I hope Shanahan, a man who has no experience at building teams, never worked under any good management on a solid hockey club, can make this work.
- dom13

That's exactly what makes him the man for the job.

while I get what you are saying...the leafs not keeping 2010 and 2011 picks really hurts.

Also I think the days of stupid trades to move up to take Biggs/Ross/Schenn are over.
Better to put a 5 year tag on it now and see how it goes
- senstroll

I'm just being realistic..i plan for the worst and hope for the best. I'm thinking it's gonna be 5-7 years. That's reality. I hope of course it's 2! Technically though we did get 2 picks in 2011 - Biggs and percy

Wow, where to begin? The only thing missing from this article is it wasn't posted on April Fool's Day. The Leafs don't perform up to expectations because the media is mean to them? Some ideas are simply beneath comment.

Wow, where to begin? The only thing missing from this article is it wasn't posted on April Fool's Day. The Leafs don't perform up to expectations because the media is mean to them? Some ideas are simply beneath comment.
- npinsky

and yet...

Quick Fix:
Trade Bernier for Nabokov
Trade Phaneuf and 1st for Chara
Trade Gardiner for Gonchar
Trade JVR for St. Louis + 3rd
Trade Bozak for Iginla
Trade Percy for Timonen
Trade Polak for Dan Boyle
Trade Lupul for Jagr
Trade Kadri for Doan
Trade Kessel for Thornton
Trade Holland for O.Jokinen

Top 6 Forwards
St Louis - Thornton - Iginla
Doan - Jokinen - Jagr

Top 6 D
Chara - Gonchar
Timonen - Boyle
Robidas - Brewer

Nabokov

Leafs bring home cup in 2006!

again, it may seem like female doging, but it's just stating the facts. Im super excited for a rebuild. Just stating how poor the franchise has performed and been run...A little exercise for you:

name one thing about this franchise in the past 11 years (since the wiped out season) to be positive about. And i'm serious.

future prospects? playoff success? cheap accessible tickets?

one thing.
- clark_griswold

Taking Boston, the team that had our number for years and a top 3 favourite to win the cup, to game seven. Yeah that game was the worst of my life but the series was incredible.

Lupul coming back from injury and scoring every time he touched the puck for weeks. Man that end to end against Carolina.

Grabo's spin-o-rama.

Bro-zak's Mighty Ducks-esque drop pass to Kessel to break his cold streak.

Reimer after every win.

Every time JVR does that thing between the legs.

Dion almost killing countless unexpecting victims.

That fight with Montreal and Orr and McLaren, you know the one I mean.

Kadri's 'nifty mittens' shootout goal.

I could do this forever. If your team had to win a cup for you to like it 12 teams wouldn't have a single fan. The Blues. The Capitals. The Sharks. I'm a Leafs fan because I grew up that way and I love living in the same city as my favourite team, and just like every team they do some great things and some horrible things. Its too bad that they (GMs players coaches) haven't figured it out but it doesn't mean I'm going to be bitter about it 24/7. Obviously every fan wants them to go to the playoffs and win the cup, but the thing about being a fan is you have no control over that. You do have some minute effect on whether Kessel feels like a hero in Toronto or a zero, and it's clear he plays best when he's the hero.

Taking Boston, the team that had our number for years and a top 3 favourite to win the cup, to game seven. Yeah that game was the worst of my life but the series was incredible.

Lupul coming back from injury and scoring every time he touched the puck for weeks. Man that end to end against Carolina.

Grabo's spin-o-rama.

Bro-zak's Mighty Ducks-esque drop pass to Kessel to break his cold streak.

Reimer after every win.

Every time JVR does that thing between the legs.

Dion almost killing countless unexpecting victims.

That fight with Montreal and Orr and McLaren, you know the one I mean.

Kadri's 'nifty mittens' shootout goal.

I could do this forever. If your team had to win a cup for you to like it 12 teams wouldn't have a single fan. The Blues. The Capitals. The Sharks. I'm a Leafs fan because I grew up that way and I love living in the same city as my favourite team, and just like every team they do some great things and some horrible things. Its too bad that they (GMs players coaches) haven't figured it out but it doesn't mean I'm going to be bitter about it 24/7. Obviously every fan wants them to go to the playoffs and win the cup, but the thing about being a fan is you have no control over that. You do have some minute effect on whether Kessel feels like a hero in Toronto or a zero, and it's clear he plays best when he's the hero.
- bwindeler

i've been a die hard fan since 1987. Before this season, never missed more than about 2 games a year. This year i've maybe watched 3 full games. I equate my being mad at them as like disciplining a child instead of letting them get away with whatever they want.

as for you positives, i guess my expectations are just a little higher than a few nice plays here and there OVER ELEVEN YEARS which every team has during every season.

But i love the leafs just as much as the next guy, we just go about it differently. Cheers

When will the Pro-Leafs media stop giving the Leafs a free pass and start challenging every decision this team makes, they're so bias!
- Symba007

It's funny when fans of other teams challenge Toronto as the centre of the hockey universe...I don't have any opinion on other teams media coverage...and it's not like you can't find it if you try.

