HAPPY LEAFS DAY???

[rick@garage16.ca]

A loss last night officially eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs from playoff, extending the franchise-WORST streak to seven seasons


http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/528882_10150632944135911_505110910_9802586_8168000 2_n.jpg

[mazdaspeedemon3]

but still manage to pack the house every time they play.... i guess thats good... but sad lol Montreal ftw baby!

[DTK]

Id hate to see ticket prices if they were a good team.

[Flagrum_3]

It's a bloody Shame,...it's the KEON curse I telse ya!


_3

[coriolis]

Maybe we can get a top centre from this years draft. Galchenyuk or Grigorenko, one of them would be a huge asset to fill into the missing first line centre we haven't had since Mats.

[Mr Wilson]

but still manage to pack the house every time they play.... i guess thats good... but sad lol Montreal ftw baby!

Your sway bar has Leaf stickers all over it now.

[mazdaspeedemon3]

Your sway bar has Leaf stickers all over it now.

haha! well good thing its under the car so no one can see it!

[GWN]

Maybe we can get a top centre from this years draft. Galchenyuk or Grigorenko, one of them would be a huge asset to fill into the missing first line centre we haven't had since Mats.

neither of those players will be nhl-ready next year (I think), let alone be able to come in as a first line centre. Leafs need to pick up a solid defenseman from this draft, I'm looking at reinhart or rielly. Hell, if they could get Malcolm Subban it sure would help their goalie situation.

imo, their offensive power should be put on the backburner, they don't seem to have that much of a problem scoring goals (especially with kessel and lupul as a pair), but they can't get anything done on the blue line and their goalie situation needs a serious look.

[Impressive]

neither of those players will be nhl-ready next year (I think), let alone be able to come in as a first line centre. Leafs need to pick up a solid defenseman from this draft, I'm looking at reinhart or rielly. Hell, if they could get Malcolm Subban it sure would help their goalie situation.

imo, their offensive power should be put on the backburner, they don't seem to have that much of a problem scoring goals (especially with kessel and lupul as a pair), but they can't get anything done on the blue line and their goalie situation needs a serious look.

+1 on Subban. The other forwards mentioned won't be ready yet plus Leafs need a goalie and he may be the answer, but he's arguably still a bit down the road in his development as well and goalie picks unfortunately don't always pan out (neither do any particular picks sometimes, really). Pavalec in Winnipeg seemed like a bust for quite awhile before he emerged as a capable #1 goalie. I still think Burke may need to lure Halak out of St Louis somehow to truly solve our goalie dilemma.

At this point I'm open to trading away pretty much anyone, as our defence really needs a couple more parts and even our offensive core isn't slotted in stone as of yet.

It'll be an interesting off season that's for sure.

[The Wolf]

I think the Leafs should make a play for Cory Schneider :gone

[GWN]

I think the Leafs should make a play for Cory Schneider :gone
that's actually pretty conceivable to be honest, schneider will most likely be moved this offseason, canucks can't keep two starting goalies forever.

And not being a leafs fan, I'd agree that they should be open to moving almost anyone at this point (save kessel and lupul, that pair is almost the only reason the leafs were even in the hunt a couple months back) to get a solid starting goalie.

What I would want to happen if I were a leafs fan? Gustavsson goes to TBL in exchange for a 2nd round pick and a top 4 defenseman (brian lee caught my eye, but I think if they could work out a deal for Hedman, the Leafs would be in business back on the point)

As awesome as it would be, I can't see Jaro Halak being moved from STL any time soon

[Impressive]

that's actually pretty conceivable to be honest, schneider will most likely be moved this offseason, canucks can't keep two starting goalies forever.

And not being a leafs fan, I'd agree that they should be open to moving almost anyone at this point (save kessel and lupul, that pair is almost the only reason the leafs were even in the hunt a couple months back) to get a solid starting goalie.

What I would want to happen if I were a leafs fan? Gustavsson goes to TBL in exchange for a 2nd round pick and a top 4 defenseman (brian lee caught my eye, but I think if they could work out a deal for Hedman, the Leafs would be in business back on the point)

As awesome as it would be, I can't see Jaro Halak being moved from STL any time soon

The question then becomes - how long can STL roll with 2 starting goalies?
I see Schneider being moved but I don't see the Leafs being on the other end of that deal and Vancouver and the Leafs aren't exactly friendly with one another right now and Burke has little to no assets that make him capable of getting a deal done.

Hedman I doubt we could trade for to be honest, but I think we should package Reimer/Monster away to get some help on the back end. Gardiner and Schenn (if the right deal doesn't come up) can stay, but as for everyone else - FIRESALE!!!

Except Grabo, I guess we can keep him too.

[GWN]

Except Grabo, I guess we can keep him too.

lol, for 5.5 million I'd hope so :chuckle

but yeah all fair points, should be really interesting to see what ends up happening this summer!

[Akiba48]

DRAFT PICK DRAFT PICK DRAFT PICK DRAFT PICK!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
They're so close to getting a 2nd overall 1st rounder!!! Just need to lose a few more and it's GAME! PLAYOFFS NEXT YEAR! PARADE!!!







not.

