Today's Leafs similar to the 2009/2010 Calgary Flames?

[BigTuna]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

I think Nonis has made a lot of mistakes in the last 12 months.

The Clarkson contract was a mistake the second the ink dried on the contract.

Buying out the wrong player (Grabovski vs. Liles) was another mistake. Especially since Grabovski was their best center in terms of driving play and possession.

The Bernier trade was a good trade because it didn't cost the Leafs much in terms of assets, but it also didn't really fill a need.

And they didn't fill the one truly pressing need the team had which was on the backend. Does Burke go into this season with the exact same defense that was the weak spot on the team last year....doubtful.

The Bernier trade is one of those strange trades where it has been worth it for the Leafs, but it has also cfreated problems they did not need.

James Reimer is a really good goalie who is now miserable and will ask for a trade. I see no evidence Bernier is better. Reimer is underrated if anything. 3 Seasons already of .920+ save % in a horrific system where he's outshot everynight.

[MissTeeks]

Apparently we should be worried about turning into the 2013-2014 Maple Leafs:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-pu...3716--nhl.html

Perhaps the only good thing the Toronto Maple Leafs are doing for anyone besides the advanced stats community these days is providing a distraction for their old boss.
Brian Burke may be gone, but the cronyism he put into place at Air Canada Center is the reason the Leafs are awful. For all the good he did in rebuilding that roster — and let's be fair, there's a lot of it, from trading for Phil Kessel, Dion Phaneuf and Jake Gardiner and the drafting of Nazem Kadri, among other things — he is also the reason Randy Carlyle is behind the bench, and Dave Nonis is in the front office, and there's so many awful players on the roster.

But while the rest of Canada watches helpless as the Leafs burn to the ground after their summer of inexplicably expensive signings, the team Brian Burke runs now is playing some historically futile hockey.
The Calgary Flames may not be the worst team in the league this season, but they're certainly trending that way, and Burke is being given the opportunity to craft the team in whatever image he likes. One suspects it will resemble the Maple Leafs before too long.

Perhaps not; anecdotally, most observers had them in the bottom five, but they're charging hard for Buffalo's 30th-place spot with a .355 winning percentage since Nov. 3. Just three of their nine wins in those last 31 games were in regulation. Things will, predictably, only get worse when they start selling players, mostly forwards, as the trade deadline approaches.
The real problem, though, is that Burke has the keys now. After the merciful firing of Jay Feaster, it was speculated that he would approach things aggressively when it came to finding a new GM, but most now seem to think he'll stay out of the market until around the draft this summer. Until then, he'll mold the team to his preference, and his preference is, to paraphrase his philosophy as laid out in the Feaster firing presser: “surround skill with beef.”

Giving Burke the ability to bring in his guys is what led the Leafs to their current hilariously bad state, both directly and indirectly, and now he has the ability to make the same mistakes in Calgary. A potentially unending rebuild, misappropriation of cap resources, and unwatchable hockey for years to come because of a sad devotion to an ancient religion that will never help the team conjure up possession, goals, or the resultant wins that come with them. Maybe a smoke-and-mirrors playoff appearance mixed in.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by BigTuna

They weren't "Lucky" to make the playoffs at all. They were the 5th seed. They didn't sneak in the last day of the season. they were easily one of the best 8 teams in the East.

Maybe "lucky" is the wrong word. Fortunate that the season was as short as it was

[BigTuna]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Maybe "lucky" is the wrong word. Fortunate that the season was as short as it was

All 30 teams had the same schedule.

This season isn't "Proof" of what would have happened last season. They are simply not playing nearly as good and Carlyle has been just terrible.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by BigTuna

All 30 teams had the same schedule.

This season isn't "Proof" of what would have happened last season. They are simply not playing nearly as good and Carlyle has been just terrible.

Maple Leafs were great at the start of the season two seasons ago, then missed the playoffs. Great to start last year, but made the playoffs as their play started dipping. This year? Well, you can see the pattern.

[Ped]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Beachemin for Lupul and Gardiner and a conditional 4th counterbalances a lot of smaller bad moves IMO. What a trade!

That trade wasn't nearly as lopsided as it appears imo.

Beauchemin did finish 4th in Norris voting last season and is a key d-man on the league's current #1 team.

Lupul has regained his scoring touch but he can't stay healthy. He's already missed what, 60 games since joining the Leafs.

Gardiner is being horribly mismanaged and at the rate they're destroying him, won't develop or return much.

[BigTuna]

Originally Posted by Ped

That trade wasn't nearly as lopsided as it appears imo.

Beauchemin did finish 4th in Norris voting last season and is a key d-man on the league's current #1 team.

Lupul has regained his scoring touch but he can't stay healthy. He's already missed what, 60 games since joining the Leafs.

Gardiner is being horribly mismanaged and at the rate they're destroying him, won't develop or return much.

It was a great return for a UFA bust. Beauchemin's always played great in Anaheim. In Toronto it was a bad fit.

[BigTuna]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Maple Leafs were great at the start of the season two seasons ago, then missed the playoffs. Great to start last year, but made the playoffs as their play started dipping. This year? Well, you can see the pattern.

They usually get hot every February. Moreso than the good starts.