The Official 2026 Off-Season Thread: Revenge of the Nerds

[Leafin']

Yeah, Brodie also is old and old shut down D age like milk

Yea and getting old

 

[LeafGm]

View: https://x.com/sekeresandprice/status/2052201836053168415?s=20

Not a lot of people’s opinions I trust less than Button’s

I mean, there's a reason even the NHL old boys club hasn't given him another front office job for 20+ years now, and he's been the "Director of Scouting" for a TV network instead.

You can also pretty much guarantee he'd be talking up McKenna a helluva lot more if any other team had won the draft lottery.

 

[leafman101]

i like that he thinks the number 1 pick is never traded because the teams picking 5 don’t want to move up.

It’s the opposite idiot. No one is trading McKenna for Malhotra to get more picks.

 

[Volcanologist]

if the Flames had won the lottery Button would be jacking it on camera over McKenna

 

[LeafGm]

i like that he thinks the number 1 pick is never traded because the teams picking 5 don’t want to move up.

It’s the opposite idiot. No one is trading McKenna for Malhotra to get more picks.

Apparently Button's been assuring Canucks fans that they shouldn't be disappointed about losing out on the #1 pick, and that they should be happily selecting Malhotra with their #3 pick---even if Stenberg is still available.

 

[MyNameIsJonas]

I can see why SJS would take Reid/Carels over Stenberg. They are at a stage where going positional if it’s close makes sense.

Vancouver taking nepo baby Malholtra cause C would be batshit. I think I have Caleb behind McKenna, Ivar, Carels and Reid easily and maybe Veerhoff as well

I’ve decided I’d be upset if CHI took him over a D

 

[MyNameIsJonas]

Apparently Button's been assuring Canucks fans that they shouldn't be disappointed about losing out on the #1 pick, and that they should be happily selecting Malhotra with their #3 pick---even if Stenberg is still available.

Button thinks he’s a number 1C

I have doubts

 

[Preston]

Granted this was a year ago but:


TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button was on "SC with Jay Onrait" on Wednesday night and was asked to give an NHL player comparable to McKenna.

"Nikita Kucherov. You know, when you watch Nikita Kucherov play, he's got that same subtle approach to the game, he uses deception, he uses fakes, and he makes plays that surprise opponents," Button said. "And then before you know it, the pucks in the back of the net, and you're going, where did that come from? That's the type of game that Gavin McKenna possesses. And Kucherov's a superstar, and I think that Gavin McKenna will be a superstar in the National Hockey League."

 

[mbow30]

Well then he followed up a godly whl season by only being 4th in ncaa d1 in scoring and 2nd in ppg.

 

[zeke]

the thing about Tanev is he was actually great for us at 35, in arguably the toughest usage in his career.

Even in that insane usage in brooby's crap system, in dom's final updated net ratings at the end of 24-25, these were the dmen ranks:

1. Makar +26
2. Werenski +21
2. Fox +21
2. Dahlin +21
5. Hughes +20
5. Morrissey +20
7. Harley +19
8. Hedman +17
8. Bouchard +17
10. Seider +14
10. Theodore +14
12. Carlson +13
12. Broberg +13
12. Samberg +13
12. Ekholm +13
12. Gavrikov +13
17. Heiskenen +12
17. Forsling +12
17. Toews +12
17. McDonagh +12
17. Hutson +12
17. Weegar +12
17. Gostisbehere +12
17. Sergachev +12
25. Dobson +11
25. Anderson +11
25. Walman +11
25. McNabb +11
29. Slavin +10
29. Sanderson +10
29. Lindell +10
29. Spurgeon +10
29. Parayko +10
34. Tanev +9
34. Chabot +9
34. Lindholm +9
34. Hamilton +9
34. Siegenthaler +9
34. Hanifin +9
34. Pettersson +9
34. Spence +9
34. Pionk +9
34. Fabbro +9
44. Ekblad +8
44. Josi +8
44. Lacombe +8
44. Korczak +8
44. Nurse +8
49. McCabe +7
49. McAvoy +7
49. Zub +7
49. Demelo +7
49. Fowler +7
49. Sandin +7
49. Hronek +7
49. Chychrun +7
57. Raddysh +6
57. Edvinsson +6
57. Mikkola +6
57. Burns +6
57. Sanheim +6
57. Pietrangelo +6
57. Kesselring +6
57. Durzi +6

 

[MindzEye]

No NHL coach in his position is ever going to do that. If he gets fired, the Leafs have to pay out the rest of his contract. He quits, he gets bupkis. And these coaches that were 80's/90's former NHLers didn't necessarily rack up a fortune in their playing days.

Anyway, we'd better hope it's just one meeting for the sake of courtesy. Because tradition around these parts is giving the previous regime's coach at least one more season so he can be used as a convenient scapegoat if things go poorly again.

I'm going to assume that a GM who ate a mile of shit at his last job for not being gentle enough when firing a still playing member of the OBC, is going to relieve a veteran Stanley Cup winning coach of his job with a silk gloved hand job this time around.

 

[thehabhater]

I wouldn’t replace the coach until after the playoffs are over. There might be a surprise option available