• Moderators, please send me a PM if you are unable to access mod permissions. Thanks, Habsy.

2025-2026 Off Season Thread - The Rehappening

mbow30 said:
I don’t think that’s right. I don’t think anybody sees any of those guys as real leaders.
Click to expand...

But why do so many front offices struggle to identify "leadership". I mean, we're hilarious of course, but we're not the only ones who bring in "leadership" that sucks.
 
MindzEye said:
But why do so many front offices struggle to identify "leadership". I mean, we're hilarious of course, but we're not the only ones who bring in "leadership" that sucks.
Click to expand...
I don’t think they thought of Thornton as a leader. Spezza sure and he was. Marleau was here to set a good example as a quiet unassuming guy who put work in off the ice but the thing was that was never the issue with our guys.
 
MindzEye said:
It's all just very post facto to me. Bennett was a cry baby who got run out of Calgary and within 2 years he's a full on leaderbean for a champion. Marchand was the dangerous weirdo who licked people and lost big games and now he's an uber veteran leader. Tampa was a loser clown show that couldn't win the big game until they weren't. Jack Eichel #1C of a cup team, lol, c'mon bro don't be ridiculous.

It's this thing that gets made up after a guy wins to explain why they won, and doesn't appear to be an actual player trait that anyone predicts is there until afterwards.
Click to expand...

I think it's fair to say those players evolved in response and grew their games to varying extents though. or do you disagree?

I do not see Mitch or Auston doing that. what I do I see, over a pretty good sample size now, is the same level of play in the same situations with the same results, and the same shrugs and indifferent non-accountability afterwards. In other words, not a lot of what one might call character.

what kind of captain puts in a performance like that latest one against the Panthers and then talks in a monotone about "passengers"? that's not a red flag, it's a goddamn banner being towed by a plane.

I am hoping this was all Mitch being the cancer and that suddenly our core guys are going to turn into playoff warriors. of course. what else is there to do, as a Leaf fan right now? Certainly not holding my breath or putting any money on it happening though...
 
Volcanologist said:
I think it's fair to say those players evolved in response and grew their games to varying extents though. or do you disagree?

I do not see Mitch or Auston doing that. what I do I see, over a pretty good sample size now, is the same level of play in the same situations with the same results, and the same shrugs and indifferent non-accountability afterwards. In other words, not a lot of what one might call character.

what kind of captain puts in a performance like that latest one against the Panthers and then talks in a monotone about "passengers"? that's not a red flag, it's a goddamn banner being towed by a plane.

I am hoping this was all Mitch being the cancer and that suddenly our core guys are going to turn into playoff warriors. of course. what else is there to do, as a Leaf fan right now? Certainly not holding my breath or putting any money on it happening though...
Click to expand...

You guys are taking something I'm not saying and making counter arguments out of it.

What I'm arguing, entirely independent of any Toronto Maple Leafs related issues, is that "Leadership", "character", etc are poorly defined traits made of fairy dust that front offices around the league all make a huge deal about but struggle like a motherfucker to actually find sources of.

Now, with that said, I think it's easier to identify a stunning absence of it (Dry hair ranting at your team in a playoff game...)but even then it often gets mislabeled. Kessel, Eichel, Bennett, etc just in somewhat recent years. imo it's almost entirely a post facto explanation for why a player had success after they had it. A cheap and easy narrative device for unimaginative sports talking heads.
 
Wouldn't a team with 12 Mitch Marners at forward and 6 Mitch Marners on D win the cup every year?

If so, then leadership and character is mostly bullshit and skill will supersede and prevail every time.
 
mbow30 said:
I don’t think they thought of Thornton as a leader. Spezza sure and he was. Marleau was here to set a good example as a quiet unassuming guy who put work in off the ice but the thing was that was never the issue with our guys.
Click to expand...
Counterpoint: Marleau was a quiet, unassuming selfish fuck.
 
Tough to win a playoff game if you don't shoot the puck in the net.

Though it would be fun watching 5 Mitch's dance around the boards in the offensive zone for 60 minutes.
 
MindzEye said:
You guys are taking something I'm not saying and making counter arguments out of it.

What I'm arguing, entirely independent of any Toronto Maple Leafs related issues, is that "Leadership", "character", etc are poorly defined traits made of fairy dust that front offices around the league all make a huge deal about but struggle like a motherfucker to actually find sources of.

Now, with that said, I think it's easier to identify a stunning absence of it (Dry hair ranting at your team in a playoff game...)but even then it often gets mislabeled. Kessel, Eichel, Bennett, etc just in somewhat recent years. imo it's almost entirely a post facto explanation for why a player had success after they had it. A cheap and easy narrative device for unimaginative sports talking heads.
Click to expand...

I prefer “team culture” which is just as impossible to define. And involves multiple parts (including the coach)

No team has no friction but if the culture is right, Dry Hair thinks twice about spouting his BS

At the end of day, I’d pick puck luck and stellar goaltending over it but at least you have some control over culture building
 
But, according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Toronto is looking to shop Kampf and Jarnkrok.

“I think one of the reasons Toronto didn’t get Mangiapane, they indicated we need to move some bodies out, and Mangiapane didn’t want to wait, Roslovic is waiting. I assume one of them is Kampf, another could be potentially be Jarnkrok, we’ll leave Nick Robertson out of the rumors,” Friedman said on 32 Thoughts.
Click to expand...

“One player the Leafs have been connected to the past few days is Jack Roslovic. Another offense-focused winger who can play a little center,” Mirtle wrote. “He scored 22 goals for Carolina last year. But also fell out of favor as the season wore on in part due to his defensive lapses and misplays with the puck. Leading to games as a healthy scratch in the playoffs.

“I think this one is roughly 50-50 right now. But it sounds like the ball is in the Leafs’ court here. In that he’s interested in the opportunity,” Mirtle added. “And I don’t think it would cost a lot, in terms of dollars or term.”

Roslovic would likely sign a one-year deal worth around $2.5 million. He recorded 22 goals and 17 assists for 39 points in 81 games last season with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top