Ah yes the cult of Dubas who are the only people on the planet to not realize both how terrible and how soft the team was last season.

No, but I don't think that this team can be a legit contender with the big-4 taking up as much of the cap as they do. I don't see any way out, as they are unlikely to get a good enough return for one of the big-4 anyway. I see them struggling for the next 4 years. Maybe getting to the 2nd round once. Losing any player who out-performs their contract because they won't be able to re-sign them. And continuing to do a terrible job of developing their young Ds. Then starting over again in 4 years or so and everyone will wonder how this team never got anywhere.

As for your team, I think it is way too soft. Both the Ds and Fs. I have never seen any evidence that Demelo would consider signing in Toronto, and I don't see why Winnipeg would consider trading his rights when they were trying to (successfully) sign him.

Andersen is a very different kind of player than Bracco, he's a Hyman type and a pretty good bet to be at least a useful 2 way 3rd liner.
People want to trade Holl because they think a teams 4th best defender needs to be Brett Pesce or something.
Brodie is significantly better than DeMelo. DeMelo has become so hilariously over rated it's not even funny and it doesnt matter what the Leafs thought because he never even made it to free agency so they never had a shot at him

Never liked Cherry, but I do understand that the NHL is a league of adults - adults who laughed at a team so soft even 6-year-olds would have pushed them around.

And the proof is in the actual results. Back in 2018 everyone "knew" that the team was going to a contender within a year or two. Instead they couldn't hold a lead, embarrassed themselves all season long, played at a 94.8 point pace (even worse than 2016-17) and missed the playoffs.

I think that Cherry is an idiot, but the advanced stats goofs are far bigger dummies.

Why do Leafs fans think Joey Anderson is an NHLer? He's a 23 year old AHLer who couldn't crack the Devils lineup.
Why do so many folks want to trade 20- minute a game and the Leafs best RHD Holl?
I wonder if Brodie is worth his 5m contract when I see other UFA deals signed. Holl and maybe DeMelo at 3.25m would have been better solution and then there would be additional cap space. Thought Toronto boy DeMelo would have listened to Leafs offers but either the DeMelo or the Leafs didn't think DeMelo was a fit.

Remember the Leafs dug themselves out the Babcock non playoff spot pit, and earned a playoff spot with a rookie coach. If the Leafs get off to better start and Keefe is better, and the Leafs don't sustain LTIR injuries to Muzzin and Reilly like they did last year, they should be better.

lol sure thing bahd. That's why your analysis sounds like it was coming straight out of that over pressed high collar of his. Amazing how one partial season where the defence is hilariously crushed by injuries and they have the worst goaltending in years they suddenly play worse!
Only someone who watches hockey games by listening to Nick Kypreos flap his gums between periods instead of actually, you know, watching the games could see what happened.
Anyone who thinks "softness" is even a top 10 issue with last years leafs should try paying attention to what's actually going on when they play.

Just because Andersen is different than Bracco, doesn't make Andersen an NHLer either. Hope he is, but by his past performance, doesn't seem to an NHL earlier to me.
Thanks for your DeMelo analysis. Even still if the Leafs had shown interest, DeMelo would have known and might waited for a the UFA signing period to give him more choice. That been said, some UFAs that signed later never got the $$$ or term they expected and some players remain unsigned. Maybe DeMelo was smart and took the money when it was available

This is how incredibly stupid people like you are. Even Kyle Dubas recognized how ridiculously soft the team was last year and talked repeatedly about how the team needed to be harder to play against.

Maybe some day you will right about something, but I doubt it.

Bogo and Demelo are similar players. Why spend an additional 2M, especially when TOR is a cap strapped team?

I think DeMelo is a lot better than Bogosian. Not really sure if Bogosian is a top 4 defenceman anymore.

look at you go. If you were actually paying attention to what the leafs did in the off season you'd notice that Dubas did a heck of a lot more than "add toughness" to the Leafs roster, he shored up goaltending depth, added a huge piece to the defence and brought in some guys with really good defensive analytics! It's almost like toughness was one of a dozen things he improved!
But of course people who cant see past their Colton Orr boners only noticed the one thing.

he 100% isnt, Bogo is barely a 3rd pairing defender. However Brodie is significantly better than DeMelo

Yawn. I look forward to your "analysis" of why the Leafs' were the best team in the NHL after they fail to make it past the first round again this year.

not that i think this is a good AGM or anything, but i swear to god the leafs could add McDavid and Hedman and somehow people would still be "bloo bloo first round exit"

Do you guys think this team is a contender?

Do you guys think this team is a contender?

i look forward to you blaming the leafs getting hilariously goaltendered, having their best defenders injured by blocking shots or shooting 2% on lack of toughness if it happens again.
If the Leafs were as soft as people like you pretend then there is no way in the world they would have taken a team like the Bruins to 7 games or even got 2 wins out of the blue jackets last year.

Ah yes, the million excuses march. It will be on full display next year again.

Nope. It honestly isn't any better than the current Leafs are.

Still expecting a first round exit...

Never liked Cherry, but I do understand that the NHL is a league of adults - adults who laughed at a team so soft even 6-year-olds would have pushed them around.

And the proof is in the actual results. Back in 2018 everyone "knew" that the team was going to a contender within a year or two. Instead they couldn't hold a lead, embarrassed themselves all season long, played at a 94.8 point pace (even worse than 2016-17) and missed the playoffs.

I think that Cherry is an idiot, but the advanced stats goofs are far bigger dummies.

As much as I like DeMelo and tried to add him to almost all of my ACGM teams, I don't think exchanging him for Holl makes that much of an improvement -- but adding him sure would have.

To be honest, it's not really that much of an upgrade over the current group