Speculation: The big Myth we seem to accept!

[Drew75]

But to watch games and cheer for players to do well just for the sake to increase their trade potential, man that is depressing if that is the most to look forward to next season.

Next season has a ton to look forward to!

• The new 'culture' of high compete teams under Babcock
• Watching guys like Matthias and Parenteau increase their trade values
• Enjoying the Leafs playing hard while still hanging around the bottom of the standings
• Following the risers, fallers, and development of the 2016 draft class while continually accumulating additional picks for that draft
• Watching the development of our prospects on the Marlies, Marner in London, etc
• Following rumours and speculation as the current core is slowly dismantled.

Rebuilding is fun The journey will be as exciting as the destination!

 

[The Big Chief]

At this point we've only really scratched the surface with regards to "scorched earth", and we've already accumulated a bunch of exciting prospects/pieces.

In reality we've only really lost Phil (Goodbye, sweet prince) and Franson, and Franny could even be coming back.

 

[Orfieus]

Next season has a ton to look forward to!

• The new 'culture' of high compete teams under Babcock
• Watching guys like Matthias and Parenteau increase their trade values
• Enjoying the Leafs playing hard while still hanging around the bottom of the standings
• Following the risers, fallers, and development of the 2016 draft class while continually accumulating additional picks for that draft
• Watching the development of our prospects on the Marlies, Marner in London, etc
• Following rumours and speculation as the current core is slowly dismantled.

Rebuilding is fun The journey will be as exciting as the destination!

I will be watching the Marlies, except I am not talking about the Marlies I'm talking about watching Leaf games.

It is just kind of depressing that the only thing to look forward to next year is a hard working team and to see just how good Babs is as a coach (and hoping he keeps the team in the bottom 2 of the league).

 

[AkiBerg]

Next season has a ton to look forward to!

• The new 'culture' of high compete teams under Babcock
• Watching guys like Matthias and Parenteau increase their trade values
• Enjoying the Leafs playing hard while still hanging around the bottom of the standings
• Following the risers, fallers, and development of the 2016 draft class while continually accumulating additional picks for that draft
• Watching the development of our prospects on the Marlies, Marner in London, etc
• Following rumours and speculation as the current core is slowly dismantled.

Rebuilding is fun The journey will be as exciting as the destination!

I agree 100%, seems like Shanny and Co are doing it right and im excited to see what happens. Weird dynamic tho because I cant cheer for them to lose but id still like a top pick in 16 draft

 

[MJ65]

The Leafs will have difficulty dealing players and getting a good return so they wont deal them.

Will be looking at UFA to add to the team current talent.

With Babcock coaching the Leafs will finish outside the top 10 but will be desiring to draft rebuild without those top picks.

The hybrid rebuild is in effect or as the past regime called it retooling on the fly the only difference being Leafs will not be trading away top picks for instant help unless the right players are available. Most importantly Leafs with Hunter scouting believe they will be able to unearth talent in all rounds of the draft not just the 1st round.

This is a long and a painful process and we need to be patient. I see a lot of posters coming up with suggestions like sign Stamkos and we all know that's not going to happen (those days are all long gone). Speaking of any trade scenario, we already have seen that we are not going to get any significant return but we should still trade Bozak before the start of the season and both Lupul, Polak and Phaneuf at some point (when we have a reasonablle offer, but there is no need to rush), I don't think if we are going to get any thing with Robidas, so really do not have any choice (his contract is expiring in another year)

We can even trade Gardiner and Kadri after this season depending on how they perform and if they fit in our (management's plan), basically every one is tradeable with few exceptions

We should make sure that going forward we do not hand any long term contract unless we are talking about franchise players and try to avoid those no trade or no movement contracts (at least the list should not be limited to 8 - 10 days)

Needless to say we should keep on acquiring as many (talented and high skilled) prospects / picks as possible, groom them and be patient and if we see that we have abundance of these prospects on a certain position then should trade those for the need (but that's not going to happen in near future)

 

[crump]

At this point we've only really scratched the surface with regards to "scorched earth", and we've already accumulated a bunch of exciting prospects/pieces.

