Your summer 2012 strategy?

[Zee]

Goalie. Goalie. Goalie.

See if there's anyway to pry Halak out of St. Louis. Barring that, move mountains to get Schneider out of Vancouver. If that fails, try for Bernier in Los Angeles. I know his numbers aren't much better than what we have, but he's got a nice pedigree at least, and he's never been able to get into a groove in the NHL because Quick has been amazing for the last few years.

But for the love of God, don't come back with Gus and Reimer, or Reimer and Scrivens, or any other combination of suck that's currently with the organization.

I think trading with St. Louis would be more probably than Vancouver.  I get the feeling that Gillis doesn't like Burke and wouldn't want to trade anything good to him.  Stems back to the whole Sedin / tampering thing and the fact that he took over Burke/Nonis's team.

 

[Bonsixx]

Goalie. Goalie. Goalie.

See if there's anyway to pry Halak out of St. Louis. Barring that, move mountains to get Schneider out of Vancouver. If that fails, try for Bernier in Los Angeles. I know his numbers aren't much better than what we have, but he's got a nice pedigree at least, and he's never been able to get into a groove in the NHL because Quick has been amazing for the last few years.

But for the love of God, don't come back with Gus and Reimer, or Reimer and Scrivens, or any other combination of suck that's currently with the organization.

I think trading with St. Louis would be more probably than Vancouver.  I get the feeling that Gillis doesn't like Burke and wouldn't want to trade anything good to him.  Stems back to the whole Sedin / tampering thing and the fact that he took over Burke/Nonis's team.

Yeah, but no good GM would turn down a solid deal for his team. Depends what his definition of "solid deal" is, I guess. Maybe getting a third team involved might help? Who knows.

Halak would be my first choice anyway.

 

[lamajama]

I myself am resigned to the fact that Kadri will not be in the Leaf
organization by next October.

I hope that he totally then embarrasses the Leaf organization by developing
into a great player.

 

[The Red Polar Bear]

Anyone think Lindback may be an option? He's 23, at the end of his ELC (RFA), and with Rinne being signed for the next eleventy billion years, he has to know that he'll never become a starter there.

They're in need of some bodies on D, especially if Suter doesn't stick around. Perhaps a sign-and-trade can be worked out there, or trade-then-sign, whatever.

 

[BC Buds Fan]

Centre: Out - Lombardi and Connolly.  Wait till Lombardi and Connolly get off the bus for a pee break and tell the driver to punch it.  Lombardi isn't as fast as a bus and Connolly won't even try.  Bring up Colborne for a kick at the can in the 2 or 3 slot, definitely bring in a legitimate #1 centre (add Bozak as a piece if necessary, but I think he's okay as a #3).

Right Wing: Out - Crabb and Armstrong. Poor Arm-dog has Colaiacovo disease, for whatever reason he's snakebitten in TO and hasn't had a chance to make an impact.  Put him in a multi-player trade involving a #1 C or an impact winger who dominates on the boards.  Brownie and Crabb are both good 4th liners, but you can only have one 4th line RW, so I'd go with Brown -- he's awesome.

Left Wing: Out - The General.  Sorry, but I think Mac is a bit of a flash in the pan, and benefited from being on a good line last year.

Defence: Out - Komisarek.  Bring up Holzer, or better yet some veteran who isn't afraid to touch the puck.

Goal: Out - The Monster.  They've already decided to go with Reimer, so they'll either trade him or let him walk.  I just hope they bring in a reliable veteran mentor.  You know who would be awesome to have right now?  Giguere. Roloson.  Someone old enough to play backup but who can step in and step up.

I think Carlyle will instill some defensive tendencies, and I think the D and goalies will benefit.

 

[ZBBM]

With this season down the drain, what's your initial thinking on the moves Burke should make this summer?  (Dare I add, assuming he's still here?)

Right now my inclination is: blow it up.  Blow it up good.  This team is very, very far from anything worthwhile.  The team that was 28-19-6 on Feb 7 was a frigging mirage, as is now sadly apparent to all.

What remnants would I actively try to retain and then build around?

