Eklund: Next Great Leaf Writer #4. Dan S. Failure in High Command

Sorry, they spelled Rielly wrong

I can’t continue under these conditions, this website blows!!

3rd time hacked now….
Last word I typed was conditions

Someone wants me banned/on other site 🤷🏼

That site is locked up, can’t add any comments anymore

No opposed to letting MM and JT walk if the plan is to mute playoff expectations further in 2026 and 2027. What makes that difficult is AM being in his prime and the draft capital dealt.

They should have $27M in space if they let the above two walk. Can use the funds to resign Knies and shore up the depth. Keep at least $5-$9M is space to use at the deadline…..spend and acquire a impact player if the team is playing well and in a good position in the standings or weaponize to taken on a couple of bad contracts in exhange for good draft picks (like MTL did with Sean Monahan acquisition and trade).

As the cap continues to increase in subsequent seasons they will create enough room to keep the core that they want to keep while having enough spending room for a true impact player or players on the UFA market (McD if he gets to FA)

Is the requirement to write a 10,000 word essay here? All of these submissions just drone on and on repeating the same thing.

Also, what happened to the last Leafs writer? I thought Kevin Gibson was brought in to cover the Leafs?

No opposed to letting MM and JT walk if the plan is to mute playoff expectations further in 2026 and 2027. What makes that difficult is AM being in his prime and the draft capital dealt.

They should have $27M in space if they let the above two walk. Can use the funds to resign Knies and shore up the depth.


Keep at least $5-$9M is space to use at the deadline


…..spend and acquire a impact player if the team is playing well and in a good position in the standings or weaponize to taken on a couple of bad contracts in exhange for good draft picks (like MTL did with Sean Monahan acquisition and trade).

As the cap continues to increase in subsequent seasons they will create enough room to keep the core that they want to keep while having enough spending room for a true impact player or players on the UFA market (McD if he gets to FA)
- Turnitaround

Never happen . makes too much sense.

Eklund: Next Great Leaf Writer #4. Dan S. Failure in High Command
- Eklund

Shanahan = gonzo

Trade Proposal

TO TOR: Nikolaj Ehlers negotiating rights & 2025 3rd round pick

TO WPG: Mitch Marner’s negotiating rights

Thank gawd Shanny is gone!! In this league you need to change with the times, lead not follow. Shanny got locked in his direction and refused to change even though the failure was in his face year after year after year. Letting Marner walk for nothing is the ultimate failure. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for moving on from Marner, but that should have happened in 2023. Massive failure.

I know people will celebrate Shannahan being gone, but who is really out there to replace him.

In a key offseason, they will lack high level leadership. Well see what happens.

Trade Proposal

TO TOR: Nikolaj Ehlers negotiating rights & 2025 3rd round pick

TO WPG: Mitch Marner’s negotiating rights
- TheUltimateJet

Lets just agree to walk away from both

I know people will celebrate Shannahan being gone, but who is really out there to replace him.

In a key offseason, they will lack high level leadership. Well see what happens.
- Archaic

Keith Pelley

- homiedclown

I know people will celebrate Shannahan being gone, but who is really out there to replace him.

In a key offseason, they will lack high level leadership. Well see what happens.
- Archaic

Don't replace him. It's a meaningless role that just adds complexity.

Don't replace him. It's a meaningless role that just adds complexity.
- HockeyBuzzed

A meaningless role with a rumoured 7 million dollar a year salary.

Imagine being paid that much money only for the team to fail miserably year after year.

I get that this position is more than just on-ice results. But as a fan it sickens
me to think someone is getting paid that much a year for mediocre results. It's crap like that that makes me refuse to spend any of my own money on Leafs tickets or apparel. MLSE doesn't deserve our money.

I know people will celebrate Shannahan being gone, but who is really out there to replace him.

In a key offseason, they will lack high level leadership. Well see what happens.
- Archaic

Pelley will probably take on some responsibilities.
Dont really need a pres.

