J
886 posts
A movie that's in your top 25 list but unlikely to be in anyone else's?
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@KimJongBettman In what universe does Ottawa not hang up when this proposed?
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A Brady Tkachuk for Matthew Knies plus whatever trade makes too much sense
Ottawa gets a young player far from UFA status that can play long with their core.
Toronto gets better by adding the power forward they’ve been wanting. If Brady leaves as a UFA then you simply trade Matthews, Nylander and start the rebuild
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Without saying Dave Stieb, Joe Carter Roy Halladay, Roberto Alomar, or Jose Bautista, name a Blue Jay….
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@CFellinator @mcclxskey Like I’m watching the Habs opening, and we simply do not have anything at that level…….its sad.
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@real_johnny @mcclxskey Depends on the owner and the board. And the expectations. Pat Gillick built the Jays into a winner and had a three-headed ownership. But they left him alone and let him do his thing
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Meant to post at the start of the day.... how long before I'm accused of being John Chayka's burner?
Tucks, I'm happy to make the case for Scott White as well, I just don't think he needs any help. I think people are bang on to think he'd be a great hire.
I don't think everyone has the right read on John Chayka. That's all.
Roberts&Tucks@ldl716
John Chayka’s long lost cousin, McCluskey lol
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@CFellinator @mcclxskey I’d kill to have a Gillick as head of the Leafs. I just hope Rogers just makes the hire. But I don’t have faith.
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@JeffMarek @MikeBartner Ouch…..that’s a very wrestling take. But not necessarily wrong
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Who is the worst player currently in the NHL that would be Top 10 in the League 40 years ago in 1986.
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@CFellinator @mcclxskey Do you think having to answer to a board as opposed to 1 owner make this far harder?
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@real_johnny @mcclxskey And my biggest worry with a retread GM is they will just keep retooling and all the sudden five years have gone by and it’s a repeat of the Burke years. In other words: ownership’s expectations are going to drive what happens. Regardless of who they hire.
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@real_johnny @mcclxskey My biggest worry with going with a new, young GM is that the expectation of ownership is a quick re-tool and when that doesn’t work, the GM will be gone before getting an opportunity to implement their ideas.
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@mcclxskey I’d be a lot more excited by Pronger at the top than what’s going on.
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On Leafs Morning Take, Noodles says he asked Chris Pronger the follow-up question everyone's been wondering about on his interview with the Leafs.
"For what role, and how did that interview go?"
Pronger changed the subject and talked about his book.
Seems likely Pronger's out, but might hint at a mandate from the Leafs not to disclose the title of the position.
Could track with what Friedman reported earlier - One position, Head of Hockey Operations - or, it could track with retracting their previous stance and hiring a POHO + GM.
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@real_johnny @mcclxskey Take that as a good sign. The last thing this team needs is another media-approved, big name, retread GM.
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@mcclxskey They are gonna fuck this up majestically, back to the pre Fletcher era.
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We're told Mats Sundin has been interviewed for a role "less than the head of hockey operations", "more than an advisor".
We've also been told they're only making one hire - no president + GM, and this process is still ongoing.
Wouldn't the head of hockey operations be involved in hiring a Mats Sundin?
Something's wrong with this.
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@mcclxskey Petterson is undersized for his role and hasn’t put in the work to make himself better. Just my dumb ass take.
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According to Nick Kypreos, he's heard (but not confirmed) that Mike Gillis is OUT and believes John Chayka is the front runner for the Leafs GM job.
Wild.
I still think Mike Gillis has been in place as the next team president for weeks and John Chayka's my top choice for GM among the reported finalists, followed closely by Scott White.
Chayka would undoubtedly have to address his departure from Arizona - which, if he's hired, shouldn't be a problem. He'll have already overcome that with relative ease to have been successful in the interview.
I still believe Mats Sundin's going to be involved.
