In hindsight this trade should have been done. In hindsight the trade to be able to pick Tavares should have been done. The past is the past but from these and other trades that didn't go through I have learned one thing. If your team is lacking a #1 center and you have a chance to get a #1 center, even if you have to overpay, do it. You may never get the chance again and not having a #1 center handcuffs your team from being able to perform well.
Richards puts up under 50 points in the regular season, people question his ability
Richards puts up 3 points in game one of the playoffs, and its back to Kulemin + kadri.
I have said it from day one, Richards is 60 point player.... a great one at that, but a 60 point player. He is not a 1C
If you don't want Richards on your team you are absolutely mad. LA's problems with scoring go a lot deeper than Richards, try watching a game in the west before you start spewing off your uninformed opinion.
Dude thrives in pressure situations. Love him, perfect Ontario boy. If you had Richards, would you really want him in the east to haunt you for years? No, you'd take a lesser package to get him out of conference to be honest.
I didn't mean it like that. What I meant was that it would allow us to not have to draft a center and trading up to draft yakupov would have been worth it.
Exactly how do you know that we would've finished in the lottery if we had Mike Richard on our team?
You don't.
Your logic is flawed, you can't use hindsight to prove your point without acknowledging that the present could've/would've been altered.
This is one of those rare instances where hindsight REALLY is 20-20. Trading Kulemin after a 30 goal season and our best prospect at the time for Richards would have possibly felt like overpaying at the time.
In hindsight this trade should have been done. In hindsight the trade to be able to pick Tavares should have been done. The past is the past but from these and other trades that didn't go through I have learned one thing. If your team is lacking a #1 center and you have a chance to get a #1 center, even if you have to overpay, do it. You may never get the chance again and not having a #1 center handcuffs your team from being able to perform well.
Sure if either were possible. Richards is a stretch but Tavares was never available to trade for.
And the untouchable followed it up with a 7 goal season. Clearly Burke misjudged the player.
Clearly Burke didn't have a chance to make the deal as Philly wanted to move Richards out of conference. Burke couldn't make us a west team, fire Burke1!!
Done, over with, and yes, you'd have to be an idiot not to think Richards would have gotten us to playoffs, and been future asset.
Agree or don't, Burkes screw ups.
This summer will either shut us all up, or make our "Fire Burke" posts legit.
Let the past go. Leafs nation needs to forget the past, and get behind whoever is our GM. This summer is make or break for many players, coaches, GM's in T.O, and possibly some fans, who aren't die hard Leafers.
Clearly Burke didn't have a chance to make the deal as Philly wanted to move Richards out of conference. Burke couldn't make us a west team, fire Burke1!!
You can make the argument that LA was devoid of offence this year, but it still doesnt change the fact that in the previous 2 seasons in Philly he was a 60 point player, playing equal minutes with the likes of Giroux, Brierre, Carter
Mike Richards is a very, very good player, but hes not our savior down the middle. Kulemin may not score 30 goals again, but he may very well have it in him. He is also a rock down low, and defensively, and even if he isnt a true top 6 guy, he definitely would be a great guy to have on the 3rd line.
The sky is the limit for Kadri.... well maybe not, but if he was in the NHL full-time this year, he would have put up 40 - 45 points. I think if he gets a full year next year he could be anywhere from 45 - 50
Plus we would have needed to add someone else... maybe a guy like mckegg, or someone who could be a real solid NHLer
I wouldnt trade all that for a guy who himself is a "real solid NHLer"
That's why I said to add to kulemin and kadri. Burke was too laid back. He should have been harder cause kulemin +kadri obviously got holmgren's attention.
So what you're saying is from now on when other GM's call Burke to ask about making a trade, he should immediately offer more than they are asking for, to make sure they do it.
Mike Richards would have been everything the Leafs needed .. grit, heart, determination, top line center and a local Ontario born kid to boot..
He is like a modern day version of Dougie Gilmour, when he is on his game as he plays a similar style to our former Leaf.
__________________
Signature: There is no greater demonstration of Fan patience then to suggest to "Play the Kids " and be willing to accept the consequences of those actions..
Sure if either were possible. Richards is a stretch but Tavares was never available to trade for.
I thought that Burke asked about trading up but Isles said the trade would have to involve Schenn so Burke stopped the conversation right there so no possible trade every developed. What I meant to say was the Tavares trade should have been looked in to and probably completed. Likely would have been Schenn + the 1st (Kadri)? In hindsight that should have been done.
That's why I said to add to kulemin and kadri. Burke was too laid back. He should have been harder cause kulemin +kadri obviously got holmgren's attention.
Hindsight is 20-20. Adding to a deal blindly to close it NOW will always lead to overpayment - not a good way to build a hockey team.
