All About Tim Connolly

[gregkash]

You can actually compare At least points vs what certain players should be paid...

 

Brad RIchards had 77 points, he got 6.5 million cap hit

Leino had whatever 53 points, 4.5 million cap hit

 

You take away Leinos cap hit you get 77x = 6500000*53

 

if you work out the equation he got paid pretty much what he should have been paid.

 

Do the same for Connolly, the leafs overpaid by about a million, which I don't consider to be that drastic.

[darksabre]

I f*cking hate Tim Connolly. Not just because of his play, but because he overstayed his welcome by about two years thanks to poor decisions likely due to the meddling of that little sh*t Larry Quinn. I will forever associate Connolly with the collapse of this team. The Pegula era dawns with the absence of The Skill. And I love it.

[SabresFan526]

I f*cking hate Tim Connolly. Not just because of his play, but because he overstayed his welcome by about two years thanks to poor decisions likely due to the meddling of that little sh*t Larry Quinn. I will forever associate Connolly with the collapse of this team. The Pegula era dawns with the absence of The Skill. And I love it.

Tim Connolly's dad went to high school with Larry Quinn. While Larry Quinn was here, Tim Connolly kept getting contracts with the Sabres. No Larry Quinn, Tim Connolly moves to Toronto. Coincidence? Perhaps, but I don't think so. The only reason IMHO Tim Connolly was in Buffalo for so long was because LQ and his dad are buddies, there's no other good reason, especially the 2 year $9 million deal. Absolutely no good reason for that re-signing at all.

[thesportsbuff]

Tim Connolly's dad went to high school with Larry Quinn. While Larry Quinn was here, Tim Connolly kept getting contracts with the Sabres. No Larry Quinn, Tim Connolly moves to Toronto. Coincidence? Perhaps, but I don't think so. The only reason IMHO Tim Connolly was in Buffalo for so long was because LQ and his dad are buddies, there's no other good reason, especially the 2 year $9 million deal. Absolutely no good reason for that re-signing at all.

 

except that when he signed the $9 mil deal he was expected to become the team's #1 center after returning, finally healthy, to the lineup in january of 09 and leading the team in both goals scored and points through the final 40 games of the season. his concussion issues seemed to be a thing of the past, as his more recent injuries at the time had more to do with broken bones and some "flukey" injuries that anybody could get at any time (cracked vertebrae from taking a spear to the back, broken rib from kariya hit)... with 18 goals and 47 points in 48 games played, he was producing at the rate of a 30 goal, 80+ point first line center--potential we all had witnessed flashes of occasionally throughout his career. can you really blame DR for giving the guy two years to put up or shut up? contrary to popular belief, the extra $2 million (i assume most of you would have been fine w/ re-signing TC at 2.5 or less in 09) we spent on connolly would NOT have landed us in the Kovalchuk sweepstakes!

[Patty16]

Lets see Connolly's last two playoffs a total of 3 points and a 29 game scoreless streak. Leino last two playoffs (totaling 30 games) 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points. Yeah I will stick with Leino.

 

Leino was playing wing, not center. His center while getting those points were racking uppoints too.

 

There is a big jump from going from a complimentary player to "the guy", the #1 center. See for example Pomminstein. his production has dropped since people werent focusing on our now departed centers.

[SabresFan526]

except that when he signed the $9 mil deal he was expected to become the team's #1 center after returning, finally healthy, to the lineup in january of 09 and leading the team in both goals scored and points through the final 40 games of the season. his concussion issues seemed to be a thing of the past, as his more recent injuries at the time had more to do with broken bones and some "flukey" injuries that anybody could get at any time (cracked vertebrae from taking a spear to the back, broken rib from kariya hit)... with 18 goals and 47 points in 48 games played, he was producing at the rate of a 30 goal, 80+ point first line center--potential we all had witnessed flashes of occasionally throughout his career. can you really blame DR for giving the guy two years to put up or shut up? contrary to popular belief, the extra $2 million (i assume most of you would have been fine w/ re-signing TC at 2.5 or less in 09) we spent on connolly would NOT have landed us in the Kovalchuk sweepstakes!

