I do not have any love lost for what we witnessed over the last 10yrs. Regular seasons with unrealized promise in the playoffs for all sorts of reasons is infuriating. Regular season success was nice for the first few years but after that? Expectation is the mother of disappointment, and my expectations were high the last 10yrs and to win two rounds? At least when the Leafs sucked we knew they would suck.
2025-26 Toronto Maple Leafs General Discussion
- Thread starter herman
- Start date
Arn
Well-known member
Caught a few interviews with Craig Button today where he suggests it’s a full rebuild needed, à la Shanaplan kick off.
The elephant in the room remaining the overall management structure, and to a lesser extent coaching.
I’m not sure I actually expect any changes in terms of overall roster this week now.
The elephant in the room remaining the overall management structure, and to a lesser extent coaching.
I’m not sure I actually expect any changes in terms of overall roster this week now.
I get why you still would want a kick at the can with Matthews but they are so bereft of anything coming in to backfill the roster. I mean Minten would be great as a current 3C and maybe future 2C but nope.
And agreed, it's a lot of prior regimes AGMs etc. I just don't trust Pelley unless we hire a Doug Armstrong type to be President & GM to clean out the whole org.
4EVRLEAFAN
Active member
"At least when the Leafs sucked we knew" In all honesty anyone who was truly paying attention could see this team wasn't built right, for me it was the COVID series when Matthews was thrown around like a rag doll and just sat there on the ice laughing, this team had no killer instinct in the playoffs, and now without Marner we're seeing just how bad they are.
dappleganger
Well-known member
bustaheims
Well-known member
dappleganger
Well-known member
This team was never built right. Every GM has gotten it wrong. They were always going to struggle to win in the playoffs with the likes of Holl, Dermott, Lyubushkin, Edmundson, Liljegren, Gustafsson, Benoit, Marincin, Barrie, Zaitsev, Hunwick, Carrick.
Every season at least 1/3 of the D-core in the playoffs were below average players except last year. It was never good enough. Needed 6 competent D, never had it.
4EVRLEAFAN
Active member
I've read things like other GM's treat us differently simply because they don't want the Leafs to win, I thought it was silly but I'm starting to believe it.
Guru Tugginmypuddah
Well-known member
Absolutely. Rival GM's even make frivolous waiver claims just to mess with the Leafs.
L K
Well-known member
I have a hard time believing that noone will take Rielly. He's a very flawed player. He's also 16th in points for defensemen over the last 3 years and 15th in even strength points. The Leafs probably have to eat something and won't get anything meaningful from it but I think it's completely overblown that he has absolutely zero value. The question is whether Rielly will waive his NTC to the teams that would want him.
As for the team being a failure...yes, in the goal to win a Cup they were....honestly I don't watch the Leafs to win championships at this point. We haven't won since 67. That's essentially 20 years before I was born. The best I have ever seen the team do is make the conference finals 4 times. This has absolutely been a good stretch of Leafs hockey to watch over the last 9 years despite the lack of playoff success. I just grade the team on a curve at this point.
As for the team being a failure...yes, in the goal to win a Cup they were....honestly I don't watch the Leafs to win championships at this point. We haven't won since 67. That's essentially 20 years before I was born. The best I have ever seen the team do is make the conference finals 4 times. This has absolutely been a good stretch of Leafs hockey to watch over the last 9 years despite the lack of playoff success. I just grade the team on a curve at this point.
Weegar's having a down-year offensively (who isn't on Calgary?) but he's still a much better defensive player, both in results and in reputation. So I don't know if that's the best comparison.
dappleganger
Well-known member
Playoff Morgan Rielly is definitely a player you want on your team and would make every team in the league better. (Assuming it's a non-roster player coming back the other way).
I'm secretly hoping for a Morgan Rielly/Elias Pettersson swap. Both players could use a change of scenery.
dappleganger
Well-known member
The point remains, Weegar got 3-2nd round picks. He's a -35 this season. Surely Morgan can return a single 2nd round pick. The narrative that he is untradeable is hogwash.
The comparison is that they are both older d-men on long, higher dollar contracts that aren't as good as they used to be.
I think the Canucks are such a good fit for Rielly. He's from Vancouver, which might make waiving the NMC easier. The Canucks also just lost Hughes of course and Rielly is like a very, very Temu-version of him. But I think they've got a little bit of rebuilding to do and I dunno if either side would be interested in the other while that happens.
That's fair. I definitely think Rielly is trade-able to a degree. I mean if he was on waivers someone like San Jose probably grabs him. The bigger issue is his NMC.
dappleganger
Well-known member
I think a lot would depend on whether Vancouver really wants to get out from under that Pettersson contract.
dappleganger
Well-known member
Honestly, the Leafs should leak they have a deal in place for Rielly and let the pressure mount, like other teams seem to do. Rielly has been a great Leaf but it's time to move on. They need to make a change.
Joe S.
Moderator
I really think the better deal will happen in the offseason with a new real GM.
I think the media is more of a problem. If you make a bad deal with the Leafs it becomes a bigger thing than if you make a bad deal with Utah, or at least that is the perception. Probably has something to do with legions of Leaf fans in every NHL market.
The Thorton trade from Boston to San Jose was a bad trade from Boston's point of view. Not sure how much flak that really received all things considered.
I mean the other side of the coin is also true. If you make a great deal with the Leafs, every knows it as well. See the Courtnall trade, the pick that became Neidermeyer trade, Rask trade, two firsts and a second trade, any trade from the last two years....