News Article: Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan glad team stayed away from pricey free

[Tyler Biggs*]

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2014...-pricey-free-agents-happy-with-minor-changes/

TORONTO — Brendan Shanahan has heard the talk. He knows what it being said. There is a feeling out there that the Toronto Maple Leafs, who collapsed in historic fashion at the end of last season, did nothing to improve a team that finished with the eighth-worst record in the NHL.

In fact, after making minimal moves in free agency, they might actually be worse.

It’s an opinion that the new president of the Leafs does not share. Yes, the team did not land one of the big fishes on July 1st. They lost out on Dan Boyle and couldn’t convince Josh Gorges to accept a trade to Toronto. They failed to re-sign Dave Bolland and will be without Mason Raymond and Nikolai Kulemin. The moves they made — bringing back Matt Frattin and Leo Komarov, signing defenceman Stephane Robidas, KHL veteran Petri Kontiola and fourth-line centre Mike Santorelli — amount to shuffling the deck chairs around.

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[GalacticaActual]

I wonder if Brendan Shanahan is glad that we signed Clarkson to an albatross contract.

I wonder if Brendan Shanahan is glad that Raymond, Kulemin, McClement, and Bolland all walked for nothing.

I wonder if Brendan Shanahan enjoys watching a team consistently hold a playoff spot just past the deadline, and then fritter it away with end-of-season collapses. It's kind of difficult to sell pending UFAs like Raymond, Kulemin, McClement, and Bolland if you are comfortably in a playoff spot. And it's quite difficult to predict that after the trade deadline, that comfortable playoff spot will evaporate into nothing. Seems like the Leafs have a knack for doing this though.

 

[A1LeafNation]

Shanahan was hired because Nonis was stupid with the Clarkson contract last year.

 

[Lauro]

Good offseason so far.

 

[Tyler Biggs*]

The thing is to build a team that is competitive for years and years to come and when the circumstances are right and you have that window THEN and ONLY THEN do you throw everything you have at that cup run.... To give up youth or picks or cripple yourself for that 1 player now is senseless but so many of these guys don't understand that.... They want you to either grab every free agent and force teams to trade you guys that will win you the cup next year and if that doesn't work then tear apart the team and tank and rebuild every two years.... It just doesn't work that way.....

That's been the biggest problem for decades in Toronto. Patience. It's always been preached but never practiced. Not by owners, not by management, not by the media, and not by fans. It's always been knee-jerk reactions, and quick-fix solutions and when it doesn't work, repeat the cycle. What would be revolutionary for Toronto, is if patience is actually practiced; and I mean actual patience. If that's what Brendan Shanahan is doing, then it actually could work

 

[hullsy47]

I wonder if Brendan Shanahan is glad that we signed Clarkson to an albatross contract.

I wonder if Brendan Shanahan is glad that Raymond, Kulemin, McClement, and Bolland all walked for nothing.

I wonder if Brendan Shanahan enjoys watching a team consistently hold a playoff spot just past the deadline, and then fritter it away with end-of-season collapses. It's kind of difficult to sell pending UFAs like Raymond, Kulemin, McClement, and Bolland if you are comfortably in a playoff spot. And it's quite difficult to predict that after the trade deadline, that comfortable playoff spot will evaporate into nothing. Seems like the Leafs have a knack for doing this though.

i wonder if your glad shanahan is here and bringing in a detroit style of management ...burke/nonis tried to reinvent the wheel,spindoctors,the onus is on evrery returning player ,new player.....to buy into shanny's phylosophy or your gone ,i totaly expect kessel to score the highest hes ever scored on fitness testing ,or he ll be accountable too
40 goals is fine ,playoffs are the goal
people ride the lack of big names being brought in ,and why free agents dont want toronto?.......blame lewike ......he endorsed every dumb move this organization has made since he arrived ,heeeee extended nonis ,lets just hope shanny rights this ship ,before stamkos becomes free .

 

[Joey Hoser]

I wonder if Brendan Shanahan is glad that we signed Clarkson to an albatross contract.

I wonder if Brendan Shanahan is glad that Raymond, Kulemin, McClement, and Bolland all walked for nothing.

I wonder if Brendan Shanahan enjoys watching a team consistently hold a playoff spot just past the deadline, and then fritter it away with end-of-season collapses. It's kind of difficult to sell pending UFAs like Raymond, Kulemin, McClement, and Bolland if you are comfortably in a playoff spot. And it's quite difficult to predict that after the trade deadline, that comfortable playoff spot will evaporate into nothing. Seems like the Leafs have a knack for doing this though.

