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Why the Leafs have sucked.....


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We all know the Leafs suck.  We see it each year, on the ice.  We get told by everyone around us every day.  We see it in the standings.  We talk about it all summer.  It's no secret.  With the exception of a few years in the 90's and 2000's, the Leafs have SUCKED since 1967.

 

But we're still Leaf fans, and we hope for something different.

 

To understand why, just look at the four teams left in the playoffs right now, and who they drafted and brought up in their own systems......

 

Tampa

-  Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Mikita Kucherov

 

Chicago

-  Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook

 

New York Rangers

-  Henrik Lundqvist, Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, Marc Staal

 

Anaheim Ducks

-  Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Sami Vatanen, Frederik Andersen

 

...........

 

These guys were NOT all 1st overall picks.  There's a lot of variety there.  Perry was 28th overall.  Vatanen was a 4th round pick.  Kreider was 19th overall.  Stepan was 51st.  Lundqvist was a 205th overall selection.  Stamkos was 1st overall, but Kucherov was 58th.

 

WE WILL NEVER WIN ANYTHING UNTIL WE DEVELOP OUR OWN STARS.

 

Since 1967, we simply have not done it.  Gilmour came here via trade.  So did Sundin.  So did Mogilny, Roberts, Cujo, McCabe, Berard, Nolan, Leetch, Tucker, Belfour, Phaneuf, Kessel, JVR, Bernier,..................

 

We need to NOT make trades involving our draft picks and homegrown prospects any more.  Keep Rielly(obviously), and Keep Nylander, and Kadri, Finn, Gauthier, Percy,...............and Marner/Strome...............

 

We need these kids that we draft to develop here and become our core, "Star" players.  We'll never win SQUAT with Kessel and Phaneuf, and we should've known that.  Just two more in a looooooooooong line of bad trades, designed to speed up a process that cannot be sped up.

 

Seems simple, right?  Winning teams are all doing it.

 

Let's try something different, for once.

 

rielly13.jpg

 

 

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That picture of Tucker flat on his face I have been looking for FOREVER. We used to have a member named Darcehole Tucker and that was his avatar haha.

 

Thank you!

 

To add to your list of things regarding homegrown, the Leafs should be signing young undrafted players that can be worked up through the system as well.

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It's hard to believe how bad they've been at drafting for decades. They bring in different personal and they still get it wrong. Heck, they've likely got it the easiest as far as logistics go for scouting (I'm guessing the highest concentration of NHL players is in Ontario) and still can't get a clue. You'd think just by fluke they would have hit on something (kind of how you'd think the Flyers would with a defenceman).

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Hopefully Mark Hunter is the man to turn our abysmal drafting/development around. He's got the acclaim, let's hope he can overcome the curse.

 

Obviously adding either Marner or Strome is HUGE for us, going forward.  That gives us three legit bluechip prospects/young guys in Rielly, Nylander and Marner/Strome.

 

But they need to keep all these kids..........like for the next 20 years!  And surround them with other talented and gritty players, who want to win more than anything in the world.  That's the part we always screw up.  

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stick to the plain and endure the pain,

 

 

The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain

 

 

Apparently that's not really true - the rain all falls in the mountains.

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It's hard to believe how bad they've been at drafting for decades. They bring in different personal and they still get it wrong. Heck, they've likely got it the easiest as far as logistics go for scouting (I'm guessing the highest concentration of NHL players is in Ontario) and still can't get a clue. You'd think just by fluke they would have hit on something (kind of how you'd think the Flyers would with a defenceman).

 

Yeah I am trying to think of great players they drafted in the last 10 years, and all I can think of is Rask and Stralman, both who they traded for pennies.

 

Stralman for an end of his career going downhill Wayne Primeau, and Rask for....lol...Raycroft. Whatever happened to Justin Pogge? Wasn't he the reason they thought they did not need Rask?

 

P.S Thanks for trading the pick we used to trade up for Couture for Toskala and Bell lol.

 

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Actually it mainly falls in Galicia and the surrounding provinces  ;)

 

 

Since you reside in Scotland, and are likely more familiar with rain, I will defer to you. How's it going anyway?

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@Holymakinaw Well Shanny and Babcock are saying they need to stick to the plain and endure the pain, so that may be exactly what you are looking for.

 

 

Throw Hanifin into that mix, too. While I think it's likely he goes #3, there's a chance the big defenseman slips to the Leafs.

 

That'd be totally fine by me.  Rielly and Hanifin going forward would be awesome.

