The Toronto Maple Leafs need to start developing some talent and hold on to it
The Daily Faceoff (youtube): David Pagnotta on the Sheet with Jeff Marek, talking about the Toronto Maple Leafs and their need to develop, and keep, Darren Raddysh’s following. Should they keep Bobby McMann?
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Marek: “One thing, though, and we’ve seen this thing countless times, from different states, with Toronto, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
And there are all the rumors about, like, Oh, if he gets there, the Leafs are interested in Darren Raddysh, for example. A lot of people look at that and say, ‘Yeah, why not? He is here, he has arrived. Finally had a great season. You should get JJ Mosher’s contract, etc.’
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And correct me if I’m wrong here. Smart teams, winning teams, built for the long haul, don’t look at Darren Raddysh and say, ‘Yeah, we’ve got to get him on July 1 when he’s $5 million.’ they said, ‘We’ve got to go find the next Darren Raddysh.'”
Pagnotta: “Yes.”
Marek: “We have to go, there are, those guys are in the American Hockey League.
One place, unless, we just saw this with Fraser Minten. I hate to keep going back to the Brandon Carlo deal, but like, every time you see Fraser Minten, like, honestly, Dave, what do you think? Like, he gets better and better and better and even better. And in, out, every Maple Leafs fan is the same, the sword goes in a little deeper. The sword just goes in. Like, we had that guy. She was with that boy. It’s an ongoing story for the Maple Leafs.”
Pagnotta: “Yeah. And, you know, well, and that’s why, you know, Bobby McMann, for example. You know, they had other situations where they helped a guy grow up, and they helped a guy grow up, and they didn’t want to spend the middle money to keep those pieces. Zach Hyman, and, you know, as a good example. And there are others.
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So, like, that’s a guy to me that if the price tag is five times or in that ballpark based on what he’s done. Based on his position on the roster, excuse me, and how versatile he can be. I like it, it’s a complicated system. Like, I’m losing my words. It’s a difficult place for them to be in, because I think they have to keep him.
Personally, I think you should grab it, if that’s a ballpark price. Because one more thing, if you’re looking at free agency, who else is there, right? Like all these other teams, to your point, it’s, ‘Oh, well, about, oh, we’ve got to go after Darren Raddysh.’ Well, all these other teams are looking for Bobby McMann to go, ‘Well, we need to go after him, because there’s no one else to be found. All the others have signed.’
All other large pieces are signed. You have it now, Alex Tuch and Nick Schmaltz leading the offensive offense. Or a forward team, I must say. You know, there’s only, there’s 32 teams. The options are limited.
And then, on the Leafs side of things, you know, keep him, get some pieces out and develop some of your guys. To get those, those next pieces, because you’re going to be facing the cap. You need to find those love contracts that work for you.”
Marek: “You know, what’s interesting about the other 31 teams? I checked, and they’re all allowed to try out. I’ve checked a couple. Like, I always check, like, are some teams still allowed to try out? Like, oh, yeah, okay. Keep remembering that.”
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Pagnotta: “Confirmed.”
Marek: “Yes, they are allowed to try.”
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