The Leafs need a better bottom 6 if they want to get into the playoffs. They don't have a line they can match against other teams top scorers. Adding top end talent might look good to the fan base, but it's the grinders and energy guys that need to be better.
The Leafs should target players like Kelly, Langenbrunner, Samuelsson this off season. However the fan base will be rabid that they want a star. They might get it, but until the bottom 6 is more defensively aware, the leafs will continue to miss the playoffs.
Kelly will be locked up most likely.
Langebrunner is cancer.
Samuelsson isn't really a solution, might as well keep Lombardi.
Moen would be the ideal target.
But seriously love the 180 fans are doing on Burke. This was a team that on paper looked playoff calibre, in execution much less so. When they got the goaltending they needed they were great. But as a group I think there needs to be a shake-up. Change the dynamic. Hope Burke stays away from the forwards and grabs Rielly in the draft, it would lock up our defense longterm. Trading Lupul to a place like Nashville might help too but he's got an NTC.
Outside of upgrading our bottom six there's no moves the Leafs are hard pressed to make. Guys like Moen should be targeted but if Ashton impresses might as well keep him and hope to roll Ashton - Connolly - Frattin next season.
last year the goal tending was lights out for almost half a year, and that's when we made the big surge
you can improve 95% of your team (i'm not saying that's what they did) but if your goal tending is bad/ worse you will look like crap
maybe if we can get a legit #1 for next year i'd have something to look forward to
meh that or a 1st line C.... honestly,,, example last night... bozak hits connolly's foot. legit #1C finds the twine. and gus only let 1 bad goal in... and made some big saves, he still had a near 0.91sv%... its not necessarily goaltending, but i do agree goaltending may be any issue, not because of performance, but because of consistency... he gave them a chance to win tonight. this was a team loss.
all we needed was a top 5 HELL top 3 protection on that pick... seguin would have REALLLLLLLY helped this club... we need a #C i think that should be top priority..
all we needed was a top 5 HELL top 3 protection on that pick... seguin would have REALLLLLLLY helped this club... we need a #C i think that should be top priority..
Let me pose this question to you:
Would you rather have Claude Giroux or Zdeno Chara?
This is basically Galchenyuk/Gringorenko vs Murray/Reilly.
Toronto needs a #1 D to play alongside Phaneuf. Burke made the wrong move getting Kadri instead of Kulikov and he paid for it. Defenders get criminally underrated in the draft and if Toronto picked up Reilly they'd have one of the deepest, youngest bluelines in the NHL. Getting a #1C isn't as hard as a #1 D. Outside Pronger how many #1 D have been flipped? Lidstrom, Weber, Suter, Keith, Letang, Niedermayer, etc. etc. Those guys rarely get moved but guys like Ribeiro are more attainable. Toronto having a #1 D and then trading assets for a #1B Center would be leaps and bounds better.
Just face it. This team is screwed long-term because of Burke. I think Kessel and Lupul have peaked out here, as well as the goaltenders for the Leafs. Unless a Marlies prospect like Rynnas blossoms, I don't see the goalie situation improving.
...and at this point, we can consider Reimer and Gustavsson one-hit wonders. I'd say the team sinks to 13th.
Would you rather have Claude Giroux or Zdeno Chara?
This is basically Galchenyuk/Gringorenko vs Murray/Reilly.
Toronto needs a #1 D to play alongside Phaneuf. Burke made the wrong move getting Kadri instead of Kulikov and he paid for it. Defenders get criminally underrated in the draft and if Toronto picked up Reilly they'd have one of the deepest, youngest bluelines in the NHL. Getting a #1C isn't as hard as a #1 D. Outside Pronger how many #1 D have been flipped? Lidstrom, Weber, Suter, Keith, Letang, Niedermayer, etc. etc. Those guys rarely get moved but guys like Ribeiro are more attainable. Toronto having a #1 D and then trading assets for a #1B Center would be leaps and bounds better.
We looked through this before; you don't draft defensemen in the top 5, because they don't develop into #1D's at a higher rate than defensemen taken later in the draft. Best case scenario: you draft elite offensive talent -- i.e. Galchenyuk -- with your top pick and ideally acquire a mid-round pick and use it to pick up a shutdown defenseman when a lot of them are still available.
