Steve Stamkos?

[sickbeast]

Please take this with a grain of salt, I heard this from my father...

He was saying that the Leafs may be about to sign Steve Stamkos.

I assume he heard this somewhere in the media.

Anyhow I just thought I would throw that one out there.  Enjoy.

 

[bustaheims]

That's going to be awfully difficult for them to do, since Stamkos still has a season left on his contract with Tampa Bay.

 

[L K]

That's going to be awfully difficult for them to do, since Stamkos still has a season left on his contract with Tampa Bay.

Tampa is going to buy him out during the 2nd intermission.

 

[bustaheims]

As much as I'd love for Stamkos to be a Leaf, I know it's not going to happen. I really hope he signs an extension with the Bolts this summer so we don't have to deal with a year full of absurd rumours and speculation about how he's sure to sign with the Leafs, only to see him re-sign with Tampa.

 

[Tigger]

I had given the arrival of Babcock a very slim chance of happening, similar to how I look at Stamkos. The difference could be that getting Stamkos might not really be in the best interest of a true tank/rebuild where Babcock is and perhaps/hopefully he'd be one of the voices saying no to signing him.

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

I found some of Babcock's comments about UFA's rather interesting.

He said something along the lines of: "How many guys in the NHL are from Ontario? We are going to make this team a safe place and then they're coming home, mark my words, they're coming home."

It gives a somewhat optimistic perspective on things I suppose.

How many years it'll be before they establish this team as that place, who knows?

 

[Frank E]

I actually thought he was a UFA this summer.

As to the Babcock comments, that's the second time I've read him using the term "safe" when it comes to the environment for the players.

I wonder if there's a real perception out there that the Toronto market is problematic for the players.  I know we talk about it around here, but I wonder if it actually exists as a deterrent for signing players.  I'm of the opinion that if the team sucks, it makes the environment suck.  The way Babcock uses it, it's almost like he's attributing it to something outside of the talent level or team record. 

 

[Kin]

I wonder if there's a real perception out there that the Toronto market is problematic for the players.  I know we talk about it around here, but I wonder if it actually exists as a deterrent for signing players.  I'm of the opinion that if the team sucks, it makes the environment suck.  The way Babcock uses it, it's almost like he's attributing it to something outside of the talent level or team record.

I don't think so. I think what Babcock is saying is addressing the perception you're talking about rather than the reality of it. I think there are some players who, if given the choice between playing for a terrible Leafs team and, say, a terrible Carolina team might choose Carolina because at least then they don't have the added burden of the media pressure.

But I think what some people have misinterpreted that to mean is that the media pressure in Toronto is bad no matter what and that people will choose signing with a pretty good Carolina team over a pretty good Toronto team or a great Carolina team over a great Toronto team.

To me Babcock's comments were more in the vein of what you're saying. Along the lines of "Toronto's media will make it hard to build through free agency because nobody wants to sign up for the media pressure and losing. So the key to making this place attractive to free agents, to make the "environment" better is to win."

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

I actually thought he was a UFA this summer.

As to the Babcock comments, that's the second time I've read him using the term "safe" when it comes to the environment for the players.

I wonder if there's a real perception out there that the Toronto market is problematic for the players.  I know we talk about it around here, but I wonder if it actually exists as a deterrent for signing players.  I'm of the opinion that if the team sucks, it makes the environment suck.  The way Babcock uses it, it's almost like he's attributing it to something outside of the talent level or team record.

I think he is referring 100% to the team not performing well.  By making it "safe" he means making the team good so that the fans/media aren't turning on the players and contributing to a toxic environment. 

 

[Big Daddy]

If we are talking about stealing someone from under Tampa Bay Please tell me that we are stealing Yzerman.  Lets hope the GM position isn't filled yet because we are waiting for the season to finish so Shanahan can introduce his best buddy Stevie Y as the GM.  Then I would believe we have a shot at Stamkos.

 

[L K]

I wonder if there's a real perception out there that the Toronto market is problematic for the players.  I know we talk about it around here, but I wonder if it actually exists as a deterrent for signing players.  I'm of the opinion that if the team sucks, it makes the environment suck.  The way Babcock uses it, it's almost like he's attributing it to something outside of the talent level or team record.

I don't think so. I think what Babcock is saying is addressing the perception you're talking about rather than the reality of it. I think there are some players who, if given the choice between playing for a terrible Leafs team and, say, a terrible Carolina team might choose Carolina because at least then they don't have the added burden of the media pressure.

But I think what some people have misinterpreted that to mean is that the media pressure in Toronto is bad no matter what and that people will choose signing with a pretty good Carolina team over a pretty good Toronto team or a great Carolina team over a great Toronto team.

To me Babcock's comments were more in the vein of what you're saying. Along the lines of "Toronto's media will make it hard to build through free agency because nobody wants to sign up for the media pressure and losing. So the key to making this place attractive to free agents, to make the "environment" better is to win."