In the first sentence you complain about signing an albatross contract, and in your second sentance you complain we didn't sign a bunch of albatross contracts...

 

[Donato]

In the first sentence you complain about signing an albatross contract, and in your second sentance you complain we didn't sign a bunch of albatross contracts...

Beat me to it

 

[Parkdale]

I wonder if Brendan Shanahan is glad that we signed Clarkson to an albatross contract.

I wonder if Brendan Shanahan is glad that Raymond, Kulemin, McClement, and Bolland all walked for nothing.

I wonder if Brendan Shanahan enjoys watching a team consistently hold a playoff spot just past the deadline, and then fritter it away with end-of-season collapses. It's kind of difficult to sell pending UFAs like Raymond, Kulemin, McClement, and Bolland if you are comfortably in a playoff spot. And it's quite difficult to predict that after the trade deadline, that comfortable playoff spot will evaporate into nothing. Seems like the Leafs have a knack for doing this though.

Safe to suggest that Shanahan probably hates all this. Probably the reason he gave instructions to underlings to test the market to get rid of Phaneuf's contract too.

 

[HarrisonFord]

I wonder if Brendan Shanahan is glad that we signed Clarkson to an albatross contract.

I wonder if Brendan Shanahan is glad that Raymond, Kulemin, McClement, and Bolland all walked for nothing.

I wonder if Brendan Shanahan enjoys watching a team consistently hold a playoff spot just past the deadline, and then fritter it away with end-of-season collapses. It's kind of difficult to sell pending UFAs like Raymond, Kulemin, McClement, and Bolland if you are comfortably in a playoff spot. And it's quite difficult to predict that after the trade deadline, that comfortable playoff spot will evaporate into nothing. Seems like the Leafs have a knack for doing this though.

1. Was Brendan Shannahan part of the Leafs when this happened?

2. He probably did. Raymond, Kulemin, and Bolland got contracts that were too pricey to pay; McClement wasn't good last year. So yeah if I'm Shanny I'm happy about those things

3. Was Brendan Shannahan on the Leafs last season? No? Was he brought in because of these things? Yes?


Listen, we all know you're not actually a Leafs fan, but maybe you should give it a rest

 

[Mess]

Shanahan is on record saying he is not a big fan of free agency and doesn't believe it should be used heavily to build a team.

This summers minor tweaks to the roster simply trying to replace the departed on cheaper contracts an early sign he is a man of his word in that regard as actions speak louder than words.

I agree with Shanny and it should be used to simply fill holes that you can't fill internally outside of when a big star player hits the market and then everybody wants him.

 

[Morbo]

Strange since they didn't "stay away", they simply got outbid.

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

I'm glad we aren't giving paydays to UFA's. Bargain hunting like what we're doing now is fine. Too big of a gamble. I prefer trades. Looks like we're trying to get our identity from the shortened season back. Let's see what happens

 

[hockeyfanz*]

Shanahan is on record saying he is not a big fan of free agency and doesn't believe it should be used heavily to build a team.

This summers minor tweaks to the roster simply trying to replace the departed on cheaper contracts an early sign he is a man of his word in that regard as actions speak louder than words.

I agree with Shanny and it should be used to simply fill holes that you can't fill internally outside of when a big star player hits the market and then everybody wants him.

Contrast to the last fathead loudmouth idiot who said...

July 1st is our draft day....

 

[masarume]

The thing is to build a team that is competitive for years and years to come and when the circumstances are right and you have that window THEN and ONLY THEN do you throw everything you have at that cup run.... To give up youth or picks or cripple yourself for that 1 player now is senseless but so many of these guys don't understand that.... They want you to either grab every free agent and force teams to trade you guys that will win you the cup next year and if that doesn't work then tear apart the team and tank and rebuild every two years.... It just doesn't work that way.....

That's been the biggest problem for decades in Toronto. Patience. It's always been preached but never practiced. Not by owners, not by management, not by the media, and not by fans. It's always been knee-jerk reactions, and quick-fix solutions and when it doesn't work, repeat the cycle. What would be revolutionary for Toronto, is if patience is actually practiced; and I mean actual patience. If that's what Brendan Shanahan is doing, then it actually could work

I agree with this 100%
It's about timing. We are not close to contending, so why try to spend to the cap?
Tweak the team and if any of our players overachieve, trade them at the deadline. Keep our core pieces and collect assets.
We have another 6 years with Clarkson.

 

[leafs in five]

Strange since they didn't "stay away", they simply got outbid.

yeah this seems significant

 

[ryno23]

Strange since they didn't "stay away", they simply got outbid.

