However, the leafs swung for the fences and missed with Stamkos .............. who clearly was part of their plan.

If they had offered him a better deal than the Lightning ended up doing, he would have signed with the leafs.

Better luck with John Tavares.................
- D0PPELGANGER

thanks.

Right....for a bunch of years we listen to Leaf fans tell us how great Phil whatshisname is, he gets traded to the Penguins and Leaf fans pretend they never thought he was any good and now they forget he was ever even on their roster. Situation Leafs remains normal. Denial is easier than dealing with reality. Last place team that is likely going to set records for futility.
- spatso

oh..

Duh, what part of last place are you missing. Make the playoffs once in 10 years but somehow this translates into heading in the right direction.
- spatso

the part where the sens dont have a first to go along with it

I see a repeat of the Spezza trade in the Leafs signing of Tavares.

Many of you will remember my taking a strong position that the Sens should trade Spezza. Many of you disagreed at the time. Spezza and Tavares have had very similar careers. Both were minor junior and junior phenoms. Both put up spectacular points at all levels of play. Neither has ever been able to lead a team (at any level) to a championship.

When Dallas traded for and signed Spezza to a long term deal many pundits made them favourites to get to a Stanley Cup final. They crashed and burned and seldom have looked like a playoff team since that trade.

Tavares will likely do for the Leafs what Spezza did for Dallas and he is signed for a very long time at a very large price tag. Remember, forwards (on average) peak out at age 25. Once you see that top number around age 25 their decline is measurable.

In all the glee by the Toronto Sports Network over thee signing of Tavares not one person mentioned that he was not even the leading scorer on a team that once again failed to make the playoffs.
- spatso

The mental midget can’t stop talking about the Leafs, but he’s too afraid to do it where people will disagree with him.

Boring. We listen to this kind of crap every summer. It vomits out of Leaf fans, unthinking, unbalanced, even a few that are a little unhinged.

But it is entertaining. Everyone, even the Leaf fans, know that the big stumble starts when they drop the puck for real. Leafs are about 5 years behind Edmonton in their rebuild and you all note that Edmonton is just now starting a rebuild off the rebuild and they have the bet hockey player on the plant.

But it is summer and it is hockey talk and it is, of course, Leaf fans providing the opportunity for laughter.We will wait for the fall before doubling up in laughter as Leaf fans start another false hope cycle.
- spatso

k

Hey keep it simple. The body of evidence is pretty substantial. Only once in 10 years have the Leafs made the playoffs. The year they made the playoffs against Boston, they offered up the biggest playoff choke in the history of the game.

Now fans are trying to convince themselves they are something other than a last place team. Hey guys, check the scoreboard.
- spatso

hey man, ok

Amazing, Leafs are a last place team that will likely finish next year behind their most recent point total. And, Leaf fans say, but, but, but, maybe the Sens won't make the playoffs. Pathetic. Don't even have the illusion that you can finish ahead of anyone. So, you try and find fault in others in order to make yourself feel better.
- spatso

lol

Ottawa management believes they have a contending team. I believe the same. They were solid last year until Turris was hurt. Love the pairing of Ceci and Phaneuf and I expect the Sens to shave 20 goals against off of last year.

Brian Murray has a history of building teams that become super competitive the year after he steps down as GM (Detroit, Anahiem).
- spatso

oh..

This is an important point. I have always thought the Toronto media had way too much influence in the Leaf decision making. The media creates a theme, they pump the theme and everyone comes to believe in the theme because nobody wants to break the story line.

I believe the Austin Matthews story is a prime example of a runaway theme. Matthews was not even close to being the best player in the draft after Christmas. Both Finns were clearly better and had it not been for the media pumping his story as the Leafs first overall selection he would have dropped to third or fourth. Simply, everyone had too much invested into the storyline too pull back on the story everyone (including fans) wanted to see.

Anyway it will be apparent once the season starts that Matthews (a good player) does not punch in the same class as the Finns. Leaf fans will likely be discouraged. But, I don't think anyone will figure it out. They will wonder why everyone missed on Laine and they will blame Leaf management. They will miss on the pervasive influence the media has on Leaf management decisions.
- spatso

fascinating

And, so, when White and Brown are the first and second line centres at the WJC this year and Chabot is Team Canada's #1 D you will remain silent. When Matthews struggles you will remain silent. When the Leafs languish in last place, well out of the playoffs by December you will remain silent.

