We didn't do much of getting either thing done. We didn't make the playoffs and we didn't overhaul the system in any meaningful way that gives us more quality and depth than before.
If Buffalo took one step back dealing Gaustad and missing the playoffs to emerge two or three steps ahead by rebuilding their center depth, we simply took a step back missing the playoffs and took a step forward again and are not tangibly better off than before.
Yes you can say that now but when the deals were supposedly on the table, we would have been one weak team had we gone through trading 4 NHL roster players for players that are 2-4 years away from having any sort of impact.
Buffalo traded Gaustad because he's set to become a UFA and they didn't want to bring him back, so they got value out of him.
If MacArthur or whoever was set to become a UFA, you can bet they probably would have been traded.
Again, you have to look at both sides of the coins here. At the time, you can't just give up on your team and make them that much weaker because you could get to draft a third line center in Girgensons (whooptidooooo).
I thought at the time Burke should have been a seller. Unfortunately he didn't sell. No need to dwell on what didn't happen especially when we don't know who the said picks were being offered for. At the same time Burke didn't do anything stupid like buy and still miss the playoffs. Who knows who the players were that 1sts were offered for??? If 4 teams offered 1st for Kessel should Burke have taken them?? This is really a moot pointless question. What was or wasn't done is in the past.
Who were the players we were moving the 1st round picks for again? Reimer, MacA, Grabs,Schenn, Kulemin?
How much were we going to deplete our team to get 4 first round picks? We'd have just taken defenceman anyway.
I don't believe Reimer was in the talks for a first. I will say if you guys have another bad year this year Burke or whoever is at the helm will have a boatload of ufa to be players to trade at the deadline and the leafs will rake in picks. Not high picks but plenty of them.
would have been nice but I doubt teams with any realistic chance to miss the playoffs were offering their pick for guys like macarthur or post-concussion reimer
if anything it was probably just grabovski, and probably from team/s figuring to pick closer to 30th, and burke just exaggerated the rest. Or the other 3 players were kessel lupol and gardiner.
Considering Faksa, Grigorenko, Forsberg and Girgensons were all taken in the teens, and Subban in the 20s, is there any doubt now that Burke and company probably should have made those trades at the deadline and completely reloaded the organization in one fell swoop by picking at least a couple of those players? How would draft day have looked had we been in possession of five first rounders with the flexibility to move up and down the board?
I know people like their pride in March and hate to "tank", but considering how much ammunition a division rival like Buffalo has walked away with without even being in possession of a top ten pick, it is an absolute travesty that we hung onto guys like Clarke MacArthur because management was too short sighted to deal him. Every year, we see teams bite the bullet hard and re-emerge with a lot of good futures. Ottawa, Minnesota, Florida, Buffalo have all rebuilt en mass. One of these days it would be nice to see the Leafs go in wholeheartedly in one direction instead of ***** footing around the issue of rebuilding the system.
If somebody offers them the 20th pick for Gardiner or Schenn that isn't something worth taking. Some of the players offered for might be dealt for the size and goaltending he wants and that is only just about to begin.
Not sure what to say about a pick for Mac. I thought he was guaranteed as gone in the hunt for bigger and meaner but I can't see any clubs offering a power forward up for him. I think a draft pick might have been his maximum return so now i am not sure about him being moved.
Until we see what trades are done, we can't really complain about the ones that aren't(unless none are).
If somebody offers them the 20th pick for Gardiner or Schenn that isn't something worth taking. Some of the players offered for might be dealt for the size and goaltending he wants and that is only just about to begin.
Not sure what to say about a pick for Mac. I thought he was guaranteed as gone in the hunt for bigger and meaner but I can't see any clubs offering a power forward up for him. I think a draft pick might have been his maximum return so now i am not sure about him being moved.
Until we see what trades are done, we can't really complain about the ones that aren't(unless none are).
Kulemin, Grabo, and Reimer were offered 1st rounders. Mac was conditional 1st, likely 2nd.
The only one who would have decreased his value was CMac because he's that much closer to being a UFA. The 1st for him was apparently conditional as well. Hopefully CMac is gone next season because Kadri will fill his role as an offensive winger who gets secondary powerplay time.
Expect Burke to trade all of our pending UFAs before next years deadline in Armstrong, Lombardi, Connolly, Lupul, Bozak, CMac if they aren't reinked beyond next season. Burke will definitely want to extend Lupul. At least 2 of the other forwards need to go to start making more room for guys like Frattin, Kadri and Colborne.
He has yet to loss a player of any value (3rd rounder or higher) to UFA status.
there is still a chance this season to load up on picks for the 2013 draft at the trade deadline
The East is not going to be any easier to crack the top 8 - I don't think Toronto makes the playoffs so why not look to move the following guys and get a good return like Florida and Ottawa did:
Steckel - 2nd or 3rd rounder?
Cmac - late 1st
Kulemin - 1st
Connolly - last yr of his contract - maybe a 2nd?
Komi - maybe a mid round pick
Kulemin, Grabo, and Reimer were offered 1st rounders. Mac was conditional 1st, likely 2nd.
I can see why the picks weren't taken then, depending where they were. Probably no top 10 so I wouldn't deal Grabo. The goaltending is a mess and they let the guy with the better record walk, so unfortunately too risky to trade Reimer. Tervainen went 18th so of the three I would have probably dealt Kule for that, but not for a higher pick.
Any idea who the trading partners may have been? I am thinking the Caps 16th for Grabo based on 2 picks and the deal they did make for a center.
Maybe Tampa 19th for the Reimer pick, and Phoenix 27th/Jersey 29th/Pittsburgh
22nd for Kulemin. I wouldn't have done these. I would have dealt Mac for any pick inside 35th but I am not certain his net value today is a whole lot less than that.