Just face it. This team is screwed long-term because of Burke. I think Kessel and Lupul have peaked out here, as well as the goaltenders for the Leafs. Unless a Marlies prospect like Rynnas blossoms, I don't see the goalie situation improving.
...and at this point, we can consider Reimer and Gustavsson one-hit wonders. I'd say the team sinks to 13th.
I'm all for completely and irrationally overreacting, but Phil Kessel is 24 years old. 24. Years. Old. I like the enthusiasm, but let's back off the crazy.
This season was a microcosm of the last seven years. Some good (like the 05-07 teams) and then some bad (08-11 teams). This season was tougher to get through than the last several seasons because of how high up we were, and to see us fall the way we have is devastating. I can't believe how hard it is for us just to make the playoffs. People throw 1967 in our faces, I sure hope we don't wait 40+ years just to make the damn postseason.
last year the goal tending was lights out for almost half a year, and that's when we made the big surge
you can improve 95% of your team (i'm not saying that's what they did) but if your goal tending is bad/ worse you will look like crap
maybe if we can get a legit #1 for next year i'd have something to look forward to
And we had more production last year from that second line. That really dipped this year. Had Kuli potted 30 goals again and Mac/Grabo did better, we might have been okay this year. That PLUS goaltending PLUS early special special teams cost us for sure.
This season was a microcosm of the last seven years. Some good (like the 05-07 teams) and then some bad (08-11 teams). This season was tougher to get through than the last several seasons because of how high up we were, and to see us fall the way we have is devastating. I can't believe how hard it is for us just to make the playoffs. People throw 1967 in our faces, I sure hope we don't wait 40+ years just to make the damn postseason.
That has to be Burke's target! Making the playoffs in 2067!!!
It does seem like a more depressing season, because hope came early this year rather than late. It is disheartening to think that the team and the GM might be regressing. You wouldn't think that mere respectability would be so hard to come by.
How much lower can my beloved Maple Leafs sink??? Every year when you think things will turn around....the next season is worse.
1) Head coach gets run out of town by fans
2) I think GM Burke has officially lost all his marbles. He is hanging up on reporters, not showing up for other engagements, paying ridiclous money for for second and third line talent. He is more worried about what Don Cherry thinks. He still thinks this core group of players is going to take him deep into the playoffs at some point.
He is really losing touch with reality
3) The players themselves....what else can you say, involved in a tight playoff race and they all decide to take a month off. Goaltending is horrible, defence are worse,
Yes, they are a young team...a team of young 3rd and 4th liners.
People say they are going in the right direction.......they will finish worse than last year.
I can't recall a time when there was so little to look forward to with this team.
Realistically, the lowest rank in the standings that the Leafs can reach is 27th-28th place. If they end this regular season in a top-5 lottery pick position (which looks very likely), they'll have a shot at the first overall pick IF they can win the lottery. If they don't win the lottery (which is far more likely), they'll still end up with an excellent draft position.
It's no surprise (or, at least it should't be) that the Leafs are having yet another piss-poor season. The signs were all there before the regular season even started; all people had to do, at that time, was take off their blue-and-white tinted beer-goggles and actually SEE THE TEAM FOR WHAT IT REALLY WAS: a team that needed to have EVERYTHING go right for them to have a legitimate shot at a play-off spot.
Ron Wilson ran himself out of town, due to his inept coaching and piss-poor results at the end of every season
Burke lost touch with reality when he became the Leafs' GM. The first clue should have been his adamant refusal to take the time to properly re-build the team through the draft. Clue #2 should have been his use of a faulty blue-print which had absolutley no chance of working in Toronto because the assets to make it work were non-existent (and still are). Factor in his humongous ego and his suspect talent-evaluation skills, and you've got a recipe for continued mediocrity.
If he'd actually wanted to show that he was actively trying to improve the team's future, he would have taken the first-round picks that were reportedly offered for Kulemin and Grabovski, as well as the conditional pick for MacArthur. With those additional picks combined with the picks the Leafs currently hold, Burke could have easily rocked the up-coming Draft and substantially improved his team's future. Instead. he chose to hold onto these three players with the vain hope that this team could somehow make it into the play-offs.