Sorry, I never wanted TC after the 2006 season either. Why re-sign a guy for a cap hit of $2.9 million only to see him play 2 games the next year and miss more than a 100 games over the three year contract. That cap hit could have been put to use to keep J.P. Dumont after his arbitration award was $2.9 million, it would have been better served.

 

I also was never advocating that the Sabres would or should have been in the Kovalchuk sweepstakes, I'm not sure where you got that from in my post.

 

Connolly has talent, but has never lived up to his contracts in Buffalo. He frequently created turnovers in the offensive zone. He would regularly lose the puck on the PP. He was never very good at gaining the zone on the PP. He has a good shot, but never shot the puck. And, aside from the 2006 playoffs, he has done absolutely nothing in the last three trips in the playoffs. He's not clutch. I am happy he is no longer in Buffalo. I wish him well except against the Sabres.

[Braedon]

Sorry, I never wanted TC after the 2006 season either. Why re-sign a guy for a cap hit of $2.9 million only to see him play 2 games the next year and miss more than a 100 games over the three year contract. That cap hit could have been put to use to keep J.P. Dumont after his arbitration award was $2.9 million, it would have been better served.

 

I also was never advocating that the Sabres would or should have been in the Kovalchuk sweepstakes, I'm not sure where you got that from in my post.

 

Connolly has talent, but has never lived up to his contracts in Buffalo. He frequently created turnovers in the offensive zone. He would regularly lose the puck on the PP. He was never very good at gaining the zone on the PP. He has a good shot, but never shot the puck. And, aside from the 2006 playoffs, he has done absolutely nothing in the last three trips in the playoffs. He's not clutch. I am happy he is no longer in Buffalo. I wish him well except against the Sabres.

 

 

That just makes me angry. Revisionist history, but still.

[bunomatic]

Let me put it this way. Connolly frequently had me on the edge of my seat. Both for the amazing stickhandling,speed and creativity as well as for the give aways,brainfarts and seeming lazyness. Glad for what he was able to accomplish but also glad he's moved on. Good luck T.C.

[thesportsbuff]

Sorry, I never wanted TC after the 2006 season either. Why re-sign a guy for a cap hit of $2.9 million only to see him play 2 games the next year and miss more than a 100 games over the three year contract. That cap hit could have been put to use to keep J.P. Dumont after his arbitration award was $2.9 million, it would have been better served.

 

I forgot you could read the future. Maybe you shoulda given Darcy a call and let him know what was going to happen.

 

Anyway all I was saying is that most people's biggest beef with Connolly is his 4.5 million dollar contract... but it's no different than signing Leino based on one season. No different than stafford and Max after one good season. etc etc. it goes on and on. you take risks on players, some pan out, some don't. can't blame darcy for giving the dude a contract when it looked like he was finally becoming the #1 center we thought he could be.

 

also if you didn't want to re-sign Connolly after the 2005-06 season you're insane. it's easy to say you did in hindsight, but he actually had a great year in terms of production from a third line center, and we all saw the way he performed in the playoffs that year... pretty stupid to argue that contract. everything he did warranted that contract in 2006. you can't predict how long concussions will keep a player sidelined... so he missed 80 games-- he also didn't count against our cap for those 80 games. why whine about it?

[SwampD]

So, Deluca, is Burke still your model GM? :nana:

Three days later, this is still funny.

[ROC Sabres]

Tim Connolly's dad went to high school with Larry Quinn. While Larry Quinn was here, Tim Connolly kept getting contracts with the Sabres. No Larry Quinn, Tim Connolly moves to Toronto. Coincidence? Perhaps, but I don't think so. The only reason IMHO Tim Connolly was in Buffalo for so long was because LQ and his dad are buddies, there's no other good reason, especially the 2 year $9 million deal. Absolutely no good reason for that re-signing at all.

But he was pretty good those 96 games he played out of a possible 246... :wallbash:

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

Tim Connolly's dad went to high school with Larry Quinn. While Larry Quinn was here, Tim Connolly kept getting contracts with the Sabres. No Larry Quinn, Tim Connolly moves to Toronto. Coincidence? Perhaps, but I don't think so. The only reason IMHO Tim Connolly was in Buffalo for so long was because LQ and his dad are buddies, there's no other good reason, especially the 2 year $9 million deal. Absolutely no good reason for that re-signing at all.

