Quoting: pharrow
A. that is not where toronto is right now. My god, toronto's young players haven't even peaked.
And look at your thought process. Sure we'll trade out that late round first with 1-2 prospects.....
What do you want to happen to your young club. Them to turn out to be like Pittsburgh right now. It only takes 2-3 years and all your prospects are basically gone, your prospect pool is weak, and your ability to keep cycling in the youth is gone. Then you find yourself reaching and in cap hell. That's the worst possible way to build a long term future on a team that IS going to win at some point as these players start hitting their peaks. You go look at the east and you can see the 3 teams coming. Toronto, CBJ and Carolina. Everyone else is looking at the door closing and the rebuild having to start. But those young teams wrapping up their core long term are the teams that are going to be competing for years having a chance at multiple cups..
A. that is not where toronto is right now. My god, toronto's young players haven't even peaked. Yes, right NOW, they are a middling team with the record to prove it - 3 first round exits in a row. Between NOW and WHEN toronto's young players peak (FUTURE EVENT) a series of decisions will be made by management in order for the team to have the best possible chance at success (i.e. the cup). The range of possibilities related to those decisions are unpredictable and almost limitless (because they haven't happened yet.... and once a decision is made, it changes the available possibilities related to the next decision )
And look at your thought process. Sure we'll trade out that late round first with 1-2 prospects..... Bingo! Yep, your offer of Pittsburgh's 4 firsts allows the leafs to use that as currency in trades while not diminshing their existing draft picks. Their draft and development process continues unencumbered
What do you want to happen to your young club. I think there is a good possibility that by keeping their own picks (and spending Pits) they might continue to hit on guys like Sandin and Lily with late first round picks and find guys like Dermott, Bracco and Grundstrom with their 2nd round picks.. and maybe even hit a gem like Johnsson in the 7th round. they continue to develop those prospects like they are now, increasing their value until some make the jump (like Dermott/Johnsson) and play an important role given their skill and elc status (greatly assisting their cap structure) while excess prospects (like Grundstom and Drusak) are packaged with Pits 1st round picks in various trades to address team weaknesses and needs (i.e Muzzin).
Them to turn out to be like Pittsburgh right now It only takes 2-3 years and all your prospects are basically gone, your prospect pool is weak, and your ability to keep cycling in the youth is gone. kinda just stepped you through the logic that would avoid that.
Then you find yourself reaching and in cap hell I'm not sure how this process would put them in cap hell at all. And like you rightfully pointed out, if Pits could give up 4 firsts for Marner and then trade the pieces out to accommodate Marner and still not be in cap hell, then that logic should also hold for the leafs. having too many good players is not cap hell - its the ideal situation! Having too many players on inflated contracts is... i.e. Lucic, Seabrook, just as two examples...
Look, we can keep doing this, but I should warn you that you're increasingly going to turn yourself in circles (and maybe even look silly) in trying to make your point, while I'll just use your very words to counter. Because here's the difference... you're trying to be right, and I could give two beans about that... what we are discussing is future possibilities, which means neither of us can know how this turns out. And as far as I understand the rules, trading Marner or letting him go on an OS is a possibility.. I recognize that, and its why I keep pointing out the possibility to you and then laying out how that could work.. not how it will.
So, I'll end this post the same way as the last couple, but this time I'll bold a few items in hopes that you get my drift here...
"Listen, I'm not saying I want to trade Marner or that an OS is the prefered option. What I am saying is that
the leafs could very easily trade Marner or let him go on an OS and still become a better team." Just kinda saying that
that could be a possibility, like you know,... the leafs
could actually win without Marner.
I could be wrong.. but there are 4 teams still playing and none of them have Marner.
How's that work?