Toronto Maple Leafs 1st Round Draft Pick. Will It Help?

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So the nhl team in Toronto started to rebuild. They had a bad season but that gave them a great chance at getting a great top first round draft pick this year and for once they hadn't traded that pick away. Not since Wendel Clarke have they picked first over all.

So as the leafs luck would have it they get top pick and the #1 pick is said to be Auston Matthews. What should they do?

Do you care?
 
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Nighthawk26

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It's not just a matter of the first round pick. We have some serious top level blue chip players now. The old adage of the Leafs making money so nothing else matters I believe went out with window when we brought in Shanahan, then Babcock and Lou. Finally the gutting of the team. No one will go through that if the plan to truly rebuild wasn't in place. Don't kid yourselves. Babcock is no joke. Nylander, Marner, Kadri, Kapanen, Riley. There is some serious potential players. None of them really maybe players, but as close to blue chip as it gets. Matthews is the sweet icing on the cake. Not to mention they have some serious draft positions this year on top of all that. Couple that with the clearing of those all those nasty contracts of Clarkson, Kessel, and Dion, and we have some money to go after some already stars. Give it 2-5 years and wait and see. Playoffs in 2, contenders in 4.
 
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Haven;t they traded him yet for an over-the-hill player like stamkos yet? :D

I has some hope for the laffs until the idiotic kadri deal. They paid that tiny little goon HOW MUCH?!?!?! Same old same old. They won't fix anything, if they don't make the playoffs this year people will be screaming for the coach's head, and if they do, they will be happy just making the playoffs and being eliminated in the first round. The leafs are a money making franchise, not a legit contender team.
 
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Yep, just like the oilers getting all those young high draft picks. It really turned them around.

The Kessel trade?

I think if the leafs ever won the cup the city would be all but Burt to the ground. Then no one would watch them after that because they would never repeat. But then again they could be like the Habs
 
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Salty Cracker

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Nighthawk26 said:
It's not just a matter of the first round pick. We have some serious top level blue chip players now. The old adage of the Leafs making money so nothing else matters I believe went out with window when we brought in Shanahan, then Babcock and Lou. Finally the gutting of the team. No one will go through that if the plan to truly rebuild wasn't in place. Don't kid yourselves. Babcock is no joke. Nylander, Marner, Kadri, Kapanen, Riley. There is some serious potential players. None of them really maybe players, but as close to blue chip as it gets. Matthews is the sweet icing on the cake. Not to mention they have some serious draft positions this year on top of all that. Couple that with the clearing of those all those nasty contracts of Clarkson, Kessel, and Dion, and we have some money to go after some already stars. Give it 2-5 years and wait and see. Playoffs in 2, contenders in 4.
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Lol, fanboi reactions like that drive the price of tickets to $200 each for nosebleeds.

The ONLY reason they spent any money at all on the likes of babcock is because they didn't sell out their regular season for the first time in decades a year or so ago. Instead of lowering their INSANE ticket prices, they dangled the babcock fish in front of wide eyed fans. They may make the playoffs, but contenders? Not in our lifetimes. I'm almost 50 and never have seen a cup in Toronto, and don't plan to see one for the next 50. They didn't even win the cup that often when there was only 6 teams in the whole league...and how many times since they started expansion? :p
 
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Nighthawk26

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Salty Cracker said:
Haven;t they traded him yet for an over-the-hill player like stamkos yet? :D

I has some hope for the laffs until the idiotic kadri deal. They paid that tiny little goon HOW MUCH?!?!?! Same old same old. They won't fix anything, if they don't make the playoffs this year people will be screaming for the coach's head, and if they do, they will be happy just making the playoffs and being eliminated in the first round. The leafs are a money making franchise, not a legit contender team.
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Not a Leaf fanboy in the slightest. I am a fan of the game who yes, will support and cheer for local teams.

Anyone who understands the game can look at the prospects and see what they have. There is no disputing that. They have cap money to spend so they can go after guys like Stamkos and some other significant RFA's in 2017 as well. I've been totally impressed with the moves so far. Dead weight is gone, guys with pride and a willingness to buy in are all positive.

Tough spot will be goal. Not a lot out there and will without question need yo get a little lucky there.

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Kadri was a steal FYI. Wait and see. 6 years at that rate. I will take it all day long. He is a number 2 center on most teams all day long. Where in the league is threre value like that? No where.

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Salty Cracker

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Nighthawk26 said:
Kadri was a steal FYI. Wait and see. 6 years at that rate. I will take it all day long. He is a number 2 center on most teams all day long. Where in the league is threre value like that? No where.

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Lol, he's a tiny goon. I think he's starting next season under suspension for another crap hit isn't he? You see his +/- ?? That's not a 2nd line guy, that's an AA team guy at best. He races to the net, and if he doesn't score he sulks in the corner or makes a dirty hit on someone who has his back turned. Kadri=last place overall. I've followed him since his knights days, and he was barely a step ahead of rinaldo, which thank GOD the bruins buried out of the league before he really hurt someone. Of all the people left on the leafs from the spoiled-child days, kadri is the king. Selfish little dirty player with a horrible, and I mean horrible +/- record. I'd have to check but I don't know as if any "second liners" have a -20 career stat. That's the leafs though, millions of dollars and a long contract for something they won't see a ROI on. He's another Andre Deveaux, and the fact that nobody sees the similarities is exactly why the leafs will never, ever ever ever win a cup. I'll wait and see alright. In 6 years the leafs will be in yet another "rebuilding year". I think they're on their 50th now, right? :)
 
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"Nazem Kadri has now forfeited $396,078.77 in salary for three NHL suspensions, two diving fines and one throat-slash fine."

