<div style="margin: 20px 0px;"> <span class="headlineArticle" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder_article_NavWebPart_Article_ctl00___Title__">Not much hope for these Leafs</span></p> <span style="text-transform: capitalize;"> Oct 10, 2007 04:30 AM</span></p> </div> <span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder_article_NavWebPart_Article_ctl00___RelatedAuthorLink__"></span><span class="articleAuthor" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder_article_NavWebPart_Article_ctl00___Author1__">Damien Cox</span> </p> Rock bottom, and with Halloween still three weeks away.</p> Rather than three stars at the end of the contest – once a beloved feature of NHL games, now shabbily handed over to teams to use as propaganda and generally ignored – the Maple Leafs would have needed 21 of 'em last night before one of their own would have been so honoured.</p> Okay, maybe 20. Carolina Hurricanes backup goalie John Grahame didn't play.</p> Losing 7-1 in humiliating fashion to the Hurricanes in the third home game of the season was a stunning pratfall for the Leafs, a group of athletes who once again had a lot of promises going into the season. Just more talk. Barely a bodycheck thrown last night, folks.</p> This was a club, from management through coaching through the player ranks, that vowed to use improved defence as a means to again qualify for post-season play.</p> The result after four games? Already 17 goals allowed, tied with Anaheim for the most in the NHL, with the champion Ducks having played one more game.</p> Only Buffalo and Florida, both winless, have a worse goals-against average than the Leaf tandem of Vesa Toskala and Andrew Raycroft, who own a combined .865 save percentage. This is a team that still can't check, or won't, routinely misses defensive zone assignments and lacks the team speed or the sensational goaltending required to compensate.</p> www.thestar.com/Sports/NHL/article/265269</p>
Outside of the NY Knicks, I don't think I've ever seen an organization that needs to rebuilds this badly but still refuses to. The sad thing is the process would've been relatively easy a couple years back, but they just keep making the problem worse every offseason.</p>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chutney)</div><div class='quotemain'></p> Outside of the NY Knicks, I don't think I've ever seen an organization that needs to rebuilds this badly but still refuses to. The sad thing is the process would've been relatively easy a couple years back, but they just keep making the problem worse every offseason.</p> </div></p> Same could be said about the Bruins. lol</p> </p>
At least the Bruins acquire assets rather than get rid of them. How can you even think about rebuilding when you farm system is a joke because you consistently trade away draft picks and young talent.</p> Chutney is right, a few years back and maybe we'd be able to see a light at the end of a tunnel but as long as the GM has a gun to his head, he's going to win now.</p>