- homiedclown

bring back garth

Shanny gone, next up Marner?

I think so, Shanny was likely the one who who would have been all in on re-signing Marner and I think others in the organization aren't willing to, and Berube is in that group.

I don't think Berube will say it's about a specific high end but soft player (as we know the Leafs have a few) but he will say we need more of things they don't have and the only way to get those things is to change the people / cap distribution.

If they were going to move on from Nylander they would have before they signed him to an 8 year deal. I guess they could try to move Willy but why would he agree to waive his full no trade deal? That makes zero sense - he knows if he stays Marner is likely gone and he will get bumped up to L1 to play with Matthews and get more ice time and more points.

We can be mad at the players for their performances or lack thereof but the reality is there is blame for the current situation on a few folks but the bulk of it is the absolute moron they just fired in Shanny.

Shanny who brought in an experienced GM and coach and then decided to go the complete opposite direction with Dubas and Keefe. Seriously an inexperienced coach or GM is ok if the other one is experienced but both being green to the NHL was a mistake.

The fact they didn't give Marner the 8 or 8.5 x 8 his camp apparently wanted in 2019 and decided to wait out the season which cost them 3 to 3.5M per year, 2 less years AND resulted in them giving Marner a NTC for the last 2 (frank)ing years of his deal (which in itself was insane when usually it's the last year).

Then Shanny poop cans Dubas, brings in Tre and ties his hands by telling him he can't move Marner.

Imagine the haul the Leafs would have got by trading Marner before the NTC kicked in?

Now all they can likely do is re-sign him and continue to have a horifically unbalanced roster that won't become a top 4 team or let him walk for nothing.

(frank) Shanny.

Don't replace him. It's a meaningless role that just adds complexity.
- HockeyBuzzed

Don’t agree. MLSE is just as much a commercial real estate corporation as it is a sports/hockey organization and there’s a lot more to running the hockey operations beyond standard GM activities of managing the cap, getting/moving players, etc. Shannahan helped build up a lot of the off ice parts of hockey operations and the Leafs have top level medical, training and other supports. Shanny helped take the Leafs from a lottery team to one of the best in the league. They couldn’t get over the top and he had already played his fire the GM card so it was time for him to go.

Shanny gone, next up Marner?

I think so, Shanny was likely the one who who would have been all in on re-signing Marner and I think others in the organization aren't willing to, and Berube is in that group.

I don't think Berube will say it's about a specific high end but soft player (as we know the Leafs have a few) but he will say we need more of things they don't have and the only way to get those things is to change the people / cap distribution.

If they were going to move on from Nylander they would have before they signed him to an 8 year deal. I guess they could try to move Willy but why would he agree to waive his full no trade deal? That makes zero sense - he knows if he stays Marner is likely gone and he will get bumped up to L1 to play with Matthews and get more ice time and more points.

We can be mad at the players for their performances or lack thereof but the reality is there is blame for the current situation on a few folks but the bulk of it is the absolute moron they just fired in Shanny.

Shanny who brought in an experienced GM and coach and then decided to go the complete opposite direction with Dubas and Keefe. Seriously an inexperienced coach or GM is ok if the other one is experienced but both being green to the NHL was a mistake.

The fact they didn't give Marner the 8 or 8.5 x 8 his camp apparently wanted in 2019 and decided to wait out the season which cost them 3 to 3.5M per year, 2 less years AND resulted in them giving Marner a NTC for the last 2 (frank)ing years of his deal (which in itself was insane when usually it's the last year).

Then Shanny poop cans Dubas, brings in Tre and ties his hands by telling him he can't move Marner.

Imagine the haul the Leafs would have got by trading Marner before the NTC kicked in?

Now all they can likely do is re-sign him and continue to have a horifically unbalanced roster that won't become a top 4 team or let him walk for nothing.

