Why JFJ Should Stay
This blog focuses on the career of John Feguson Jr., and I will touch on some of the more questionable moves, the moves that have given John Ferguson the undeserving title as a horrible GM by the media and the general public.In light of the Cliff Fletcher saga, JFJ should not be fired; he must be given credit for what he has done for the Leafs in the present, and in going forward. The many acquisitions have been a major factor in giving the team a shot at a competitive playoff run, while at the same time setting up the future with a young solid core. After considering the type of player needed, and the players JFJ has acquired, it is hard to argue that he in not an outstanding GM, not even mentioning having to deal with shenanigans of Richard Peddie and the MLSE board.
Sustainable Development
Leafs Draft picks kept by the Ferguson Regime that sustain this team now and into the future.
Tomas Kaberle
Nik Antropov
Alex Ponikarosky
Matt Stajan
Alexander Steen
Carlo Colaiacovo
Kyle Wellwood
Staffan Kronwall
Jeremy Williams
Jay Harrison
Kris Newbury
Ian White
The Draft
After doubling his scouting staff, JFJ jas done great things with the picks he has had. He has keep virtually all his youth moving forward, and added some great talent via the draft. I am talking great talent, stay tuned for blog on Anton Stralman, but others like Kulimen and Tlusty are nothing to shrug at. Considerable mention must be given to the job JFJ has done with the Marlies, adding talents like Brent Aubin, and Darryl Boyce will only serve this and hopefully the big club in the future.
Draft Picks – Justin Pogge
Draft Picks – Robbie Earl
Draft Picks – Anton Stralman
Draft Picks - Juri Tlusty
Draft Picks – Nik Kulemin
Draft Picks - Tyler Ruegsegger
Draft Picks—Christopher DiDomenico
Free Agents
Each player that he has brought here freely via Free Agency has been pure quality, at the time of each move, JFJ was addressing an important missing piece of the puzzle, and in some cases had missed the boat on top guys (ie Chara) due to their desire to not play in Toronto and demand of max dollars. Although some players have yet to hit their stride, they all have the potential to do so, and have proven themselves in the past. With exception to Allison and Khavanov, I was extremely happy with each and every move JFJ has done via free agency. Although this season I would have liked him to go after Danny Markov, but the behind the scene of that player is uncertain for me to comment.
Free Agent – Joe Nieuwendyk – 2003
Free Agent – Ken Klee – 2003
Free Agent – Chad Kilger – 2004
Free Agent – Andy Wozniewski – 2004
Free Agent – Jason Allison – 2005
Free Agent – Eric Lindros – 2005
Free Agent – Alexander Khavanov – 2005
Free Agent – Hal Gill – 2006
Free Agent – Pavel Kubina – 2006
Free Agent – Mike Peca – 2006
Free Agent – Boyd Devereaux – 2006
Free Agent – Jason Blake – 2007
Contracts/Trades
If there is a facet in which I believe JFJ has stumbled a bit, I would have to say that his dispersal of a couple first rounder’s is an area after he promised to not trade picks, that and on some questionable contracts. In both cases, these decisions could have been better made, however, as it was reported today, the MLSE board squashed his original rebuilding plans 2 years ago, due to their desire to make the playoffs and score revenues from playoff games.All dollars, cents, and terms of contracts can be questioned, but as a fan, the most important part should be the quality of player being added to your teams roster, and not at the expense of another player. With exception to Belfour and McCabe, all contracts can be stricken from the cap via demotion to the minors, so no dollar amount acquisition should be questioned, unless of coarse you feel another player would be better suited, feel free to bring up any scenario you wish.
Questionable Contracts
As the goalie marketplaces shrunk do to high demand, the Leafs found themselves without a starting keeper and were forced to push ahead. Retaining Ed Belfour before the lockout turned out to be a very disappointing move, a move that Leafs are paying for, literally. The eventual buyout of this contract still haunts the Leafs cap space to this day at a tune of roughly $0.7 million. At the time of this contract, Belfour was one of the highest paid keepers in the league despite his injury issues and age. Pre lockout it wasn’t that big a risk, but as the salary cap world began, it was bigger problem then anyone had perceived. That said, the post lockout structure was uncertain, so blame on JFJ must be absolved to a point.Bryan McCabe, the rumours persist, that JFJ could have got a deal done during the same time Kaberle was signed, and for close to the same money. For whatever reason, the matter was not addressed till the summer that year. Kaberles ticket of $4.25 million was a steal in comparison to McCabes eventual $5.75 million. It is understandable that a top 3 Dman in points for the past 4 seasons would receive more money, where Ferguson lost was in rewarding McCabe with a no movement clause. If infact he was not playing up to his contractual standard, the NMC left his team and coach with no coarse of action to reprimand McCabe or his contract to the minors or another team via trade,. This scenario fuelled my desire to see McCabe moved to W during his defensive struggles, as a means to jolt and regenerate his confidence.
