Thursday, October 2, 2008

Luke Schenn, Bobby Ryan: What do they have in common? Nothing.

Injuries a plenty have placed the Leafs in a spot where they will need to make some blue line decisions.

As it stands now, it's very likely that Luke Schenn will be in the starting lineup for Toronto on opening night.

As a fan, I am looking forward to it. A chance to see him perform against men will give us a great prospective on what he's going to be in the future.

I'm not about to sit here and say what I think they should do with him come Game 9 of the regular season. The apparent consensus is that he should be sent back to the WHL. There are arguments both for and against that move. All I know is, I'm glad I don't have to be the one to make that decision.

What a surprise, Damien Cox didn't like a potential deal the Leafs had to acquire Bobby Ryan.

As per usual, the article focuses on past mistakes the organization has made and trying to equate them to a move they were alleged to have made.

Here's the problem; They are not analogous. In the past Toronto would make trade deadline or off season moves that sacrificed draft picks for a 30-something just past his prime veteran. Occasionally, this would prove to be a great move (See: Roberts, Gary), but more often than not, it was disastrous. (See: Nolan, Owen - Khristich, Dmitri - Lumme, Jryki - Murphy, Larry, etc.)

In an era where you could buy talent on a whim and in a market where money wasn't an object, this was a smart tactic. It's a shame the Leafs we're terrible at finding talent not yet at their best, instead of former talent that had become worthless.

Trading for Bobby Ryan is completely the opposite. Attempting to acquire a 21 year old, 2nd overall pick behind Sidney Crosby. Ignore all the contract nonsense with entry level contracts and free agency malarkey. This team is actually attempting a rebuild and if things go as planned, (Why make the move if you don't have a plan?) this team will be on the upswing when these players approach free agency and will want to stay with an up and coming competitive team.

The only caveat is the unmentioned prospects. Who those prospects were would have made the move a great one or a terrible one.

It never ceases to amaze how every single move, ahem potential move, made by the Leafs gives birth to negative spin and arrogant elitism by a particular segment of the media.

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