In reality we've only really lost Phil (Goodbye, sweet prince) and Franson, and Franny could even be coming back.

Someone should take this music and set it to some footage of leaf players who are traded this summer and season.

 

[MJ65]

Tank!

Tank or no tank, we are still going to finish in bottom 5

 

[Mess]

Tank or no tank, we are still going to finish in bottom 5

TORONTO SUN: Lance Hornby reports Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock recently admitted his club still needs to find a marquee defenseman and they’ll do so when the time is right.

 

[MJ65]

TORONTO SUN: Lance Hornby reports Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock recently admitted his club still needs to find a marquee defenseman and they’ll do so when the time is right.

We need marquee players for literally every position including a goalie. I don't think if Bernier is the answer

 

[ACC1224]

TORONTO SUN: Lance Hornby reports Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock recently admitted his club still needs to find a marquee defenseman and they’ll do so when the time is right.

Can you post the quote from Babcock? Sounds like an odd comment.

 

[MJ65]

The team will of course play to win and with Babcock here anything else will not be accepted. But there is a big difference building a team that have a good chance of winning now and building a team that because of lack of quality and experience dont win enough yet.

The team is going to get better with time, with current roster we are not going any where and it's going to be few painful years

 

[Ricky Bobby]

Next season has a ton to look forward to!

• The new 'culture' of high compete teams under Babcock
• Watching guys like Matthias and Parenteau increase their trade values
• Enjoying the Leafs playing hard while still hanging around the bottom of the standings
• Following the risers, fallers, and development of the 2016 draft class while continually accumulating additional picks for that draft
• Watching the development of our prospects on the Marlies, Marner in London, etc
• Following rumours and speculation as the current core is slowly dismantled.

Rebuilding is fun The journey will be as exciting as the destination!

I see this season as a year where we're trying to let our youngsters develop for part if not all of the season on the Marlies or in the case of Marner in the OHL.

We didn't want to be Buffalo of a few years throwing youngsters in the NHL before they're ready.

Almost all of the pending UFAs in Polak, Matthias, Spaling, Parenteau, Reimer are likely traded for extra picks with a deserving Marlie called up to fill their role.

At least one of JVR, Lupul or Bozak is gone by the deadline. If they were going to be dealt this off-season it likely would have already happened.

Phaneuf will be kept around as the veteran insulator and mentor. We have no heir apparent to him as captain and we don't need our youngster Dmen which for the most part don't have an edge to their game getting their butts kicked night in, night out with no push back. Do people really want a repeat of Luke Schenn as a rookie having to defend his teammates?

16-17 Season we'll be slotted to have Nylander, Brown, Marner with the big club all year. Very good chance Kapanen as well. A Dman or two should also emerge as bonafide NHLers with top candidates being Marincin, Percy, Harrington but also potentially Granberg, Nilsson, Loov.

We are accumulating a ton of cheap young depth and either next off-season or the following we can look at packaging it up like the Blue Jackets did for Saad or Buffalo did for ROR this off-season. They laid the foundation for those deals in the previous 2 or 3 years by having accumulated lots of extra picks/prospects. This season we are in the asset accumulating stage.

 

[The Big Chief]

We need marquee players for literally every position including a goalie. I don't think if Bernier is the answer

I disagree. I think Bernier will be a fantastic #1 if he faces 25-30 shots a night, which I expect under Babcock.

Remember, he's been facing upwards of 35 shots nightly - that's insane wear and tear on your body.

 

[Diatomic]

I want us to tank hard next year and once we get Matthews or chychrun I want us to start getting better and trying to be competitive.

