“Plan the parade” is so embarrassing at this point man 😂😭
Sad there was so much optimism and hype that lead to nothing.
Haha. Yeah if only Dubas didnt try to outsmart the whole league and over pay his star CORE 4 – assuming the cap would rise and they would be on great deals. Should just done the bridge deals Dumbas.
I feel like at some point in the future we’re going to look back at how far down the expectations came with this team.
It went from “not if but when and how many”
to “how about just one cup”
to “how about just a deep run”
to “please win a round”
to “please make the playoffs”
to “please score 1 goal because your goalie is standing on his head”
I get that a when the team is coming down you compromise on your expectations but that’s a long way to fall with little success.
I remember owning this magazine, god we were so hopeful back. 🙁
There’s gonna be a documentary about this era and it’s death by a thousand cuts. No one decision destroyed it but a series of them made by different people.
I said to my dad in 2017 if we don’t win a cup in this era we won’t ever win one in our lifetimes. Seems like we won’t. I’m only 35 but I don’t think it’s going to happen
Well now that assistant coach Savard is out of the way we’re back on track for all those cups!!
I really think the Tavares signing was incredibly disruptive and unnecessary and completely stagnated all progress they made. He’s very productive as a player but was way too expensive to be a 2C and did not have a track record of playing winning hockey
The best argument for not subscribing to The Hockey News is to flip through their previous covers.
I’ve got this issue in my parents basement somewhere. Might be time to use it as kindling lol
3 superstars, but no real leaders or guys you want to go into the trenches with. They needed more of that DNA and it just wasn’t there.
You sub in a superstar D for one of Marner or Nylander and guaranteed we would have had more success.
In an alternate timeline this core was a dynasty. But instead we got this
I have a hardcover book from Walmart that’s something similar. It was a Xmas gift from my late mother. It’s a painful look from the shelf now.
Rating for Matthews Era
F —————
It would have worked out had Matthews and Nylander been coachable. Sadly, they hold the team hostage.
Became a Leafs fan during the Phaneuf Kessel era, I was told Luke Schenn will be captain, Kessel trade will be worth it, Phaneuf will win Norris, Bozak will be Top centre, Mac-Grab-Kule will be awesome, Frattin, Biggs, Colborne, Percy, Reilly is future core, got nothing done. Tim Connolly 1C? Dave Clarkson next coming of Clarke? Giguère, The monster, Optimus Riem, Sparks first game shut out, Bernier, Scrivens. I’m sure I’m missing a few from that era. Story of this era, get into playoffs, then get destroyed.
Then came first overall pick Matthews, along side top picks Marner, Nylander, Tavares actually came home, Andersen, campbell soup, Stolarz, Woll, hildebeast. Babcock came in, Babcock kicked out, Shanny Dubas Drama, new coach, same results. Story of the era, consistently being in playoffs, couldn’t take the next step.
Dunno where it’s gonna go from here, 15 years a Leafs fan.
To me the Leafs are like the Jake Paul of hockey, filthy rich but no skill, just a fraud.
If we had a potato-GM after the 2018 draft, not signing any players, or using any picks, we would have this roster:
Hyman-Matthews-Marner
Moore-Kadri-Nylander
Joshua-Brown-Marchment
Johnsson-Holmberg-Kapanen
Rielly-Durzi
Sandin-Liljegren
Dermott-Holl
Andersen
Woll
Pickard
We had many years of draft and sign players, and we just didn’t meaningfully improve the roster because we were so obsessed with rentals.
25 comments
This cursed us
The COVID salary cap freeze just destroyed us
“Plan the parade” is so embarrassing at this point man 😂😭
Sad there was so much optimism and hype that lead to nothing.
Haha. Yeah if only Dubas didnt try to outsmart the whole league and over pay his star CORE 4 – assuming the cap would rise and they would be on great deals. Should just done the bridge deals Dumbas.
I feel like at some point in the future we’re going to look back at how far down the expectations came with this team.
It went from “not if but when and how many”
to “how about just one cup”
to “how about just a deep run”
to “please win a round”
to “please make the playoffs”
to “please score 1 goal because your goalie is standing on his head”
I get that a when the team is coming down you compromise on your expectations but that’s a long way to fall with little success.
I remember owning this magazine, god we were so hopeful back. 🙁
There’s gonna be a documentary about this era and it’s death by a thousand cuts. No one decision destroyed it but a series of them made by different people.
I said to my dad in 2017 if we don’t win a cup in this era we won’t ever win one in our lifetimes. Seems like we won’t. I’m only 35 but I don’t think it’s going to happen
Well now that assistant coach Savard is out of the way we’re back on track for all those cups!!
I really think the Tavares signing was incredibly disruptive and unnecessary and completely stagnated all progress they made. He’s very productive as a player but was way too expensive to be a 2C and did not have a track record of playing winning hockey
The best argument for not subscribing to The Hockey News is to flip through their previous covers.
I’ve got this issue in my parents basement somewhere. Might be time to use it as kindling lol
3 superstars, but no real leaders or guys you want to go into the trenches with. They needed more of that DNA and it just wasn’t there.
You sub in a superstar D for one of Marner or Nylander and guaranteed we would have had more success.
In an alternate timeline this core was a dynasty. But instead we got this
Here are all of the future watch covers over the years: https://archive.thehockeynews.com/collection-issue/future-watch
Lots of dud predictions in hindsight.
I have a hardcover book from Walmart that’s something similar. It was a Xmas gift from my late mother. It’s a painful look from the shelf now.
Rating for Matthews Era
F —————
It would have worked out had Matthews and Nylander been coachable. Sadly, they hold the team hostage.
Became a Leafs fan during the Phaneuf Kessel era, I was told Luke Schenn will be captain, Kessel trade will be worth it, Phaneuf will win Norris, Bozak will be Top centre, Mac-Grab-Kule will be awesome, Frattin, Biggs, Colborne, Percy, Reilly is future core, got nothing done. Tim Connolly 1C? Dave Clarkson next coming of Clarke? Giguère, The monster, Optimus Riem, Sparks first game shut out, Bernier, Scrivens. I’m sure I’m missing a few from that era. Story of this era, get into playoffs, then get destroyed.
Then came first overall pick Matthews, along side top picks Marner, Nylander, Tavares actually came home, Andersen, campbell soup, Stolarz, Woll, hildebeast. Babcock came in, Babcock kicked out, Shanny Dubas Drama, new coach, same results. Story of the era, consistently being in playoffs, couldn’t take the next step.
Dunno where it’s gonna go from here, 15 years a Leafs fan.
To me the Leafs are like the Jake Paul of hockey, filthy rich but no skill, just a fraud.
If we had a potato-GM after the 2018 draft, not signing any players, or using any picks, we would have this roster:
Hyman-Matthews-Marner
Moore-Kadri-Nylander
Joshua-Brown-Marchment
Johnsson-Holmberg-Kapanen
Rielly-Durzi
Sandin-Liljegren
Dermott-Holl
Andersen
Woll
Pickard
We had many years of draft and sign players, and we just didn’t meaningfully improve the roster because we were so obsessed with rentals.
https://preview.redd.it/elx2tekzav8g1.png?width=496&format=png&auto=webp&s=a82fd0b3b313982d63b9a9a8dad39225e222dd1a
Its bleak
Made a bet with a friend around this time
10 years if leafs win a cup he owes me 400 if they don’t I owe him 200
Thought it was such a great bet at the time