Blow It Up: Toronto Maple Leafs Edition

Usually before any team in pro sports completely blows up a team to start over it's something for management to think long and hard about, something to be contemplated and speculated on. They get concerned about what's happened to teams like the Oilers when they went in that direction, but you can also look at teams like the Blackhawks to encourage it. However, there is no doubt in my mind that if the Leafs ever want to get past being mediocre and a fringe playoff contender at best they need to blow it up. I know that they look close with some players they have and they might be able to put something together. However, this just isn't the case when you look at it. Before judging, hear me out and allow me to show you why.

The Leafs have had the same basic core in place for about three years now. It's basically been Kessel and Phaneuf as the main two guys with Bozak, van Reiemsdyk, Kadri, and Lupul being other prominent players for quite some time now. In the three years where this has been more or less the core the results have been average at best. The 2012/13 season was the only time they made the playoffs with this group, and just when they looked poised to advance to the next round and defeat the Boston Bruins, they suffered an epic collapse and fell well short in what was a lock out shortened season. Last year, they had a playoff spot all but clinched but they fell short by losing big down the stretch, they could barely win a game to save their playoff lives and couldn't edge in just two more wins which would have clinched a playoff spot, keep in mind that before this run they weren't barely clinging to a wild card spot, but they had full control of actually getting a decent birth, and failed. Then this season, they aren't even in a playoff spot right now  and have managed to hit a slump of epic porportions. This really brings up some major questions about the club and their direction, however, this alone isn't reason enough to blow up the team, after all there is still something to build around....isn't there?

If a team had similar pieces that the Leafs had I might agree depending on the team. However, there are some really major flaws with the Leafs team as it is. The first is that they have guys playing the top minutes, who aren't top minute players. Kessel would be better suited not having to be the man on the offensive side, and Phaneuf would be much better as a 2nd or 3rd defenseman, where he gets to play beside another star. This is part of what has led to the mediocrity of the Leafs. They have the players who are bonafide, solid, and even star NHLers. However, they aren't superstars or spot light NHLers. They would be more suited as secondary guys. When guys who aren't necessarily meant to be the top guys have to be the top guys they will be prone to disappear, and when those guys disappear, it's unlikely the secondary scoring will be able to completely take up the slack, and the team will struggle. We have seen this happen at least once every year from the Leafs. This leads to the question of why not trade for number one players?

Well being an Oilers fan has taught me and many other Oilers fans that trading for number ones is very difficult. Every week rumours pop up about the latest number one player at whatever position the Oilers might be interested in, however, as of yet no deal has happened. Why do you think that is? Teams are very reluctant to give up number one players at any position unless they're having a fire sale (and even in this case they can still be somewhat expensive), or they're getting a really good package in return. Just look at what the Leafs gave up to get Kessel for example, one of the draft picks they gave up turned into Tyler Seguin. How much would the Leafs like to have him right now? Quite often giving up what it takes to land a number one player will leave a hole in another position, which will lead the team to either overpay in another trade or overpay at free agency and it can be a black hole that just sucks them in with no way to get out. There's also the other issue of changing a culture and getting almost anything and everything that's leftover from being a team that can't win out of the organization and locker room.

Even if the Leafs were to trade one key player for a massive upgrade, there would still be prominent players left over from the mediocre years. Players who couldn't win and suffered really bad collapses. Would a team really want these players left when they're trying to reinvent the team and become winners? I don't think so. When a team rebuilds, or is trying to win they generally don't want any players left over from the losing years to still be on the team, it usually doesn't work. Especially when players have been called uncoachable.

For me the final dagger in blowing this thing up is that former Leaf coach Ron Wilson called the core uncoachable. Now you do have to take what a former coach says with a grain of salt. However, considering what we've seen from the Leafs recently I don't think it's surprising. Why would a team want uncoachable players if they want to change the way things are going? Having uncoachable players is another really good way to maintain mediocrity.

I think at the end of the day blowing things up is the only way for the Leaf to eventually achieve consistent success. Their current core are players who might not be meant to be a core and trading for actual core players would take too many assets. It generally isn't a good idea to have pieces left on the team that couldn't win, especially when these pieces are uncoachable. At the end of the day it looks like the best thing the Leafs can do is blow it up and start over.