Quick Fix:
Trade Bernier for Nabokov
Trade Phaneuf and 1st for Chara
Trade Gardiner for Gonchar
Trade JVR for St. Louis + 3rd
Trade Bozak for Iginla
Trade Percy for Timonen
Trade Polak for Dan Boyle
Trade Lupul for Jagr
Trade Kadri for Doan
Trade Kessel for Thornton
Trade Holland for O.Jokinen

Top 6 Forwards
St Louis - Thornton - Iginla
Doan - Jokinen - Jagr

Top 6 D
Chara - Gonchar
Timonen - Boyle
Robidas - Brewer

Nabokov

Leafs bring home cup in 2006!
- mkolchenkov

The payoff in reader interest couldn't have been worth the time it took to type this.

Quick Fix:
Trade Bernier for Nabokov
Trade Phaneuf and 1st for Chara
Trade Gardiner for Gonchar
Trade JVR for St. Louis + 3rd
Trade Bozak for Iginla
Trade Percy for Timonen
Trade Polak for Dan Boyle
Trade Lupul for Jagr
Trade Kadri for Doan
Trade Kessel for Thornton
Trade Holland for O.Jokinen

Top 6 Forwards
St Louis - Thornton - Iginla
Doan - Jokinen - Jagr

Top 6 D
Chara - Gonchar
Timonen - Boyle
Robidas - Brewer

Nabokov

Leafs bring home cup in 2006!
- mkolchenkov

trade deadline has passed

Problem with the leafs is the roster for the better part of the year was too reminiscent of a late 1980's leafs roster.

Gary Leeman – Kessel
Vincent Damphousse - JVR
Ed Olczyk - Lupul
Daniel Marois - Kadri
Al Iafrate - Phaneuf
Tom Kurvers - Gardiner
Tom Fergus - Bozak
Lou Franceschetti - Komarov
Dave Reid - Winnik
Gilles Thibaudeau – Holland
John McIntyre - Ashton
Luke Richardson - Polak
Dave Hannan - Santorelli
Todd Gill - Franson
Brad Marsh - Robidas
Allan Bester - Reimer
Ken Wregget - Bernier

exception: Rielly

So....you say the players are good enough to be contenders (I don't agree), but they just don't play up to their potential, but they're not to blame because they're sad about the media bashing them?

Even those who claim to love the Leafs are surprisingly quick to utter the words "the Leafs suck" at the slightest hint of struggle.

They DO suck! I'm really having trouble following your logic

trade deadline has passed

- TincupCanuck

That's your issue with this post?!?

They DO suck! I'm really having trouble following your logic
- BestRapperAlive

the leafs ARE good enough..the last 4 years this core has just had terrible puck luck . No doubt they are contenders, if we would just be nicer to them.

Someone commented that this current media is the same media that was around back 15-20 years ago..and that's true but there's also another thing that's around today that wasn't around 15-20 years ago and that is social media. Players years ago didn't have to worry about stuff like Twitter, facebook, ans other social media platforms, heck they didn't have to worry about the internet 20 years ago.
It seems like every athlete today feels obligated to have a Twitter, facebook, snapchat & instagram account. The media don't say half as harsh stuff as internet cowards do to people on social media! People spit some venomous at others on Twitter and athletes feel a heavy brunt of it! So if you're somewhat mentally weak or get discouraged easlily these social media platforms can be real damaging to your confidence.
You take a team like the Leafs who've had years & years of unsuccessful hockey, not only do you have to put up with intense media scrutiny but also some very harsh comments from fans on social media. I think after time it really gets to a player and they're give a poop meter goes out the window.
If a person gets crapped on constantly day after day after day, it doesn't make a difference if you're million dollar athlete or stacking shelves at Walmart...it will beat you down!

Someone commented that this current media is the same media that was around back 15-20 years ago..and that's true but there's also another thing that's around today that wasn't around 15-20 years ago and that is social media. Players years ago didn't have to worry about stuff like Twitter, facebook, ans other social media platforms, heck they didn't have to worry about the internet 20 years ago.
It seems like every athlete today feels obligated to have a Twitter, facebook, snapchat & instagram account. The media don't say half as harsh stuff as internet cowards do to people on social media! People spit some venomous at others on Twitter and athletes feel a heavy brunt of it! So if you're somewhat mentally weak or get discouraged easlily these social media platforms can be real damaging to your confidence.
You take a team like the Leafs who've had years & years of unsuccessful hockey, not only do you have to put up with intense media scrutiny but also some very harsh comments from fans on social media. I think after time it really gets to a player and they're give a poop meter goes out the window.
If a person gets crapped on constantly day after day after day, it doesn't make a difference if you're million dollar athlete or stacking shelves at Walmart...it will beat you down!
- NewfieStud

how about.....don't go on social media? If i was in the NHL making millions, i wouldn't waste my time on twitter or facebook that much i can tell you... and come on every cities fans rip athletes. Again, the love these guys would get if they were good would be unmatched by any city, just like the poop they get when they stink goes unmatched.

The Toronto media and spotlight sure does suck for a bunch of players.

