KD has to look at Buffalo, try to identify the failures and try to avoid them or take the steps to not make those mistakes. As pointed out by a few others on this thread it takes a while for players to be productive in the NHL. So it’s possible one or two prospects are ready right away and others may take 2-3-4-5 years or more to be ready to contribute. KD has to have his Plan A but also be ready to make it a plan B or C or D or Z. That means trades like the one he made for Knight. With Knight solidifying the goaltending position for quite a while the other prospects have time to develop. Same goes for defense where Vlasic, Kaiser, EDM and Allan got the necessary time to build their respective games. Now he can target the forwards and he may feel a number of prospects are ready in a year or two but others are a few more years away. Davidson will have to make the trades or signings to hurry the forward group along.
- paulr

Well said.

I'd also add in that developmental window if a prospect doesn't match the organizational timeline, if you can fill another hole you can sell high. See Ruutu for ladd.

Beggars can't be choosers and the Hawks need elite talent to supplement Bedard. So if Marner wants to come here, I'd be over the moon to sign him. Same with Rantanen. I need to see how good Bedard can be, and most importantly, get this kid some confidence that the flashes he has seen himself can become a norm. Confidence is a beautiful thing and once this kid knows he can dominate a game and a shift you can then float a turd up there like they used to with Kane....but Danny Carcillos of the world weren't skating with Kane his 1st 2 years for a reason (yes I know Carcillo wasn't on the roster, those type of players).

Just get this kid some damn talent and somebody who can be on the same page as him skill/hockey iq wise. Otherwise go find a GM who can. If collecting picks were it, Davidson would be elite. Outside of that......
- SteveRain

I’ll be a chooser, I’ll choose a guy who can help win a cup, not make Bedard better in the regular season.

Marner is a far better player in the regular season than Bolland. Matthews is a far better player, in the regular season, than Toews. I’d take Toews and Bolland over the Regular season superstars any day.

You haven't been to North Carolina lately. One of the hottest areas in the country for population growth. We're not talking Columbus.
- rpeters01

From a North Carolinian who moved there from IL then VA, NC is a great place to live

I haven't been here in months, but thought I'd check out any rumors Bob may have passed along to Ek. The one that intrigued me was 20% Dylan Cozens to Chicago. In 19, I really liked the idea of drafting him at 3. What would it take to get him from Buffalo? I'd say we definitely have the draft capital. Reichel,+,+?

because adding an elite player would be bad?
- SteveRain

He's only elite when the game doesn't count. Latest example, the 4 Nations tournament.

I don’t either, why don’t you want to see him in Chicago? I see him as a good player but he’s not a guy who plays his best when it matters. He’s never been great in the playoffs and in the 4 Nations he was adequate, but I don’t think he’s a difference maker.
- paulr

Exactly. He gets paid top dollar to be a loser.

TODAY'S TANKATHON

PHI moves up 6 spots to #1, NYI 9 spots to #2. CHI moves to #4 again.

7 Philadelphia
11 NY Islanders
1 San Jose
2 Chicago
3 Nashville
4 Buffalo
5 Seattle
6 Pittsburgh
8 Anaheim
9 Boston
10 Utah
12 St. Louis
13 Montreal
14 NY Rangers (to PIT)
15 Detroit
16 Vancouver

He's only elite when the game doesn't count. Latest example, the 4 Nations tournament.
- rpeters01

yeah guys who pop 60+ in regular season, play a decent 2 way game, and have 48 pts (23 goals) in 55 playoff games.....nope....don't want them.

You know who also had that reputation for years? Marian Hossa. Go back and watch the trade deadline of him going to Pittsburgh and listen to the criticism of his playoff performance.

No Matthews is NOT Marian Hossa, but this guy shows up....the entire leafs team does not. There's a BIG difference there. Sorry if folks can't put two and two together.

Guys who get paid a living to run organizations, all 32 of them, would take Matthews or Marner in a second if either became available.

God bless this board.....it out does outperform its reputation everyone so often.

I’ll be a chooser, I’ll choose a guy who can help win a cup, not make Bedard better in the regular season.

Marner is a far better player in the regular season than Bolland. Matthews is a far better player, in the regular season, than Toews. I’d take Toews and Bolland over the Regular season superstars any day.
- paulr

Dear lord...

Bolland was slotted in a role that allowed him to have a successful NHL career. A passenger on a bus not EVER having to drive it. That comparison makes zero sense. SO is John Madden on your list as well because he killed penalties that were vital for the Devils to win?

Do you think that MAYBE, just MAYBE the Hawks won cups because they had a better coach in Q vs anything the Leafs have had, a better D corps with Seabrook, Keith, and Hammer vs anything the Leafs have had and if you flipped those groups around......does Kane, Toews, Hossa win cups by themselves based solely on offense with inadequate coaching?

