Tank Nation UNITE!!!

[Mike1]

If the team isn't going to be competitive for 5 years...what difference does it make?

You don't want to surround your good, young and impressionable players with overpaid, frustrated players who would rather be elsewhere.

You also want flexibility on the cap, just in case some cap crunched team needs to make a move. The Leafs aren't going to sit around & do nothing for 5 straight years. They are going to want to add players that they think can be a part of the solution. Having not 1 but 2 boat anchor contracts sucking up room doesn't help in any situation. It's not worth getting the additional prospect or pick.

 

[bustaheims]

If the team isn't going to be competitive for 5 years...what difference does it make?

There's still the possibility that the team may need the cap space or those roster spots before those contracts expire. It's bad enough having Clarkson on the cap for the next 5 season. It's much worse to more than double the dead space.

 

[herman]

If the team isn't going to be competitive for 5 years...what difference does it make?

There's still the possibility that the team may need the cap space or those roster spots before those contracts expire. It's bad enough having Clarkson on the cap for the next 5 season. It's much worse to more than double the dead space.

Yeah, there should be no reason the Leafs remain a cap team for the next couple of years. With no chance of success in the short term, we need to horde the cap and roster flexibility, as well as limit the operating budget as we rebuild and wait out the salary anchors. Play an ELC team + 1 year UFAs until there is a core to commit to.

 

[moon111]

I said the Leafs wouldn't be competitive until they got out from under Tucker's buy-out.  Nobody wanted to believe that.  Then they signed Clarkson.  I said the Leafs wouldn't be competitive until they got out from under Clarkson's....

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

The rebuild worked!!!

 

[L K]

The rebuild worked!!!

I haven't bought an NHL game since 2013 but it always bothered me that they can't even bother to put the whole lineup out for the Stanley Cup winning photo.  There are 17 players and 1 coach on the ice.  No assistants, trainers, the guys that were healthy scratched or you know, the other goaltender and skater.  For a game that keeps getting railed on for going downhill in terms of content but gets decent marks for the improved visuals, that seems like a pretty fundamental detail that they keep sucking at.

 

[rdowdall]

The rebuild worked!!!

I haven't bought an NHL game since 2013 but it always bothered me that they can't even bother to put the whole lineup out for the Stanley Cup winning photo.  There are 17 players and 1 coach on the ice.  No assistants, trainers, the guys that were healthy scratched or you know, the other goaltender and skater.  For a game that keeps getting railed on for going downhill in terms of content but gets decent marks for the improved visuals, that seems like a pretty fundamental detail that they keep sucking at.

I stopped buying the game when the did the code split and started reselling the previous years game for PC and Playstation 2, and the updated game for Playstation 3 and X-Box.

 

[Arn]

It's all been downhill with that game since they got rid of the blue ice

 

[TML fan]

The rebuild worked!!!

I haven't bought an NHL game since 2013 but it always bothered me that they can't even bother to put the whole lineup out for the Stanley Cup winning photo.  There are 17 players and 1 coach on the ice.  No assistants, trainers, the guys that were healthy scratched or you know, the other goaltender and skater.  For a game that keeps getting railed on for going downhill in terms of content but gets decent marks for the improved visuals, that seems like a pretty fundamental detail that they keep sucking at.

Yeah, but broken sticks man!!

It's pretty obvious EA stopped trying a long time ago. They're this years Leafs team of the video game world.

 

[Joe S.]

I had a long absence from the series. Last one I played was 2006. I couldn't get used to the new controls.

14/15 gave the 'classic' controls so I gave it another shot. It's ok, the goaltending AI is ridiculous, it's as if they used Allan Bester as a consultant.

Anyway, I traded gardiner for Nash, and won the cup and Nash was the conn smythe winner with 27 goals in 20 games.

And went on to win 2 more cups, but I've been simulating 90% of the seasons.

 

[Madferret]

The FIFA series keeps getting better & better - I really noticed how they were both going in different directions in '09 and quit the NHL series altogether.

 

[Frank E]

If the team isn't going to be competitive for 5 years...what difference does it make?