I guess it's hard to really assess but I'm just having a hard time figuring out if a good team truly entices free agents to come to Toronto.  I mean a lot of the clownish media behaviour was going on during the Quinn/Sundin era too.  And while the Leafs certainly had good players it wasn't like they were signing top 10 players during the good years.

 

[Kin]

I guess it's hard to really assess but I'm just having a hard time figuring out if a good team truly entices free agents to come to Toronto.  I mean a lot of the clownish media behaviour was going on during the Quinn/Sundin era too.  And while the Leafs certainly had good players it wasn't like they were signing top 10 players during the good years.

It was pretty rare for top 10 players to be UFA's back then though. And the Leafs, with success fresh in people's minds did go through like a 6 or 7 year stretch where they convinced about 3 or 4 hall of fame or near hall of fame level players to sign with them(Gretzky, Joseph, Roberts, Mogilny). Obviously being able to offer a lot of money helped but given as it's all we can go on re: how effective they can be at signing free agents with a good team, I think it says something. Sure, they didn't go through the charade of signing Sakic or Fedorov to offer sheets but I don't think that's particularly relevant.

I mean, you know, I always say this but look at the Yankees or Lakers or Red Sox or Cowboys. If a team is good and has money to spend, a crazy media environment isn't really an impediment to signing people.

 

[Frank E]

I guess it's hard to really assess but I'm just having a hard time figuring out if a good team truly entices free agents to come to Toronto.  I mean a lot of the clownish media behaviour was going on during the Quinn/Sundin era too.  And while the Leafs certainly had good players it wasn't like they were signing top 10 players during the good years.

It was pretty rare for top 10 players to be UFA's back then though. And the Leafs, with success fresh in people's minds did go through like a 6 or 7 year stretch where they convinced about 3 or 4 hall of fame or near hall of fame level players to sign with them(Gretzky, Joseph, Roberts, Mogilny). Obviously being able to offer a lot of money helped but given as it's all we can go on re: how effective they can be at signing free agents with a good team, I think it says something. Sure, they didn't go through the charade of signing Sakic or Fedorov to offer sheets but I don't think that's particularly relevant.

I mean, you know, I always say this but look at the Yankees or Lakers or Red Sox or Cowboys. If a team is good and has money to spend, a crazy media environment isn't really an impediment to signing people.

If memory serves me right, Quinn used to get into it with some media guys, and that kind of exacerbated things a bit.

I wonder how Babcock fares with this bunch. 

 

[Kin]

If memory serves me right, Quinn used to get into it with some media guys, and that kind of exacerbated things a bit.

Exacerbated what though? The team was plenty successful all things considered.

 

[louisstamos]

If memory serves me right, Quinn used to get into it with some media guys, and that kind of exacerbated things a bit.

Exacerbated what though? The team was plenty successful all things considered.

Well, not according that one guy... 

 

[Kin]

If memory serves me right, Quinn used to get into it with some media guys, and that kind of exacerbated things a bit.

Exacerbated what though? The team was plenty successful all things considered.

Well, not according that one guy... 

Why, I otter...

 

[Frank E]

If memory serves me right, Quinn used to get into it with some media guys, and that kind of exacerbated things a bit.

Exacerbated what though? The team was plenty successful all things considered.

We're not discussing how successful the team was.

We are talking about the "unsafe" environment that stems from the contentious relationship with the media, right?

 

[Kin]

We're not discussing how successful the team was.

We are talking about the "unsafe" environment that stems from the contentious relationship with the media, right?

Well, what I'm saying is that I think Babcock's statement makes it pretty clear that he thinks the "unsafe" environment is entirely a product of the team not being successful. That the way to make the environment "safe" isn't about having a better relationship with the media but in having the team win.

So in my, and I think you'd have to agree Babcock's, mind Quinn occasionally being contentious with the media didn't exacerbate the "safety" of the environment because it didn't make the team lose.

 

[sneakyray]

We're not discussing how successful the team was.

We are talking about the "unsafe" environment that stems from the contentious relationship with the media, right?

Well, what I'm saying is that I think Babcock's statement makes it pretty clear that he thinks the "unsafe" environment is entirely a product of the team not being successful. That the way to make the environment "safe" isn't about having a better relationship with the media but in having the team win.

So in my, and I think you'd have to agree Babcock's, mind Quinn occasionally being contentious with the media didn't exacerbate the "safety" of the environment because it didn't make the team lose.

to paraphrase babcock...you don't mind coming out and facing the media every night when your winning.  When your playing well and winning alot the media suddenly become your friends.

 

[sickbeast]

The players are a bunch of babies IMO.  They are payed millions of dollars to play a game and they can't talk to the media?  Come on, what a joke!  Kessel played like crap and doesn't want to talk about it?  Ship him out of town IMO.  Yes, the media can be harsh but part of being a celebrity is dealing with the media.  The media exists everywhere.  Yes, it's extreme in Toronto but seriously these players need to get over themselves.