Comments on: Revised Rebuilding Plan

By: 9293

9293 — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 11:47:28 +0000

Kaberle has been my favourite leaf along with Sundin since 1998. I love the way he plays - he is a joy to watch. His contract right now is one the best deals around and JFJ should be given way more credit for it than he has in the past.

that all being said, if the leafs can get a top prospect, a first rounder for Kaberle, that is move that must be made.

By: mojo19

mojo19 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 23:07:09 +0000

I'm with you. I love some of them but I think no matter where we are in the standings, even if we're sitting at 8th at the deadline, we should shop these guys, pick up something for Kaberle

By: 9293

9293 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:13:03 +0000

agreed. Blake is here for another 4 years unless a buyout occurs. and while i have always cringed over the buyouts the leafs have done - especially longer term buyouts (see Tucker, Raycroft, etc.), Blake seems like a player who might be a negative influence in the locker room.

Blake is UNTRADEABLE ... unless he magically begins to produce.

By: 9293

9293 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:10:53 +0000

well, that is certainly something that some commentators are saying early on about this leaf team.

that being said, i dont think we can draw a neat line between rebuild/finish 26th-30th and 9th place in the East and finishing out of the top-10 considering how deep the draft is supposed to be this year.

my hope - and this is what it all boils down to - is that Fletcher is not shy about trading the tradeable assets at the deadline.

the key point is this: the leafs still do not have the depth necessary to be a long term contender with regards to their prospects. trading the likes of Antropov, Poni (even Stajan and Steen), Kaberle, Kubina, Van Ryn, Toskala (and not necessarily ALL of these players) is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing that Fletcher can and should do over the next few months and the next offseason.

Burke doesn't get me excited and not much else does either as long as the Leaf management seem incapable of establishing a plan and not following through on it. i know they cannot ignore what is happening on the ice with regards to the record. But they need a longer term vision and they must STICK to that vision.

If guys like Hagman or Finger or Van Ryn surprise them and, all of a sudden, become integral components, the plan should be flexible enough to be revised to include them long term (Finger and Hagman are around for 4 years so they better be integral). the same can be said with the mid-20s 'young players.' as i have always said, if they do not show the development that they need to show, release or trade or demote them for someone who might.

but the longterm plan must
a) be articulated clearly enough and often enough for fans and media to understand
b) be adhered to over the course of 4 or 5 seasons (hence the importance of a guy like Ron Wilson to have a 4 year contract).

so to answer the article: the leafs can be competitive now (and in this parity era, its hard not to be 'competitive') while still trading assets for future components.

By: HABSSTAR

HABSSTAR — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 20:55:43 +0000

Unreal.... there is no damn way in hell this team is two players away from being a contender unless those two players were Gretzky and Lemieux in their prime.

By: nordiques100

nordiques100 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:25:46 +0000

well with 13 of 20 on the road and just merely 6 points ahead of the 30th place isles, i think the next month and a half will define where the leafs go starting in 2009. we really could see the floodgates open at that time for trade.

By: nordiques100

nordiques100 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:18:37 +0000

hard to say. he is a rental so that may help in moving him. getting a 4th or 5th for this guy would be a miracle. but if he shows nothing in the A, he's done.

blake isnt playing tonight. healthy scratch. white stays at forward, hollweg draws in and frogren is the 1st replacement for van ryn.

looks like blake's days are numbered.

again, the absolute worst signing and worst move ever by JFJ.

By: mojo19

mojo19 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:54:27 +0000

I think Bell will be moved too. Something tells me someone will pick him up as a depth move to gear up for a long playoff run, possibly Calgary.

By: cam7777

cam7777 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:45:09 +0000

yea, i agree about the teachers. it could be scary, especially since they'll undoubtedly go after the wrong guy for the team (gaborik, kovalchuk).

i thought that bernier was a far more accomplished talent than i was lead to believe. i don't know why, but i thought he was more like a 65 point guy at 23 years old. But he is more like an overpaid Steen with more potential. So scratch that, but the idea would have been that Antropov is worth much more locked down to a long-term deal (so resign him, and then deal him for a bigger package).

i also think that bell will get moved at the deadline for something, even if it just a very late pick. he's a big body, with potential to score, and he will be extremely affordable both financially and asset wise. someone will take the chance. and if kilger and gill can be moved, so can devereux. one or both of those guys will still likely see ice time if any forwards go down.

overall though, you're all right, that was a total gibberish plan...

By: mojo19

mojo19 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:02:22 +0000

lol, actually ya Kubina is a stud imo!

And Van Ryn scored on his own net, no big deal. McCabe scored on his own net after playing terrible for so long and his ridiculous contract helped him become the "scape goat". When you're the top payed guy you need to be at least good. He was terrible.

Darcy will continue to hurt the Leafs for years to come thanks to his buyout. I liked Wellwood too, but I think he needed a change of scenary to wake him up.