I used an unorthodox grammatical form to stress how bad the TML situation is right now. More importantly, how bad it is apparently going to be in the future too...
A friend told me that Scotty Bowman declined the coaching job this year because he wanted to gut the team and install his own guys and ownership woudln't let him! That is the point where my faith is utterly, completely gone. It was very low, almost non existant for a long time, but it's as if Leaf ownership is determined to keep this team terrible. Bowman is the only person capable of turning this ship around and they rejected him.
It goes beyond just changing Gms, coaches, or players. They need an ownership change! Some insanely eccentric businessman has to be the single owner...some nut who's grown up in Toronto and wants to bring a cup to the city out of his own passion. This is not a naive dream of mine, I think it'll never happen, but this is what it will take before we can begin competing.
OR somehow they get a bunch of mediocre players who coincidentally have chemistry with each other and the coach and actually play good consistent puck. Odds: 1 in a million. Still this is what they're trying to do.
Step 1: Get a real GM who knows who to hire on coaching staff, scouts, assistant coaches, goalie coaches, etc.
Step 2: Trade Mats for first rounder and anything else you can get...competent GM (NOT FERGY) should be able to get the goods. DO NOT LET FERGY MAKE THE DEAL!
Step 3: let young players on team get better, get a good leader to train and motivate them. Be patient in developing them and new talent that scouts will tell GM about.
I have no faith that the Leafs will do any of this. Nor do I believe that what they will do will change their situation. I assure you all I'm not totally miserable though. !!GO CHARGERS!!!
It's the "win now" attitude that the team has in Toronto. They are afraid of the fan backlash if they say they are rebuilding because the fans have heard it all before.
The leafs owners just don't want to suffer through the losses during the first parts of a rebuild that always happen - they would rather have a competitive, but not good enough to be a champ, team that will fill the seats.
Originally posted by PsychoPawnWait! Isn't that what we have now?
IThe leafs owners just don't want to suffer through the losses during the first parts of a rebuild that always happen...
Also, who says that a rebuilding phase is necessary? A shrewd GM can turn around any team in one season. Brian Burke and Paul Holmgren did this for the Ducks and the Flyers in the last two seasons respectively.
Originally posted by darvlayYea, I wouldn't call it rebuilding either. GM's have become increasingly more important in hockey theses last few years.
Wait! Isn't that what we have now?
Also, who says that a rebuilding phase is necessary? A shrewd GM can turn around any team in one season. Brian Burke and Paul Holmgren did this for the Ducks and the Flyers in the last two seasons respectively.
Originally posted by darvlayMaybe that is what we have now.
Wait! Isn't that what we have now?
Also, who says that a rebuilding phase is necessary? A shrewd GM can turn around any team in one season. Brian Burke and Paul Holmgren did this for the Ducks and the Flyers in the last two seasons respectively.
I don't know whether a rebuilding phase is necessary, but trades that actually steadily improve the team would help.
I guess we might just need a shrewd GM 🙂 When was the last time we had one of those?
Originally posted by The Dude 84Come on you Damien Cox devotee. The problem with the leafs IS NOT OWNERSHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I used an unorthodox grammatical form to stress how bad the TML situation is right now. More importantly, how bad it is apparently going to be in the future too...
A friend told me that Scotty Bowman declined the coaching job this year because he wanted to gut the team and install his own guys and ownership woudln't let him! That is the point where my ange their situation. I assure you all I'm not totally miserable though. !!GO CHARGERS!!!
This is a salary cap league and the owners have given the team the full amount of money possible!
If the owners had cheaped out and not maxed out the salary, then fine blame them, but the fact is THEY GET FULL MONEY FROM OWNERSHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The rest is up to the GM, Coach, and players.
Beyond whatever, your "friend" told you, Bowman has been offered lots of jobs around the league and TURNED THEM ALL DOWN. It wasn't llike he wanted Toronto and was denied. He just doesn't want to be the GM of a team that stupidly locked guys like Kubina and McCabe up to 5 million dollar contracts for mulit years into the future. If he came as the GM he'd be handcuffed by the salary cap and having approx 15 Million tied up in useless players is not a hand Bowman, or any sane man, wants to play.
Finally, here's the kicker. NO SELF RESPECTING PLAYERR IN THE PRIME OF THEIR CAREER WANTS TO PLAY IN TORONTO. Only aging vets who want to be close their families come here. Why? Because the free agents know Toronto has ZERO chance of winning a cup in their present form.
That's why Toronto sux. Plus they draft idiot players and trade away the only decent draft picks they manage to somehow pick.
So, lay off ownership. It's the same ownership that owns the Raptors and they brought in new players and look where that team is now.
Originally posted by darvlayYes, but free agents have to want to come to your team. This isn't the case for free agents and Toronto.
Wait! Isn't that what we have now?
Also, who says that a rebuilding phase is necessary? A shrewd GM can turn around any team in one season. Brian Burke and Paul Holmgren did this for the Ducks and the Flyers in the last two seasons respectively.
It'll take the leafs 5 years before they have a chance of getting out of this mediocrity. They have to trade Sundin for 1st rounders and/or a good young player. Then they have to somehow get their other young guys to step. Then they have to wait 2/3 years for mccabe and kubina's 10 million bux contract to expire so they can use that money to get a free agent or two but that will only happen if the leafs have drafted like Pittsburg did and convinced the free agents that the leafs have a legit chance at a Cup. Otherwise they'll keep signing with teams like Anaheim and enjoy the nice weather with zero media pressure.
Originally posted by uzlessI was thinking the same thing when I wrote that actually 🙂
Cliff Fletcher in 93.
I liked Pat Quinn as a coach - except for the fact that he couldn't get a team over the hump so to speak. He took the GM job out of fear for his own job and that was a bad sign since he always said he only really wanted to coach.
It is about time Toronto built a team that players want to play for due to a reason other than "it's close to family" or "oh my! The history of this team is just amazing".
Originally posted by darvlayCan you think of a Doug Gilmour type player that wants to play for the leafs right now? Keep in mind, the best players in the league usually have No Trade Clauses which stops them from getting traded to teams they don't want to play for.
Exactly. And he turned the entire team around with one single trade.
(God bless you, Dougie)
Originally posted by uzlessNot many Doug types left around. Maybe BrindAmour. I got the chance to meet him once when he was here with the flyers, nice guy, ugly as hell though
Can you think of a Doug Gilmour type player that wants to play for the leafs right now? Keep in mind, the best players in the league usually have No Trade Clauses which stops them from getting traded to teams they don't want to play for.