[GWN]

lol someone had their haterade this morning

[SilentJay]

Unfortunately they can't even tank properly. They should've just called up a timbits team to take their place about 3 months ago :chuckle

[loki]

Your sway bar has Leaf stickers all over it now.

This is awesome

[SirWanker]

Unfortunately they can't even tank properly. They should've just called up a timbits team to take their place about 3 months ago :chuckle

Three months ago they were in 6th place so why would they deliberately tank?

[SilentJay]

Three months ago they were in 6th place so why would they deliberately tank?

Because they will always follow the some rendition of the same thing, why not get a head start and make a play for 1st overall draft?


Start awesome - Become garden gnomes - NHL's hottest win streak when they've already been eliminated, get 19th overall pick

Go 0-22 to start - Wake up and claw their way into 8th place - Blow the last 15 games of the season and get eliminated by 1 point

[jab]

not much of a leafs fan, but considering their position i would use that 1-5 overall pick and put a nice little package together to trade away for a number1 goalie along with some players or definitely look to pick up an impact player as they really only have 1 decent line, if that.

[andersonn]

what is a leaf day?

[EastYork3]

I'd love to root for another team, maybe even a winning team. But I just can't. I don't know why. Cheering for a losing team is cool and different, right?

[GWN]

Because they will always follow the some rendition of the same thing, why not get a head start and make a play for 1st overall draft?


Start awesome - Become garden gnomes - NHL's hottest win streak when they've already been eliminated, get 19th overall pick

Go 0-22 to start - Wake up and claw their way into 8th place - Blow the last 15 games of the season and get eliminated by 1 point

Because that is the definition of gutless hockey. Play to win. Play for pride, a draft pick should not (and is not) on the mind of the players when they're in the game. Asking them to blow the last few games is ridiculous. A true fan of the game would want to see their team win, regardless of whether or not they're in the playoffs and regardless of whether or not they'll get the 1st overall pick.

[SilentJay]

Because that is the definition of gutless hockey. Play to win. Play for pride, a draft pick should not (and is not) on the mind of the players when they're in the game. Asking them to blow the last few games is ridiculous. A true fan of the game would want to see their team win, regardless of whether or not they're in the playoffs and regardless of whether or not they'll get the 1st overall pick.


Gutless hockey, I suppose, the byproduct of a hockey team run exclusively by the bottom line as priority #1? I doubt the latest incarnation of ownership will loosen the purse strings any more in the off-season either, so we're more or less looking at the 2013 Leafs as well. Maybe tack on a few minor leaguers or a 4th line defenceman. A true fan would love to see their team win, but seeing a team with a proud heritage and tradition of being competitive being driven into the ground by the wrong people at the helm is enough to turn anyone off.

[GWN]

I haven't cheered for the Leafs in a long time, but the team has been improving greatly over the past few seasons. Burke and Wilson, although I know no one will agree with me, have set the groundwork for a franchise which, in a few years, will be extremely competitive in today's game. Their depth at the AHL level today will help them out in the future, the only pro team right now that has greater depth is Minnesota. Once the Leafs get their goaltending sorted out, mark my words, they'll be a VERY dangerous team for anyone to play. Hell, at the start of the season, when their goaltending was on, they were playing incredible hockey. Offensively, they have nothing really to worry about, just look at their GF compared to other teams, they're right up there. With an improvement in their special teams play, strengthening up the blue line, and once they get a real starter signed in goal, I really think they'll not only be a playoff contender, but a cup contending team.

Look at Burke's past work, Anaheim... Canucks, both winning franchises (although this year hasn't been great for the Ducks, when he was there they were winning). I trust he knows what he's doing, and even though I'm not a Leafs fan I believe they will be a very strong team in one or two years.

[SilentJay]

lol - the last time I was actually "on the edge of my seat" excited for the Leafs was when you were born apparently :chuckle

There have been some incarnations of semi-acceptable teams since then, however none of them had the depth to decisively take them past the first round even if they could make it there. This year's squad shows promise but lack of chemistry. Passes to the back of peoples skates, indifference towards hustling for the puck instead of heading to the bench, absolutely nobody in front of the net, and maybe 2-3 people willing to body it up on the boards.

[GWN]

lol - the last time I was actually "on the edge of my seat" excited for the Leafs was when you were born apparently :chuckle

There have been some incarnations of semi-acceptable teams since then, however none of them had the depth to decisively take them past the first round even if they could make it there. This year's squad shows promise but lack of chemistry. Passes to the back of peoples skates, indifference towards hustling for the puck instead of heading to the bench, absolutely nobody in front of the net, and maybe 2-3 people willing to body it up on the boards.

Lol fair enough :P And I will agree with you on chemistry, they are lacking in that department, but chemistry is something gained through time and something that can definitely be coached, and obviously Wilson didn't put team chemistry at the top of his priority list (not necessarily a bad thing for all teams, but the Leafs definitely need chemistry if they want to succeed), so we'll see what happens in the Carlyle era.

Still, I think the organization will take off soon, Burkie is working hard and making some good moves! Glad to see they just signed Spencer Abbott, he should be a solid player if he can find his place.

[Eddie81]

Laughed so much when saw this when was doing wine.

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j476/Eddie19819/5440935b.jpg