Questionable Trade
Andrew Raycroft traded for Tuukka Rask – June 24, 2006.
From where we sit now, even with Rask only playing a pair of NHL games, this trade looks to be completely one sided. However, it is important to consider the circumstances that the team was in before negatively judging Ferguson. After drafting Rask, the Leafs held on to the two most prominent young keepers in the World. Both Rask and Pogge led their respective teams in the World Junior Tournament, Pogge a goad medal, while Rask was awarded goalie of the tournament. As the chronic back problems continued to flare up for Belfour, the Leafs knew they were in desperate need of a starting goalie, as did the rest of the league. Due to extreme difficultly of raising two number one goalie prospects, it was clear that Rask was going to be used as a bargaining chip. At that time, Raycroft was coming of a shaky season in which Joe Thornten was eventually traded from the Bruins, a change of scenery looked to be the tonic to attempt to restore Raycrofts Calder performance of a year prior. Raycrofts junior credentials were just as lofty as Rask when he was a teenager, plus, when the move was made, Raycroft was still fairly young with an long future ahead of him.
Unfortunately for everyone, coach Maurice forced Raycroft into the starting role too quickly, disrespecting J.S. Aubin who in his first 11 games as a Toronto Maple Leaf, led the team to a great, 9-0-2 undefeated in regulation run at the end of the 05/06 season, getting them a point from the playoffs. 06/07 Raycroft played in all but 2 games the first month of the season for the Leafs, while Aubin lost interest and respect for the coach from the bench. The rocky relationship between Aubin and Maurice forced Raycroft to play 72 games for a team that had zero defensive responsibly, this never allowed Raycroft to rebound from his rough season in Boston, and his overuse never allowed him to get of grip of his game that was so effective in 03/04, it has plagued him to this day.
I am still upset about loosing Brenden Bell, but rumour has it he did not want to stay.
All JFJ Trades;
Trade – Acquires Drake Berehowsky from Pittsburgh for Ric Jackman – February 11 Trade – Acquires Bryan Leetch from New York in exchange for Maxim Kondratiev, Jarkko Immonen, a 1st Round Pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft (Kris Chucko) and a 2nd Round Pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft (Michael Sauer) – March 3
Trade – Acquires Ron Francis from Carolina in exchange for a 4th Round Pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft (Jared Boll) – March 9
Trade – Acquires Jeff O’Neill from Carolina in exchange for a conditional 4th Round Pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft (Reto Berra) – July 30 Trade – Acquires John Pohl from St. Louis for future considerations – August 24
Trade – Acquires Andrew Raycroft in exchange for Tuukka Rask – June 24, 2006
Trade – Acquires Yanic Perrault and a 5th Round Pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft from Phoenix in exchange for Brendan Bell and a 2nd Round Pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft – February 27
Trade – Acquires Vesa Toskala and Mark Bell from San Jose in exchange for a 1st Round Pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft (Lars Eller), a 2nd Round Pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft (Aaron Palushaj) and a 4th Round Pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft – June 22
Sustainable Development
Leafs Draft picks kept by the Ferguson Regime that sustain this team now and into the future.
Tomas Kaberle
Nik Antropov
Alex Ponikarosky
Matt Stajan
Alexander Steen
Carlo Colaiacovo
Kyle Wellwood
Staffan Kronwall
Jeremy Williams
Jay Harrison
Kris Newbury
Ian White
The Draft
After doubling his scouting staff, JFJ jas done great things with the picks he has had. He has keep virtually all his youth moving forward, and added some great talent via the draft. I am talking great talent, stay tuned for blog on Anton Stralman, but others like Kulimen and Tlusty are nothing to shrug at. Considerable mention must be given to the job JFJ has done with the Marlies, adding talents like Brent Aubin, and Darryl Boyce will only serve this and hopefully the big club in the future.
Draft Picks – Justin Pogge
Draft Picks – Robbie Earl
Draft Picks – Anton Stralman
Draft Picks - Juri Tlusty
Draft Picks – Nik Kulemin
Draft Picks - Tyler Ruegsegger
Draft Picks—Christopher DiDomenico
Free Agents
Each player that he has brought here freely via Free Agency has been pure quality, at the time of each move, JFJ was addressing an important missing piece of the puzzle, and in some cases had missed the boat on top guys (ie Chara) due to their desire to not play in Toronto and demand of max dollars. Although some players have yet to hit their stride, they all have the potential to do so, and have proven themselves in the past. With exception to Allison and Khavanov, I was extremely happy with each and every move JFJ has done via free agency. Although this season I would have liked him to go after Danny Markov, but the behind the scene of that player is uncertain for me to comment.
