Not much risk involved to find out.

You want to land a player like that you typically have to insanley overpay on the open market or shell out a boatload of top flight assets. Lou did pretty good for what comparables have gone for in the past and locked him up long term at a fairly competitive rate.
- joel878

Certainly the deal is more attractive now that an extension is signed.
But "win by a landslide" and "did pretty good" are somewhat different.

They’ve got $33M locked up on guys in their 30’s for anywhere from 2-5 years (one of them comes off after next year). They all have NTCs

Hardly any money is freed up in this off season. Varlamov makes $5, Mayfield makes just under $1.5 and there are a few around the league minimum.

They’re just kind of stuck in the middle. Instead of building, Lou used a pick, a prospect and a guy he could have traded for more picks and/or prospects for basically a 2C who won’t take them very far and ties up $.
- Canada Cup

Who else are you getting for 2C for super cheap? I mean, Barzal and Nelson were not getting it done so makes sense to bring someone else in. The pick and prospect are not guarantees by any stretch. This pretty much is.

They can trade Bailey who has no NTC, Pageau and Nelson both are modified. I mean, it's not like teams haven't not ever been able to move a player. Tyler Johnson got traded from TB so I'm sure Bailey can be moved.

Lou is just doubling down in not rebuilding at this time and committing to these players. It's not the worst idea. Look at Vancouver, Flyers...all middling around with zero direction. At least Lou picked a direction.

Damn! What do I replace it with?
- Woderwick

salvation mountain and slab city 👍

Who else are you getting for 2C for super cheap? I mean, Barzal and Nelson were not getting it done so makes sense to bring someone else in. The pick and prospect are not guarantees by any stretch. This pretty much is.

They can trade Bailey who has no NTC, Pageau and Nelson both are modified. I mean, it's not like teams haven't not ever been able to move a player. Tyler Johnson got traded from TB so I'm sure Bailey can be moved.

Lou is just doubling down in not rebuilding at this time and committing to these players. It's not the worst idea. Look at Vancouver, Flyers...all middling around with zero direction. At least Lou picked a direction.
- Aaron_85

It's not the acquisition cost nor the player - he paid a reasonable amount to get a good player and has even signed him to a reasonable contract (although it will be harsh in its tail-end years, even with the cap rising).

To me it's the timing. Horvat isn't what they need. They are spending the capital they need to keep to get a player they will never get as much value out of - because the team is not on the upswing - it's fading and going down. I guess you could say, "At least they are going down swinging," but to me it's a terrible failure on the part of the GM to have a strategic approach to managing the team's strategic direction with tactical fixes.

But the problem is that there’s not really a winning core there for him to fit into to actually accomplish anything. There’s Barzal, a good goalie and a few defencemen. If you were adding him to the Bruins or the Leafs, it would make sense. Maybe there are some great youngsters on the Isles that I don’t know about but it seems like the most significant impact of his signing is that it limits their ability to do what needs to be done. He’s not a game changer for that team as far as I can see.
- Canada Cup

But the team has gone deep into playoffs for several years now, i would assume Horvat only improves them.
The signing provides them with two good centers, a couple good dmen and a good goalie.
Pretty much the foundation to build a good team around.
Except for some bad contracts.

21 peters.
Sounds like Kevin Spacey’s biography.

No wait!
It’s the Rangers dressing room.
- Woderwick

Outstanding

It's not the acquisition cost nor the player - he paid a reasonable amount to get a good player and has even signed him to a reasonable contract (although it will be harsh in its tail-end years, even with the cap rising).

To me it's the timing. Horvat isn't what they need. They are spending the capital they need to keep to get a player they will never get as much value out of - because the team is not on the upswing - it's fading and going down. I guess you could say, "At least they are going down swinging," but to me it's a terrible failure on the part of the GM to have a strategic approach to managing the team's strategic direction with tactical fixes.
- Monkeypunk

Sure that's a fair statement to make.

I also just mean Horvat is young enough to be there for the period of time for right now and into a retool/rebuild. Only the final 4 years contain a 16 team no trade list. Which is little sucky but it could be worse. They have flexibility and I'm assuming Lou and his team believe this to be a down year in comparison to recent other years where they went deep in the playoffs.

I'm not saying the plan isn't without flaw or questions, I'm saying I understand the view point and the plan laid forth.

But the team has gone deep into playoffs for several years now, i would assume Horvat only improves them.
The signing provides them with two good centers, a couple good dmen and a good goalie.
Pretty much the foundation to build a good team around.
Except for some bad contracts.
- Fakepartofme

Has nobody seen Lion King? The past means nothing. Also, they missed last year and I doubt they make it this year. I don’t see them building much with so much tied up in a bunch of 30+ guys.

It's not the acquisition cost nor the player - he paid a reasonable amount to get a good player and has even signed him to a reasonable contract (although it will be harsh in its tail-end years, even with the cap rising).