-Darren


-Do you think the Leafs should blow it up or is there another way for them to improve? Let me know by either commenting below, or find me on twitter @thewildman111


photo taken from thehockeynews.com

It's Time for the Packers to Quit Playing "Nice"

The Packers have a history of having nice clean players, who don't open their mouth, and coaches who never scream. Well this is contributing to their lack of playoff success. I will show you why.

 I realize the Packers and their fans like their coaches and players to be a certain way, so I realize what I'm saying won't be very popular. However, given the skill the Packers have especially on offense, and with at the very least an average defense they should be doing a lot better in the playoffs than they have. This was their first NFC Championship game since the Superbowl win. Think about that. All of the talent they have and they can barely reach the NFC Championship. Now let's look around the league and we'll see what I'm getting at.

Let's look at teams that have won and been good consistently in the recent past. This includes teams such as the Ravens, Patriots, Saints, Giants, Seahawks, and 49ers. Now look at what these teams have. For the longest time on defense the Ravens had the trio of Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, and Terrell Suggs. The Patriots have Tom Brady and Bill Belicheck. The Saints have Sean Payton at the helm and the Giants have Tom Coughlin. The Seahawks have a whole host of notable guys Pete Caroll, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Cam Chancellor, and the list goes on. The 49ers had Harbaugh, and the really good Steelers teams used to be filled with edgy and questionable characters.

Now you're probably what these players have in common and what this has to do with the Packers. Well look at the players and coaches I listed above. They all either play or coach with an edge, have an attitude, or both. We all know that Brady and Bellicheck don't always play nice, Richard Sherman has shown his attitude, and Harbaugh is a very intense coach. Just to point out a few things from that list. This is what the Packers need.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying go get everyone with a criminal record or who's a locker room cancer. Obviously you don't want to cause major problems. However, I do believe the Packers need a guy who will ruffle some feathers and who's going to come in with an attitude. They need someone who's going to fire people up, play with an edge, and who might be a somewhat controversial figure around the league. They need either a Sherman-like player or a Harbaugh like coach, something to get the team going in the playoffs. After all, all the teams who've won have at least one of these players or coaches and some have had many, so why don't the Packers have any? For the sake of an image? Well it's time to forsake the image a bit and go get one of these players. Not someone who will cause major problems, but someone who might be a bit controversial, who will make a big hit, and maybe provide an interesting sound bite. Matthews and Peppers are good and they do play hard, but they don't have the same attitude or edge.

The Packers biggest reason for lack of success in the palyoffs is they don't have someone who has an edge or attitude. Look at the teams who have made the playoffs and have had success. Almost all of them do have one of these players or coaches. It's time for the Packers to do the same and add an edge to the team.


-Darren


Do you think the time has come for the Packers to stop being nice? Either comment below or find me on twitter @thewildman111


photo taken from usatoday.com

Perwrong: Was Trading DP A Mistake?

The Edmonton Oilers sent David Perron to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for their first round draft pick and forward Rob Klinkhammer. I know there are some positives to this trade, however, I see more negatives. These negatives include, that it was Perron that was traded, the return they got, and the timing of the trade.

Why would the Oilers trade David Perron? This is something I don't really understand. Yes, I know he hadn't scored in a long time. And yes I know he was possibly a "cancer" (more on this later), however wouldn't trading Eberle get the Oilers more value? I would rather it had been Eberle, because he would have had more value in a deal. The Oilers would have had enough other wingers that plugging the hole left behind by Eberle wouldn't be a huge problem. Also, Perron has a bit more grit which is something the Oilers need more than the finesse of Eberle. In addition, Perron has heart. He was one of few players who were talking like he cared that they were losing. If this is the Oilers idea of being a "cancer" then there are more problems than we thought. No, I'm not in the locker room and no we don't know exactly what he was saying or even if he was a cancer. However, if the comments he made that we the fans heard are the same or similar comments to that of which got him traded than the Oilers have even more problems and bigger problems than we realized. If a guy who is frustrated with losing can't express those emotions in such a way he did without getting in trouble and/or traded, then the whole organization needs to give their head a shake and maybe do another "forensic investigation" and hope that they actually find a major problem they can fix. I think we all know by now a major problem is there, but it's just a matter of where it is and what the front office is going to do about it. Whatever it is, it better be figured out soon, because one side affect of this problem could be a lack of returns on trades.