 

Quinn gets some vindication with this latest contract, motive or not.

 

Remember....Quinn also spearheaded the drive to get rid of Pat LaFontaine, saying a series of head injuries is not a risk the team is willing to take, for the good of the player himself. I guess that policy only applies to classy hall of famers as opposed to marginal, nepotistic, party boys.

[SabresFan526]

I forgot you could read the future. Maybe you shoulda given Darcy a call and let him know what was going to happen.

 

Anyway all I was saying is that most people's biggest beef with Connolly is his 4.5 million dollar contract... but it's no different than signing Leino based on one season. No different than stafford and Max after one good season. etc etc. it goes on and on. you take risks on players, some pan out, some don't. can't blame darcy for giving the dude a contract when it looked like he was finally becoming the #1 center we thought he could be.

 

also if you didn't want to re-sign Connolly after the 2005-06 season you're insane. it's easy to say you did in hindsight, but he actually had a great year in terms of production from a third line center, and we all saw the way he performed in the playoffs that year... pretty stupid to argue that contract. everything he did warranted that contract in 2006. you can't predict how long concussions will keep a player sidelined... so he missed 80 games-- he also didn't count against our cap for those 80 games. why whine about it?

Um, no, that's not most people's biggest beef with Connolly. It's the fact that he has never lived up to his talent. There are a ton of guys who have been injured, but they have been way more productive than Connolly has. Connolly turns the puck over in the offensive zone, consistently cannot gain the zone on the PP, and while he has a decent shot he rarely uses it. He is prone to making some of the most boneheaded plays I've ever seen. Also, while he may be good on the PK, there have been so many times where he does not come back to backcheck during transition defense 5-on-5, and he lazily skates and watches as the other team scores on an odd-man rush instead of actually trying to backcheck to stop the odd man rush from happening. Connolly's a lazy player and has notoriously been known to come to practice last and leave first. I don't blame him for the injuries. I blame him for the way he plays the game, and I can't stand the way he plays.

 

Second, my original point, which I'm not sure you address in these series of replies to my post or not, was that I'm not blaming Darcy for handing this guy contracts. I don't believe Darcy necessarily wanted this guy but was asked to give him contracts because Larry Quinn told him to do so. This would be like how Larry Quinn told Darcy to pull the offer off the table for Chris Drury. This was like Darcy being told to not re-sign Daniel Briere and simply accept his arbitration award and let him leave. This was like Darcy being told that he could only re-sign Tallinder and Lydman only if it was on a one or two year deal. This was like Darcy being told to suspend Teppo Numminen and not pay him his salary because of a heart condition so that his number would not count against the cap. By the way, if Teppo had hard feelings toward Darcy, he probably would not have re-signed in Buffalo and I don't know if anyone heard after they drafted Armia, but Teppo will also be joining the Sabres in some sort of scouting or player development role as well. My original point as it relates to Connolly was, I don't think it's Darcy's fault as I'm not sure Darcy has sincerely wanted this guy but was forced to re-sign him because Larry Quinn and Connolly's dad are high school buddies.

 

Third, you make decisions as to which players to keep and which ones to let go. After Connolly's career almost ended because of a hit by Peter Schaefer in the Ottawa series and given the constraints within the world of a salary cap, and knowing Connolly's concussion history prior to the the Peter Schaefer hit and the fact that he missed the entire 2003-2004 season because of a concussion, yes, call me insane, but I would not have re-signed Connolly, and I believe I have stated that on this message board during the 2006-2007 season. Given the constraints of the salary cap, what you ended up spending on Connolly could have been used on a more productive player that season such as J.P. Dumont, whom they walked away from for the exact same salary cap hit they gave to Connolly for 3 years. If this same management team has no problems suspending Teppo Numminen for a heart condition but are more than happy to re-sign a player after an incredibly serious concussion that could have ended his career and forced him to miss 80 of 82 games (much like Teppo missing 81 of 82 games), then that tells me this management team is incredibly hypocritical and were looking out for their buddy's son rather than looking out for what's best for the team. You can try all you want to defend Connolly and Larry Quinn, but I'm not sure anyone is going to side with you. The previous management team ran a good old boys network, looked out for the bottom line wherever possible, and told Darcy what to do and he did it. That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.