To me it's the timing. Horvat isn't what they need. They are spending the capital they need to keep to get a player they will never get as much value out of - because the team is not on the upswing - it's fading and going down. I guess you could say, "At least they are going down swinging," but to me it's a terrible failure on the part of the GM to have a strategic approach to managing the team's strategic direction with tactical fixes.
- Monkeypunk

Kind of like when the Leafs picked up Kessel.
Good player - but bad timing. He was not what the Leafs needed at that moment.

salvation mountain and slab city 👍
- Skalapy

Salvation Mountain looks amazing.
Outsiders don’t leave Slab City.

Kind of like when the Leafs picked up Kessel.
Good player - but bad timing. He was not what the Leafs needed at that moment.
- Nasty_Duck

Exactly. It was a terrible read on where the team was at by Burke. Ironically as poor as that read was, and it did set the team back, they also seem to have benefitted more by the timing of this rebuild as opposed to one started in 2009 . . . those next four years had some excellent players, but no one was really a franchise player at the top until MacKinnon:

Hall / Seguin
Nugent-Hopkins / Landeskog
Yakupov / Murray
MacKinnon / Barkov

Certainly the deal is more attractive now that an extension is signed.
But "win by a landslide" and "did pretty good" are somewhat different.
- Nasty_Duck

I think there's a real decent chance not one of the assets sent back turns out to ever be as good as Horvat or anywhere near it. With him locked up, I think that makes it a "landslide win" with Lou doing "pretty good".

Yes he's got that entire team bass ackwards but that's not the point. In a clear cut measuring of the deal, a locked up Horvat makes it a win imo.

All a guessing game though. Perhaps Vancouver dunks on that first or Raty turns into something relevant.

Exactly. It was a terrible read on where the team was at by Burke. Ironically as poor as that read was, and it did set the team back, they also seem to have benefitted more by the timing of this rebuild as opposed to one started in 2009 . . . those next four years had some excellent players, but no one was really a franchise player at the top until MacKinnon:

Hall / Seguin
Nugent-Hopkins / Landeskog
Yakupov / Murray
MacKinnon / Barkov
- Monkeypunk

Wow.

Scary, but true.

Earthquake today in buffalo....maga believe it was bidens fault.
#thankschineseweatherballoon

Has nobody seen Lion King? The past means nothing. Also, they missed last year and I doubt they make it this year. I don’t see them building much with so much tied up in a bunch of 30+ guys.
- Canada Cup

Study the past if you would define the future

Earthquake today in buffalo....maga believe it was bidens fault.
#thankschineseweatherballoon
- Fakepartofme

The end is near

Study the past if you would define the future
- Fakepartofme

Absolutely, but it doesn’t determine the future or the Leafs would have won every Cup since ‘67. Isles were good. Now, not so much. They have a bunch of older players and little chance of doing much this year. Looking at the makeup of that team, the best use of the assets used to acquire Horvat and the $8.5 for 8 years might have been better spent building for the future. That’s my humble take, anyway

Absolutely, but it doesn’t determine the future or the Leafs would have won every Cup since ‘67. Isles were good. Now, not so much. They have a bunch of older players and little chance of doing much this year. Looking at the makeup of that team, the best use of the assets used to acquire Horvat and the $8.5 for 8 years might have been better spent building for the future. That’s my humble take, anyway
- Canada Cup

As long as they make a run for the playoffs and finish ahead of the Panthers, it's fine with me.

The end is near
- mr.sir

The only survivor

https://twitter.com/zacha...&t=jXVHnxrU-xoMyX2tQIZ60A

Absolutely, but it doesn’t determine the future or the Leafs would have won every Cup since ‘67. Isles were good. Now, not so much. They have a bunch of older players and little chance of doing much this year. Looking at the makeup of that team, the best use of the assets used to acquire Horvat and the $8.5 for 8 years might have been better spent building for the future. That’s my humble take, anyway
- Canada Cup

If this interferes with a proper rebuild for the isles, then im all for it

Govern yourselves accordingly:

If this interferes with a proper rebuild for the isles, then im all for it
- Fakepartofme

Once Lee (32 y/o, cap hit $7M, 2026-27), Nelson (31, $6M, 25-26), Bailey (33, $5M, 24-25), Pageau (30, $5M, 26-27), Palmieri (32, $5M, 25-26) Cizikas (32, $2.5M, 27-28) all come off the books, you’ll see the rebuild gear up and the true value of the Horvat signing will really kick in.

Govern yourselves accordingly:


- Atomic Wedgie

Pics of John “Rasta” Tory with corn rows from his vacay in Sandals Montego Bay of GTFO.

Govern yourselves accordingly:


- Atomic Wedgie

Rob Ford would have been all in on this

Pics of John “Rasta” Tory with corn rows from his vacay in Sandals Montego Bay of GTFO.
- Canada Cup

I think John Tory took heed of Rob Ford's visit to Steak Queen