Confirmed with Link: Josh Leivo signs for a 1 year, 925k

[Joey Hoser]

Injury occurs bring up Kapanen. Anyone but Leivo. Gauthier gets the call but play neither does Leivo. Soshnikov gets the call because of contract clauses. Didn’t need play just get the call but hell play him before Leivo. Babcock would rather play your pet gerble before Leivo. Bury your heads in the sand all you like. He’s only played him when there is no other option.

Kapanen has a brighter future, Gauthier didn't play, and Sosh kills penalties.

 

[White Shadow]

Not sure why people are so dumbfounded or upset that Leivo was signed, just take a look at our depth chart at LW and that will tell you EXACTLY why he was signed. It buys time.

James van Riemsdyk(Gone in 2018)
Zach Hyman
Leo Komarov (Gone in 2018)
Matt Martin
Josh Leivo
Andreas Johnsson (M)
Kerby Rychel (M)
Dmytro Timashov (M)
Trevor Moore (M)
Colin Greening (M)
Pierre Engvall (E)
Nolan Vesey (C)
Vladislav Kara (E)


Not sure you want to go into next year and have Hyman as your #1 at LW. Some might say well you can just sign a UFA to take over as your #1 LW, well thatis your plan, you will not sign a legit #1 LW for less that 5.5 to 6 mil, so you might as well keep JVR and then plan on dumping one of the big three, cause you can only fit so many 6+ mil contracts under the cap and still be competitive.

There might be a goal scoring winger on that list after Leivo but do you want to hope and pray or do you want to sign a low cap hit and a player who has shown he can score at the NHL level?

Grundstrom and Korshkov both play on the left side and Kapanen is quite comfortable on the left wing as well.

That's pretty much the cream of the crop for our wing prospects.

 

[Walshy7]

Grundstrom and Korshkov both play on the left side and Kapanen is quite comfortable on the left wing as well.

That's pretty much the cream of the crop for our wing prospects.

Korshkov actually doesn't play LW despite being LH it seems Russian development puts wingers on their off wings to promote goal scoring. caser (I think it was him) was saying this, Korshkov is a RW and to his knowledge had only ever played RW

Kapanen can absolutely handle both wings though I agree with that, and grundstrom is a LW

 

[Joey Hoser]

Grundstrom and Korshkov both play on the left side and Kapanen is quite comfortable on the left wing as well.

That's pretty much the cream of the crop for our wing prospects.

Well they're probably not banking on guys currently in Europe to hit the ground running as full-time NHL players 9 months from now. Even if they did, they should have plan A and B.

 

[Menzinger]

Well they're probably not banking on guys currently in Europe to hit the ground running as full-time NHL players 9 months from now. Even if they did, they should have plan A and B.

Exactly.

Not every young guy is going to go into the NHL and hit the ground running like say a Connor Brown. A guy like Leivo whose a bit older and has more NHL experience is useful, especially if Babcock doesn't want to take a step backwards in overall team competitiveness. He will want guys who can help out the puck in the net starting on opening night:

 

[Gary Nylund]

Exactly.

Not every young guy is going to go into the NHL and hit the ground running like say a Connor Brown. A guy like Leivo whose a bit older and has more NHL experience is useful, especially if Babcock doesn't want to take a step backwards in overall team competitiveness. He will want guys who can help out the puck in the net starting on opening night:

Yeah it's always good to not have to rush guys who could use more time in the AHL. And if Leivo does a good job for us and we feel others can eventually do better, we can always trade Leivo then to make room for them at that point. And if he does play well for us, he'll be worth something more in a trade then he is now.