I know, I know, a first round pick can be quite valuable, especially in this year's draft. Anyone who follows me, or knows my views knows that I'm saying don't trade a draft pick this year. However, that doesn't they need to trade for one though. Especially for one that is unlikely to be higher than twenty fifth overall. Yes, I realize there's potential for the Oilers to flip the pick for something else, but there's no guarantee that will happen. Mactavish seems to have had some problems finding trading partners this year, and while a late first round pick might help as a bargaining chip there is no guarantee either. And if they do use the pick that's another prospect in the system. There are just too many "What ifs" surrounding this return. You don't know what a pick will turn into in a trade, and you don't know who they could draft with it. The acquisition of a draft pick does not mean that teams still won't be asking about Hall, Nugent-Hopkins, or Eberle all of whom Mactavish would lots of  return for in order to deal (Nugent-Hopkins is likely completely untouchable). A late first round pick would not be adequate compensation for a team instead of Hall or Eberle. I do believe Perron had more value than what Mactavish got for him, teams know what he is capable of, and especially on a team like Pittsburgh it's fairly certain that he is going to thrive. When trading a player of quality who will be a very valuable asset to a team, a GM should make sure he is getting the best possible quality back. I don't believe Craig Mactavish did that and I don't see why he had to do that deal now. He could have waited.

The timing of this deal was odd. I don't think Mactavish had to pull the trigger now. Sometimes teams are willing to give up more for players at the trade deadline, and if not the deadline at the draft or in the summer. Perron is the type of guy who you  know is going to score eventually so there was little risk of his value declining even more. I think if Mactavish waits until the deadline or the summer he is able to either get more for Perron straight up, or able to put Perron in a nice package and get some real value and immediate help back. However, he didn't do that and I don't know why. It's possible he was a cancer, but as we established earlier that seems unlikely. For whatever reason Mactavish decided to do the deal now rather than waiting and there are many aspects of it that don't make sense.

In conclusion while the trade of David Perron does have some positives there are more negatives to be found. They probably could have gotten more return for Eberle, and it seems unlikely that Perron was a cancer. The main point of return being the first round draft pick doesn't make much sense either as that seems to create more questions than answers, and while it might be possible that the pick is flipped for more value nothing is a guarantee and it creates more questions than answers in an organization that has far too many questions as it is. And finally, the timing of the trade was poor as Mactavish seemingly settled when he didn't have to. It seems likely he could have gotten more value at the deadline or in the summer, yet for some reason he was unwilling to wait. Maybe the answers to a lot of this are coming in the coming weeks and months, and if the answers do come and they are very good answers I will gladly eat these words. However, until that time (hopefully) comes this trade leaves me sitting here scratching my head.


-Darren


-What do you think of the trade of David Perron? Let me know by commenting below this post or find me on twitter @thewildman111


photo taken from hockey30.com

The Oilers Real Problem

The Oilers have one or two problems, and only one or two problems. Drafting and developing. Oh sure right now they have more than one issue but almost all problems can go all the way back to their drafting history. The Oilers have been terrible in the draft for many years in a row now and I will show you just how terrible. Let's start in 2000.

In Round one the Oilers took Russian Alexi Mikhnov 17th overall. This was a disaster from the start he played only two NHL games with the Oilers. Now take a guess at who was taken right after him. Taken at 18th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins was American defenseman Brooks Orpik. How nice would he look on the Oilers blueline right now? Other guys taken in the first round were Anton Volchenkov, centres Brad Boyes and Steve Ott, Justin Williams, and Nicholas Kronwall. Anyone of those guys would have looked good on the Oilers. This was just the start of a decade of bad drafting by the Oilers.

Fast forward to 2002. The Oilers once again have a pick in the mid first round courtesy of the Montreal Canadiens. At 15th overall the Oilers select Finnish forward Jesse Niinimaki. He spent one year in the then AHL affiliate the Edmonton Roadrunners before going back to the Finnish hockey league. Once again a wasted pick by the Oilers. Players taken after him included Boyd Gordon, Alexander Steen, and Cam Ward.