With that crop we get 3 sure-fire top 6 forwards in marner,Nylanders, and Matthews, and many boom-bust prospects like brown and kapanen that can be potential 2nd liners

 

[Wafflewhipper]

I will be watching intently how JVR's defensive game is without Kessel. Thats a important area he needs to show improvement. There shouldn't be -30 players anywhere near this version i suspect.

They just won't be scoring as much.

 

[ACC1224]

TORONTO SUN: Lance Hornby reports Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock recently admitted his club still needs to find a marquee defenseman and they’ll do so when the time is right.

Can you post the quote from Babcock? Sounds like an odd comment.

Anyone?

 

[MJ65]

I disagree. I think Bernier will be a fantastic #1 if he faces 25-30 shots a night, which I expect under Babcock.

Remember, he's been facing upwards of 35 shots nightly - that's insane wear and tear on your body.

We can argue about that, but Cujo and Belfour used to face that many shots day in and day out, Bernier hasn't proven any thing as yet

His Save % was .912 and GAA was 2.87 last year and both these stats below average (actually pretty bad) of all the starting goalies. I know last year was horrible for any of the roster players, but calling him fantastic is a bit of a stretch

 

[Mess]

I disagree. I think Bernier will be a fantastic #1 if he faces 25-30 shots a night, which I expect under Babcock.

Remember, he's been facing upwards of 35 shots nightly - that's insane wear and tear on your body.

Last year under Babcock Detroit was tied for 7th best in least shots against 28.3 per game, while the Leafs were 29th in the NHL with the 2nd most at ~ 34 shots a night.

Under Babcock's system Leafs could get to 30 or below on average a night and that will help the Leafs goalies.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

I will be watching intently how JVR's defensive game is without Kessel. Thats a important area he needs to show improvement. There shouldn't be -30 players anywhere near this version i suspect.

They just won't be scoring as much.

If both JVR and Bozak are here next season. I will wager without Kessel, they will not be -30 players.

 

[MJ65]

Last year under Babcock Detroit was tied for 7th best in least shots against 28.3 per game, while the Leafs were 29th in the NHL with the 2nd most at ~ 34 shots a night.

Under Babcock's system Leafs could get to 30 or below on average a night and that will help the Leafs goalies.

I am not sure how old you were at the time of Cujo and Belfour (you can call those guys as elite level), they used to face over 35 shots every night and the club used to qualify for the playoffs and the goal tending was a bit part of those playoffs

 

[Drew75]

At least one of JVR, Lupul or Bozak is gone by the deadline. If they were going to be dealt this off-season it likely would have already happened.

In reference to the bolded - not necessarily so. There a number of teams that still have cap issues (over or under) and roster holes. It's quiet now, but there will be another set of dominoes to fall prior to camps in September.

 

[MJ65]

If both JVR and Bozak are here next season. I will wager without Kessel, they will not be -30 players.

Under Babcock +/- would have improved with or without Kessel

 

[Commander Clueless]

Babcock or no Babcock, can anyone honestly look at that forward roster and tell me that thing is going to win any meaningful amount of games.

If we get out of the bottom 5 Babcock deserves a Jack Adams nomination. If we get out of the bottom 10, Babcock should win it hands down.

 

[egd27]

We can argue about that, but Cujo and Belfour used to face that many shots day in and day out, Bernier hasn't proven any thing as yet

His Save % was .912 and GAA was 2.87 last year and both these stats below average (actually pretty bad) of all the starting goalies. I know last year was horrible for any of the roster players, but calling him fantastic is a bit of a stretch

Cujo's SV% with Leafs - .910 .915 .915 .906

Belfour - .922 .918 .896

Bernier - .922 .912

So Bernier's best beats Cujo's best & is equal to Belfour's best.

Looks like he's in good company if you want to stick with those guys as your bench marks.


FYI: Cujo faced about 28 shots a night.....Belfour faced about 27.5

 

[egd27]

If both JVR and Bozak are here next season. I will wager without Kessel, they will not be -30 players.

I'll wager Kessel isn't either next season.