 of which had the same results with Carlyle as they did with Wilson. That is, last place in GA's and worst PK in the NHL since they've been here handling those special team assignments. Great work Shanny!

 

[BraveCanadian]

These fluff pieces...

Shanahan did nothing so he is "going slow"..

If he had done something they would be talking about how he started his tenue with the team by making a big splash.

The reality is they just brought in a guy with no experience to oversee a hockey operation that hasn't done squat in years...

I'll wait and judge the results. I'm hoping he succeeds in the repeatedly promised culture change but the proof is in the pudding.

 

[Teeder9]

These 2 new assistants are much better than the former 3 assistants. 2 of which had the same results with Carlyle as they did with Wilson. That is, last place in GA's and worst PK in the NHL since they've been here handling those special team assignments. Great work Shanny!

Who were the assistants when they came in 2nd in PK?