[Braedon]

Quinn gets some vindication with this latest contract, motive or not.

 

Remember....Quinn also spearheaded the drive to get rid of Pat LaFontaine, saying a series of head injuries is not a risk the team is willing to take, for the good of the player himself. I guess that policy only applies to classy hall of famers as opposed to marginal, nepotistic, party boys.

 

 

It's really cruel, but it's also good business. Which is the only thing I can credit LQ on, as we all know he was hardly the hockey mind.

[Weave]

You know what I like best about this thread? It's that Connolly is gone and I don't feel any need whatsoever to jump into this discussion and let my emotions about Tim Connolly come out. I can just read these posts and sit back and say, "yup, not someone I have to get frustrated about anymore".

 

See ya Tim. I hope the rainbow ends in Toronto for you. And just like that, he's just another borderline player on another team. :beer:

[korab rules]

except that when he signed the $9 mil deal he was expected to become the team's #1 center after returning, finally healthy, to the lineup in january of 09 and leading the team in both goals scored and points through the final 40 games of the season. his concussion issues seemed to be a thing of the past, as his more recent injuries at the time had more to do with broken bones and some "flukey" injuries that anybody could get at any time (cracked vertebrae from taking a spear to the back, broken rib from kariya hit)... with 18 goals and 47 points in 48 games played, he was producing at the rate of a 30 goal, 80+ point first line center--potential we all had witnessed flashes of occasionally throughout his career. can you really blame DR for giving the guy two years to put up or shut up? contrary to popular belief, the extra $2 million (i assume most of you would have been fine w/ re-signing TC at 2.5 or less in 09) we spent on connolly would NOT have landed us in the Kovalchuk sweepstakes!

 

TC - leading the league in projected points since 1999.

 

So long, grey cloud. Have fun prowling the harbor district. Hope to see you passed out on the sidewalk near the Irish Embassy some day soon.

[Robviously]

You know what I like best about this thread? It's that Connolly is gone and I don't feel any need whatsoever to jump into this discussion and let my emotions about Tim Connolly come out. I can just read these posts and sit back and say, "yup, not someone I have to get frustrated about anymore".

 

See ya Tim. I hope the rainbow ends in Toronto for you. And just like that, he's just another borderline player on another team. :beer:

My favorite part is that it's finally over. We can finally get on with our lives. He was here for 10 years, a quarter of the team's existence and a lifetime in terms of pro sports. I'll never understand how a player that frustrating managed to stay with one organization for 10 years, but it doesn't matter anymore.

 

We finally have a fresh start.

[MDFan]

Um, no, that's not most people's biggest beef with Connolly. It's the fact that he has never lived up to his talent. There are a ton of guys who have been injured, but they have been way more productive than Connolly has. Connolly turns the puck over in the offensive zone, consistently cannot gain the zone on the PP, and while he has a decent shot he rarely uses it. He is prone to making some of the most boneheaded plays I've ever seen. Also, while he may be good on the PK, there have been so many times where he does not come back to backcheck during transition defense 5-on-5, and he lazily skates and watches as the other team scores on an odd-man rush instead of actually trying to backcheck to stop the odd man rush from happening. Connolly's a lazy player and has notoriously been known to come to practice last and leave first. I don't blame him for the injuries. I blame him for the way he plays the game, and I can't stand the way he plays.

 

Second, my original point, which I'm not sure you address in these series of replies to my post or not, was that I'm not blaming Darcy for handing this guy contracts. I don't believe Darcy necessarily wanted this guy but was asked to give him contracts because Larry Quinn told him to do so. This would be like how Larry Quinn told Darcy to pull the offer off the table for Chris Drury. This was like Darcy being told to not re-sign Daniel Briere and simply accept his arbitration award and let him leave. This was like Darcy being told that he could only re-sign Tallinder and Lydman only if it was on a one or two year deal. This was like Darcy being told to suspend Teppo Numminen and not pay him his salary because of a heart condition so that his number would not count against the cap. By the way, if Teppo had hard feelings toward Darcy, he probably would not have re-signed in Buffalo and I don't know if anyone heard after they drafted Armia, but Teppo will also be joining the Sabres in some sort of scouting or player development role as well. My original point as it relates to Connolly was, I don't think it's Darcy's fault as I'm not sure Darcy has sincerely wanted this guy but was forced to re-sign him because Larry Quinn and Connolly's dad are high school buddies.