There's still the possibility that the team may need the cap space or those roster spots before those contracts expire. It's bad enough having Clarkson on the cap for the next 5 season. It's much worse to more than double the dead space.

Yeah, there should be no reason the Leafs remain a cap team for the next couple of years. With no chance of success in the short term, we need to horde the cap and roster flexibility, as well as limit the operating budget as we rebuild and wait out the salary anchors. Play an ELC team + 1 year UFAs until there is a core to commit to.

I agree with the "stay close to the floor for flexibility to take on some contracts that come along with other assets", but you also have to be careful with promoting ELC sort-of prospects because you're burning off some RFA years that you might need when they start contending.

I'm alright with them signing short-term reclamation projects as long as they're not terrible people.

 

[Kin]

I'm alright with them signing short-term reclamation projects as long as they're not terrible people.

So that's a hard no on Idi Amin?

 

[Frank E]

I'm alright with them signing short-term reclamation projects as long as they're not terrible people.

So that's a hard no on Idi Amin?

He's got size though...I just mean that I don't think they want to be putting out fires all over the place in the room/in the media, especially if they're trying a longer term development process. 

 

[herman]

If the team isn't going to be competitive for 5 years...what difference does it make?

There's still the possibility that the team may need the cap space or those roster spots before those contracts expire. It's bad enough having Clarkson on the cap for the next 5 season. It's much worse to more than double the dead space.

Yeah, there should be no reason the Leafs remain a cap team for the next couple of years. With no chance of success in the short term, we need to horde the cap and roster flexibility, as well as limit the operating budget as we rebuild and wait out the salary anchors. Play an ELC team + 1 year UFAs until there is a core to commit to.

I agree with the "stay close to the floor for flexibility to take on some contracts that come along with other assets", but you also have to be careful with promoting ELC sort-of prospects because you're burning off some RFA years that you might need when they start contending.

I'm alright with them signing short-term reclamation projects as long as they're not terrible people.

Oh yeah, you're right. Age them in the A and have them develop their game and systems together rather than get abused every night with the skeleton crewed parent club. Use the NHL team to showcase one-off contracts and sell off for more picks at every deadline until clarkson's contract is moved.

Which reclamation projects should we be looking out for? They'll defintiely get the minutes to show what they have.

 

[Frank E]

If the team isn't going to be competitive for 5 years...what difference does it make?

There's still the possibility that the team may need the cap space or those roster spots before those contracts expire. It's bad enough having Clarkson on the cap for the next 5 season. It's much worse to more than double the dead space.

Yeah, there should be no reason the Leafs remain a cap team for the next couple of years. With no chance of success in the short term, we need to horde the cap and roster flexibility, as well as limit the operating budget as we rebuild and wait out the salary anchors. Play an ELC team + 1 year UFAs until there is a core to commit to.

I agree with the "stay close to the floor for flexibility to take on some contracts that come along with other assets", but you also have to be careful with promoting ELC sort-of prospects because you're burning off some RFA years that you might need when they start contending.

I'm alright with them signing short-term reclamation projects as long as they're not terrible people.

Oh yeah, you're right. Age them in the A and have them develop their game and systems together rather than get abused every night with the skeleton crewed parent club. Use the NHL team to showcase one-off contracts and sell off for more picks at every deadline until clarkson's contract is moved.

Which reclamation projects should we be looking out for? They'll defintiely get the minutes to show what they have.

That's a great idea for a new thread this off-season...Available Reclamation Projects.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

That's a great idea for a new thread this off-season...Available Reclamation Projects.

Basically just don't sign any free agents until August, and then sign them all.

 

[L K]

Updated standings as of February 15:

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Ugh, I think that we really have to get 4th. Arizona probably loves Strome for all the same reasons I do, and I can't see them picking Marner over him especially after selecting a similar player in Domi last year.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

Ugh, I think that we really have to get 4th. Arizona probably loves Strome for all the same reasons I do, and I can't see them picking Marner over him especially after selecting a similar player in Domi last year.

Don't forget the possibility of a team behind the Leafs winning the lottery and moving Toronto and everybody else back a pick.  We need 3rd, dammit!  The tank needs more fuel!