Free Agent – Joe Nieuwendyk – 2003
Free Agent – Ken Klee – 2003
Free Agent – Chad Kilger – 2004
Free Agent – Andy Wozniewski – 2004
Free Agent – Jason Allison – 2005
Free Agent – Eric Lindros – 2005
Free Agent – Alexander Khavanov – 2005
Free Agent – Hal Gill – 2006
Free Agent – Pavel Kubina – 2006
Free Agent – Mike Peca – 2006
Free Agent – Boyd Devereaux – 2006
Free Agent – Jason Blake – 2007
Contracts/Trades
If there is a facet in which I believe JFJ has stumbled a bit, I would have to say that his dispersal of a couple first rounder’s is an area after he promised to not trade picks, that and on some questionable contracts. In both cases, these decisions could have been better made, however, as it was reported today, the MLSE board squashed his original rebuilding plans 2 years ago, due to their desire to make the playoffs and score revenues from playoff games.All dollars, cents, and terms of contracts can be questioned, but as a fan, the most important part should be the quality of player being added to your teams roster, and not at the expense of another player. With exception to Belfour and McCabe, all contracts can be stricken from the cap via demotion to the minors, so no dollar amount acquisition should be questioned, unless of coarse you feel another player would be better suited, feel free to bring up any scenario you wish.
Questionable Contracts
As the goalie marketplaces shrunk do to high demand, the Leafs found themselves without a starting keeper and were forced to push ahead. Retaining Ed Belfour before the lockout turned out to be a very disappointing move, a move that Leafs are paying for, literally. The eventual buyout of this contract still haunts the Leafs cap space to this day at a tune of roughly $0.7 million. At the time of this contract, Belfour was one of the highest paid keepers in the league despite his injury issues and age. Pre lockout it wasn’t that big a risk, but as the salary cap world began, it was bigger problem then anyone had perceived. That said, the post lockout structure was uncertain, so blame on JFJ must be absolved to a point.Bryan McCabe, the rumours persist, that JFJ could have got a deal done during the same time Kaberle was signed, and for close to the same money. For whatever reason, the matter was not addressed till the summer that year. Kaberles ticket of $4.25 million was a steal in comparison to McCabes eventual $5.75 million. It is understandable that a top 3 Dman in points for the past 4 seasons would receive more money, where Ferguson lost was in rewarding McCabe with a no movement clause. If infact he was not playing up to his contractual standard, the NMC left his team and coach with no coarse of action to reprimand McCabe or his contract to the minors or another team via trade,. This scenario fuelled my desire to see McCabe moved to W during his defensive struggles, as a means to jolt and regenerate his confidence.
Questionable Trade
Andrew Raycroft traded for Tuukka Rask – June 24, 2006.
From where we sit now, even with Rask only playing a pair of NHL games, this trade looks to be completely one sided. However, it is important to consider the circumstances that the team was in before negatively judging Ferguson. After drafting Rask, the Leafs held on to the two most prominent young keepers in the World. Both Rask and Pogge led their respective teams in the World Junior Tournament, Pogge a goad medal, while Rask was awarded goalie of the tournament. As the chronic back problems continued to flare up for Belfour, the Leafs knew they were in desperate need of a starting goalie, as did the rest of the league. Due to extreme difficultly of raising two number one goalie prospects, it was clear that Rask was going to be used as a bargaining chip. At that time, Raycroft was coming of a shaky season in which Joe Thornten was eventually traded from the Bruins, a change of scenery looked to be the tonic to attempt to restore Raycrofts Calder performance of a year prior. Raycrofts junior credentials were just as lofty as Rask when he was a teenager, plus, when the move was made, Raycroft was still fairly young with an long future ahead of him.
Unfortunately for everyone, coach Maurice forced Raycroft into the starting role too quickly, disrespecting J.S. Aubin who in his first 11 games as a Toronto Maple Leaf, led the team to a great, 9-0-2 undefeated in regulation run at the end of the 05/06 season, getting them a point from the playoffs. 06/07 Raycroft played in all but 2 games the first month of the season for the Leafs, while Aubin lost interest and respect for the coach from the bench. The rocky relationship between Aubin and Maurice forced Raycroft to play 72 games for a team that had zero defensive responsibly, this never allowed Raycroft to rebound from his rough season in Boston, and his overuse never allowed him to get of grip of his game that was so effective in 03/04, it has plagued him to this day.