 

[MR4]

That depth chart is missing Marleau.. that's a big one eh

 

[Battle Lin]

you can say leivo can do this, and cant do that all you want...but as of right now in time, leivo is nothing more than a depth guy waiting for his chance at games in the nhl, like 100s of other hockey players...we'll see when he gets another chance to play, and when he does, he better make better use of it

 

[Randy Randerson]

Korshkov actually doesn't play LW despite being LH it seems Russian development puts wingers on their off wings to promote goal scoring. caser (I think it was him) was saying this, Korshkov is a RW and to his knowledge had only ever played RW

Kapanen can absolutely handle both wings though I agree with that, and grundstrom is a LW

I think Korshkov moves to the left on NA ice, he's not particularly fast or shifty and doesn't have a quick release from what I've seen, think he'll be much better with his stick to the boards side. That said, counting him as a LW at this point is more of a stretch than as a RW

 

[francis246]

Does the name Gary Nylund give you nightmares?

Lmao some of you guys are the biggest asshats on the internet.

 

[White Shadow]

Well they're probably not banking on guys currently in Europe to hit the ground running as full-time NHL players 9 months from now. Even if they did, they should have plan A and B.

Kapanen is absolutely ready now. Johnsson is not far behind Kapanen. Grundstrom looked great with the Marlies last season and I would expect to see him this spring again with the Marlies.

I would place all 3 of Grundstrom, Kapanen and Johnsson ahead of Leivo for next years pecking order with Korshkov at most a year behind that.

 

[Joey Hoser]

Kapanen is absolutely ready now. Johnsson is not far behind Kapanen. Grundstrom looked great with the Marlies last season and I would expect to see him this spring again with the Marlies.

I would place all 3 of Grundstrom, Kapanen and Johnsson ahead of Leivo for next years pecking order with Korshkov at most a year behind that.

Right now Kapanen is a RW. You're just making up him moving to the LW.

Grunstrom and Johnsson might be able to play but I expect the Leafs to be more thorough than that.

They have no reason to go into the season banking on question marks.

 

[White Shadow]

Right now Kapanen is a RW. You're just making up him moving to the LW.

Grunstrom and Johnsson might be able to play but I expect the Leafs to be more thorough than that.

They have no reason to go into the season banking on question marks.

Except that he shoots left, has spent time on the left wing and quite often gets listed as RW/LW on sites like TSN and Eliteprospects.
Kapanen is certainly not a question mark. I would suggest Grundstrom and Johnsson are much less of a question than Leivo even today and both have much higher ceilings.

Edit: shoots right. Not sure why hockeyreference has him shooting left

 

[Randy Randerson]

Right now Kapanen is a RW. You're just making up him moving to the LW.

Grunstrom and Johnsson might be able to play but I expect the Leafs to be more thorough than that.

They have no reason to go into the season banking on question marks.

Kapanen's played both sides a lot, I prefer him on the LW - good skillset to play his off wing with the speed/shiftiness and good release

Except that he shoots left, has spent time on the left wing and quite often gets listed as RW/LW on sites like TSN and Eliteprospects.
Kapanen is certainly not a question mark. I would suggest Grundstrom and Johnsson are much less of a question than Leivo even today and both have much higher ceilings.

Edit: shoots right. Not sure why hockeyreference has him shooting left

I think betting on the two guys without NHL time/success over a guy that has both is a bit of a stretch, especially when the guy who does have it is not waiver eligible & signed through next year. Professional odds makers would very likely disagree with that assessment

 

[White Shadow]

Kapanen's played both sides a lot, I prefer him on the LW - good skillset to play his off wing with the speed/shiftiness and good release



I think betting on the two guys without NHL time/success over a guy that has both is a bit of a stretch, especially when the guy who does have it is not waiver eligible & signed through next year. Professional odds makers would very likely disagree with that assessment

That's only because you view Leivo as a guy, whereas I view him as merely a place holder. Place holders do not keep better prospects in the minors, they hold a spot until the prospect is ready.

