Fifth Avenue Forum

Can Burke get Reaves back?

Can Burke get Reaves back?

Letang for Reaves?

Can Hornqvist come back too?

Incredible. I’m tentatively okay with this.

Matheson and Sceviour for Hornqvist? Do it!

Hot take: hornqvist isn't a good fit here. Not that Matheson is

Can Burke get Reaves back?

Short answer, no. Long answer, nope.

Hot take: hornqvist isn't a good fit here. Not that Matheson is

We haven't seen him play much here.

Hornqvist is a fit everywhere...there are no teams that can't find a way to use that guy somewhere...

Now, maybe you can say the contract isn't a fit for what a team might use him for...

But to say that a team with a 13.9% PP, 23rd in the league....below league average in scoring overall...that lacks really much of an identity, is really easy to play against...can't use Hornqvist, who has 10 points in 10 games with Florida, and is one back from the league lead in power play goals...I don't know...

If you think this team is fast or getting faster or wants to be faster...ok, sure, that didn't happen, but sure...at the same time, Hornqvist was a key holder on those Cup teams that were actually built on speed...

Maybe I'm getting hung up on the word "fit"...there's about zero guys in the league that aren't a "fit" for this team as it's constructed and as it executes in my mind...who are we? What are we doing here...? I'm not being smarmy when I say this, maybe I'm missing something, maybe I'm not focused enough because I'm distracted by the things we're doing wrong, I don't know...

I am actually really excited that Hextall is the new GM.

My main hope is that he acquires players that our coach will play, or that he finds a suitable coach if he and Sullivan have different philosophies. If they repeat the Igilna fiasco, I will jump out of my window out of frustration...

Re Hornqvist: I didn't think that he performed poorly, but that the contract length was two years too long at that cap hit. Now we have an almost as large contract for three additonal years :/

The carping and worrying about that is silly.

Just within the past couple weeks, Burke was saying "Outside of all the goals and points, Nylander has done nothing for the Maple Leafs". He's been 100% driving the Leafs should trade Nylander bus because... he doesn't like Swedes? I dunno.

It's this kind of mentality that doesn't sit right with me. The kid's a PPG player for the Leafs but because he doesn't have some imaginary "intangibles" Burke thinks he's a waste.

I'm hoping that doesn't affect the decisions being made by Hextall.

Burke has framed Sedin jerseys hanging behind him in his office. It would appear to just be a Nylander thing.

Hextall got hired as the big cheese in May in Philadelphia, so it was during no trade time (for all intents and purposes)...

First move: Identified a long, pointless contract and moved it for a shorter, pointless contract (Hartnell to CBJ for Umberger).

Then traded useless plug (Tye McGinn) for a 3rd.

Next deadline, he started collecting picks and players that he wanted with those picks...
Kimmo Timonen for two 2's...
Coburn for Gudas, a 1, and a 3...

At the draft...
Moved up from 29 (using 61) up to 24 to draft Travis Konecny (not to say who would have went where in this alternate reality, but he hopped over Roslovic, Juulsen, J.Larsson, Beauvillier, leaving the Leafs with G.Carlsson). TK has the 8th most points in that draft class, only Sebastian Aho was picked later than him and has more points.

Traded from 99 down to 104, picking up 172.

Picked up a 4th by dumping Pronger and Grossman in the desert...
Picked up a 3rd dumping Rinaldo in Boston...
Picked up a 3rd dumping Lecavalier and Schenn in LA...

He just goes around finding draft picks...now, money is even tougher to move in this environment, but instead of moving every pick, he seems to be set on acquiring every pick...it'll be a nice change of pace perhaps...

Yeah, I know that picks outside of the two first rounds are long shots but it is still nice to have some draft picks...

Horny

Hot takes don't beget long explanations. Sorry them's the rules. He's aging, a big contract that we don't need, and slow in a team that's trying to have a fast identity (though I agree that's not where we are yet). We have two faster, younger RWs. Moving him and his contract was the right thing for this team but getting Matheson and his contract in exchange was also most definitely not. Also we both know that PPG pace isn't gonna last. He would definitely be useful on the PP right now*

*Spoken from a guy with a signed Horny jersey hanging in his office.

yup

Horny

Hot takes don't beget long explanations. Sorry them's the rules. He's aging, a big contract that we don't need, and slow in a team that's trying to have a fast identity (though I agree that's not where we are yet). We have two faster, younger RWs. Moving him and his contract was the right thing for this team but getting Matheson and his contract in exchange was also most definitely not. Also we both know that PPG pace isn't gonna last. He would definitely be useful on the PP right now*

*Spoken from a guy with a signed Horny jersey hanging in his office.

I'd rather have Hornqvist than Matheson. That's not to say I want Hornqvist's contract, but would have been better to move him and actually improve the situation.

Sure, that all makes sense, I sort of even pre-emptively agreed with it...

My thing is "fit", I don't buy that...

And then the move itself, neither of us buy that...it's not clear that the roster improved with the move - seems to have gone backwards really...and then you got hosed on the money and hosed on the term of that money...

The biggest coincidence of all might be that if we were really gonna try to squeeze one more run out of this group, the deal should have been the opposite...take the shorter term contract with a wily vet and let the $26 million (or whatever) mystery box go live on team mystery box...

I didn't say the trade was a good idea

Which player will date Molly Burke?

I'm interested in their philosophy going forward, because they said win now with the players you have, but I get the sense with Hextall, they want him around for the rebuild, whether it starts next year, or the year after.

It seems to me they'll see how this year plays out and if the pens end up "not close" they'll rebuild. If they're competetive and do something decent in the playoffs, one more try next year. Then the contracts really start to come off the books and open up some flexibility while hopefully the financial situation starts to clear up..

Ya know, I just thought of another reason why Burke was asked to come along on this ride...communication with the players. Burke has a reputation of being very fair with players, very open. Hextall, as noted, is a little more cards close to his chest...

Like it or lump it, we have some tough decisions coming up...we made one already with Fleury. We have Malkin, Crosby, and to a lesser extent Letang...those guys, especially Sid, are going to be a part of the direction of how this goes...they're going to be involved...it's not hard to see Sid as an exec one day if he wants to be...

A lot of people in the league were rubbed the wrong way when Toews came out and pretended like he didn't know what was going on in Chicago...I don't suspect that will be repeated here...

Crosby and Malkin, if no one else, gets a say in this, they get to be included...they're owed that much. And they get a lot of say about whether they stay or go or what we try to do over the next few years...

But Burke is a good vehicle for communication with the players...especially if Hextall decides he's gotta make some real tough decisions, he doesn't have to deal with moving Hornqvist, Dupuis, or Kunitz or anyone...but Burke's a good vehicle for that, he's a good communicator...

Also. I’m going to reserve judgement until Jim comes and tells us all what to think.

Someone needs to. Most of the stuff being posted is as wrong as opinion can be.

Phew. Now tell me what to think