It's a team game....and when you have marque players at both spots Fs and D and a HOF coach who can outscheme anyone in 7 games.....you're set up for success. Exactly why Bowman won for years and so did Q and Sutter.

That's why the Leafs don't win....they are F top heavy and idiot Shanahan wont' demand they shake it up and deal a F for a legit D man to help start to balance it out.

It's really that simple. Exactly Edmonton hasn't won yet and likely won't until Bowman can add more D help.

You don't win on offense alone in 4, 7 game series.

Can't wait for the Hawks to sign Marner and this board to melt to the ground.....

From a North Carolinian who moved there from IL then VA, NC is a great place to live
- vabeachbear

But you're not originally from/born & raised in Finland. I guess what I'm trying to say is it's similar to all the Japanese baseball players coming over to play in MLB. You don't see them signing with Cleveland/St Louis/Kansas City/etc. They sign in big cities where they can find some similarity to home like LA, SF, Chi, NY, Sea, etc.

Dear lord...

Bolland was slotted in a role that allowed him to have a successful NHL career. A passenger on a bus not EVER having to drive it. That comparison makes zero sense. SO is John Madden on your list as well because he killed penalties that were vital for the Devils to win?

Do you think that MAYBE, just MAYBE the Hawks won cups because they had a better coach in Q vs anything the Leafs have had, a better D corps with Seabrook, Keith, and Hammer vs anything the Leafs have had and if you flipped those groups around......does Kane, Toews, Hossa win cups by themselves based solely on offense with inadequate coaching?

It's a team game....and when you have marque players at both spots Fs and D and a HOF coach who can outscheme anyone in 7 games.....you're set up for success. Exactly why Bowman won for years and so did Q and Sutter.

That's why the Leafs don't win....they are F top heavy and idiot Shanahan wont' demand they shake it up and deal a F for a legit D man to help start to balance it out.

It's really that simple. Exactly Edmonton hasn't won yet and likely won't until Bowman can add more D help.

You don't win on offense alone in 4, 7 game series.
- SteveRain

Mad Dog was killing penalties for the Blackhawks during that 2010 Cup run too

From a North Carolinian who moved there from IL then VA, NC is a great place to live
- vabeachbear

Best thing we did 27 years ago. However, going to a Canes game vs. our season ticket years at the Old Stadium--no comparison. Yeah, there are no safety issues, but the old barn was second to none for hockey atmosphere.

Can't wait for the Hawks to sign Marner and this board to melt to the ground.....
- SteveRain

Schadenfreude isn't generally something where you’d be happy with a misfortune that affects yourself.

The comparison is because when Eichel came into the league for Buffalo he a slightly better supporting cast and my point was name another marque young player who's had a worst supporting cast to start his career than Bedard. Chunk found the Sabres....that's it. That's the list and that's the point. that's where KD has failed and that's why all this national talk about Bedard by a complete idiot lke Bissionette is just that. Dude had 20 pts being a punch bag in 200+ career games.

That's why IMO it's imperative that KD find a TOP 3 F to skate with 98 by camp. To your point, I dont' care if its an UFA, an offer sheet, or they trade for one.....and maybe they get a Martone Misa or Hagens and they are NHL ready day 1....but watching Bedard skate with this pile of crap the 1st, 2 years of his career is a tough watch. Kid can't even begin to do his magic because the guys he plays with have 1/10th the skill and hockey IQ to get to where they are supposed to. Guys like Donato and Bertuzzi have had some luck because they go to front of the net and usually have 1 on 1 vs the goalie because everyone sucks down on Bedard. Every time he steps on the ice he has 2-3 guys circling him...why? Because there isn't a soul on this team that another team has to respect for those 30-45 seconds he's out there...shift after shift, game after game.

Idiot Richardson had him checking Barkov in November with Richardinson. Think about that.

Look if we all want to have a VERY real conversation here it is....

The longer this rebuild takes who's to say Bedard ponies up here LT? Would you? If you go 3 of 3 years in your ELC and all you do is become a lottery team drafting top 5 who's to say he doesn't go the Eichel route and eventually ask out? Yep....way down the line but losing impacts everyone differently. This team might have a goalie in Knight, has a ton of defensive prospects in the system which god willing a bunch hit....but upfront? not so much as of now.....and when you are running in game montages about the Lardis's of the world do you think the organization realizes fans and players alike might be growing tired of the constant losing? Not even competitive.

I don't think above will happen but I can't discount it either the way Davidson's lack of attention upfront is helping Bedard. To Paul's point....go make a hockey trade. Everyone has a price. Go find a young top 3 player or maybe a guy your hockey ops feels can be that player if given the right situation. Would a cup contender maybe give up on a younger player who's a lower role for draft capital to add to their arsenal to win now? They might.

However, if this team shows up in camp and it's Bedard and his group of misfit toys for the 3rd year in a row, I would $hit can Davidson and not think twice about it.