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@Commander Clueless

 

If you had the choice between Hanifan/Marner/Strome who are you taking?

 

I mean, I'd be happy with any of them. It's not at all an easy choice, but thankfully Arizona will help us narrow it down.  :P

 

If I had my pick, though, I think it'd be Hanifin. As much as we need a #1 centre, we need defense just as badly. Man, I really hope Rielly and Nylander can be good. 

 

I have a feeling we're going Ontario boy this time around, though. Gotta please Donald S. Cherry, after all.

 

 

If I had to predict which one the Leafs would actually take, I'd say Marner. Hard to ignore that Mark Hunter connection.

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@Commander Clueless

 

it is a tough choice. And I'd be happy with any of them too. I think 3/4/5 are pretty interchangeable.

 

But it sure seems (at least as a Flyer fan) that #1 Cs are a lot easier to come by than a #1 D. Tough call though.

 

Ontario boy, huh? What a novel idea in Leafdom.

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I mean, I'd be happy with any of them. It's not at all an easy choice, but thankfully Arizona will help us narrow it down.  :P

 

If I had my pick, though, I think it'd be Hanifin. As much as we need a #1 centre, we need defense just as badly. Man, I really hope Rielly and Nylander can be good. 

 

I have a feeling we're going Ontario boy this time around, though. Gotta please Donald S. Cherry, after all.

 

 

If I had to predict which one the Leafs would actually take, I'd say Marner. Hard to ignore that Mark Hunter connection.

Reilly is already showing signs he can be great.

 

Nylander needs to fill out some. Scratch some. Nylander needs to hit puberty and put on 30+ pounds.

 

Marner > Strome so be happy if you get him:)

 

Don't choose Strome just because he grew up a leaf fan lol.

 

I'd take Hanifin too. Drew Doughty's don't grown on trees

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  The very thing that would have lead the Leafs out of the darkness was Mark Hunter taking the helm of pro scouting. Hopefully, they make him GM, displacing him from his original job and thrusting him into something brand new to him. I have no doubt he would make a great GM, but when you have drafted as poorly as the Leafs, and the answer is close at hand...you follow through.

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@WordsOfWisdom  I'm a big fan of this pick....the night Ryan Vanderbusche ended Nick Kypreos's career...

 

Oddly enough, hated this guy as a player, but love him as a hockey commentator, agree with a lot of the stuff he says, and very entertaining, he really found his calling after retirement!

 

 nickkypreos.jpeg.size.xxlarge.letterbox.

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Pat Quinn as coach+ GM followed by Ferguson and then Burke REALLY mortgaged the future of this team to the degree you see it today.

 

They turned down Scotty Bowman, who said he would GM the leafs if he had complete autonomy, because they did not want to give autonomy. Then they gave autonomy to Burke??????

 

I understand your desire to build through drafting and agree with it. These GM's traded like EVERY pick and young piece of talent for 8 years and that hurts less since they could not pick worth crap to begin with.

 

I mean, they made some trades that worked out like Getting McCabe and Tucker, but...

 

Fredrik Modin for Cory Cross?

A 2nd round pick(Cammalleri) and prospect for Aki Berg?

Boyes, McCauley and a 1st(Stuart) to the Sharks for old Owen Nolan?

a 1st, 2nd and 2 prospects for a rental of old broken  Leetch?

Raycroft for Rask?

2nd round pick(Roman Josi) and Brenden Bell for Yanik Perreault?

the 1st, 2nd and 3rd which the Sharks traded up for Couture for Toskala and Bell?

Trading up 2 spots for Luke Schenn and giving your 1st, 2nd and 3rd?

Trading Steen to the blues for Stepeniak?

They traded Anton Stralman for the pick that became Brenden Saad, but then flipped Saad's pick to pick up a guy who has yet to see NHL action?

Seguin pick, Hamilton pick for Kessel. That one kinda looked good for awhile. But OUCH. Now Hamilton looks to be a franchise D in the making, and Seguin an art ross winner.

 

It just goes on and on.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/teams/dr00008490.html

 

Looking at their draft history is kinda depressing.

 

I REALLY hope Shanahan can help you turn the corner. Babcock at least came out and never said he was going to turn you into a winner overnight like everyone else. He knows this is going to be a build/Teach and painful process. Now it becomes a game of who to bring up, who to leave in the minors and not ruin their confidence early. Probably a 3-4 year process at least. You do have some decent prospects in the system.

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