 

Third, you make decisions as to which players to keep and which ones to let go. After Connolly's career almost ended because of a hit by Peter Schaefer in the Ottawa series and given the constraints within the world of a salary cap, and knowing Connolly's concussion history prior to the the Peter Schaefer hit and the fact that he missed the entire 2003-2004 season because of a concussion, yes, call me insane, but I would not have re-signed Connolly, and I believe I have stated that on this message board during the 2006-2007 season. Given the constraints of the salary cap, what you ended up spending on Connolly could have been used on a more productive player that season such as J.P. Dumont, whom they walked away from for the exact same salary cap hit they gave to Connolly for 3 years. If this same management team has no problems suspending Teppo Numminen for a heart condition but are more than happy to re-sign a player after an incredibly serious concussion that could have ended his career and forced him to miss 80 of 82 games (much like Teppo missing 81 of 82 games), then that tells me this management team is incredibly hypocritical and were looking out for their buddy's son rather than looking out for what's best for the team. You can try all you want to defend Connolly and Larry Quinn, but I'm not sure anyone is going to side with you. The previous management team ran a good old boys network, looked out for the bottom line wherever possible, and told Darcy what to do and he did it. That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.

I totally agree. Not sure whats with the campaign by sportsbuff to convince everyone the Sabres should have hung onto TC instead of signing Leino, but I for one am happy about it. 10 years of unfullfilled potential and lazy/sloppy play is enough. He was excrutiatingly painful to watch most of last year. Good luck to him, but good riddance.

[MDFan]

TC - leading the league in projected points since 1999.

 

So long, grey cloud. Have fun prowling the harbor district. Hope to see you passed out on the sidewalk near the Irish Embassy some day soon.

LOL! Great post.

[nfreeman]

Well, I'm hesitant to fan the flames, but it occurs to me that since 2006, NHL teams have agreed to pay TC $27.5MM. It's only 2011! And he's never done a single GD thing in the playoffs since he signed the first of those contracts!

 

Good for him, but still -- $27.5MM??

[Bmwolf21]

You know what I like best about this thread? It's that Connolly is gone and I don't feel any need whatsoever to jump into this discussion and let my emotions about Tim Connolly come out. I can just read these posts and sit back and say, "yup, not someone I have to get frustrated about anymore".

 

See ya Tim. I hope the rainbow ends in Toronto for you. And just like that, he's just another borderline player on another team. :beer:

Pretty much sums up my feelings exactly. I was going through the thread, selecting posts to quote and reply to, and realized its not worth it. Some fans are going to defend him to the death, but the bottom line is - whether due to injuries, disinterest, whatever - he did not live up to his potential and expectations. I'm ecstatic to see him go and I am really excited that a division rival overpaid for him. Good riddance.

[thesportsbuff]

I totally agree. Not sure whats with the campaign by sportsbuff to convince everyone the Sabres should have hung onto TC instead of signing Leino, but I for one am happy about it. 10 years of unfullfilled potential and lazy/sloppy play is enough. He was excrutiatingly painful to watch most of last year. Good luck to him, but good riddance.

 

Don't put words in my mouth, thanks. I didn't say we should have signed TC instead of Leino. I said they're taking just a big of a risk on signing Leino to ridiculous money as they did signing Connolly, and Stafford, and AFinogenov back in the day, and frankly Ehrhoff too. I would bet any GM in the league gives Connolly that contract after the 2008-09 season and had Buffalo not signed him, he would have gotten more in free agency.