Shanny put a limit on each player and never went past it. If Bolland got 5x5 good for him cause the leafs didn't want to go over a certain number and didn't

Last year they got in a bidding war for Clarkson and for years other FA where they overpaid to be the last guy standing and it for the most part never worked out

So tell me the difference between Bolland and Santorelli this upcoming year? Who will have more points? Will their D be mostly the same?

So yeah they got outbid but it's because they put a number on the player and stuck to the guns

Bravo

 

[Mess]

Contrast to the last fathead loudmouth idiot who said...

July 1st is our draft day....

Shanahan yesterday

“With all due respect to the players that were signed for big dollars and big term, we looked at July 1st this year and decided that we didn't want to be too involved with some of those big signings … It's a bad habit to try and build your team on July 1st year after year after year.â€

Instead, it appears the Leafs will start the prudent trend of building internally, improved draft and development key in the still-to-be-sorted Shanahan platform.

http://www.tsn.ca/toronto/blogs/jonas_siegel/?id=456858

 

[Mess]

There is a new trend developing in terms of free agency and the rising Salary Cap now at $70 mil.

Lots more bottom teams are active shoppers like Florida and NYI and overspending on UFAs a strategy to get to the cap floor.

Florida began July 1st at > $19 mil below the cap floor and so Bolland's contract at $5.5 mil a means to reach the bottom minimum spending allowed.. Cap teams that spend to the ceiling can't afford to overspend as that causes more difficulties icing a competitive team.

Bolland situation was caught between Florida forced to spend money and Leafs forced to conserve spending. UFA contracts need to be viewed in regards to who is signing the player cap or budget team.

 

[leafs in five]

just fire Nonis for crying out loud

 

[Bluelines]

There is a new trend developing in terms of free agency and the rising Salary Cap now at $70 mil.

Lots more bottom teams are active shoppers like Florida and NYI and overspending on UFAs a strategy to get to the cap floor.

Florida began July 1st at > $19 mil below the cap floor and so Bolland's contract at $5.5 mil a means to reach the bottom minimum spending allowed.. Cap teams that spend to the ceiling can't afford to overspend as that causes more difficulties icing a competitive team.

Bolland situation was caught between Florida forced to spend money and Leafs forced to conserve spending. UFA contracts need to be viewed in regards to who is signing the player cap or budget team.

Keep in mind the motovation of those 2 teams to spend spend spend in the UFA market this year could also have something to do with FLA got a new owner with deep pockets and NYI is moving nest year to Brooklyn looking to gain some new fans.

 

[Ace88*]

...fourth line centre Mike Santorelli? Ok.

 

[Bluelines]

We have another 6 years with Clarkson.

To think Ott signed at half of what Clarkson signed for considerably less term makes me want to cry. Basically the same type of aggitating type pest, that can score on occasion, brings energy but the difference is Ott will actually stay on his feet for longer than 15 seconds at a time.

 

[Mess]

Keep in mind the motovation of those 2 teams to spend spend spend in the UFA market this year could also have something to do with FLA got a new owner with deep pockets and NYI is moving nest year to Brooklyn looking to gain some new fans.

Also factors but the cap floor the #1 priority. Also NYI traded thier #1 pick away so there is no advantage to finish near the bottom only to give their pick to the Sabres.

NYI for example needed the contracts of Kulemin and Grabovski and are even using a Yashin buyout ($2.5 mil cap hit from long time ago) just to get to the cap floor.

Big market teams can't compete equally in free agency with teams that need to spend. So budget teams can outbid cap teams if they want to because they need to in essence.

A Clarkson contract for NYI or Florida or Buffalo only a drop in the bucket having no effect on team competitiveness by being capped out, its only about the money they need to pay him. Leafs had to buyout Gleason and take a 4 year cap hit just to free up cap space because they were big UFA spenders last season and now forced into being cost conscience and wise shoppers come free agency.

Leafs shopping in the bargain bin this season for players via free agency was also out of need more than want necessarily. No doubt they would rather have Bolland than Kontiola and Santorelli as their 3rd line center but they simply couldn't afford to outbid others for their own player.

 

[Gallagbi]

Leafs shopping in the bargain bin this season for players via free agency was also out of need more than want necessarily. No doubt they would rather have Bolland than Kontiola and Santorelli as their 3rd line center but they simply couldn't afford to outbid others for their own player .

They could, but they chose not to.

It's common for a team to set a top end price on a player and not exceed it. This isn't new to Leafs, it's just the overpayments opted to go elsewhere this summer.