I am still upset about loosing Brenden Bell, but rumour has it he did not want to stay.
All JFJ Trades;
Trade – Acquires Drake Berehowsky from Pittsburgh for Ric Jackman – February 11 Trade – Acquires Bryan Leetch from New York in exchange for Maxim Kondratiev, Jarkko Immonen, a 1st Round Pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft (Kris Chucko) and a 2nd Round Pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft (Michael Sauer) – March 3
Trade – Acquires Ron Francis from Carolina in exchange for a 4th Round Pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft (Jared Boll) – March 9
Trade – Acquires Jeff O’Neill from Carolina in exchange for a conditional 4th Round Pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft (Reto Berra) – July 30 Trade – Acquires John Pohl from St. Louis for future considerations – August 24
Trade – Acquires Andrew Raycroft in exchange for Tuukka Rask – June 24, 2006
Trade – Acquires Yanic Perrault and a 5th Round Pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft from Phoenix in exchange for Brendan Bell and a 2nd Round Pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft – February 27
Trade – Acquires Vesa Toskala and Mark Bell from San Jose in exchange for a 1st Round Pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft (Lars Eller), a 2nd Round Pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft (Aaron Palushaj) and a 4th Round Pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft – June 22
posted by LEAFER at
1:42 PM
10 Comments:
Seriously?
JFJ is about to miss the playoffs three years in a row, something no other Leaf GM has managed in the entire history of the franchise.
If this performance merits a contract extension, I'd love to know what you consider a firing offense...
By
MF37, at 4:26 PM
I agree that Ferguson does indeed need to be dismissed as General Manager of the Leafs, however, with the track record pointed out by Leafer he has actually done a great job developing the farm system. IF he would be kept on as a scout or in some role to that effect It think it would really benefit the team for the future.
As I was typing this JFJ has actaully been relived of all duites at MLSE so I guess Im just wasting my time now
By
Kabs15, at 9:57 AM
Hey MF37
Seeing as how JFJ built the roster and his coach is the one who builds the team. I have more concern with the coach at this point and how and why the GM in this case JFJ was not able to fire him. These players and the team cannot be properly evaluated when the coach is running systems that don’t fit the players, and playing players that don’t fit the system.
I hear you with the lack of playoff success, but since the new rules of the CBA were put into place, the Leafs found themselves in a very difficult position, how JFJ was able to build a solid team on paper the last 2 seasons, and how he has been able to build for the future throughout his tenure speaks to how valuable he is and could have been in the future.
If he was given a mandate of playoffs or bust by the clueless management, then your point is well made, but seeing as how he built for today without hurting the future speaks volumes as to how good JFJ really is. All contracts can be dropped from the cap with exception of McCabe, and his signing was better then losing him outright. He gave away Raask, but we have Pogge and it was not unreasonable to take a chance on a former calder winner when we were desperate for a goalie. He lost two 1st rounder’s, but got Hall of Famer Brian Leetch for a cup run and another year (cut short by the lockout) and a great asset in Toskala. The rest was all positive.
By
LEAFER, at 1:55 PM
Leafer - when I was back in university, my pals and I used to play a game we called, "dumb guy for a day" where we'd say or do the most outrageously stupid things we could think of and try to keep a straight face. One of us would pretend to not understand how to work the stove timer and we'd see how many people we could get involved in teaching us, only to "not get it" time after time.
Based on your response, I can only conclude you're either one of my old room mates or you've really mastered "dumb guy for a day"
I'll take your points as you raise them:
JFJ built the roster and hired the coach.
And both have resulted in failure.
Both JFJ and the Board denied that JFJ tried to fire Coach Mo. Anything to the contrary is conjecture.
This team that's "so solid on paper" has always been evaluated as being outside the playoffs by all the experts and that's exactly what they've delivered.
They've gotten worse year over year, too.
If JFJ was given a mandate to make the playoffs - he failed.
"He built for today without hurting the future" - WOW. Really? I have no idea what you're talking about here. JFJ traded two first round picks, a handfull of seconds, the team's best prospect in Rask all to assemble a team that can't make the playoffs, are getting worse, are maxed out at the cap and will have to undergo a fire sale just to hope to be competitive in the future. If that's not damaging the Leafs future, I don't know what to tell you...
If we were so desperate for a goalie, offer Raycroft an RFA sheet. He was Boston's third-stringer, think that cheapskate Jacobs will match? Offer UFAs like Legace or Osgood a deal (both were all-stars last week, Raycroft wouldn't make the all-star team in the ECHL). There were so many options availble and JFJ blew-it.
