2025-2026 Off Season Thread - The Rehappening

[MyNameIsJonas]

The only other thing I'll say re: winning is that losing Marner (and Tavares) is obviously not a real impediment to winning in the playoffs. They've been impediments to winning in the playoffs, walking away from them will make the team better, not worse, even if it doesn't look like that on a January wednesday night in Utah.

That's certainly the bet.

The opening night roster is going to look worse on paper if one or both guys bolt. There is no really disputing that, but these guys are proven toxic losers in the playoffs, and save for paying John like a 3rd liner, it's addition by subtraction as long as the money saved is spent efficiently on a different breed of player

 

[LeafOfFaith]

Your suggesting winning is the most important thing to him, and that he leaves a situation where he has been to back to back cups for a the biggest group of underachievers in the sport, all the while completely ignoring the major markets in the U.S. that can offer some peace and fucking quiet, a great quality of life and the same possibility for winning.

He doesn’t care about the pressure. And Edmonton is mainly there because of him. You have to assess each roster without him to determine which is better. Would a McDavidless Oilers be better than a Marnerless Leafs? No. And we should expects the Leafs will add at least one good guy with Marner’s money.

 

[MyNameIsJonas]

That's what I said numbnuts.

Also, just a brief reminder. We were 1 game away from the ECF a few weeks ago.

I apologize, im reading your posts and LOF's posts and assumed you were saying the same thing.

I am very sorry

 

[MyNameIsJonas]

He doesn’t care about the pressure. And Edmonton is mainly there because of him. You have to assess each roster without him to determine which is better. Would a McDavidless Oilers be better than a Marnerless Leafs? No. And we should expects the Leafs will add at least one good guy with Marner’s money.

Jerk off motion.

Look in that man's eyes everytime they lose and in every fucking presser he does.

His soul is gone.

And i expect nothing less of you to manufacture the Leafs of all teams as the best place to win if he does explore FA.

There are countless places that can offer the same things, significantly less pressure, and actual winning.

 

[LeafOfFaith]

The only other thing I'll say re: winning is that losing Marner (and Tavares) is obviously not a real impediment to winning in the playoffs. They've been impediments to winning in the playoffs, walking away from them will make the team better, not worse, even if it doesn't look like that on a January wednesday night in Utah.

Do we even make the playoffs without those two and whatever junk they might add in desperation? I’m honestly not sure.

 

[MindzEye]

Fwiw,

- Mitch goes bye
- Tavares at 4M or bye
- Bridge Knies in the 4's.

There's a path to making the team better with that much flexibility.

 

[LeafOfFaith]

Jerk off motion.

Look in that man's eyes everytime they lose and in every fucking presser he does.

His soul is gone.

And i expect nothing less of you to manufacture the Leafs of all teams as the best place to win if he does explore FA.

There are countless places that can offer the same things, significantly less pressure, and actual winning.

His soul is gone because he keeps coming close, and it’s really fucking hard to play 82 games and tough it out for four rounds only to come up short each time. It’s a very different soul swipe than the Leafs flaming out early each time, but it’s still the same shit in the end - a crushing loss when you expected to finally win.

 

[MyNameIsJonas]

Do we even make the playoffs without those two and whatever junk they might add in desperation? I’m honestly not sure.

Yes,

and why assume it's junk?

Based on the current FA crop i think value hunting ( and this very much includes strong arming Tavares) i think is a wise play.

There also appears to be a cheap acquisition cost to any team trying to clear salary of useful or formerly useful players like Marchment and Burakovsky. Shame they set so many picks on fire.

 

[WeHaveMoreCupsThanYou]

Take McDavid at his word. Winning is all that matters to him. Toronto love helps. But in the end, is an Edmonton with McDavid better or is a Toronto with McDavid better. I think the Leafs will get him if they don’t close the door by filling up the roster with long term cap hits.

If winning is important to McDavid he's going to go to Florida, Tampa, Dallas, or Vegas. Hes not going to a team that cant get out of the first round. The Leafs are NEVER getting him. No Canadian team is getting him.

 

[MindzEye]

Do we even make the playoffs without those two and whatever junk they might add in desperation? I’m honestly not sure.

I mean, it depends. If you think we're going to replace their salary with complete dead weight because something something Trebitch is an idiot, then borrow my rope and end it all now. I went into last off season figuring all of his moves were fucking stupid and he did okay. Not great, but pretty okay. If he does just pretty okay again with the cap flexibility he's going to have, I don't see why we would be worse in the regular season. The goaltending should still be good, assuming no major changes on the blueline it will be better with Carlo babysitting Mo, and the forwards will be deeper though not better, because yeah, Mitch is pretty good in the winter.

Fwiw, I'm of the opinion that style of play is the biggest positive change we can make here. If we're going to play bullshit dump and chase hockey, we're not winning anything with anyone.

 

[LeafOfFaith]

Fwiw,

- Mitch goes bye
- Tavares at 4M or bye
- Bridge Knies in the 4's.

There's a path to making the team better with that much flexibility.

