Drew Doughty / Erik Karlsson / Oliver Ekman-Larsson
- Thread starter herman
- Start date
Guru Tugginmypuddah
Well-known member
Big dollar long term commitment to players on the door step of 30 years old, I dunno, just makes me nervous.
This current group is sitting at 4th overall in the league 2 weeks before Christmas. I know we all want them to win now, but I just don't think this team will be good enough or experienced enough for another couple years to win a cup.
I think with internal improvement, internal promotion, and the signing of maybe a tier B free agent dman or two, this team will be pretty good.
Having said that, if there is anyway possible Leafs could squeeze Doughty in under that cap, I would do it.
This current group is sitting at 4th overall in the league 2 weeks before Christmas. I know we all want them to win now, but I just don't think this team will be good enough or experienced enough for another couple years to win a cup.
I think with internal improvement, internal promotion, and the signing of maybe a tier B free agent dman or two, this team will be pretty good.
Having said that, if there is anyway possible Leafs could squeeze Doughty in under that cap, I would do it.
Kin
Active member
One of the things that I think is interesting about the whole Karlsson thing is that we still haven't seen a team win a cup that was primarily built after the 2012 lockout. The teams that have won cups since then were teams that added pieces and re-shaped rosters in the new environment then but chiefly it's been Chicago winning around Kane and Toews and Pittsburgh winning around Crosby and Malkin.
So on the one hand you hesitate to say Ottawa couldn't build themselves into a contender around Karlsson but on the other...I don't know what that team would look like. if they're perpetually going to be in tight against the cap does rebuilding even make sense if in order for it to work you have to hit a lottery or two and then win immediately before extensions kick in? Is that any sounder a plan than just tinkering with what they have and hope they get lucky?
Truth is I don't think anyone knows. I don't know there are meaningful lessons in repeatable team building beyond "Let's make the playoffs and roll the dice" anymore.
So on the one hand you hesitate to say Ottawa couldn't build themselves into a contender around Karlsson but on the other...I don't know what that team would look like. if they're perpetually going to be in tight against the cap does rebuilding even make sense if in order for it to work you have to hit a lottery or two and then win immediately before extensions kick in? Is that any sounder a plan than just tinkering with what they have and hope they get lucky?
Truth is I don't think anyone knows. I don't know there are meaningful lessons in repeatable team building beyond "Let's make the playoffs and roll the dice" anymore.
Frank E
Active member
Nik the Trik said:
Yeah, I'm with Nik on this.
Ever since guys started getting big bucks right out of their ELC, the window of building a championship team with guys on undervalued contracts seems to be pretty short.
The only guy left undervalued in Chicago is that old back-diving deal that Keith is on at $5.5m. And of course, Pittsburgh has Crosby at $8.7m.
I think that's why some have suggested the Leafs go after it before Matthews and Marner get paid...Nylander is inevitable right now, but isn't exactly setting himself up for a big payday for his next deal, yet.
Frank E said:
Maybe it's because there is a lot of parity, and for the most part it is really hard to make substantial changes to your roster outside of the draft. So the premise of build your core through the draft and then add the complementary pieces through some other form probably still gives you the best probability of success, but because of that same parity, your probability is lower year in and year out.
Kin
Active member
Frank E said:
Maybe but with that said someone is going to have to win a cup every year and I don't know how teams are going to go from being bad enough to draft guys like Marner and Matthews to being good enough throughout the lineup to knock off a more veteran team with less spectacular top-end talent before those extensions kick in.
So in that context I really don't know what "going for it" means. If the end game is to just win a cup I don't know it makes more sense to invest heavily in one year vs. spacing it out. I don't know what urgency means in that context.
Frank E
Active member
Nik the Trik said:
Let me clarify a little...I think going for it in this context means that you might spend a little of your future HR capital on players that are short term rentals, to improve your depth, in order to give your team a better shot at a championship, at the time of the trade deadline.
Given the parity of the league these days, I think there's some luck involved in putting yourself into a higher ranking for the playoffs, to give yourself home-ice advantage. If you're good enough, and lucky enough, to be in such a position, then maybe you spend some of that capital to address any depth issues that might make some marginal difference in attaining your goal of a championship in a given season.
I wouldn't spend as much as to put my team in a problematic HR position moving forward, but these types of acquisitions tend to cost futures, and so there is still some risk involved here.
This is all assuming that your end goal is to win a championship in a given year, and not to just remain competitive and hope that at some point over the lifespan of your competitive core, you win one.
Big Daddy
New member
My feeling is we need a XXL defensively responsible Dman who can eat minutes. We have 3 offensively minded players in Reilly Gardiner Lilligren. We need 3 defensively minded Dman with offensive savvy. We have Zaitsev Hainsey then no one. This spot is where I wish we would steal Parayko from St Louis. The other possible guys for that role are Myers Hamilton and maybe our own Neilson
https://twitter.com/TSNSteve/status/940363666016342017
*chef's kiss*
*chef's kiss*
Kin
Active member
See, this is the thing I just never got about small market teams like Ottawa and their fans being pro-salary cap. All it did was provide an incentive for teams with a lot of money that were spending their money on free agency, which wasn't a typically successful team building strategy, to instead try to corner the market on scouting and player development, which was the one area small market teams could corner the market in.
Ultimately, I really think that being spurned by homegrown free agents, the emotional reaction to them leaving for more money in a bigger city, was a bigger deal than genuinely being competitive.
Ultimately, I really think that being spurned by homegrown free agents, the emotional reaction to them leaving for more money in a bigger city, was a bigger deal than genuinely being competitive.
https://twitter.com/JClipperton_CP/status/941044029378011137
Wonder if we'll be hearing someone else say this soon.
Wonder if we'll be hearing someone else say this soon.
Frank E said:
Yeah that Yashin break-up was tough.
Coco-puffs
New member
Nik the Trik said:
Well, when that billionaire barely has any money left, then I'll take the faceless, heartless conglomerate (with plenty of money).
Highlander
Active member
Coco-puffs said:
Harold Ballard was another Multi-Millionaire who really knew how to screw up a hockey franchise. I know I get roasted on this every time I bring it up but TFC just won the MLSCup in huge fashion. Leafs are now listed as contenders, Raptors looking pretty good. I think if only for TFC, Lewieke needs another shout out.
Now lets bring the Jays and Argos into the fold and really build an atmosphere of winning.
The template of success seems to now be ingrained in MLSE franchises