Eddie Belfour.

[Guest redbaron51]

But is it really his fault?

 

Lots of fans say no, even some of the leaf faithful, but the majority of them think he's done for, not worthy of CuJo status.

 

But what did CuJo do?

 

Didn't win them a cup

or got a Vezina.

 

All he was was a good goalie, who stood on his head, and saved the leafs asses numerous amounts of time because of their shitty defence.

 

With Eagle in, and no improvement on D, and espicially some of the goals going in on the Eagle, its not his own fault.

 

Toronto fans wont admit that Cujo is the team. But he was. Eddie can't carry that team on his own, and we all know Toronto got some offence, but with out a defence, the offence is worthless.

 

Solutions?:

 

Trevor Kidd: He's done a bit better against opponents this year than the Eagle, but not as reliable.

 

Byron Dafoe: Sign him, Toronto has a stronger and younger goalie in net, and could help them again.

 

Few Good D-Man: Not many available on the free- market, but a few trades here and there can also improve the team.

 

A new coach: Bring back Pat Burns. (Well maybe not him, but he is a good coach).

 

Now these solutions are not the cure for the blues. Like the Habs, Sabres etc... Leafs used Joeseph as a goalie to get where they were.

 

Comments?

[Guest nl5xsk1]

I don't think you'd want Dafoe as your goalie. I can't think of another goaltender that has given up more game tying (or game winning) goals in the last few minutes of a game than him, and he just absolutely folded in the Habs series last year. I admit the defense was less than spectacular, but before the playoffs began all anyone was saying was that Dafoe was going to earn his $$$ by helping carry the Bruins deep into the playoffs, and he did absolutely nothing to back that up. Plus, is The Eagle really that bad?

 

I will agree that another D would help the Leafs ... how about Kyle McLaren, who's holding out from the Bruins, demanding to be traded? He's a big, bruising D that when he can stay healthy can be a force. Plus, he's hated in MTL, so it would add some more fuel to the Leafs-Habs rivalry. I don't know who the Leafs would want to give up, though.

[Guest LaParkaMarka]

Some defenseman from the Sharks is also holding out. Maybe they could unload some draft picks or something to pick up that guy?

[Guest Slingshot Suplex]

McLaren was the first name that popped in my head too but Boston isn't just gonna let him go cheap yet.

 

Brad Stuart is the SJ defenseman,right? He'd probably be the better option.He's 3 years younger and McLaren is very injury prone.And Stuart is probably cheaper . It's all a matter of what the Leafs would have to give up to get either one.

[Guest gthureson]

All trade talks for anybody under 28 concerning the Leafs should just stop, right now.

 

 

Toronto has nobody to trade for anybody with the bulk of their career still in front of them.

 

Brad Stuart is 23 and developing very nicely. For the Sharks to deal him, they'd want someone who could take his place on the blue line, of a similar age. Remember, they lost Suter to retirement this year.

 

Who do the Leafs have? Kaberle, Pilar and McCabe that fits that requirement. And these three guys range from competent to horrid in their own end.

 

Trading one of those three for Stuart yields no net benefit. You have traded one young defenceman for another.

 

Same deal with McLaren. Boston will want a d-man back, as McLaren holding out is a hole in the roster.

 

The only other relatively young guys they to make a deal with are Alyn McCauley and Brad Boyes. McCauley has one good post-season and a history of concussions on his resume, but he might be able to get you something. Boyes is the best prospect they've had in years, and with average age of their top six forwards getting up there, they would do well to hang onto him. But who knows?

 

Draft picks from the Leafs, going by the record the last few years, would be in the latter part of the round, where there are no sure-fire winners despite the depth of the draft. It would take multiple picks to get someone decent.

 

Stuart would probably take a 1st and a 2nd, for instance. Again, with the dearth of prospects in the Leafs system, unless its for someone who can play the next 10 years as a Leaf, they should hold onto it.

 

Poor drafting over the last twenty years has left Toronto in a position where they do not have much to trade to get younger. Add onto to that they are overpaying players who might get something on the trade market (Renberg, Reichel, Hoglund, Domi), and you have a team that can make minor trades for spare parts, but really is no position to make a blockbuster deal, or able to trade for younger talent without giving up what little young talent they have in the system in return. Giving little net benefit.

 

IE: Trading Pilar and a pick for Stuart still leaves you short good defencemen. While Stuart is probably better, you still have 3 stiffs rounding out your top 6.

 

They also fucked themselves by signing Kidd and not Schwab. Schwab performed quite well, would have been cheaper, and would have made the signing of Dafoe possible if Belfour faltered.

 

But with both Belfour and Kidd, what do you do with a high-priced goalie if you sign Dafoe?

 

Kidd isn't worth much as trade bait, as he hasn't shown anything sign his injury a couple of season ago. Belfour has a huge contract and is 38. You'd have to eat some of it to move him.

 

The lineup you see for the Leafs right now will be the lineup up until the trade deadline, when they might shuffle spare parts with someone and get another Aki Berg.

[Guest starvenger]

But is it really his fault?

Of course it isn't. But if you're in Eddie's position you've gotta earn the fans respect. They know he's not as good as Cujo, and they're gonna let him know it whether he likes it or not.

 

Solutions?:

Trevor Kidd: He's done a bit better against opponents this year than the Eagle, but not as reliable.

 

Byron Dafoe: Sign him, Toronto has a stronger and younger goalie in net, and could help them again.

Kidd is basically in the Jeff Hackett position. He's a decent goalie and definitely a better-than-average backup, but I dunno if you'd make him the everyday starter.

 

Dafoe comes at a pretty hefty price, and you're not gonna commit more money for yet another goaltender. The day Dominek Hasek retired, the Leafs knew Cujo was gone and, for better or for worse, focused on Belfour. So we're stuck there.

 

Few Good D-Man: Not many available on the free- market, but a few trades here and there can also improve the team.

Right now, goals are up, and it's not just the Leafs that are lacking in the defence department. It seems like most teams are taking a "wait-and-see" approach to see if their guys can adjust to the new rules before making any trades or signings. And since this isn't MLB, you gotta trade something to get something, so a guy like Nik Antropov or Alyn McCauley would probably go.

 

A new coach: Bring back Pat Burns. (Well maybe not him, but he is a good coach).

New Jersey may have something to say about that. Quinn, however, does need to jettison one of his portfolios, but there's a bit of a political struggle between him and Ken Dryden, so it probably won't happen.