Staying in 2002 the Oilers then proceeded to draft Jeff Deslauriers and Jarret Stoll in the second round. While both of these made the NHL, they still weren't the best available. Josh Harding went after both of these players as did Duncan Keith at 54th overall. How good would he look on defense right now? Deslauriers didn't do much on the Oilers aside from one season he stuck with the team and had mediocre numbers, and Stoll turned into a decent player but was traded to the Kings.

2003. For this draft I'm just going to put together a list of who the Oilers drafted with their first five picks vs. who they could have drafted.

Who the Oilers Drafted: Marc Antoine Pouliot (22nd), Colin McDonald (51st),  Jean Francois Jacques (68th) , Mikhail Zukov (72nd), Zack Stortini (94th).

Who they Could have Drafted: Ryan Kesler (23rd), Mike Richards (24th), Correy Perry (28th) Loui Eriksson (33rd), Patrice Bergeron (45th), Shea Weber (49th), Corey Crawford (52nd), David Backes (62nd), Jimmy Howard (64th), Clarke Macarthur (74th), Joe Pavelski (205th), Tobias Enstrom (239th), Dustin Byfuglien (245th), .

To make matters worse the Oilers traded away the 17th overall pick which turned into Zach Parise, and if not him there was also even more talent available then. I think it takes more skill for a team to avoid this much talent at the draft then to actually draft it. I realize they couldn't have gotten all or even a lot of these players, but they were all available at some point and it isn't unreasonable that they could have gotten one or two of them at least. The Oilers somehow missed the boat on the deepest draft in a long time in the NHL. They wound up with plugs while other teams were drafting superstars and players who would be playing for a long time. While this may have been the worst example of drafting incompetence by the Oilers, it certainly wasn't the only one.

In 2005 they drafted Cogliano. Yes he did turn into a good player, but they drafted him with players like Niskanen, Neal, and Vlasic on the board. Then in the second round they drafted Taylor Chorney with Abdelkader and Statsny available. Oh yeah and Letang and Quick went 62nd and 72nd overall respectively. Oh and Keith Yandle went 105th overall. Once again the Oilers missed big on a lot of players. Just an added dagger to the heart was Patrick Hornqvist went very last in the draft, 230th overall.

In 2007 Couture went after Gagner did as did Nash, Pacioretty, and Perron. While Gagner looked like a good pick at the time it's once again frustrating for Oilers fans to see superstars going after their picks did at the draft.

These aren't the only examples of the Oilers incompetence at drafting, but just some of the worst. The Oilers could be at the very least a decent team with the talent that they missed out on.A lot of these players are also defensemen and centres. Which are also positions the Oilers need most now. There were also some goalies that went which if they had been picked would mean the Oilers wouldn't have a question mark in net now either.  This also raises the question is the real issue drafting or developing?

I still lean towards drafting because a lot of the players the Oilers missed on have a lot of natural talent to start with. These players wouldn't necessarily need as much coaching and would still turn into a very skilled player. However, the Oilers handling of rookies have left something to be desired as well. What could Gagner have turned into had he been handled better? Maybe he would be a superstar by now. What about Yakupov? Or maybe Nugent-Hopkins would have come a long a lot faster than he did. Nugent-Hopkins is also an example of the natural talent I was talking about. While he wasn't handled the best as a rookie, he still pulled through and became a good player.  I think we can conclude from this that drafting is the biggest problem, but development is also questionable at times.

In conclusion there are many years where the Oilers missed on a lot of talent at the draft. Drafting instead mediocre and sometimes just plain bad players who wouldn't be much help to the team. They missed out on players at key positions who would be a huge help in those spots now. While drafting has been bad the development has been sub-par as well. They have been unable to properly develop the talent they have gotten. It may seem like the Oilers have a lot of problems, but in reality it only comes back to one or two things, one or two things that have been a problem for many, many years.


-Darren


-What do you think the Oilers biggest problem is? Do you agree? Disagree with me? Let me know by commenting below or finding be on twitter @thewildman111