"The rest were all positives..."
You can't be a Leafs Fan if that's what you believe. Consider: JFJ's ultimate failure and the biggest insult to Leaf fans everywhere isn't missing the playoffs. It isn't prolonging the drought and it isn't blowing so much future talent for the dreck that makes up this roster. It's that all of his moves may ultimately result in the best Leaf of this generation, and quite possibly the greatest Leaf ever, being shipped out of town in a firesale.
Mats deserves so much more and so do we Leaf fans.
Try to defend JFJ when you see Mats pull on another jersey for the first time. I dare you.
By
mf37, at 12:42 PM
MF37
First Off, maybe you should go back to University because you ignorant opening statement is just that, ignorant and based on your arguments, it is clear you have a lot to learn.
Secondly, if you want to come on here and leave your comment that’s fine, but when you bring up points that I have already addressed and explained in my article, it goes to show that you haven’t read my article, and that your writings are just self serving ignorant comments.
You wrote;
"Both JFJ and the Board denied that JFJ tried to fire Coach Mo. Anything to the contrary is conjecture."------- There are quotes out there that state the opposite to your statement, its all conjecture.
Ask Mo Jonson of the TFC if it was his choice to step away from coaching and move up to management, or if it was the board who made both decisions.
Also, when Peddie went to speak to Maurice during practice, and inform him of the move to let JFJ go, Maurice was told then that he would be coach for the rest of the year, Fletchers decision was made for him just like all coaching decisions in the past.
Experts, HAHAH. Give me names and their incentive before you start talking about experts. Do these same experts claim that Maurice is a good coach, and why have these experts paid little attention to the injuries that have plagued this squad for the past 3 years.
You are right, they have gotten worse, but that is coaching, Pat Quinn had a worse, less experienced team, just as injured team, yet he was able to get the same results and reach the same point that this team has for the last 2 years. The PK and PP have been non-existent under Maurice, not to mention and much worse GA. All 3 segments are very coachable, and all have gotten worse with a better player personal, more experienced youngsters, and better options in goal.
The mandate - playoffs. Any management group or sane individual that understood where the Leafs were after the lockout, would never expect this team to jump back into the playoffs and compete. With the year off, the new rules and contact obligations they had when the game returned, the best decision would be to rebuild, not go after a playoff spot, ownership rejected this, as it was just another stupid ownership move. JFJ was hired to fail, and as soon as JFJ started to improve they gave him the axe, if his mandate was to honestly make the playoffs, then why would they fire him before he was mathematically eliminated this season.
If you read my article, or even knew anything about the NHL, you would understand that its not about how high your picks are (unless its a top 3 pick), but who you pick with picks you got. JFJ has had tremendous success in all drafts, the guy is a masterful scout and knows talent, go through his drafts, the talent is there, and it is being proven this week with Earl, Tlusty, and Stralmen to name a few.
Also, he has stuck with the youth that was brought in by Quinn, given them room and a chance to developed, JFJ never shipped them out when he could have, but wanted to build from within, another positive.
Raask, was expendable, see Pogge.
You fail to acknowledge that it was ownership that forced his hand at making the playoffs, which is what is damaging to the future. That said, assets had to be acquired, and JFJ did so in the best possible way without giving up youth, still picked great talent in the draft, and gave his team a chance to compete.
Being at the cap max is not an issue if things were to fail, as all contracts can be sent to the minors with exception to McCabe. But I already wrote this, so make sure you read it this time. Also, stop thinking that players are lining up to play here in this city, its a struggle at best to lure FA`s to Toronto, players don’t want to put up with unintelligent people like yourself, so they stay away.
Raycroft had a tough season, but the fact remained he was a Calder winner. Look at Theodore, he had a bad year or two but he was still sought after by the entire league, there is no way they could have signed him at a cheap 2million a year if they offered him a RFA like you said, plus they would then have to give up more picks as opposed to a goalie that we had no use for.
Again you fail to acknowledge how Maurice butchered this move by playing Raycroft 70+ games. After the end of the season before the trade, there was no rush to force Raycroft in the number 1 role as Aubin was coming of his best season as a pro.
So many options, HAHHA ------ you acknowledge fact only when is suits your garbage arguments. Tell me what options are there for a GM who is being played like a puppet by his ownership, what options are there when you cant fire your coach, what options are there when players don’t want to come here cause this city is infested with clueless media and bullshit fans that cry and bitch without acknowledging reality. Stop claiming that there are all these options and list them, if you are so wise.