McCluskey@mcclxskey
Re: John Chayka - this isn't talked about enough. 2 sides to every story. John Chayka took the high road (like a professional) while Meruelo ran his name through the mud after he left the team. From what I've read, Meruelo refused to grant Devils ownership permission to talk to Chayka about an elevated role with their club. Chayka talked Meruelo into giving him permission and was ultimately offered an opportunity (ie. President), and Meruelo was beyond pissed. He claims Chayka told him he was merely having a friendly cup of coffee and was blindsided by the outcome. I mean... regardless of how Chayka truly pitched this, you've gotta be some kind of stupid to miss the plot here and feel "blindsided". On one hand, Chayka was under contract - a fresh contract, at that. He was a promising young leader and Meruelo wanted to keep him. On the other hand, the Coyotes were objectively a stepping stone organization and Meruelo was holding a young man back from a promising and arguably once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to elevate his career. I believe Meruelo had every right to be upset/disappointed, but was wrong for trying to hold John Chayka back from a chance like this. Disputes happen in business. If you're mad, you tell Chayka to fuck off, you let him go, you keep it cordial in the media and you move on. Instead, he opted for a power play and held Chayka hostage to deliberately cost him the opportunity, which Chayka rejected, and quit. Ultimately, it cost Meruelo his GM + bad publicity, and it cost Chayka his opportunity + bad publicity as well. It doesn't bode well for Meruelo that just a few years later, the team would be playing in Mullett Arena and ultimately forced to sell the team and relocate to Utah. Think about it - where would John Chayka have been in 3 years had he stayed in Arizona? He'd be running a team out of a janitor's closet in a college arena. Could have been president of the Devils. It's a joke, and it's complete bullshit that this context gets missed when people remember John Chayka's tenure in Arizona. I'd likely have done all the same things John Chayka did. Can't say the same for Alex Meruelo.
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@mcclxskey Petterson is a bust and a waste of time for me. Undersized at the position with 0 heart and 0 compete level.
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It would be a huge risk. Mistake is to be determined.
It's rare a player with Pettersson's ceiling becomes damaged goods, available for pennies on the dollar.
It's also rare for a player of his caliber to fall off so drastically + the feud with teammates.
Gillis' thesis is that Pettersson needs another guy to play with and he'll get back to form.
You'd put your career on the line immediately by attaching yourself to Pettersson & his contract. You'd better be sure. I just have a feeling about this. It's as bold a move as you can make and could have immediate upside (or obviously, downside).
High risk, high reward. This is where you need data to support your thesis.
Mike Gillis hasn't been confirmed yet. I'm putting the cart way before the horse.
Ryken6@Ryken6
@mcclxskey I think EP40 would be a huge mistake. Huge contract, declining production and honestly, he doesn’t strike me as a guy who would do well in the Toronto market. Just my opinion.
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If the Toronto Maple Leafs hire Mike Gillis, don't be surprised if they make a push to acquire Elias Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks.
In January 2025, prior to the JT Miller trade, Gillis was asked about how he'd handle the Miller / Pettersson beef during an interview with Sekeres & Price.
"Pettersson for me is a premier player. I just think he's got so much upside and if surrounded with the right people and in the right environment, I think he's a player you build around. He's at the right age, he's just entering what I would consider the primary years of his career if he doesn't get injured, and he would be a focal point on trying to figure out how to make this work for him."
Massive deals are incredibly rare these days, but Filip Hronek is a guy I've had on my own list of targets for Toronto this summer.
Gillis also 'all but confirms' that Roberto Luongo declined to waive his no-trade clause to join the Maple Leafs (as reported by Doug MacLean at the time) and discusses his broader approach to moving a respected player with a NMC - worth the listen.
It goes without saying this approach would be highly relevant to the Toronto Maple Leafs - Morgan Rielly in particular.
youtube.com/watch?v=HhlLdx…
YouTube
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@mcclxskey This is just shaping up like a huge catastrophe……are we talking 3 yrs….5……or is this going to be endless futility, we took 2 steps forward and 4 decades back. Fuck me get me a 2nd Toronto based team ASAP…..go “Toros”
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I wouldn’t say he needs “more snot or truculence”.
I would say he needs less “avoid him at the water cooler or he might talk your ear off about his toy train set again”.
Randy King@r3_king
@mcclxskey Does he need more snot or more truculence?
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