When you also factor into the equation that most of his signings/acquisitions have been over-priced failures, it stands to reason that the team is going to continue to suck ass until such time that smart asset management takes hold.
As for the players themselves? Again, it's no real surprise. The team, in and of itself, is poorly constructed (and is another one of Burke's failings). When you actually LOOK at the team, there's very little in the way of high-end talent, there's next-to-no toughness, there's not a lot of size, and there's precious little heart and leadership. In short, there's very little evidence to support the belief that this team is even remotely close to being a play-off contender. The players, with few exceptions, show very little passion, hunger, or even a desire to win. Maybe this recent coaching change can breathe some life into this team for next season, but I won't be holding my breath waitng for it to happen.
Furthermore, if you can't recall a time when there was so little to look forward to with this team, then you must have some serious memory problems. The "09-'10 season doesn't ring any bells for you?
Would you rather have Claude Giroux or Zdeno Chara?
This is basically Galchenyuk/Gringorenko vs Murray/Reilly.
Toronto needs a #1 D to play alongside Phaneuf. Burke made the wrong move getting Kadri instead of Kulikov and he paid for it. Defenders get criminally underrated in the draft and if Toronto picked up Reilly they'd have one of the deepest, youngest bluelines in the NHL. Getting a #1C isn't as hard as a #1 D. Outside Pronger how many #1 D have been flipped? Lidstrom, Weber, Suter, Keith, Letang, Niedermayer, etc. etc. Those guys rarely get moved but guys like Ribeiro are more attainable. Toronto having a #1 D and then trading assets for a #1B Center would be leaps and bounds better.
Would you rather have Malkin/Toews or Phaneuf? You can play with these comparisons all you want.
realistically, the lowest rank in the standings that the leafs can reach is 27th-28th place. If they end this regular season in a top-5 lottery pick position (which looks very likely), they'll have a shot at the first overall pick if they can win the lottery. If they don't win the lottery (which is far more likely), they'll still end up with an excellent draft position.
It's no surprise (or, at least it should't be) that the leafs are having yet another piss-poor season. The signs were all there before the regular season even started; all people had to do, at that time, was take off their blue-and-white tinted beer-goggles and actually see the team for what it really was: A team that needed to have everything go right for them to have a legitimate shot at a play-off spot.
Ron wilson ran himself out of town, due to his inept coaching and piss-poor results at the end of every season
burke lost touch with reality when he became the leafs' gm. The first clue should have been his adamant refusal to take the time to properly re-build the team through the draft. Clue #2 should have been his use of a faulty blue-print which had absolutley no chance of working in toronto because the assets to make it work were non-existent (and still are). Factor in his humongous ego and his suspect talent-evaluation skills, and you've got a recipe for continued mediocrity.
If he'd actually wanted to show that he was actively trying to improve the team's future, he would have taken the first-round picks that were reportedly offered for kulemin and grabovski, as well as the conditional pick for macarthur. With those additional picks combined with the picks the leafs currently hold, burke could have easily rocked the up-coming draft and substantially improved his team's future. Instead. He chose to hold onto these three players with the vain hope that this team could somehow make it into the play-offs.
When you also factor into the equation that most of his signings/acquisitions have been over-priced failures, it stands to reason that the team is going to continue to suck ass until such time that smart asset management takes hold.
As for the players themselves? Again, it's no real surprise. The team, in and of itself, is poorly constructed (and is another one of burke's failings). When you actually look at the team, there's very little in the way of high-end talent, there's next-to-no toughness, there's not a lot of size, and there's precious little heart and leadership. In short, there's very little evidence to support the belief that this team is even remotely close to being a play-off contender. The players, with few exceptions, show very little passion, hunger, or even a desire to win. Maybe this recent coaching change can breathe some life into this team for next season, but i won't be holding my breath waitng for it to happen.
Furthermore, if you can't recall a time when there was so little to look forward to with this team, then you must have some serious memory problems. The "09-'10 season doesn't ring any bells for you?
he's overdosing on steve simmons, quick, someone get him some reality, stat!
It's been a quick slide down the standings, indeed, but it may actually work in our benefit going forward. It would be amazing to land a top 3 or 4 pick in this year's draft and the cupboards are well stocked of 2nd/3rd line talent in our farm system.