Finally, Mats would be the first one to tell you that he was behind JFJ and all the moves he made. JFJ signed MATS with a NTC in order to keep him here, WHATS WRONG WITH YOU!!! He gave the captain a chance to win, its too bad the coach didn’t do the same while playing an offensive game, when the team struggles defensively. This is the problem. Special teams are the problem. The coach and ownership are the problem, so go back to sleep, and if you want to call me dumb, please leave me your real name, I dare you.
By
LEAFER, at 11:35 AM
MF37
The fact that you have gone ahead and included your worthless 2 cents in an ignorant matter towards somebody you have no business being ignorant towards is absolutly intolerable.
It definatly shows your lack of intelligence but I guess you have already shown us that by admitting to the fact that you engage in an activity called "dumb guy for a day". So dumb guy hear this..your comments are only welcomed on this site if they are 1)intelligent and 2)based on some sort of fact and not just disgruntled personal beliefs.
First off you state "JFJ built the roster and hired the coach" Countless reports have stated that it was MLSE who pursued Maurice and wanted him groomed to replace Pat Quinn, another example of MLSE materful puppetry which in case you have not witnessed can be seen in Good Ol Cliff's press conference. Although JFJ is the one who is ultimatly credited with the hiring of Maurice as Marlies coach, and then bringing him up to the Leafs even dumb guys for aday everywhere smelt a rat when Quinn was fired and Maurice was hired.
Secondly, please tell me what young talent has not panned out for the team that was brought in soley by JFJ. Every "expert" out there has had nothing but good things to say about JFJ and everyone of them have also publicly stated that his wizardry in the scouting department is second to none. Stralman, Kronwall, Tlusty all look like they will pan out to be better then average. Now take a look at their farm and you will see Justin Pogge (17-3-4 2.26GAA) and Derick Walser. Although he wasn't a JFJ Draft pick JFJ did bring in thE Marlies leading scorer amoung Dman who's numbers definatly warrant a call up (11G 18A +7) but we are still stuck watching Ian White (whom Maurice and not JFJ continues to give minutes too) You want a dumb guy for a day well I think you should focus your bitter leaf blog on Ian White being a dumb guy for a season becasue he is pretty much everything that is wrong with this team right now and if you want some proof of that then you can go on You Tube and watch every goal against the Leafs he has been on the ice for. Looking even further into the Leaf prospect List you will see a player know as Nikolai Kulemin who used to play on a line with players such as Malkin and Ovechkin...ever hear of them? Oh and I forget to mention he is currently 17th in goals scored in the RSL.
Although this team may in fact be in the same baot they have been in the last 2 years (a hot streak at the end of the season and missing the playoffs by 1 -2 points) they have not gotten worse as you state. mind you they have not gotten better they are now on the road to recovery with an actual game plan and people such as Gordon Kirk have been brought in to ensure this is the case. My arguement is not that JFJ should remian GM because it is not...however I do believe not having him in a role as some sort of Scouting executive will hurt this team.
You then continued to insult Leafer with the comment "He built for today without hurting the future" - WOW. Really? I have no idea what you're talking about here." Well what he is talking about is the essentail principle by which we should all be living and basing our decisions on; and that is the notion of SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. Those of us who attended class instead of trying to figure out how to use a stove in university were introduced to the Brundtand Commission who defined sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." It looks to me like the Leafs of now have not been comprimised they are part of the developing of future generations or in dumb guy for a day terms "part of the rebuilding process". To become a contender once again the team needs to be rebuilt and in JFJ's last press conference he publicly stated that he opted to rebuild the team but the Board refused and forced an internal rebuilding. (See his last interview with the Fan 590)
Lastly on your closing point about Mats "Mats deserves so much more and so do we Leaf fans.Try to defend JFJ when you see Mats pull on another jersey for the first time. I dare you." First of all it is up to Mats to waive his no trade clause not the team and last time I check JFJ signed him to a no trade clause. Mats was always his #1 priority and Mats will always be Toronto's #1 priority just as Toronto is Mats' #1 priority.
In closing I would like to say your educated and fact based thoughts are welcome on this blog but your ignorance is not and either is the fact that you think your better or smarter then others on here becasue last time I looked into it, the "experts" think otherwise of you.
By
Kabs15, at 1:33 PM
Sorry that I got your panties in a twist boys...I'll try to stick to the facts here:
If Raycroft were offered an RFA sheet for one dollar less than the contract JFJ signed him to, the compensation to Boston would have been a single second round pick. Look it up in the CBA. This is not conjecture, opinion or anything else.
The summer of the lockout, Raycroft signed with Tappara in the Finnish league, had a losing record and left the team after just 11 games.