Your still trying to pretend that Karlsson is not a prodigy, a truly gifted player.

I understand that your attacks on Edmonton players in the past and now Ottawa players in all about deflecting attention from the overall failure of the Leafs. Well, get ready, you are headed to another year of futility.
- spatso

wonderful

That is my point. It was not a consensus. Even in the TSN survey two scouts shifted to Laine as their 1st overall pick. But the Leafs were way too deep into Matthews to move off their earlier plan. Too bad.
- spatso

yea..what a fail getting Matthews is.

i thought spatso was a leaf fan, wha happan?
also, lebron to the lakers frank him.

Talking trash about Sens is not going to make it any easier for the Leafs this year. But you guys are once again having a great summer.
- spatso

thanks

Way too rich, the irony only gets better after some reflection.

The Leafs were a last place team. The Leafs are a last place team.

Matthews is not McDavid or Eichal or perhaps, even Laine or Puljujarvi. Yet Leaf fans have created this huge expectation around a kid that was not nearly the force of the Finns on the big stages of international hockey last year.

Not sure why the Leafs have delayed in signing him to a contract. Perhaps they think he is going to need some AHL development time. Nobody is hoping against Matthews, he should be a good player. But, there is absolutely nothing in his track record that suggests he will be an impact player in the NHL next year. Perhaps, there is a fatal flaw in the Leaf charism. If Matthews is put out head to head against veteran NHL centres every night and fans expect him to outperform all comers it is going to be a very long and disappointing winter for the blue and white.

I understand the importance of the summer season for Leaf fans. It is an opportunity to renew hope and create a bond with the team in the belief that next year will see the Leafs finally triumph. It is the Oiler model of a few years ago that had Yakupov (like Matthews, an older profile draft pick) dominating scoring in future NHL seasons or RNH being the slickest centre to come along in years.

Always keep in mind the notion that "we are different," is something that is really well understood. We know Matthews is not McDavid, not even close. We want to believe that he is better than Yakupov. Likely he is in the same range as RNH, but he will likely struggle to produce numbers as good as RNH got in his rookie year (18 goals, 34 assists in 64 games).
- spatso

cant wait for the sequel

dErps,
this is you losing.


AGAIN.

The mental midget can’t stop talking about the Leafs, but he’s too afraid to do it where people will disagree with him.
- Feeling Glucky?

What he said is impressively stupid.

I'm glad to see that even though he's too much of a coward to post here anymore, that he's incredibly stupid elsewhere still.

awesome Duchene trade bro.
- systemtool

BOOM!

i thought spatso was a leaf fan, wha happan?
also, lebron to the lakers frank him.
- Bobs Your Uncle

He became a fan of the team in a better situation

He became a fan of the team in a better situation
- senstroll

thanks.
- systemtool

thread's like a think tank, chock full of ideas on how they can (hopefully) surpass the sens someday.

He became a fan of the team in a better situation
- senstroll

He has already said he is going to enjoy watching Tampa this season. I think another allegiance switch is in order.

Him and a Canucks fan were also circle-jerking over the Leafs playoff "chokes" the last couple years because they are too stupid and butthurt to accept what the Leafs have accomplished the last 2 seasons... but, maybe, Spatso might switch allegiance to Vancouver who is >>>> Ottawa.

He has already said he is going to enjoy watching Tampa this season. I think another allegiance switch is in order.

Him and a Canucks fan were also circle-jerking over the Leafs playoff "chokes" the last couple years because they are too stupid and butthurt to accept what the Lefs have accomplished the last 2 seasons... but, maybe, Spatso might switch allegiance to Vancouver who is >>>> Ottawa.
- Aetherial

He'd probably be better off switching to Seattle. Probably the only team who won't finish above the Sens this season.

They won't finish below them either mind you but at least he won't be attached to the last place team which also has to give up the only benefit that comes with that dubious distinction when they give the pick to Colorado.

d00ps you coward PRESENT YOURSELF

d00ps you coward PRESENT YOURSELF
- Cape Breton Bruins

I honestly thought he would have more of a backbone.