Also, I hate the whole "I've been wanting a rebuild for 40 years!" crap.
Not one Leaf fan was wanting to rebuild during the 1993, or the 2002 cup runs.
maybe not. but every fan after 2002 and the strike wanted it tore down not patched back together. first time the players screwed us. (musk 5)
from 2002 and beyond its all on management this team was patched together more times then your first bike tire...
through bad trades for over the hill players(Leetch Nolan), Hell even unproven ones. due to inpatients (Rycroft for Rask or Steen and carco for stempniak who then we traded for 20c on the dollar) toskala trade should also be mentioned
then burke showed up and underestimated how good the team was finished 8th last. second year burke over estimates how good we will be and sells 2 firsts off to Boston. impeding the rebuild for another 2 years. which hurts more because rumor was the cost was kaberle + 7TH(kadri) pick at the draft
Burke also doesn't pay attention to the league, which is changing from a bruising to skilled, less hitting, No fighting less aggressive and Faster League. He goes and wastes 2 drafts picking primarily large bruising forwards. (not all **** we got loov and brown)
then comes nonis. who pretty much placed us in cap hell. wasting our free buyouts. hell even just grabo, he completely mismanaged the cap signed some of the worst f/a . then we get too Kessel and Phaneuf instead of trading them and starting the rebuild then, he goes and resigns them to albatross contracts. Signs Clarkson to "a top 5" worst contracts of all time. gets rid of it which was really his only good feat during his tenure. I may have *****ed about burke but atleast he had balls when it came to negotiating it seemed nonis just gave them a check. Shanahan gets hired
the only positive memory I have of nonis was at the last draft. him walking up to the mic looking like a dead man walking. trembled some when he drafted nylander lol
Then the world came down, 90% of scouts and management fired over the next 2 years. young smart new gen asgm comes in named dubas. starts the recruitment for the best in analytics, names Mark hunter Head of development and scouting. hires all new scouts we then proceed revamp the marlies and minors management hired babs then lou
we just previously had on paper one of our best drafts in history.(after year one)
what it comes down too in the end. We are in year 2 of our rebuild when we should be finished and competing. However on that note I think that's why we are so excited about the rebuild. we have never actually seen one first hand.
at first glance it also looks like we have cheated by having the hunters and the best scouts money can buy. Our scouting staff probably cost as much as most teams coaching staffs
but sometimes its not about if its about the when that matters.
I apologize. 7 am sobering up rant. started as a reply and just kept going