[thesportsbuff]

Um, no, that's not most people's biggest beef with Connolly. It's the fact that he has never lived up to his talent. There are a ton of guys who have been injured, but they have been way more productive than Connolly has. Connolly turns the puck over in the offensive zone, consistently cannot gain the zone on the PP, and while he has a decent shot he rarely uses it. He is prone to making some of the most boneheaded plays I've ever seen. Also, while he may be good on the PK, there have been so many times where he does not come back to backcheck during transition defense 5-on-5, and he lazily skates and watches as the other team scores on an odd-man rush instead of actually trying to backcheck to stop the odd man rush from happening. Connolly's a lazy player and has notoriously been known to come to practice last and leave first. I don't blame him for the injuries. I blame him for the way he plays the game, and I can't stand the way he plays.

 

Second, my original point, which I'm not sure you address in these series of replies to my post or not, was that I'm not blaming Darcy for handing this guy contracts. I don't believe Darcy necessarily wanted this guy but was asked to give him contracts because Larry Quinn told him to do so. This would be like how Larry Quinn told Darcy to pull the offer off the table for Chris Drury. This was like Darcy being told to not re-sign Daniel Briere and simply accept his arbitration award and let him leave. This was like Darcy being told that he could only re-sign Tallinder and Lydman only if it was on a one or two year deal. This was like Darcy being told to suspend Teppo Numminen and not pay him his salary because of a heart condition so that his number would not count against the cap. By the way, if Teppo had hard feelings toward Darcy, he probably would not have re-signed in Buffalo and I don't know if anyone heard after they drafted Armia, but Teppo will also be joining the Sabres in some sort of scouting or player development role as well. My original point as it relates to Connolly was, I don't think it's Darcy's fault as I'm not sure Darcy has sincerely wanted this guy but was forced to re-sign him because Larry Quinn and Connolly's dad are high school buddies.

 

Third, you make decisions as to which players to keep and which ones to let go. After Connolly's career almost ended because of a hit by Peter Schaefer in the Ottawa series and given the constraints within the world of a salary cap, and knowing Connolly's concussion history prior to the the Peter Schaefer hit and the fact that he missed the entire 2003-2004 season because of a concussion, yes, call me insane, but I would not have re-signed Connolly, and I believe I have stated that on this message board during the 2006-2007 season. Given the constraints of the salary cap, what you ended up spending on Connolly could have been used on a more productive player that season such as J.P. Dumont, whom they walked away from for the exact same salary cap hit they gave to Connolly for 3 years. If this same management team has no problems suspending Teppo Numminen for a heart condition but are more than happy to re-sign a player after an incredibly serious concussion that could have ended his career and forced him to miss 80 of 82 games (much like Teppo missing 81 of 82 games), then that tells me this management team is incredibly hypocritical and were looking out for their buddy's son rather than looking out for what's best for the team. You can try all you want to defend Connolly and Larry Quinn, but I'm not sure anyone is going to side with you. The previous management team ran a good old boys network, looked out for the bottom line wherever possible, and told Darcy what to do and he did it. That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.

 

thanks for the well thought out reply, +1 even though i disagree to an extent.

 

connolly's 2005-06 statline: 16 goals and 35 assists for 55 points. those are very good numbers for a third line center and his play in the post season was just as good until he got injured. i think he was in DARCY's plan the whole time. when it came down to connolly vs dumont, you take the guy who looks like he could be a top line center, especially knowing that DB and CD potentially have a huge pay day looming.

 

if you hated the way TC played in 2005-06, then i guess you just have a good eye for the game. there was very little anti-Connolly talk around the town/internet back in those days. most would agree that he looked very promising and that it was a good idea to sign him for relatively cheap. unfortunately his concussion problems went on longer than expected, as NOBODY on the planet is able to predict just how post concussion syndrome will affect you or how long it will affect you for. sucks we lost out on signing Dumont because of it, but i don't blame darcy for it and i also don't KNOW that LQ had a say... he probably did, but ultimately I think most GMs would have made the same move in signing Connolly.. because again, nobody EXPECTS you to miss a full season with a concussion. some players miss a few days, some a few weeks, some even a few months.

 

the connolly hate didn't REALLY pick up until he got his 9 mil 2 year extension. maybe you're the minority that already hated everything about him, but a lot of people would have no problem with the signing had it been closer to his previous contract. imo darcy was just doing what he could do to lock up his #1 center after a damn impressive resurgence following his return from a broken rib in 2009-- oh, and get this, Connolly (&Chris Butler) led the team by a LOT that season with a +12. he was not a turnover machine that season, nor was he two years ago in his 2009-10 season which he reached a career high 65 points and remained a + player.. +10 behind only Pominville and Hecht in +/- among forwards.