I wonder if it's worked out in the not so distant past for guys like Gilmour, Clark, Roberts, Tucker, Domi, Belfour, Joseph? My guess, is with all the fawning and adulation and endorsement deals all those guys receive, still to this day, they wouldn't see it as so bad.

Now what difference could there be between those players I mentioned and the current roster? Winning? Sure, to a certain extent, but it's not like any of them won the cup. There must be something else....

A very interesting and accurate statement about the treatment of the team by the Toronto media. The original poster hits the nail on the head regarding the constant bombardment of negatively the players face on a continual basis. For instance if anyone of us were faced with the same ferocious level of criticism (that the leaf players endure) undoubtedly it would have a negative impact on our own jobs.

Also touched upon is the level of talent on the current roster. These aren't bad players. So I can only hypothesize how the exact same roster would fare in a city without the same level of media scrutiny as Toronto. For example I'm quite sure the current team would be higher in the standings if it were in a locale like Sunrise Florida, where there are like only two reporters covering the team (I don't know how many cover the panthers but I know its a hell of a lot less than in Toronto).

So lets take things to another level. The leafs are owned by Rogers and Bell, who employ the bulk of the same media types who continually pound away at the team resulting in the state we have today. Here is a unique idea for the owners, since you control the media covering the team you own, ban all coverage or limit the number of reporters covering your team. This sounds very unorthodox, and I'm not even sure it can be done, but if its possible to limit the criticism's to a stream rather than the current tsunami, perhaps it would allow the players (who after all are just human) to better deal with everything.
Yes it seems counter-intuitive for a media company to limit media coverage for a team they already own, but think about the potential. If the team is insulated from the negative barrage it seems to always drown in, they can focus on what they need to do...playing hockey. I'm not saying everything would change, but it might translate into a better on ice product and result and at the end of the day that is the engine that drives the profit factory at MLSE.

the leafs ARE good enough..the last 4 years this core has just had terrible puck luck . No doubt they are contenders, if we would just be nicer to them.
- clark_griswold

thank you for clarifying

A very interesting and accurate statement about the treatment of the team by the Toronto media. The original poster hits the nail on the head regarding the constant bombardment of negatively the players face on a continual basis. For instance if anyone of us were faced with the same ferocious level of criticism (that the leaf players endure) undoubtedly it would have a negative impact on our own jobs.

Also touched upon is the level of talent on the current roster. These aren't bad players. So I can only hypothesize how the exact same roster would fare in a city without the same level of media scrutiny as Toronto. For example I'm quite sure the current team would be higher in the standings if it were in a locale like Sunrise Florida, where there are like only two reporters covering the team (I don't know how many cover the panthers but I know its a hell of a lot less than in Toronto).

So lets take things to another level. The leafs are owned by Rogers and Bell, who employ the bulk of the same media types who continually pound away at the team resulting in the state we have today. Here is a unique idea for the owners, since you control the media covering the team you own, ban all coverage or limit the number of reporters covering your team. This sounds very unorthodox, and I'm not even sure it can be done, but if its possible to limit the criticism's to a stream rather than the current tsunami, perhaps it would allow the players (who after all are just human) to better deal with everything.
Yes it seems counter-intuitive for a media company to limit media coverage for a team they already own, but think about the potential. If the team is insulated from the negative barrage it seems to always drown in, they can focus on what they need to do...playing hockey. I'm not saying everything would change, but it might translate into a better on ice product and result and at the end of the day that is the engine that drives the profit factory at MLSE.
- slam81

Im not trying to be a smart ass, but how pathetic does your post make this team sound? these are PRO athletes making millions. Can't deal with pressure? come on.

Im not trying to be a smart ass, but how pathetic does your post make this team sound? these are PRO athletes making millions. Can't deal with pressure? come on.
- clark_griswold

Or they could ignore the BS (get off social media), work their asses off day in and day out for a while and as negatively exaggerated their coverage has been lately, it would be equally as positively exaggerated.

Eg. Tie Domi wasn't anywhere close to a star player, but he'll be treated like a king by the people and media in this town until he dies.

Cant believe you buy into that theory - the problem is plain and simple leadership - Kessel has none - zero- zilch and Mrs Dion is like a talking head - sometime the words come out right but you know beep down is is just that words .

Other major issue is management they constantly over sell players ability( to protect their own ineptitude ) and in doing this poison the fans who expect much more than the player can reasonably deliver.

The payoff in reader interest couldn't have been worth the time it took to type this.
- Deeps27

I disagree, I enjoyed writing this very much

this is not the worst time the the history of the leafs. the 1980's were Much much worse

Granted both teams are terrible but he leafs of the '80s were the worst team in the league. the current team need to get rid of at least 6 players to reach the 1985 level of futility.

current Ownership at least is wiling to spend $. the 1980s had Ballard. Do any of you current people remember Pal Hal? It was so bad under his ownership the only hopes that fans had was waiting for the old codger to die. that's a particularly low level of despondency. Every cough and absence of the owner was cause for glee - "perhaps this sickness is the beginning of the end!". It really sucked.

fear not - we have miles of depths to plummet before the leafs are even in sight of the deep crevasse of doom that surrounded the 1980's leafs.