nobody canna cross it
- Crimsoninja

..

If the Blues wanted Kadri, we'd be getting Backes. Otherwise back the mother**** off .
- Rysko81

Talk about over valuing your players.

Talk about over valuing your players.


- carcus

Call me crazy but as a Leaf fan I wouldn't do it. Backes is 30 years old, and he's played hard minutes. Short-term he's > then Kadri....but ask yourself, would you trade Jaden Schwartz for a David Backes type player, who's 30, in another organization? It's not so much about overvalueing Kadri as much as it is thinking of the long term of my organization.

At the same time, as a Blues fan, I think it would be dumb to trade a top line forward right now, a heart and soul player for a Kadri when you have a Kadri in Schwartz. the deal would be dumb for both sides.

Call me crazy but as a Leaf fan I wouldn't do it. Backes is 30 years old, and he's played hard minutes. Short-term he's > then Kadri....but ask yourself, would you trade Jaden Schwartz for a David Backes type player, who's 30, in another organization? It's not so much about overvalueing Kadri as much as it is thinking of the long term of my organization.
- mykokes

I get long term thinking, but I also get urgency to win as well. Before you cite the Oilers as an example, are they Leafs still rebuilding or are they going for it?

Also, when will Kadri be better than Backes (if ever)? 3 years from now? Not saying that's a bad thing to have him hit his prime alongside Gardiner or Rielly, but there's a couple players that will be on the other sides of their primes by then.

Not trolling, just not sure what the mentality is for the Leafs. Win now with Kessel, Lupol, Clarkson,& Phaneuf, or Win in a few years around Kadri, Nylander, Rielly , and Gardiner as your core?

I get long term thinking, but I also get urgency to win as well. Before you cite the Oilers as an example, are they Leafs still rebuilding or are they going for it?

Also, when will Kadri be better than Backes (if ever)? 3 years from now? Not saying that's a bad thing to have him hit his prime alongside Gardiner or Rielly, but there's a couple players that will be on the other sides of their primes by then.

Not trolling, just not sure what the mentality is for the Leafs. Win now with Kessel, Lupol, Clarkson,& Phaneuf, or Win in a few years around Kadri, Nylander, Rielly , and Gardiner as your core?
- Jeropotato

Kessel can fit in on the second group since he's just turning or just turned 26. He'll be the age Backes is right now or younger when most of those other guys start to step up. Clarkson, is an albatross,. Phaneuf, being 29 means that when Kadri hits his prime 25, will still be 32. And our #1 goalie is 25. To answer your question, the mentality is or should be make the playoffs, and getting a winning atmosphere in here. Pretty cut and dry.

As for Kadri vs Backes....Kadri will never be the complete player Backes is...but Backes will have a hard time continueing being who he is generally. Offensively, Kadri has higher upsideat least he does imo. But then I expect Kadri to produce like he did during the lockout shortened season and to continue to be more consistent with that production as his ice time increases.

As for your Oilers.....I think it's going to be an overnight transformation. most of your core young pieces haven't even reached that pivotal 4th year. And Hall is a franchise player. You guys take too much grief for picking 1st overall so many years in a row. Another organization used to get the same grief, Quebec/Colorado.

Kessel can fit in on the second group since he's just turning or just turned 26. He'll be the age Backes is right now or younger when most of those other guys start to step up. Clarkson, is an albatross,. Phaneuf, being 29 means that when Kadri hits his prime 25, will still be 32. And our #1 goalie is 25. To answer your question, the mentality is or should be make the playoffs, and getting a winning atmosphere in here. Pretty cut and dry.

As for Kadri vs Backes....Kadri will never be the complete player Backes is...but Backes will have a hard time continueing being who he is generally. Offensively, Kadri has higher upsideat least he does imo. But then I expect Kadri to produce like he did during the lockout shortened season and to continue to be more consistent with that production as his ice time increases.

As for your Oilers.....I think it's going to be an overnight transformation. most of your core young pieces haven't even reached that pivotal 4th year. And Hall is a franchise player. You guys take too much grief for picking 1st overall so many years in a row. Another organization used to get the same grief, Quebec/Colorado.
- mykokes

This was a good post, and I appreciate the calm, well thought out reply (See Iggy, Not all Leafs fans react like angry kids off their Ritalin ).

It's sometimes hard to tell where the tweener teams are at, and where they are going if you don't follow the team closely. It's obvious who the Favorites (Chicago/Boston/LA), Contenders (Habs, Lightning, Blues), Bottom Dwellers (Buffalo, Edm, Calgary) are, but it's tough to gage where some of the not so great, not so bad teams are heading.

In all honesty, any team that has Kessel, Kadri, Rielly, Nylander, Gardiner and Bernier in the system at their respective ages has a shot at being competitive for a long time. I'm not at all suggesting that the Leafs need to take a (massive ) step back by moving Phaneuf, Lupol and Clarkson (okay, maybe Clarkson) but I have no idea how they intend to put a roster together that can contend in 3 years. Not trolling, I literally have no idea how they are going to do it.
Let me put it like this. Assuming everyone reaches their potential, how and where do they fill in the blanks?

________ Kadri Kessel
JVR Nylander _______
Clarkson Bozak ______

Gardiner Rielly
______ Phaneuf


Bernier

That's not a bad looking Core of the future, IMO.

This was a good post, and I appreciate the calm, well thought out reply (See Iggy, Not all Leafs fans react like angry kids off their Ritalin ).

It's sometimes hard to tell where the tweener teams are at, and where they are going if you don't follow the team closely. It's obvious who the Favorites (Chicago/Boston/LA), Contenders (Habs, Lightning, Blues), Bottom Dwellers (Buffalo, Edm, Calgary) are, but it's tough to gage where some of the not so great, not so bad teams are heading.

In all honesty, any team that has Kessel, Kadri, Rielly, Nylander, Gardiner and Bernier in the system at their respective ages has a shot at being competitive for a long time. I'm not at all suggesting that the Leafs need to take a (massive ) step back by moving Phaneuf, Lupol and Clarkson (okay, maybe Clarkson) but I have no idea how they intend to put a roster together that can contend in 3 years. Not trolling, I literally have no idea how they are going to do it.
Let me put it like this. Assuming everyone reaches their potential, how and where do they fill in the blanks?

________ Kadri Kessel
JVR Nylander _______
Clarkson Bozak ______

Gardiner Rielly
______ Phaneuf


Bernier

That's not a bad looking Core of the future, IMO.
- Jeropotato

With those blanks you hope your scouting staff and drafting might have got a few right, ie. the Leivo's, Brown's, Johnson's, Percy's, Finn's. Some of the vets you mention, trust me, I don't really want to keep them. i.e. Lupul, Phaneuf, Clarkson etc. But it is what it is. You need some luck too.

With those blanks you hope your scouting staff and drafting might have got a few right, ie. the Leivo's, Brown's, Johnson's, Percy's, Finn's. Some of the vets you mention, trust me, I don't really want to keep them. i.e. Lupul, Phaneuf, Clarkson etc. But it is what it is. You need some luck too.
- mykokes

For sure. At the end of the day, it could be worse. At the very least, the Management has some quality players to build around.

Now I sit and wait for the GardinerExpress's and Sensnucksnocups of the HB community to come in and rip my previous post.

If the Blues wanted Kadri, we'd be getting Backes. Otherwise back the mother**** off .
- Rysko81

Backes>Kadri>Berglund