 

i'll admit this season was disastrous and i've said it plenty of times before that I agree it was time to part ways with him, if for no other reason than the dude is never going to have fun playing in Buffalo when 90% of the fan base hates him. but i think you guys will be surprised at the numbers he puts up in Toronto, and though you probably won't say "WOW i wish we had kept him!" you'll certainly see that he's worth the contract he got from Burke.

 

hopefully at the same time, I will be having the same epiphany in realizing that Leino is worth the $$ he got from us.

[X. Benedict]

Burke aside and money aside.....I wouldn't be surprised if Dudley advised on the deal. Most of all it says to me that Tyler Bozack isn't ready......(if you think Luke Adam was a train-wreck defensively - put Bozack with Kessle...) Just a 2 year deal, and it buys them some time. Toronto has a ton of money and nowhere to spend it. By overpaying Connolly you've hurt Buffalo's depth (yes, Timmy is still a very useful player)....and Toronto is buying more time for Kardri and Bozack to develop.

 

Toronto doesn't have anyone to spend their money on (poor UFA market) so this doesn't hurt them with cap space or financially. Connolly benefits from a poor UFA class...but by overpaying Connolly by 2 million - this makes Toronto better balanced, and keeps Buffalo from signing him at around 3M on a 3rd line.

I guess Mirtle says Duds did indeed have input on this.

 

"Dudley said he’s had input into the Leafs decisions made over the past few days, including the signing of Tim Connolly and trades for John-Michael Liles, Cody Franson and Matt Lombardi. "

 

Duds for Buds

[korab rules]

thanks for the well thought out reply, +1 even though i disagree to an extent.

 

connolly's 2005-06 statline: 16 goals and 35 assists for 55 points. those are very good numbers for a third line center and his play in the post season was just as good until he got injured. i think he was in DARCY's plan the whole time. when it came down to connolly vs dumont, you take the guy who looks like he could be a top line center, especially knowing that DB and CD potentially have a huge pay day looming.

 

if you hated the way TC played in 2005-06, then i guess you just have a good eye for the game. there was very little anti-Connolly talk around the town/internet back in those days. most would agree that he looked very promising and that it was a good idea to sign him for relatively cheap. unfortunately his concussion problems went on longer than expected, as NOBODY on the planet is able to predict just how post concussion syndrome will affect you or how long it will affect you for. sucks we lost out on signing Dumont because of it, but i don't blame darcy for it and i also don't KNOW that LQ had a say... he probably did, but ultimately I think most GMs would have made the same move in signing Connolly.. because again, nobody EXPECTS you to miss a full season with a concussion. some players miss a few days, some a few weeks, some even a few months.

 

the connolly hate didn't REALLY pick up until he got his 9 mil 2 year extension. maybe you're the minority that already hated everything about him, but a lot of people would have no problem with the signing had it been closer to his previous contract. imo darcy was just doing what he could do to lock up his #1 center after a damn impressive resurgence following his return from a broken rib in 2009-- oh, and get this, Connolly (&Chris Butler) led the team by a LOT that season with a +12. he was not a turnover machine that season, nor was he two years ago in his 2009-10 season which he reached a career high 65 points and remained a + player.. +10 behind only Pominville and Hecht in +/- among forwards.

 

i'll admit this season was disastrous and i've said it plenty of times before that I agree it was time to part ways with him, if for no other reason than the dude is never going to have fun playing in Buffalo when 90% of the fan base hates him. but i think you guys will be surprised at the numbers he puts up in Toronto, and though you probably won't say "WOW i wish we had kept him!" you'll certainly see that he's worth the contract he got from Burke.

 

hopefully at the same time, I will be having the same epiphany in realizing that Leino is worth the $ he got from us.

 

Face it, You won't be able to wear that #19 jersey without getting laughed at everywhere you go for AT LEAST 10 years. Even then, all the people older than 40 will still be snickering behind your back.:nana: