I Like Mike........

[The Cobra]

As a Leafs fan I`m getting to like Mike Babcock more and more by the week if not by the day. Besides via the draft etc he`s developing a legitimate hockey team that may very well contend for the Cup in the near future (3)yrs he`s seemingly done the impossible. He has managed to pretty much shut the holes in the faces of all those irresponsible, headline inventing whores of the Toronto Sports Media who have played a huge part in the non development of the Leafs for decades. "Stamkos is coming, Tavares is coming, it`s Kessel`s fault, it`s Phaneuf`s fault" goalie contraversy after goalie contraversy, head coach after head coach have been only a few examples of their irresponsible accomplishments to the point that no one wants to come to play hockey in Toronto.
About a week and a half ago Andersen had a couple bad games in a row and McIlhenny(new backup) came in and had a good game saving that game...........out came the scavengers by the droves writing story after story calling that McIlhenny may start now which was nonsense. Along with that they created a scenario that Nylander was the rumor of trades....story after story. Yes he was the center of the rumor......the one the Toronto Media started. This is a kid don`t forget.......having false rumors printed about him everywhere is supposed to help his development??? Toronto is full of kids right now, their egos, confidence etc are frail when it comes to the media beating on them relentlessly for no other reason than to sell their story. So what did Babcock do....on air just before an interview he warned Mark Masters in no uncertain terms to think first and ask second...Masters did as he was threatened because he wouldn`t be writing many stories if Babcock shut him and others from the dressing room as he did in Detroit on a couple occasions when writers printed garbage "detrimental to the team".
Well funny thing happened since that day a couple weeks ago.......the next day all positives were written about the players and the team, the Leafs generated very few stories but the Toronto sports boys took to running the Habs...story after story telling the Habs what was wrong with their team, who would fix it, is there a problem with Price, who to trade for etc etc story after story continuing to the present.
Babs was interviewed today on Leafs Lunch with reporters chomping to find out about Mitch Marner and a couple other moves as far as possible trades..............Babs gave them nothing...ABSOLUTELY NOTHING past the "upper body thing" and a fistful of "i don`t knows"....then left. I loved it....every Leafs fan should love it. Finally someone has come along to stand up to these blowhards, call a spade a spade and leave them out in the cold where they can`t do the damage to the Leafs that they have done in the past. Mind you.....don`t expect the media to go down without a fight...we can expect some sensational storyline they`ll either invent or embellish to gain some of their recognition back again. Watch your back Babs....those guys have long memories and will pounce en masse the second something goes wrong. Media frauds stick together like glue right or wrong and pounce like wolves at the weakest point.

Till that happens....Way to go Mike, great job.

[sonicmario]

Great post Cobra, and that is the truth, we finally have a management team that will tell those media goofs, where to go, I caught the leafs lunch show today, and Babcock didnt give them a thing, when they asked on how busy trade deadline for the buds would be, he told leafs lunch to find something better to do with there time because toronto isnt doing anything, lol I laughed thinking to myself i bet trades will happen but he will not give the media and ounce of anything relevant so they dont have a pot to pee in to write facts about the leafs:)

[The Noof]

Well...he's no Peter Horachek , and he does look a little like a muppets character, but he's one heck of a good coach.Leafs got 100% better the day he signed on.

[The Cobra]

Well...he's no Peter Horachek , and he does look a little like a muppets character, but he's one heck of a good coach.Leafs got 100% better the day he signed on.
"Muppets character"??....2 words.........Homer Simpson.......................LOL............great coach as well.

[The Cobra]

Great post Cobra, and that is the truth, we finally have a management team that will tell those media goofs, where to go, I caught the leafs lunch show today, and Babcock didnt give them a thing, when they asked on how busy trade deadline for the buds would be, he told leafs lunch to find something better to do with there time because toronto isnt doing anything, lol I laughed thinking to myself i bet trades will happen but he will not give the media and ounce of anything relevant so they dont have a pot to pee in to write facts about the leafs:)
When they get put in their place they used to strike out and invent their own trade scenarios for the Leafs brass to deny...if they didn`t deny...therefore it must be true kinda idea. We`ll see if they try it here to excess because you know they`ll say something before deadline. Their problem is they get steam rolling and can`t stop if the story sells.......they`d trade Matthews and Marner both if they could get a year`s press out of it.

[Mr Hanky]

Either way they should pull the trigger for 2 defenseman and make a run for the cup. It could be a now or never thing, most rookies don't have as good of yr in their second term. Should that happen they will need all 5 yrs to rebound with their strategy and the media will devour them. In the past the leafs have had many 5yr failure plans , what makes them think doing nothing is productive again. I think bringing LOU on board was a big mistake and will jeopardize this team and Babb's

[The Cobra]

Either way they should pull the trigger for 2 defenseman and make a run for the cup. It could be a now or never thing, most rookies don't have as good of yr in their second term. Should that happen they will need all 5 yrs to rebound with their strategy and the media will devour them. In the past the leafs have had many 5yr failure plans , what makes them think doing nothing is productive again. I think bringing LOU on board was a big mistake and will jeopardize this team and Babb's

The problem with pulling the trigger on getting 2 defensemen........defensemen aren`t cheap so who do you trade to get them and how much of the farm do you give up to do it for even one defenseman. The Leafs in the past have done just that ....sold the farm dumped good draft picks etc for who exactly??? I`d prefer they stayed the course...maybe buy someone in the summer instead of trading. In the past the Leafs eye for talent would be called "questionable" at best under Dave Morrison at the draft table. We`ll agree on Lou tho......old school brain and ideas for younger generation players doesn`t always fit...look at whee it got Therrien in Montreal. I don`t see much if anything by the Leafs at deadline........the Habs on the other hand are beginning to look at their window starting to close so they will indeed make some moves for the now because later isn`t as much as an option.

[bobby]

Either way they should pull the trigger for 2 defenseman and make a run for the cup. It could be a now or never thing, most rookies don't have as good of yr in their second term. Should that happen they will need all 5 yrs to rebound with their strategy and the media will devour them. In the past the leafs have had many 5yr failure plans , what makes them think doing nothing is productive again. I think bringing LOU on board was a big mistake and will jeopardize this team and Babb's

lol. if it were that easy it would have been done, who are these two defensemen? almost every other team with the exception of a few are looking for top D men, no doubt toronto is thin on D and their weak point after Rielly, Zietsev and you could throw Gardiner in there but there are too many things to consider and don't forget the leafs will need to submit a protected list of players to the league for the expansion Vegas team which complicates things even more, I don't expect much this trade deadline as I do not see anything substantial to be had on the market or anything long term that will help the leafs without jepordizing what they are doing now, Lou has made good moves since joining the leafs and I only see him improving the team with the right type of move(s) at the right time, if something is out there that works I see Lou pulling the trigger, if you would have said last season that the leafs will be a serious contendor this year and should go for a cup now most would laugh and probably say your on something, for once the leafs are doing things right and are fun to watch and follow again, making rash moves for the now has been done too many times and we have all seen how that has worked out, I for one am pleased with the huge jump the team has made this year and would rather wait for the right move in order to be good for years to come and not just the hear and now

[scooby8888]

this plan always looks good stepping back and looking ahead in 5 yrs or say even 3 which i look at this team now and say "yes they will be good", and being a penguins fan am glad they finally have a path that looks like it MIGHT workout, but i've seen in pittsburgh when all these young kids want to get paid it falls apart and heaven forbid they actually win the cup because you will see an average defenseman seeking to get paid millions over what they are worth and this will rub off on everybody trust me i've seen it happen alot. success always leads to overpaying watch and see.

[The Noof]

lol. if it were that easy it would have been done, who are these two defensemen? almost every other team with the exception of a few are looking for top D men, no doubt toronto is thin on D and their weak point after Rielly, Zietsev and you could throw Gardiner in there but there are too many things to consider and don't forget the leafs will need to submit a protected list of players to the league for the expansion Vegas team which complicates things even more, I don't expect much this trade deadline as I do not see anything substantial to be had on the market or anything long term that will help the leafs without jepordizing what they are doing now, Lou has made good moves since joining the leafs and I only see him improving the team with the right type of move(s) at the right time, if something is out there that works I see Lou pulling the trigger, if you would have said last season that the leafs will be a serious contendor this year and should go for a cup now most would laugh and probably say your on something, for once the leafs are doing things right and are fun to watch and follow again, making rash moves for the now has been done too many times and we have all seen how that has worked out, I for one am pleased with the huge jump the team has made this year and would rather wait for the right move in order to be good for years to come and not just the hear and now

The GREAT sports teams always manage to get it done bro:look at the Patriots,& any top team in any sport.It starts with a system & a philosophy born at the top.

[Mr Hanky]

Edmonton gave up Hall for Larson and that's worked for both teams. Edmonton's on there way to the playoffs is Lou that blind. Why not trade that bum kadri who is having a over achieving yr and get something before he turns to **** again.

[The Cobra]

Edmonton gave up Hall for Larson and that's worked for both teams. Edmonton's on there way to the playoffs is Lou that blind. Why not trade that bum kadri who is having a over achieving yr and get something before he turns to **** again.
We share the same opinion re Kadri, he plays for Kadri IMHO.........but we`ll never get rid of him. If you notice when he`s bad he`s the one guy that seems to escape all the major criticism even for his questionable hits....when he`s good there are interviews and clippings all over the place. Did you ever hear his name in any of the trade rumors the media invents??? No....and if you ask why to these many questions re Kadri...just take a look at the lower bowl of the ACC during a Leafs game and you`ll know the reason why.

[The Cobra]

Edmonton gave up Hall for Larson and that's worked for both teams. Edmonton's on there way to the playoffs is Lou that blind. Why not trade that bum kadri who is having a over achieving yr and get something before he turns to **** again.
The Leafs don`t have a Taylor Hall to give up......and their "depth" up front strictly revolves around 1st yr players in Matthews and Marner. They aren`t going anywhere.

[The Cobra]

lol. if it were that easy it would have been done, who are these two defensemen? almost every other team with the exception of a few are looking for top D men, no doubt toronto is thin on D and their weak point after Rielly, Zietsev and you could throw Gardiner in there but there are too many things to consider and don't forget the leafs will need to submit a protected list of players to the league for the expansion Vegas team which complicates things even more, I don't expect much this trade deadline as I do not see anything substantial to be had on the market or anything long term that will help the leafs without jepordizing what they are doing now, Lou has made good moves since joining the leafs and I only see him improving the team with the right type of move(s) at the right time, if something is out there that works I see Lou pulling the trigger, if you would have said last season that the leafs will be a serious contendor this year and should go for a cup now most would laugh and probably say your on something, for once the leafs are doing things right and are fun to watch and follow again, making rash moves for the now has been done too many times and we have all seen how that has worked out, I for one am pleased with the huge jump the team has made this year and would rather wait for the right move in order to be good for years to come and not just the hear and now

Nice post...I agree wholeheartedly...........stay the course.

[The Cobra]

The GREAT sports teams always manage to get it done bro:look at the Patriots,& any top team in any sport.It starts with a system & a philosophy born at the top.
Absolutely correct....great teams start with the guys that are building them...............the Leafs just lately retained hockey men to form a hockey team.........before that it was MLSE and the teachers neither caring if the Leafs won as long as the dividends kept rising........results are obvious.

[Mr Hanky]

Playing the draft is a 50/50 thing Edmonton had the first pick along with Buffalo for about 15yrs only Pittsburg has made that work. Staying the path and losing is contagious , the media gripes and the players except losing, after a few yrs the team is full of losers and a fire sale is needed. They are in a good place right now to pull the trigger ,either way they are not going to finish low enough to get a good draft pick in the soft draft coming up. Vegas /Colo/Arizona have locked up the first 3 already. Kadri would be my pick to throw at the bus.

[The Cobra]

Playing the draft is a 50/50 thing Edmonton had the first pick along with Buffalo for about 15yrs only Pittsburg has made that work. Staying the path and losing is contagious , the media gripes and the players except losing, after a few yrs the team is full of losers and a fire sale is needed. They are in a good place right now to pull the trigger ,either way they are not going to finish low enough to get a good draft pick in the soft draft coming up. Vegas /Colo/Arizona have locked up the first 3 already. Kadri would be my pick to throw at the bus.
In case you hadn`t noticed the Leafs have already had their fire sale so to speak.......Kessel is gone, Phaneuf gone, Lupul sidelined forever just for starts. The malignant core of the Leafs is gone and their replacements are youth of great talent(at least up front).......the Leafs problems this and many previous years is the total lack of defense is demonstrated last nite vs the Sens in yet another blown 3rd period lead. If the Leafs would have retained even half of their 3rd period leads this season they would be sitting comfortably in 1st place. The second half of every season and escalating into the playoffs teams with poor defense fall to the wayside as the ice gets smaller and smaller the deeper you go into the playoffs.
So what do you trade?????....certainly not their youth movement that has been responsible for bringing the Leafs at least to respectability. An NHL caliber defenseman on average takes 2-3 yrs longer than a forward to develop esp a defensive defenseman, a stopper if you will. If I`m the Leafs I`d wonder what the likes of Kadri, Gardiner + in a pkg would bring me. But Kadri isn`t going anywhere for reasons I`ve mentioned....that`s the way it is even tho many don`t like it. He sells...and let`s face it that`s what MLSE loves, the media loves him cause he`s got a big mouth and is a walking storyline at any given moment.
The way I see it is the Leafs if anything have to trade for prospects, good ones, on defense cause like you mentioned it`s a weak draft this year and they won`t finish low enough for the lottery anyway. Teams don`t like getting rid of defenensive prospects so that`s why I don`t see much movement in the Leafs.....they have time on their side right now and hopefully they don`t blow out what they have started.

[The Cobra]

There is a bright side here...............somebody in Toronto will predict exactly what moves the Leafs make. I say that because between now and trade deadline March 1 all these know nothing blowhard sport writers in Toronto will cover every possible scenario that the Leafs should do........odds say that somebody is bound to have bragging rights of an "I told you so".

The bright side? MLB season is about to begin where about half of these "experts" telling us "how to" with the Leafs magically transform into Baseball experts and tell everyone what`s wrong and how to fix the Blue Jays.

[sonicmario]

There is a bright side here...............somebody in Toronto will predict exactly what moves the Leafs make. I say that because between now and trade deadline March 1 all these know nothing blowhard sport writers in Toronto will cover every possible scenario that the Leafs should do........odds say that somebody is bound to have bragging rights of an "I told you so".

The bright side? MLB season is about to begin where about half of these "experts" telling us "how to" with the Leafs magically transform into Baseball experts and tell everyone what`s wrong and how to fix the Blue Jays.

haha yep they will go on about Josh Donaldson's Calf for the next few weeks, or how Stroman will pitch with 2.00 era and Bautista will Jack 50 lol, I agree Cobra they cant Mortgage the future, but the D thing is very worry some, Gardiner with about 5-10 good giveways last night he is a legit number 4 lol

[The Cobra]

haha yep they will go on about Josh Donaldson's Calf for the next few weeks, or how Stroman will pitch with 2.00 era and Bautista will Jack 50 lol, I agree Cobra they cant Mortgage the future, but the D thing is very worry some, Gardiner with about 5-10 good giveways last night he is a legit number 4 lol
Funny it was just a couple seasons ago when Mr Neverwas(Zahn) and Howdy Doody(Campbell) were both comparing Stroman, Estrada and Sanchez to Justin Verlander and explaining how all 3 were better than Verlander. That little boastful prediction didn`t work out too well. Bautista is another story....this guy has got to be dragging one heavy tail back to Toronto after being humiliated in public in his jump to free agency and finding out nobody wanted him. I guess you can eat a lot of pride for $17 mil tho...I know I would.

[The Cobra]

Back to hockey.....Gardiner with all the giveaways and getting caught up ice was a major contribution in the reason Phaneuf took all the heat he did. Phaneuf wasn`t a star but he was a decent defenseman constantly being left alone by Gardiner. It didn`t help that Phaneuf was slow of foot which compounded the issue........but Phaneuf was the problem because Phaneuf had the bigger contract and would fetch more in a trade so he had to go. MLSE at it`s best. Getting their media to make them a star and blaming them when things go wrong.

[Mr Hanky]

Their not hurting anything by trading a few players they have in T.O. The only one playing from 2016 th draft is Mathews ,not that big of a fire sale when you take a look at it. More of a fix on the fly Burke plan. lol . Phaneuf was a bigger man then anyone in T.O. for all the crap he took , glad he's doing good and enjoying playing again. There you go..... trade Gardiner and Kadri for a Ham sandwich and a puck.

[The Cobra]

Their not hurting anything by trading a few players they have in T.O. The only one playing from 2016 th draft is Mathews ,not that big of a fire sale when you take a look at it. More of a fix on the fly Burke plan. lol . Phaneuf was a bigger man then anyone in T.O. for all the crap he took , glad he's doing good and enjoying playing again. There you go..... trade Gardiner and Kadri for a Ham sandwich and a puck.
I`ll second that on Phaneuf and toss Kessel in there as well......neither deserved the crap they ate and never said a word....glad to see them both doing well. I`ll agree that it wasn`t much of a fire sale because they had nobody that anyone wanted except for some real high draft picks. We`ll see.

[sonicmario]

I agree, the deal Phaneuf got signed too was way more than what he was worth, Nonis thought he was a number 1 d man, obviously he was not lol, if he was signed to a lesser deal and played the number 3 role he would of been liked in T.O, but the media did ruin Kessel and Phaneuf and it was uncalled for....

[The Cobra]

I agree, the deal Phaneuf got signed too was way more than what he was worth, Nonis thought he was a number 1 d man, obviously he was not lol, if he was signed to a lesser deal and played the number 3 role he would of been liked in T.O, but the media did ruin Kessel and Phaneuf and it was uncalled for....
Amen brother......Phaneuf was a #1 only because the Toronto media said he was. Bobby Orr wouldn`t have been a #1 with Gardiner as a partner. LOL

[Mr Hanky]

Gardiner heard you.....lol

[The Cobra]

Gardiner heard you.....lol

Bout time....I`ve been screaming his name at the TV since 2011. Gardiner can score and he can lead a rush.....his problems arise from timing of those leads, he sees the ice about as well as Helen Keller and his defense is a shambles with all the giveaways.
I wonder what Philly would want for Provorov....given some development time and decent coaching this kid is going to be real good unless I miss my guess...best bet is my guess that Duchene is heading to Habsland. Rangers will buy and buy.....again.

[Mr Hanky]

You maybe right Duchene would most likely want a hab deal. Don't think the Rangers need anything more then a #1 or 2 defenseman, with the scoring they have . The trades have started and I'm hoping for a blockbuster.

[The Cobra]

You maybe right Duchene would most likely want a hab deal. Don't think the Rangers need anything more then a #1 or 2 defenseman, with the scoring they have . The trades have started and I'm hoping for a blockbuster.
I`m looking for the Habs to come out of this with a scorer ........or else.