Yep, that's a heck of year. I particularly liked his throat slashing stunt (his second on record). I had forgotten about the diving fines and even that funny turtle show he did. I will admit the leafs have some serious potential talent on the team now, but this is a tiny spot of cancer for that dressing room.
 
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Nighthawk26

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I will have to disagree only because of how Babcock is, and has been through his entire career. I am certain that coming in that he was of the belief that he would without question turf Kadri. He seemed genuinely surprise more and more and more as the season went on with the overall performance of Kardi both on the ice and in the dressing room. When you gut a team THAT much, you don't leave a stone un turned. If he was even the slightest bit a problem, then no way does he even get resigned, never mind 6 years.

There is an equivalent "bandwagon" of people wanting to hate on the Leafs. They all make the same generic statements. A few are in here. Joke about another rebuild again, and more to come. Tell me one even CLOSE to this. Nothing ever is the answer. They have bought the time and support of fans while tempering expectations at every turn. Next year will be a tell tale sign for me to truly show how committed they are are to this rebuild. That being how they handle MItch Marner. They are in a tough spot with him. He will crush FAR too much in the OHL, and who knows if he is truly ready for the NHL. The AHL would be ideal, but he can't play there, and that will be a huge problem. I still don't think they make the playoffs next year, but they get a lot of these young kids going, and they will without question show signs of brilliance, and excitement. 2017/18 is the first year I think we can really make a judgement how things are going.
 
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Nighthawk26 said:
I will have to disagree only because of how Babcock is, and has been through his entire career. I am certain that coming in that he was of the belief that he would without question turf Kadri. He seemed genuinely surprise more and more and more as the season went on with the overall performance of Kardi both on the ice and in the dressing room. When you gut a team THAT much, you don't leave a stone un turned. If he was even the slightest bit a problem, then no way does he even get resigned, never mind 6 years.

There is an equivalent "bandwagon" of people wanting to hate on the Leafs. They all make the same generic statements. A few are in here. Joke about another rebuild again, and more to come. Tell me one even CLOSE to this. Nothing ever is the answer. They have bought the time and support of fans while tempering expectations at every turn. Next year will be a tell tale sign for me to truly show how committed they are are to this rebuild. That being how they handle MItch Marner. They are in a tough spot with him. He will crush FAR too much in the OHL, and who knows if he is truly ready for the NHL. The AHL would be ideal, but he can't play there, and that will be a huge problem. I still don't think they make the playoffs next year, but they get a lot of these young kids going, and they will without question show signs of brilliance, and excitement. 2017/18 is the first year I think we can really make a judgement how things are going.
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I agree I can't remember a time when they crashed and burned like this, Leafs always bought their way into a playoff spot, but caps being what they are, that's no longer an option, PLUS you don't go deep into the playoffs with a scab team, the "real" teams figure out the weaknesses and exploit them. Leafs had a ton of picks (didn't trade them away), and some good guys on defense. Goaltending is not horrible, but the front end is just a barren wasteland. I will never agree that kadri is anything but a douchebag in the locker room, I've witnesses him "in the wild" and he's got the ego and personality of patrick kane off the ice, but the skills of a drunk beaver on the ice. Not a great combination. Ditching dion was good, same with kessel (although look at him go when he has real support up front!). I haven't looked deep, but loophole has to go, van reimsdyke might be okay if he kept that effin mouthpiece in his pie hole instead of stuck to his cheek. There's a lot of good on the leafs (potentially) so don't think I'm just idly dissing them, but 1967 was a loooong time ago, and they haven't even been to a final much less win a cup since then, they simply don't know how, and even though they have some good guys upstairs, the media and the fans get rowdy real quick and can squash almost anything.

I'd like to think I'm wrong about kadri, but I was almost floored by the deal. Heh, his uncle is my dentist. I have to talk real nice about kadri when he's drilling my choppers, but want to know an actual truth? The kadri's are montreal fans 100%. I'm not sure if you can look that up, but I got it pretty much from the horse's mouth, and you know you can't trust anyone that's a habs fan ;)
 
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ohh ohh conspiracy!!, there is a grand scheme to lose and make money oh gawd ahhh.....!!!!
*rolls eyes*
Heres a tin foil hat * begins handing out hats to weak minded people*
... one for you... one for you...

The chips fall were the chips fall.... seriously.
Leafs have been burdened by a MOB of naysayers and blood criers (scream for blood when they dont get what they want)
its impossible to build and/or succeed if you constantly fire a coach or a gm etc etc every couple years.

Are the leafs on the path to something great? Who knows?
Will people ride their ass all the way up until they win the cup? YUP
Will people *cough* like glen*Cough* STILL ride their ass the day after they (potentially) win the cup? Yup!

Hell i can see it now," Sure they won ONE measly little cup, try winning two in a row!"
soon after
Pff so what they won 2 in 4 years, try winning them consecutively next time..."

Haters will be haters, and half the time they do it just to get a rise or attention out of people like me :D

That all being said.
Im excited for the future of the leafs.
I watched the majority of the games this year too, despite the losses the kids played their hearts out, was always good hockey.

Oh, and Boston is complete shit... :D
 
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