What Do The Leafs Do?
The Toronto Maple Leafs have not won a cup in 30
years, and at this rate it could be another 30 before it happens again! The Leafs have a number
of problems they need to address in order to fix this
team for the long term, the Leafs could go for a cup
in 2-3 years if they do all of these things:
1) The first problem is goaltending. Many people are
worried about what will happen after Belfour calls it
quits. We have a bright future for goaltending ahead
of us with the likes of Pogge, Rask, Racine, and Tellqvist. The problem is that Tellqvist hasn’t proven
he could play 60 games a year yet.
In my opinion with the likes of Martin Biron, David Aebisher, Manny Fernandez, Roberto Luongo and Dwayne Roloson becoming free agents, with the cap at 45 million and only 7 players under contract
for next year the buds can make an impact. They
could change the face of the franchise with signing
a young proven NHL head goalie who can split the
time with Tellqvist.
All of the Cujo to Toronto rumors are ridiculous!
Why would Ferguson trade for a goalie who will be
38 next year! The Leafs will have the same situation
with Cujo in two years that they have with the fallen
eagle Eddie Belfour. Let Eddie finish his career in Toronto and then sign a good young goalie in the off-season! They also have to re-sign Telly in the
off-season.
2) The Leafs second problem is on defense. They
have two useless defenseman in Aki Berg and Ken
Klee who are taking away ice-time from kids like
White, Harrison, Kronvall, and Coliacovo. Notice how I didn’t say Khavanov as he is at least scoring
points and is playing all right defensivly.
The Leafs have to re-sign McCabe, Kaberle, Khavanov, and all the kids. Let go of Belak, Berg,
and Klee. With the rumors of Redden or Chara or
Jovonaski coming to the Leafs in the off-season we could have a potiental of having the best defense core in the league. Yay!
3) Mats Sundin does not have any wingers to play
with and thats why he isn’t producing. The best we
have is Tucker or O’Neill (Steen, Allison, Lindros are
centers). With the like of Patrick Elias, Glen Murray, and Marian Gaborik becoming free agents the buds have a chance of landing a good winger in the off- season.
4) It is time for a member of Leafs management to
leave, no…it isn’t Pat Quinn, its John Ferguson Jr.!
The Leafs idiot excuse for a General Manager. The
buds need to hire a guy like Claude Julien, Mark
Messier, Scott Stevens, Doug Gilmour, or Wendel Clark. When the buds hired Ferguson they hired a
business-man, not a hokey person. The Leafs need
a GM with some kind of experience in the NHL, at least a player!
5) The Leafs have had some bad drafts like drafting
Antropov in 1999 over Alex Tanguay, Robyn Regher, Simon Gagne, Mike Van Ryn, and Scott Gomez. Leafs fans fell free to bang your head against the wall, I’m not done yet! In 1999 the buds
selected a Swiss center by the name of Luca Creda,
the Sens chose Martin Havlat two picks later! Its time to fire the scouting staff and bring in another
one!
6) In the off-season the Leafs must re-sign all
of these players:
Jason Allison
Mariusz Czerkawski
Tomas Kaberle
Alexander Khavanov
Chad Kilger
Eric Lindros
Bryan McCabe
Marc Moro
Mike Hoffman
Brad Leeb
John Pohl
Carlo Coliacovo
Jay Harrison
Roman Kukumberg
Matt Stajan
Mikeal Tellqvist
Kyle Wellwood
Ian White
Brendon Bell
7) Here are some players we must let go of:
Brad Brown
J.S Aubin
Ed Belfour
Aki Berg
Ken Klee
Karl Pilar
Clark Wilm
Tie Domi
Wade Belak
If the Leafs make all of these moves this is what
we can see next year, and voila:
Steen______Sundin________Gaborik or Murray or Elias
Stajan______Lindros_______Tucker
Czerkawski____Allison______Ponikarovsky
Kilger______Wellwood________Pohl
Bataglia
McCabe______Kaberle
Redden or Chara or Jovonaski______Khavanov
Harrison______Coliacovo
Kronvall
____Tellqvist______
____Biron or Fernandez or Roloson or Luongo or Aebisher_______
What do you guys think?