Do Maple Leafs need a slight retool or a full-blown rebuild?
Do the Maple Leafs need a slight retooling or a full-blown rebuild? How can the Oilers improve their team before the deadline? TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button joins SC with Jay Onrait to discuss.
Craig is an idiot, you don't go with a rebuild right off the bat, you retool first and see how things go. They can't rebuild without their first round picks so that won't start untill until 2027 anyway when they at least they have a top 10 protect draft pick. The team wasn't properly conditioned early in the year and they let the season get away from them. They need a better defense no doubt which they can look to build out. After the team has seen tough times they will easily be able to convince mathews and nylander to waive nmc and also Reily trade protection is waived which maybe could result in a team taking him if you retained some salary.
3:08 for Edmonton, maybe it’s just rust being off so long. A lot of teams seem to be rusty. Guys that are still facing jetleg, and players that are rusty for not playing. If I am a Ken, lol I’m hoping for Ottawa that other teams are rusty, and we are not.
They have to rebuild. The stars are mentally checked out. Even with a solid retool, I highly doubt you can recapture any optimism while playing in Toronto.
You dont necessarly need to get rid of Matthews but please stop with this obsession and delusion that he's a captain material.
I'm an habs fan but if I were a Toronto fan I would be fving pissed at the top floor management first. These guys seems like they have no idea wtf theyre doing. ''Oh yeah lets just do the same thing year after year after year oh yeah it might work!''
HELLO?
Matthews doesn't want to stay in Toronto. You can tell right away let's stop lying to ourselves. Tavares wants. Put that C on Tavares. Matthews is worth ALOT. And I think what Toronto can get out of him as of right now will out weight the bads. I really think they can have a really good return.
But please Toronto management (the fans arent stupid they been saying it) OPEN YOUR FVING EYES.
Just ask any Chicago fan what Stan "I am Definitely not my father" Bowman can do to your team and you will quickly realize that their first move should be to fire him. He's simply incapable of making a trade or signing that benefits the team. Completely incompetent!
Oilers are exactly like the Early 2000's Penguins, loaded on offense (Lang/Kovalev/Jagr/Lemieux) etc. BUT had almost 0 defense & average goaltending & would have score like 6 times a game to win 😜
Full bebuild , it is your top guys that can’t get it done so tinkering won’t fix the roof if the foundation is collapsing. Matthew’s is a defensive second line centre like he was with the USA Olympic team 😮
There is NO HEART with this Leaf team, they never had it and this group never will. Tear it down right I the timbers. Start with Mathew’s and Nylander. They gotta go. Trade both for Connor McDavid….he shows more heart than both of those clowns put together. This team MUST be dismantled. Plus, get a new GM cuz the one we have now has just sat back and watched this team fall into the toilet….and has done NOTHING. Time for a rebuild from top to bottom.
Retool. Trade away McMann, Robertson, OEL, Laughton, Reilly and Stolarz. Make a splash at free agency and come back next year with a new look. This is still Matthews, Willy, Knies and Woll's team. Oh and fire Berube.
Well they need a full rebuild, but you can't rebuild when you don't have your first round picks and when you can't move any of your bad contracts. That means that this year and next, and perhaps in 2028. They need to at least kind of compete since they don't get the benefit of a high draft pick from tanking. Their best case scenario is stay out of the top 10 draft order this year and next, then tank hard in 2028 while also selling Matthews in the last year of his contract.
Retools , rarely work and usually are a short term solution too . IMO it’s best to go rebuild . 1. Your team gets younger 2. Cap compliant 3. Fresh faces 4. Better chance to grow together long term as a team.
I mean I think a full reboot. I know Matthew will do much better on a real team like the Oliers. He would be a solid 3 line centre with us. The leafs are just a disaster for decades.
They only made it to the second round twice in the last decade, that's not a contender. They ruined the only true rebuild in my lifetime and they now have to do it again. Problem is they can't until they've finished giving the firsts they traded away or they'll end up giving the first overall pick to Boston or Philly. Retool now and rebuild after next year.
The Leaf problem is not work ethic, it is talent. Besides 4 or 5 players the Leafs lack talent The Leafs will not be successful until you get better line mates for Austin Matthews.
Its clear, what is left of the fluff four do not have it in them to play their best when needed. I'm speaking of Mathews and Nylander. Both names should be put out there at trade deadline to see if the leafs can get a few first rounders in return.
Just look at the Sabres, rebuilt from the draft and farm system . None of this would of been possible if their GM did not trade their best player to Vegas. Buffalo is now one of the best teams in the Atlantic.
Rebuilds do work, when the right people are hired to see the process from start to finish
43 Comments
Craig is an idiot, you don't go with a rebuild right off the bat, you retool first and see how things go. They can't rebuild without their first round picks so that won't start untill until 2027 anyway when they at least they have a top 10 protect draft pick. The team wasn't properly conditioned early in the year and they let the season get away from them. They need a better defense no doubt which they can look to build out. After the team has seen tough times they will easily be able to convince mathews and nylander to waive nmc and also Reily trade protection is waived which maybe could result in a team taking him if you retained some salary.
Still waiting for the Leafs to be better off without Marner
Trash the entire leadership from the top down!!
The worst organization in decades
They are in the same situation as the Rangers tear it down already
Have to blow it up
Will it make a difference?
yup marner not there anymore
Can we get rid of the media? Tired of so many of these so called experts and their opinions on the team. Sure Leafs suck but so does the coverage.
I've said it from the beginning should have kept dubas
2:22 needs to be pain with promise instead of pain with no promise.