 

[Randy Randerson]

That's only because you view Leivo as a guy, whereas I view him as merely a place holder. Place holders do not keep better prospects in the minors, they hold a spot until the prospect is ready.

no, it's because both Grundstrom and Johnsson carry a risk of not cutting it in the NHL that Leivo doesn't (or at least is significantly diminished given that he's been a successful NHL'er). Grundtrom is also heading for knee surgery which was always a concern with him because of his Dustin Brown play style

on the "placeholder" idea - Kapanen is ready and both Johnsson&Grundstrom looked like they could make the team out of camp, if that were true they would be removing the placeholder not extending him. Following the breadcrumbs makes it look like the organization doesn't believe the same things that you do

 

[White Shadow]

no, it's because both Grundstrom and Johnsson carry a risk of not cutting it in the NHL that Leivo doesn't (or at least is significantly diminished given that he's been a successful NHL'er). Grundtrom is also heading for knee surgery which was always a concern with him because of his Dustin Brown play style

on the "placeholder" idea - Kapanen is ready and both Johnsson&Grundstrom looked like they could make the team out of camp, if that were true they would be removing the placeholder not extending him. Following the breadcrumbs makes it look like the organization doesn't believe the same things that you do

Kapanen and Johnsson are blocked by the likes of Marleau, Brown, Marner, etc. the top 7 wingers - there is currently no one to take Martin's place - not Leivo.
Leivo gets the place holder designation because they deem the better prospects on the Marlies too good to be sitting in the pressbox.

 

[MR4]

Kapanen and Johnsson are blocked by the likes of Marleau, Brown, Marner, etc. the top 7 wingers - there is currently no one to take Martin's place - not Leivo.
Leivo gets the place holder designation because they deem the better prospects on the Marlies too good to be sitting in the pressbox.

Or you could stop spinning your narrative and realize if Leivo didn't require waivers, he'd also be in the AHL. Same for Sosh, only up here due to his contract

 

[francis246]

Kapanen is absolutely ready now. Johnsson is not far behind Kapanen. Grundstrom looked great with the Marlies last season and I would expect to see him this spring again with the Marlies.

I would place all 3 of Grundstrom, Kapanen and Johnsson ahead of Leivo for next years pecking order with Korshkov at most a year behind that.

I think they will look to sign JVR's replacement through UFA (Backlund or Neal maybe). I really took time to think about it. I also don't think they are letting all three of Bozak, Komarov and JVR walk.

I think JVR walks for free, one of Komarov and Bozak is back if not both. I think people will be surprised, I don't think management is going to take a step back next year, especially if cap goes up to 80 mill... forget that they will swing hard for some UFA's.
Based on Ehlers and Pastrnak contracts the Nylander and Marner contracts will not be an issue.

Realistically I really only see Kapenen or Grundstrom taking spots next year. I tried my hardest to see where Leivo would fit, I do not see it long term or even short term. There are just other guys better. I think he'll end up as the 13th forward again next year or doing well on another team hopefully in a top 6 role where he can prove himself.

Leivo's one thing is now he's cheap so he might find himself in if other options don't become available, but I really believe the team will look to upgrade through UFA and through trades. That's what contenders do lol. Leivo has an NHL future I just don't see it being with the leafs. It's not the right fit

 

[White Shadow]

Or you could stop spinning your narrative and realize if Leivo didn't require waivers, he'd also be in the AHL. Same for Sosh, only up here due to his contract

I think you missed my narrative because I think that too.

 

[White Shadow]

I think they will look to sign JVR's replacement through UFA (Backlund or Neal maybe). I really took time to think about it. I also don't think they are letting all three of Bozak, Komarov and JVR walk.

I think JVR walks for free, one of Komarov and Bozak is back if not both. I think people will be surprised, I don't think management is going to take a step back next year, especially if cap goes up to 80 mill... forget that they will swing hard for some UFA's.
Based on Ehlers and Pastrnak contracts the Nylander and Marner contracts will not be an issue.

Realistically I really only see Kapenen or Grundstrom taking spots next year. I tried my hardest to see where Leivo would fit, I do not see it long term or even short term. There are just other guys better. I think he'll end up as the 13th forward again next year or doing well on another team hopefully in a top 6 role where he can prove himself.