1.  Grabovski.  Even if no one is dumb enough to take Phaneuf off our hands right away, give the C to Grabs.  Phaneuf is no leader, and it's time to acknowledge it and move on.  Grabovski deserves the letter, and he'll be here for 5 more years, unlike Phaneuf.
2.  Gardiner.  He's got some tantalizing upside, even if we are overhyping him.
3.  Gunnarsson.  Solid.
4.  Brown.  Solid. Give him an A.
5.  Frattin.  Has some potential as a power forward or at least as a replacement for Kulemin.

Trade if at all possible (not saying possibilities are high, mind you):
Connolly
Phaneuf
Armstrong

Trade if price is right (keeping in mind that for guys like PK the price would have to be very high):
Kessel
Lupul
Lombardi
Schenn
MacArthur
Kadri
Bozak
Liles
Reimer
Franson

Let Kulemin go, or sign and trade.  Let Crabb go.  Let Gus go.  Sign Franson if the cost is not much higher than his current contract, otherwise let him go.

Tell Komisarek that he's not part of the future, and if he refuses to waive he'll watch every damn game next season from the pressbox.

I'm probably forgetting someone, and maybe missing a couple of NTCs I should remember, but you get the picture. 

So, what would you do?

Anybody care to debate this any further?

 

[maplesyrup]

Anybody care to debate this any further?

Nah... No energy to. You know, from all the laughing then crying then laughing and so on and so forth. Not from your post, just from everything else. 

 

[ZBBM]

Anybody care to debate this any further?

Nah... No energy to. You know, from all the laughing then crying then laughing and so on and so forth. Not from your post, just from everything else.

Yes, Burke has exhausted the fanbase with his blustering ineptitude.  Like a tinhorn dictator who keeps yelling lies louder and louder and louder until by sheer repetition and volume those who would defend the truth just give up -- and he continues his reign.

 

[Redleaf]

The best thing about a game like tonight vs the Bruins is, you really get to see which players are trying and which have given up. I like Grabos effort for the most part. Connolly looks like he'd rather be watching the game at a bar. I liked Komi and Schenn's fights. MacArthur looks like he's swimming in quicksand, as do many of the Leafs. Gardiner is still making good decisions with the puck for the most part. These games, as bad as they are, give the coach and GM a good road map on which players will eventually form the nucleus of the team moving forward and which players should be moved out down the road.

 

[L K]

They just can't have all of Armstrong, Komisarek, Connolly, and Lombardi on the roster next year.  Connolly's a smart enough defensive player but he just looks like a lazy floater way too often.  Not sure that anyone takes him though and maybe you just eat the 1 year left on his deal but that's a brutal 5 million to have.  Lombardi I want to see him healthy next year to see if he has something else with an offseason to train and a chance to fully rehab his shoulder but I couldn't care less if Burke turfed him.  Komisarek shouldn't be playing but no-one is going to take him either. 

Armstrong I honestly would try and find a team to take him in one of those Armstrong + 5th for a 7th + crappy prospect kind of things.  He's a shell of what he was.

 

[maplesyrup]

They just can't have all of Armstrong, Komisarek, Connolly, and Lombardi on the roster next year.  Connolly's a smart enough defensive player but he just looks like a lazy floater way too often.  Not sure that anyone takes him though and maybe you just eat the 1 year left on his deal but that's a brutal 5 million to have.  Lombardi I want to see him healthy next year to see if he has something else with an offseason to train and a chance to fully rehab his shoulder but I couldn't care less if Burke turfed him.  Komisarek shouldn't be playing but no-one is going to take him either. 

Armstrong I honestly would try and find a team to take him in one of those Armstrong + 5th for a 7th + crappy prospect kind of things.  He's a shell of what he was.

^ All of this. ^

 

[Deebo]

They just can't have all of Armstrong, Komisarek, Connolly, and Lombardi on the roster next year.  Connolly's a smart enough defensive player but he just looks like a lazy floater way too often.  Not sure that anyone takes him though and maybe you just eat the 1 year left on his deal but that's a brutal 5 million to have.  Lombardi I want to see him healthy next year to see if he has something else with an offseason to train and a chance to fully rehab his shoulder but I couldn't care less if Burke turfed him.  Komisarek shouldn't be playing but no-one is going to take him either. 

Armstrong I honestly would try and find a team to take him in one of those Armstrong + 5th for a 7th + crappy prospect kind of things.  He's a shell of what he was.