3:08 for Edmonton, maybe it’s just rust being off so long. A lot of teams seem to be rusty. Guys that are still facing jetleg, and players that are rusty for not playing. If I am a Ken, lol I’m hoping for Ottawa that other teams are rusty, and we are not.
They have to rebuild. The stars are mentally checked out. Even with a solid retool, I highly doubt you can recapture any optimism while playing in Toronto.
You dont necessarly need to get rid of Matthews but please stop with this obsession and delusion that he's a captain material.
I'm an habs fan but if I were a Toronto fan I would be fving pissed at the top floor management first. These guys seems like they have no idea wtf theyre doing. ''Oh yeah lets just do the same thing year after year after year oh yeah it might work!''
HELLO?
Matthews doesn't want to stay in Toronto. You can tell right away let's stop lying to ourselves. Tavares wants. Put that C on Tavares. Matthews is worth ALOT. And I think what Toronto can get out of him as of right now will out weight the bads. I really think they can have a really good return.
But please Toronto management (the fans arent stupid they been saying it) OPEN YOUR FVING EYES.
Just ask any Chicago fan what Stan "I am Definitely not my father" Bowman can do to your team and you will quickly realize that their first move should be to fire him. He's simply incapable of making a trade or signing that benefits the team. Completely incompetent!
Oilers are exactly like the Early 2000's Penguins, loaded on offense (Lang/Kovalev/Jagr/Lemieux) etc. BUT had almost 0 defense & average goaltending & would have score like 6 times a game to win 😜
Full bebuild , it is your top guys that can’t get it done so tinkering won’t fix the roof if the foundation is collapsing. Matthew’s is a defensive second line centre like he was with the USA Olympic team 😮
They need to do a complete rebuild.
Stan Bowman sucks as a GM and no team is going to do the Oilers any favours.
WHAT IS KEITH PELLY WAITING FOR FIRE THEM!!! NOW HE DOESNT BELIEVE IN HIM FIRE NOW !!!
THEY SHOW WHEN THEY WANT ALWAYS SAID THIS !!! SEND THEM ALL PACKING TRADE THEM ALL BLOW IT UP NOW!!!
HOW ABOUT NO HOCKEY TEAM IN TORONTO WE ARE SICK AND TIRED OF EXCUSES .
UNLESS THE FANS PICK THE TEAM AND COACH OTHER WISE NOT
YES BLOW IT UP !!! BLOW IT UP!!!! NO MORE!!!! TORTURE WILL BE OVER !!!
There is NO HEART with this Leaf team, they never had it and this group never will. Tear it down right I the timbers. Start with Mathew’s and Nylander. They gotta go. Trade both for Connor McDavid….he shows more heart than both of those clowns put together. This team MUST be dismantled. Plus, get a new GM cuz the one we have now has just sat back and watched this team fall into the toilet….and has done NOTHING. Time for a rebuild from top to bottom.
Why would I want a retool or rebuild done by people who's player assessment capabilities I strongly doubt?
Retool. Trade away McMann, Robertson, OEL, Laughton, Reilly and Stolarz. Make a splash at free agency and come back next year with a new look. This is still Matthews, Willy, Knies and Woll's team. Oh and fire Berube.
Get rid of Captain America 🧚♂️
Well they need a full rebuild, but you can't rebuild when you don't have your first round picks and when you can't move any of your bad contracts. That means that this year and next, and perhaps in 2028. They need to at least kind of compete since they don't get the benefit of a high draft pick from tanking. Their best case scenario is stay out of the top 10 draft order this year and next, then tank hard in 2028 while also selling Matthews in the last year of his contract.
How does Treliving even get this job. Did they look at what he did in Calgary and say yeah gimme some of that? It’s just weird
Retools , rarely work and usually are a short term solution too . IMO it’s best to go rebuild .
1. Your team gets younger
2. Cap compliant
3. Fresh faces
4. Better chance to grow together long term as a team.
I mean I think a full reboot. I know Matthew will do much better on a real team like the Oliers. He would be a solid 3 line centre with us. The leafs are just a disaster for decades.
Shouldn't of gotten rid of keede
This is why Craig Button is an analyst now, and doesn't work for a team anymore.
Thats what happens when you have an american as a captain. No heart and just prays on luck and a miracle they can win a single game
They need 10 new better players 4 new better coaches and 6 new better general managers.
First thing get rid of managment then the coaching staff and then Matthews .
They only made it to the second round twice in the last decade, that's not a contender. They ruined the only true rebuild in my lifetime and they now have to do it again. Problem is they can't until they've finished giving the firsts they traded away or they'll end up giving the first overall pick to Boston or Philly. Retool now and rebuild after next year.
Leafs are lucky to lose three straight after Olympics break. Otherwise they still have hope and think they are a contender
The Leaf problem is not work ethic, it is talent.
Besides 4 or 5 players the Leafs lack talent
The Leafs will not be successful until you get better line mates for Austin Matthews.
Its clear, what is left of the fluff four do not have it in them to play their best when needed. I'm speaking of Mathews and Nylander. Both names should be put out there at trade deadline to see if the leafs can get a few first rounders in return.
Just look at the Sabres, rebuilt from the draft and farm system . None of this would of been possible if their GM did not trade their best player to Vegas. Buffalo is now one of the best teams in the Atlantic.
Rebuilds do work, when the right people are hired to see the process from start to finish
Blow it up!
No one wants to play in Toronto
Get Stolarz,OEL and Reilly from the Leafs and give the Leafs what they need back….