Leivo's one thing is now he's cheap so he might find himself in if other options don't become available, but I really believe the team will look to upgrade through UFA and through trades. That's what contenders do lol. Leivo has an NHL future I just don't see it being with the leafs. It's not the right fit

You might be right about the UFA. I do think it's time to start investing more on the blue line and for that reason I can see them using the wing depth within the organization to replace 2 or 3 of those pending UFAs. Komarov would be the easiest to re-sign. He would need to take a hair cut with the lack of production though.

 

[Randy Randerson]

Kapanen and Johnsson are blocked by the likes of Marleau, Brown, Marner, etc. the top 7 wingers - there is currently no one to take Martin's place - not Leivo.
Leivo gets the place holder designation because they deem the better prospects on the Marlies too good to be sitting in the pressbox.

I guess we'll see how it goes as soon as some of those top 7 are purged, but I think Babcock on record saying that Leivo's a top 9 player, reports of other teams inquiring and getting a "prohibitively high" price on him, him giving up his leverage to go UFA to stay here all point to him getting some assurances of opportunity. If he was just a placeholder, wouldn't we have taken something in return for him and let one of our other placeholders (ones that are more versatile, like Fehr or Soshnikov maybe) fill that pressbox seat?

ultimately this argument gets settled for us by next season or sooner, but I'm definitely not reading the tea leaves the same way

 

[White Shadow]

I guess we'll see how it goes as soon as some of those top 7 are purged, but I think Babcock on record saying that Leivo's a top 9 player, reports of other teams inquiring and getting a "prohibitively high" price on him, him giving up his leverage to go UFA to stay here all point to him getting some assurances of opportunity. If he was just a placeholder, wouldn't we have taken something in return for him and let one of our other placeholders (ones that are more versatile, like Fehr or Soshnikov maybe) fill that pressbox seat?

ultimately this argument gets settled for us by next season or sooner, but I'm definitely not reading the tea leaves the same way

I think he stayed and took the 1 way contract because he isn't confident he gets one from another team. He mentioned security was important for him and that's why he re-signed here.
I don't believe the Leafs are giving anyone assurances on playing time, let alone someone of Leivo's stature.
As for something in return, I don't think anyone wants him enough to give up more than a 5th or 6th pick.

I think there is value in having a guy you can sit in the pressbox, practice with the team, fill in on spot duty 5 or 10 games a season all while keeping a positive outlook. That wasn't Fehr. But it might be Sosh too.

 

[francis246]

I guess we'll see how it goes as soon as some of those top 7 are purged, but I think Babcock on record saying that Leivo's a top 9 player, reports of other teams inquiring and getting a "prohibitively high" price on him, him giving up his leverage to go UFA to stay here all point to him getting some assurances of opportunity. If he was just a placeholder, wouldn't we have taken something in return for him and let one of our other placeholders (ones that are more versatile, like Fehr or Soshnikov maybe) fill that pressbox seat?

ultimately this argument gets settled for us by next season or sooner, but I'm definitely not reading the tea leaves the same way

Babcock says shit just to appease the media, I don't know why we put so much stock into what he says lol. He doesn't hate Leivo but he doesn't love him either.

 

[francis246]

I think he stayed and took the 1 way contract because he isn't confident he gets one from another team. He mentioned security was important for him and that's why he re-signed here.
I don't believe the Leafs are giving anyone assurances on playing time, let alone someone of Leivo's stature.
As for something in return, I don't think anyone wants him enough to give up more than a 5th or 6th pick.

I think there is value in having a guy you can sit in the pressbox, practice with the team, fill in on spot duty 5 or 10 games a season all while keeping a positive outlook. That wasn't Fehr. But it might be Sosh too.

Agree with this post 100%. I think the leafs knew that they have Leivo right where they want him. He's a leafs fan, if you offer him a contract I think that's incentive enough for him to sign it. I really doubt they promised him anything besides the fact that he gets to be a leaf into next season.