I’m torn on Knies. I want him locked up for 8 years of course, but a few years of $4m instead would let us ice a better team. I just don’t really trust that they won’t give the savings to another Kampf and so I prefer to just lock him in for a decade.

 

[MyNameIsJonas]

His soul is gone because he keeps coming close, and it’s really fucking hard to play 82 games and tough it out for four rounds only to come up short each time. It’s a very different soul swipe than the Leafs flaming out early each time, but it’s still the same shit in the end - a crushing loss when you expected to finally win.

Leafs i have no doubt will be in play if he hits market, but to put them ahead of the Bolts, Panthers, Stars, Knights, Kings, or Rangers is silly. I would think the Avs, Hawks, and Red Wings would like a word as well, but put them well behind the above mentioned and Toronto. I also suspect he wouldnt give any other Canadian team the time of day

 

[MyNameIsJonas]

I’m torn on Knies. I want him locked up for 8 years of course, but a few years of $4m instead would let us ice a better team. I just don’t really trust that they won’t give the savings to another Kampf and so I prefer to just lock him in for a decade.

Did Tre even sign Kampf or Krok?

 

[LeafOfFaith]

Yes,

and why assume it's junk?

Based on the current FA crop i think value hunting ( and this very much includes strong arming Tavares) i think is a wise play.

There also appears to be a cheap acquisition cost to any team trying to clear salary of useful or formerly useful players like Marchment and Burakovsky. Shame they set so many picks on fire.

Tre is in a different spot than previous years, where he had his core and just needed to add complementary pieces. Having to replace Marner may cause him to do something stupid and desperate which makes us worse next season and kills any shot at McDavid the year after. This is the most pivotal offseason in the Matty era. Much can go very wrong here.

 

[MyNameIsJonas]

Like outside of Reeves and setting picks on fire for Lybushkin and Edmontonson, what's he done thats terrible?

 

[WeHaveMoreCupsThanYou]

He doesn’t care about the pressure. And Edmonton is mainly there because of him. You have to assess each roster without him to determine which is better. Would a McDavidless Oilers be better than a Marnerless Leafs? No. And we should expects the Leafs will add at least one good guy with Marner’s money.

Now do a Florida team with McDavid and see if they're better than a Leafs team with, well, anyone else. If McDavid wants out of Edmonton to chase Cups, there are teams a hell of a lot closer than the Leafs.

 

[MyNameIsJonas]

Tre is in a different spot than previous years, where he had his core and just needed to add complementary pieces. Having to replace Marner may cause him to do something stupid and desperate which makes us worse next season and kills any shot at McDavid the year after. This is the most pivotal offseason in the Matty era. Much can go very wrong here.

His core is/was the fucking problem.

It just took him, or more than likely his boss ( who is gone) too long to figure that out.

Yes, the core could have been supplanted better, specifically with Marlies as opposed to busted oldies, but the core was rotten, at least in the postseason. You can argue this is the first time he can build his roster ( scary im sure)

 

[MindzEye]

I’m torn on Knies. I want him locked up for 8 years of course, but a few years of $4m instead would let us ice a better team. I just don’t really trust that they won’t give the savings to another Kampf and so I prefer to just lock him in for a decade.

Knies at 8M coming off of a 59 point season tied to two offensive superstars would be very, very dumb imo. I'd rather pay him his 9-10 after he breaks out as a PPG 40 goal power forward than give in to his 8 now, and watch him show us that his 19% shooting this season was a fluke, but that he's actually just a lovely ~25 goal winger at 8 million for the next 8 years.

 

[MindzEye]

Did Tre even sign Kampf or Krok?

Signed the Kampf extension shortly after he took the job. Though it can be kind of explained away that Sheldon loved him as his 3C for fucking reasons and he just gave his coach what he wanted.

 

[LeafOfFaith]

I mean, it depends. If you think we're going to replace their salary with complete dead weight because something something Trebitch is an idiot, then borrow my rope and end it all now. I went into last off season figuring all of his moves were fucking stupid and he did okay. Not great, but pretty okay. If he does just pretty okay again with the cap flexibility he's going to have, I don't see why we would be worse in the regular season. The goaltending should still be good, assuming no major changes on the blueline it will be better with Carlo babysitting Mo, and the forwards will be deeper though not better, because yeah, Mitch is pretty good in the winter.

Fwiw, I'm of the opinion that style of play is the biggest positive change we can make here. If we're going to play bullshit dump and chase hockey, we're not winning anything with anyone.

We’re losing 170 points from those two, if they both go. That’s very hard to replace. I’m sure other teams in the east will improve whereas we may only max out at sideways or worse.

To his credit, Tre is scared of big swings and rarely makes impact trades unless absolutely forced, and has relied on UFAs and has been pretty good in that department. But as I said above, he never had to replace a Marner, and if we flame out next year, his own job is probably gone. So does the high stakes situation cause him to blow a tire? I don’t know, but I’m very concerned. At least bringing back Tavares for cheap would make me sure about the playoffs. Anything beyond that depends on the Marner replacements.