I think Armstrong and Lombardi are the most useless of the 4.

 

[dappleganger]

They just can't have all of Armstrong, Komisarek, Connolly, and Lombardi on the roster next year.  Connolly's a smart enough defensive player but he just looks like a lazy floater way too often.  Not sure that anyone takes him though and maybe you just eat the 1 year left on his deal but that's a brutal 5 million to have.  Lombardi I want to see him healthy next year to see if he has something else with an offseason to train and a chance to fully rehab his shoulder but I couldn't care less if Burke turfed him.  Komisarek shouldn't be playing but no-one is going to take him either. 

Armstrong I honestly would try and find a team to take him in one of those Armstrong + 5th for a 7th + crappy prospect kind of things.  He's a shell of what he was.

I think Armstrong and Lombardi are the most useless of the 4.

Second.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Anybody care to debate this any further?

Nah... No energy to. You know, from all the laughing then crying then laughing and so on and so forth. Not from your post, just from everything else.

Yes, Burke has exhausted the fanbase with his blustering ineptitude.  Like a tinhorn dictator who keeps yelling lies louder and louder and louder until by sheer repetition and volume those who would defend the truth just give up -- and he continues his reign.

Yep, clearly this proves it has exhausted the fanbase.  I certainly don't come onto this site everyday multiple times a day, nor do I see Leafs fans continuing to post/interact/engage on other websites on a daily basis.  In fact, I'd post more probably if this stretch didn't coincide with the absolute busiest time of my school term.

 

[bustaheims]

Yep, clearly this proves it has exhausted the fanbase.  I certainly don't come onto this site everyday multiple times a day, nor do I see Leafs fans continuing to post/interact/engage on other websites on a daily basis.  In fact, I'd post more probably if this stretch didn't coincide with the absolute busiest time of my school term.

I'll admit, I'm exhausted, but it's not because of Burke or anything he's done to the team, but rather, because of those in the media and on message boards that continue to harp on the same points over and over and over and over and over again. Listening to this broken record on such a regular basis certainly tires me out.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Yep, clearly this proves it has exhausted the fanbase.  I certainly don't come onto this site everyday multiple times a day, nor do I see Leafs fans continuing to post/interact/engage on other websites on a daily basis.  In fact, I'd post more probably if this stretch didn't coincide with the absolute busiest time of my school term.

I'll admit, I'm exhausted, but it's not because of Burke or anything he's done to the team, but rather, because of those in the media and on message boards that continue to harp on the same points over and over and over and over and over again. Listening to this broken record on such a regular basis certainly tires me out.

I agree with that.  I can always still enjoy the Leafs, even at the lowest, but I don't want to be continually reading nothing but negativity/insults about the team I follow, and I'll actively avoid that if need be.

 

[maplesyrup]

At least half the guys I work with aren't Leaf fans. They are either Boston, Montreal, or Ottawa fans... There's even a Carolina fan in there and these guys are just relentless in their hate. It's impossible for me to escape it. 

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I think Armstrong and Lombardi are the most useless of the 4.

I don't think Lombardi and Connolly are bad players, but I really want to get a bigger 3rd line and that doesn't happen if those 2 are on the team.

 

[princedpw]

Burke will never do this for multiple reasons, but a trade proposal involving Phaneuf + leafs first for edmonton's first might make interesting discussion.

 

[ZBBM]

Anybody care to debate this any further?

Nah... No energy to. You know, from all the laughing then crying then laughing and so on and so forth. Not from your post, just from everything else.

Yes, Burke has exhausted the fanbase with his blustering ineptitude.  Like a tinhorn dictator who keeps yelling lies louder and louder and louder until by sheer repetition and volume those who would defend the truth just give up -- and he continues his reign.

Yep, clearly this proves it has exhausted the fanbase.  I certainly don't come onto this site everyday multiple times a day, nor do I see Leafs fans continuing to post/interact/engage on other websites on a daily basis.  In fact, I'd post more probably if this stretch didn't coincide with the absolute busiest time of my school term.

I was kidding.  But you knew that, right?

Anyway, when I bumped the thread and quoted myself it was just to reinforce the point that a roster blowup is in order.  I'd sure try to rework it as much as I could.

And princedpw, your proposal sounds pretty good to me.