- Steven_Seagull

there are several accounts of Mikheyev's agent explaining the reasons why he chose to sign with Toronto.
Dubas was never mentioned.

sounds perfect... although a little on the tall side.
- BorjeFan4Ever

Marco Rossi is 5’9

there are several accounts of Mikheyev's agent explaining the reasons why he chose to sign with Toronto.
Dubas was never mentioned.
- MaximusAurelius

Babcock is not a great coach. With a vet laden lineup maybe he would be pretty good. But, he did make the playoffs with the club 3 years running and the first time they probably shouldn't have. Dubas changed things. Babcock no longer looks like he can get them to the playoffs. Is it Babs?

My take is neither of these guys are bringing a cup anywhere near Toronto.

You are 100% a guy that doesn't understand that it is actually better for children to be at the adults table.
Your comment shows your age and ignorance.
- MaximusAurelius

Wouldn't age and ignorance be equal to actually having raised children? Your comment shows your immaturity and lack of understanding of adults.

I'm 34.

“On a superstar line, you need to have a guy like (Mikheyev),” agent Dan Milstein said of his client. “He plays 200 feet of ice, a guy who’ll go get the puck, support the puck. He’s a power guy who’s going to make everybody else around him look good.”

It turns out it was Babcock who was instrumental in signing Mikheyev after Vegas and Chicago made solid offers.

“A lot of teams showed interest, virtually all teams,” Milstein said. “Ilya decided on Toronto. It was Mike Babcock who built a relationship with him and was communicating with him the last year. Mike went to the world championship and watched him play last year. And it was Mike and Jim Paliafito (the Leafs’ senior director of player evaluation) and the scouting staff who kept in close communication with Ilya over the past year.

“There were other exceptionally great offers that were available. But in the end it was a personal choice. He wants to be coached by Babcock.”

Milstein said some of his other clients — defencemen Igor Ozhiganov and Nikita Zaitsev and former Detroit forward Pavel Datsyuk — encouraged Mikheyev either to come to Toronto or, in Datsyuk’s case, play for Babcock.

He hates Dubas the person more than Roger hates Babs the coach.
- Steven_Seagull

that's pretty harsh..

Tonight's lines and pairings.

Johnsson-Matthews-Nylander
Hyman-Tavares-Kapanen
Mikheyev-Spezza-Petan
Engvall-Shore-Gauthier

Rielly-Holl
Muzzin-Ceci
Dermott-Barrie

Andersen
- LeafGuy89

And we wonder why we’re losing.

That lineup doesn’t smell of contender to me.

Marner can’t get back soon enough.

Wouldn't age and ignorance be equal to actually having raised children? Your comment shows your immaturity and lack of understanding of adults.

I'm 34.
- joel878

old geezer

“On a superstar line, you need to have a guy like (Mikheyev),” agent Dan Milstein said of his client. “He plays 200 feet of ice, a guy who’ll go get the puck, support the puck. He’s a power guy who’s going to make everybody else around him look good.”

It turns out it was Babcock who was instrumental in signing Mikheyev after Vegas and Chicago made solid offers.

“A lot of teams showed interest, virtually all teams,” Milstein said. “Ilya decided on Toronto. It was Mike Babcock who built a relationship with him and was communicating with him the last year. Mike went to the world championship and watched him play last year. And it was Mike and Jim Paliafito (the Leafs’ senior director of player evaluation) and the scouting staff who kept in close communication with Ilya over the past year.

“There were other exceptionally great offers that were available. But in the end it was a personal choice. He wants to be coached by Babcock.”

Milstein said some of his other clients — defencemen Igor Ozhiganov and Nikita Zaitsev and former Detroit forward Pavel Datsyuk — encouraged Mikheyev either to come to Toronto or, in Datsyuk’s case, play for Babcock.
- MaximusAurelius

Wouldn't age and ignorance be equal to actually having raised children? Your comment shows your immaturity and lack of understanding of adults.

I'm 34.
- joel878

I can get from your comments you don't have children.

You act like a child on here every day is what he is getting at.

It is one thing to have an opinion. However you spew your opinions like they are facts 50 times a day. If someone doesn't agree with you you say they don't know hockey.

You have bashed Nylander 50 times today in some sort of fashion. Get over it and act your age.
- Santo_44

Nailed it. 👍

there are several accounts of Mikheyev's agent explaining the reasons why he chose to sign with Toronto.
Dubas was never mentioned.
- MaximusAurelius

I just googled it. It's 100% true. Babs and his agent even too a selfie together in Denmark. Saying Dubas rbought this guy over is the same as saying he was the reason JT signed in Toronto. Babs was in that meeting as well, so was Shanny.

old geezer
- daeth

Look who’s talking.