(frank) Shanny.
- Cush29

I kinda think Dubas gave himself a saftey net with the NMC only kicking in the last two years. Probably thinking that if the Leafs didn't win by that time, he could trade Marner. When he signed Nylander to an new deal, Dubas made the choice to keep Nylander and potentially trading Marner if they didn't win that year.

When he was about to do it, or hinted he might do it, he got fired by Shanahan.

The current debacle of losing a 100 points, top 5-10 winger in the NHL for absolutely nothing is all on Shanahan.

I kinda think Dubas gave himself a saftey net with the NMC only kicking in the last two years. Probably thinking that if the Leafs didn't win by that time, he could trade Marner. When he signed Nylander to an new deal, Dubas made the choice to keep Nylander and potentially trading Marner if they didn't win that year.

When he was about to do it, or hinted he might do it, he got fired by Shanahan.

The current debacle of losing a 100 points, top 5-10 winger in the NHL for absolutely nothing is all on Shanahan.
- Scabeh

Couldn't agree more.

Dubas created a parachute so that if in the first 3 years or less of Marner's 6 year deal this core still couldn't get it done Marner was moveable.

He then got fired (to your point perhaps trying to deploy said parachute) but it was a mistake to make it a 2 year NTC in my opinion vs a final year only (which is more standard), especially when the contract was only for 6 years not 8.

Nylander's contract prior to his current one (2018-2024) was a 6 year deal that only had a MNTC in the final year and (as we know) was great value for money at 6.9 M per year against the cap.

Marner greatly benefited from Nylander's hold out IMO, the Leafs were terrified to have Marner hold out and in both cases they caved and essentially gave the players all they asked for.

I kinda think Dubas gave himself a saftey net with the NMC only kicking in the last two years. Probably thinking that if the Leafs didn't win by that time, he could trade Marner. When he signed Nylander to an new deal, Dubas made the choice to keep Nylander and potentially trading Marner if they didn't win that year.

When he was about to do it, or hinted he might do it, he got fired by Shanahan.

The current debacle of losing a 100 points, top 5-10 winger in the NHL for absolutely nothing is all on Shanahan.
- Scabeh

Dubas wasnt about to trade marner...it was apparently Nylander for Karlsson.

Couldn't agree more.

Dubas created a parachute so that if in the first 3 years or less of Marner's 6 year deal this core still couldn't get it done Marner was moveable.

He then got fired (to your point perhaps trying to deploy said parachute) but it was a mistake to make it a 2 year NTC in my opinion vs a final year only (which is more standard), especially when the contract was only for 6 years not 8.

Nylander's contract prior to his current one (2018-2024) was a 6 year deal that only had a MNTC in the final year and (as we know) was great value for money at 6.9 M per year against the cap.

Marner greatly benefited from Nylander's hold out IMO, the Leafs were terrified to have Marner hold out and in both cases they caved and essentially gave the players all they asked for.
- Cush29

Frank him and his 102 points. He and that family is self entitled and part of the problem. All he cares about is the money and who is gonna get paid more. Dont need that poision on the team. Same with Mathews. These shorter term deals so they can maximize at their renewals says all we need to know about them. Im not saying they dont deserve money, but dont cry me the blues when your team keeps losing and the team cant address needs cause they are strapped. Look at these last winning teams, did their stars do that? And especially here where endorsments would be plentiful to supplement.

Mathews, Marner and Willy all selfish and the reason why this team is where its at. Shanny was the enabler.

I love JT. I dont know if signing him was needed, especially after you land Mathews. But HE left 2 million on the table to play here. (No way Marner would do that.) One of Willy or Marner had to go as a result IMO after getting JT.

Dubas wasnt about to trade marner...it was apparently Nylander for Karlsson.
- Fakepartofme

Hmm Interesting. Would you have done that?

Dubas wasnt about to trade marner...it was apparently Nylander for Karlsson.
- Fakepartofme

I don't think Dubas would have signed Nylander to a new contract in January 2024 with a full NMC and then have targeted him to be the guy to trade 4 months later.

The guy to trade, the only guy that was tradeable at that point really, was Marner.