Pull any Boston team report from that summer and you'll see Raycroft was third on the depth chart. Again, not opinion, not conjecture, just third party reports.
This is what JFJ dealt his top ranked prospect for. If you think that's a good deal - good for you. I think it stinks.
Other, outside, "expert" sources that pegged the Leafs to finish outside the playoffs for the past two years:
Sports Illustrated
McKeen's
Eric Duhatshek
James Mirtle
TSN
Howard Berger
The Hockey News
Ranked Leafs overall Prospects as below average:
Hockey's Future
The Hockey News
The video of JFJ's final presser starts here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S3-DIM_R7s&eurl=http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=468817
at the 22 second mark he's asked about being denied a re-build and he dodges the question. At no point does he state that he wanted to re-build and was over ruled.
I have no idea if he was actually denied such a request and until I hear those words uttered from JFJ's own mouth it will remain nothing more than conjecture. (The Star article that alleges this doesn't ever quote JFJ on the matter.)
Another expert opinion on JFJ: this week, hockey Canada told JFJ they weren't interested in him. Luc Robitaille, who has zero experience and Doug Armstrong were picked instead.
Your turn.
Cite one source that indicates MLSE hired Maurice not JFJ. Just one...I read all the papers and surf the discussion boards and have never seen anything to suggest this is true. Would love to see it.
It would also be great if could cite one source that indicates JFJ couldn't get Maurice to play someone other than Raycroft last season. I had no idea coaches could over rule their boss on player personnel matters.
Kabs15 - you might want to spell check your rant before you call me ignorant (you know, pot-kettle, that whole thing). I'd also love for you to define sustainable development. Is trading three first round picks in five years sustainable? I don' think so, but it might just be we differ on what "sustainable development" means.
PS- My name is posted on my blog, if it's that important to you, go look it up. I just hope you don't want to fight me at the bike racks after school.
By
MF37, at 2:28 PM
Yo mf37, if that is really you..,
You talk shit from a computer desk, that`s how I know the only panties you’ve seen are at Sears in the women`s section.
Hey guess what genius, Raycroft wouldn’t accept a contract for a dollar less, and that is why he signed for what he did, and that is why JFJ did what he did. How do you think the NHLPA would respond if Raycroft did take less to satisfy a GM, that said, if he does take less, that would increase his value thus increase the competition to get him.
Well, you can think it stinks all you want, you are a pathetic, cynical so called LEAFS fan, what you fail to understand is the context of which the trade was made, this isn’t PS3. It was a move that had to made, we had to move a young goalie, and we had to get a goalie. The had, has to do with the BULLSHIT OWNERSHIP.
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHA, OH me OH my. Those are your experts, I am beginning to understand your ignorance and lack of hockey knowledge in regards to the league, and more importantly the sport itself.
Listen dude, you are obviously clueless, what you should be doing is watching actual games, from every league, stop reading self serving analysts and websites, and start watching hockey. I can respect `The hockey News` to a point, but everything else you have is garbage. GARBAGE!
As for your JFJ theory, the man has been fired, what good would it do to embarrass the BULLSHIT OWNERSHIP on the largest public stage possible, how is that going to get him re-hired down the road. Whats done is done, when he is an old man, JFJ will one day write a Best Seller telling the tales of the BULLSHIT OWNERSHIP.
I can`t prove that claim that it was all MLSE doing, all I have is the OTPP website that claims the MLSE to have zero involvement in player personal, but says nothing about the coaching and management, and that is all I need.-------Since I wrote this blog and cited the website, they have since changed the fact sheet From;
"The board of MLSE does not micro-manage the acquisition of players, trades or salaries. Player personnel decisions are the responsibility of each team’s respective management.”
TO THIS
"MLSE staff – not the owners or the board members – are responsible for all management of its teams, including selection and compensation of players, and player development."
Basically removing ownership form ownership, handing the reigns to the `MLSE STAFF`. I am only guessing that ownership hires this staff to carry out tasks that they see fit, I have yet to receive my MBA so I may be wrong, so deal with the conjecture as you see fit.
As for your comment on Kabs;
Yes it is sustainable cause they were able to satisfy needs later on in the draft. The draft is a lottery at best, if you can pull out 3 – 5 players you have done well, it doesn’t matter where you pick them, as long as you pick them.
PS – yon your last post you never left your full information as your profile wasn’t accompanied with your comment. I can only guess as to why that was the case, so I wont bother seeing as how poorly you deal with conjecture.
By
LEAFER, at 10:15 PM
Raycroft was a Restricted Free Agent. That means teams, like the Leafs, could offer him a contract and his team (the Boston Bruins) would have the right to match whatever contract terms Raycroft agreed to.