“On a superstar line, you need to have a guy like (Mikheyev),” agent Dan Milstein said of his client. “He plays 200 feet of ice, a guy who’ll go get the puck, support the puck. He’s a power guy who’s going to make everybody else around him look good.”

It turns out it was Babcock who was instrumental in signing Mikheyev after Vegas and Chicago made solid offers.

“A lot of teams showed interest, virtually all teams,” Milstein said. “Ilya decided on Toronto. It was Mike Babcock who built a relationship with him and was communicating with him the last year. Mike went to the world championship and watched him play last year. And it was Mike and Jim Paliafito (the Leafs’ senior director of player evaluation) and the scouting staff who kept in close communication with Ilya over the past year.

“There were other exceptionally great offers that were available. But in the end it was a personal choice. He wants to be coached by Babcock.”

Milstein said some of his other clients — defencemen Igor Ozhiganov and Nikita Zaitsev and former Detroit forward Pavel Datsyuk — encouraged Mikheyev either to come to Toronto or, in Datsyuk’s case, play for Babcock.
- MaximusAurelius

Interesting.. Did Babcock get any permission to travel to Russia to speak to Mikheyev or behalf of the Leafs by talking it over with Shanny and Dubas? Or did he just say "frank you Duby, I don't need you, I run things around here"?

I don't get the hate for Dubas. I wish he'd pee in my cheerios, you should consider yourself lucky..
- PatC80

no hate... but not infatuated with him either.

you can't consider him the golden boy..and not acknowledge his mistakes.

for example - I really liked the trade he made for Kadri... thought the return was really good - while I didn't like the idea of trading Kadri particularly, he did get a return that was pretty good.

like any GM he lives and dies by his transactions, draft choices... while it is not Dubas fault that Barrie has been a disappointment to date... but Dubas has to own that his judgement of the situation was flawed...

just like his construction of the roster... flawed...

Interesting.. Did Babcock get any permission to travel to Russia to speak to Mikheyev or behalf of the Leafs by talking it over with Shanny and Dubas? Or did he just say "frank you Duby, I don't need you, I run things around here"?
- PatC80

Max thinks it’s this.

Look who’s talking.
- Steven_Seagull

i've been 23 years old for 11 years

i've been 23 years old for 11 years
- daeth

Yeesh...tough miles.

no hate... but not infatuated with him either.

you can't consider him the golden boy..and not acknowledge his mistakes.

for example - I really liked the trade he made for Kadri... thought the return was really good - while I didn't like the idea of trading Kadri particularly, he did get a return that was pretty good.

like any GM he lives and dies by his transactions, draft choices... while it is not Dubas fault that Barrie has been a disappointment to date... but Dubas has to own that his judgement of the situation was flawed...

just like his construction of the roster... flawed...
- BorjeFan4Ever

I personally fault Babs for Barrie's play.
How can a 50-60 point offensive D-man, only be on pace for 19 points? What changed?

Poor Muzzin. It looks like he drew thee short straw and will play with Ceci tonight.

Max thinks it’s this.
- Steven_Seagull

Ok then..

no hate... but not infatuated with him either.

you can't consider him the golden boy..and not acknowledge his mistakes.

for example - I really liked the trade he made for Kadri... thought the return was really good - while I didn't like the idea of trading Kadri particularly, he did get a return that was pretty good.

like any GM he lives and dies by his transactions, draft choices... while it is not Dubas fault that Barrie has been a disappointment to date... but Dubas has to own that his judgement of the situation was flawed...

just like his construction of the roster... flawed...
- BorjeFan4Ever

Why do you hate the Golden Boy?

Mikheyev started out great, but he has really cooled off and is showing some stone hands recently. Hope he is more than just a flash early on.

the team is a (frank)ing disaster. completely disjointed. no hope to win if andersen is not in net. just getting to 94 points and a WC is not looking good.

babcock is probably the one to go. i think you need to get to the root of the problem.
- Tumbleweed

Agreed, it's not looking good.

But by your logic previous seasons have been a failure to. Unless just clearing the wild card and going down in the first round is where the bar reaches acceptable?

This season is yet to be determined. If 20 games tells the entire seasons story, and it may, I stand corrected. But course altering decisions aren't made off of 20 game sample periods. I can't imagine the list of decisions that would have been done over the last few years if that was the premise, Andersen would have been traded for peanuts every October alone.

Disagree dubas is the root of the problem. He's not making the decisions on the ice that have equated to this 20 game disaster. I will agree to pencil that down to difference of opinion.