3 years in a row we are going to likely have a top 3 pick. 2 years with a generational NHL ready player on the roster. that can't happen. Should be a little bit better than that and this roster is a joke. HOnestly, I'm afraid who's he going to sign to hit the cap floor this summer...what other aging god awful vets like TJ Brodie can he give 4-5 AAV deals to?

See what shakes out, and again he won that Jones trade and it's great start to 2025-26 but he better even become more aggressive and be having those convos to possible summer trades because this crap can NOT continue.
- SteveRain

You know on paper McDavid had a really good forward supporting cast and it didn't win them poop.

Its important KD gets the right pieces not any piece.

Mad Dog was killing penalties for the Blackhawks during that 2010 Cup run too
- captainserious

He sure was but apparently those kind of players are better signings than Marner or Matthews or god knows who else.....

Learn something new every day.

You know on paper McDavid had a really good forward supporting cast and it didn't win them poop.

Its important KD gets the right pieces not any piece.
- BetweenTheDots

That was my point to Paul.....and 100% why the Leafs don't win.

can't win a cup dominating in 1 of 3 categories (F, d, G). Both of those teams love to load up in F and ride the lightning. Can dominate in the regular season but then teams figure out how to slow down those talented Fs and their teams have zero match defensively for the more balanced teams.

While I am no fan of Bowman he will fine tune that team and balance it out and get them d help. While the leafs and Shanahan keep living in their own self induced insanity.

Really hope Knight takes his game to the next level here as that trade could end up being a LT steal and the draft pick just becomes a cherry on top.

Feel Vlassic can grow into a top pairing and that leaves Arty, Rinzel, Kaiser, Allan, Del Mastro, Korchinski, and whoever else to round out the top pair and another to balance out the 2nd pair. Find the next 2,4,7.

Uhhh....
Middlestadt
Dahlin
Cozens
Quinn/Peterka
Power
- Chunk

Sure but no depth out of those drafts their next pick in all those drafts were in the 30's, hell even the years they drafted Reinhart, Eichel and Nylander their next 3 picks 31, 33, 51, Blackhawks 13, 18, 19, 25, 27

Next 2 years for the Blackhawks top 4 pick, probably top 10 next year, 2 more first round picks, 5 seconds.

I just don't see this being even close to the same kind of rebuild. KD is hoarding young talent.

Schadenfreude isn't generally something where you’d be happy with a misfortune that affects yourself.
- paulr

There will be no misfortune if they're lucky enough to land Marner.

Can't wait for the Hawks to sign Marner and this board to melt to the ground.....
- SteveRain

Signing Marner is fine, as long as they don't pay a stupid amount of money to do it.

Signing Marner is fine, as long as they don't pay a stupid amount of money to do it.
- breadbag

They're going to pay somebody a stupid amount of money.

1. they have the cap space now, and in the future.
2. Who cares as it's not our money
3. Getting that premier talent to skate with 98 gets us one step closer to being relevant again.

Hawks are REALLY pushing the prospect angle. First last night with Lardis, and tonight on social media with Rinzell. Not a bad thing, but don't ever recall seeing this before even back in 2005ish...or before that.

They're going to pay somebody a stupid amount of money.

1. they have the cap space now, and in the future.
2. Who cares as it's not our money
3. Getting that premier talent to skate with 98 gets us one step closer to being relevant again.

Hawks are REALLY pushing the prospect angle. First last night with Lardis, and tonight on social media with Rinzell. Not a bad thing, but don't ever recall seeing this before even back in 2005ish...or before that.
- SteveRain

That's why we had to trade half the team when we won the SC in 2010

That's why we had to trade half the team when we won the SC in 2010
- BetweenTheDots

38 million and 85 million and ZERO long term commitments past Vlassic, Bertuzzi and Teuvo.

They;ll be perfectly OK paying 1 guy a mega deal right now.

That was my point to Paul.....and 100% why the Leafs don't win.

can't win a cup dominating in 1 of 3 categories (F, d, G). Both of those teams love to load up in F and ride the lightning. Can dominate in the regular season but then teams figure out how to slow down those talented Fs and their teams have zero match defensively for the more balanced teams.

While I am no fan of Bowman he will fine tune that team and balance it out and get them d help. While the leafs and Shanahan keep living in their own self induced insanity.

Really hope Knight takes his game to the next level here as that trade could end up being a LT steal and the draft pick just becomes a cherry on top.

Feel Vlassic can grow into a top pairing and that leaves Arty, Rinzel, Kaiser, Allan, Del Mastro, Korchinski, and whoever else to round out the top pair and another to balance out the 2nd pair. Find the next 2,4,7.


- SteveRain

Well, Rinzel wears number #2.

Necas looks really good playing with McKinnon.

Makar casual 4 pt night. He could get really hot and crack 100pts.

Edit: 6 pt night.