If the Bruins do not match the terms of the contract they are entitled to compensation for losing their player, the level and type of compensation is set out in the CBA and is determined based on the dollar value of the contract.
Still with me here?
Raycroft was the third-sting goalie in Boston and his value had never been lower.
If the Leafs just had to have Raycroft, they didn't need to trade for him.
You ok with this so far?
They didn't have to get rid of their top ranked prospect to get Raycroft. The Leafs (MLSE, Maurice, JFJ, the crazy usher in section 124 - whomever you thinks pulls the strings down at the ACC) could have offered Raycroft a contract of $1,999,999.99 a year (one penny less than his current contract) a substantial raise on his previous salary of $1.2 million.
Considering he was third on the Bruins depth chart, coming off a bad NHL season and an even worse one in Finland that's a very substantial and generous offer.
Considering Boston is one of the cheapest teams in the NHL, the hard-cap implications of signing a third-string goalie for $1.99M I'm very confident Boston would not have matched the offer.
It has nothing to do with collusion, Raycroft taking a pay cut of one penny or anything else.
The compensation to Boston would have been a single second round draft pick from the Leafs. Full stop.
Now, if Boston matched the Leafs are still ok. They have Rask and their second round pick in their pocket, there's a bunch of UFA goalies out there and they just saddled a rival with $2M committed to a back-up goalie. It's a win all the way around.
That the Leafs failed to explore this option is further evidence of someone at MLSE - be it JFJ, Coach Maurice, the Board, whoever you want to blame - not being strategic.
As for outside experts, since you've rejected the entire spectrum of people who cover and analyze the NHL with a very eloquent, articulate and insightful rejoinder of "HA" repeated about eight times (well played sir, the kwality of your blog posts combined with these high-level rejoinders lead me to conclude you must be the captain of the junior debating squad at your middle school) I'd like to know who you think the experts are. And what did these supposed experts have to say about the Leafs and their prospects? Or of JFJ's tenure?
As per pervious posts - just cite one source. One expert link...just one.
Oh, and one last thing. Here on The Internets, items that are underlined in blue are called "hyper links" if you click on them, you can be transported to all sorts of wonderful, interesting, informative places.
If you look on this page, you'll see that your name, your bff kabs15 and my name are underlined in blue.
Do you know what that blue underline means? No, it doesn't mean blue is our favourite colour, but that was a good guess.
It means if you click on them, you can find out all sorts of information. Try it...no, use the left mouse button. Try to double-click. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it eventually.
By
MF37, at 10:08 AM
Dude, get over your Raycroft theory, you are living in a land of make believe. As I already pointed out, there are more factors that prevented Raycroft from signing for a penny less then simply giving up a penny.
It has nothing to do with the BRUINS matching the offer, it has to do with what other teams were offering, and the fact the Raycroft wouldn’t sign a contract for under 2 million.
Doing it the way JFJ did enabled him to control the compensation going the other way, and it also enabled him to move ahead without having to deal with outside competition.
Say what you want about Raycroft being third on the depth chart, you failed to mention the state of the Bruins franchise, how consequential the strike was, as well as the Joe Thornten trade. There weren’t about to loose a former Calder trophy winner for a second rounder, if that was the case they would surly sign and trade him. WAKE UP!!!
You are such a hockey wizzard to make the claim in 2008 that Raycroft was a poor choice. When the deal was made, there was plenty of upside to Raycroft, we traded away a goalie in Raask that we could only hope would have the same progression in his career as Raycroft had already proved.
That said, MAURICE mismanaged Raycroft to the point of exhaustion and zero confidence.
And if we still had Raask to this day, all it would have done is stunted both his and Pogge`s growth, one had to go, and the entire league knew it.
Today I am able to watch every game in the NHL thanks to center Ice, growing up, satellites allowed me to watch every single Leafs games since 1988, technology at has made me the expert; I am educated and have played the sport on many levels and have even coached. I don’t need anyone to tell me what to think when it comes to hockey, I appreciate perspective, but only when it comes from an honest source or someone who is or was actually involved in the game, not from self-serving reporters who’s talents deal with the written word, not in the sport itself.
I am sure you would love for me to list my sources, but your ignorance proves that you are unworthy such information.
Tough guy on the internet, keep talking down to me, it simply reveals you lack of class and knowledge on the subject. You seem to be dealing with a lack of confidence and self respect. Stick to the facts like you said, and I will gladly put you in your place time and time again, it might continue to crush your ego, but hey, it’s a good character builder for yourself.
By
LEAFER, at 11:50 AM
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