I'm a huge Leafs fan. To put it into perspective I watched pretty much every Leaf game this season, even after the all-star game.. Not because of enjoyment, just habit. But yeah, I almost feel battered down on the topic of what they need to do.. But here are my thoughts.
No. He is like every other 1st Round pick they still own, a very conservative pick with very small upside. He'll be a good player, but probably peak as a 3rd liner with PK time.. I'm sorry but you don't need to draft that in the first round. Stu Percy, Tyler Biggs, Brad Ross etc etc, Leafs continue to go the safe route, or give up on the riskier picks..
As for Dio, he needs to be moved. There's no way he is a Leaf without the "C" on his jersey.. Mainly because he won't make it out of the off-season. No need to strip him of it and cause another shitstorm in Toronto.. There's nothing to lead anyways, just let him leave and vacate the captaincy from there.
As for Nylander, how are we writing him off already? How is a back-to-back 100 point season in the Q enough to basically start the Rask for Raycroft talk? This is exactly what is wrong with the Leafs and their fans. We are ready to start kicking ourselves over a pick when both haven't even played in the NHL yet? Ehlers is a great player, but Nylander is a great player too. In 6-7 years we will look back and won't be disappointed with that Nylander pick (I don't think at least). Like I said before, the Leafs like to make the safe pick, this is one of the first picks in a long time they made in the first round that I really liked.
As for Babcock, I doubt he'll come here.. There's really no reason for him to want to come here, and really no reason we should want him "that" bad. Of course he knows how to win, but he hasn't proven he can teach young kids how to be professionals through a rebuild. He's had a veteran core for years that have mentored young players and groomed them to win.. What he's gonna rely on Kessel or Lupul or Bozak to mentor young players? He'd be smart to sign elsewhere, and we'd be smart to spend those big bucks on a coach a few years in the future. Get a proven developmental coach, don't just go for the big names (Carlyle and Wilson both had a great rep before Toronto lol).
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