Kadri > Gardiner > JVR.
Ideally we keep Kadri & Gardiner, trade JVR for some younger prospects before he runs away as a UFA.
Ideally we keep Kadri & Gardiner, trade JVR for some younger prospects before he runs away as a UFA.
The Debatable 3
- Thread starter Judas Tavares
- Start date
Menzinger
Kessel4LadyByng
I'd prefer to keep Gardiner and Kadri flip JVR for futures.
If I could only keep 1 - Kadri likely fills a position that the team sorely needs more depth and skill in but I'd likely keep Gardiner since I view him as the better overall player.
If I could only keep 1 - Kadri likely fills a position that the team sorely needs more depth and skill in but I'd likely keep Gardiner since I view him as the better overall player.
Menzinger
Kessel4LadyByng
A team with 5 top 4 defenders is better than a team with just 4. A team with 3 top six centres is better than a team with only 2.
I don't think who the team drafts should have an immediate effect on who the Leafs keep.
cookie
Fresh From The Oven
Babcock has already made an immediate impact on Gardiner's game. My thinking is that Gardiner has yet another level of play he is capable of--the Gardiner we saw in the Boston playoff series would probably be battling Rielly as the team's top defenseman. Position wise, center and defense are far more important than the wing. Teams in the playoffs give their top-4 even more minutes and the question that pops up is: would Jake and Morgan be able to handle the extra minutes? A lot of it depends on how Babcock works with Gardiner and whether or not we draft a blue chip defensive talent to play alongside Phaneuf and round out the top-4. There's also a guy like Zaitsev to take into consideration alongside our prospects continued growth.
On the other hand, Kadri may never put up the point per game figures he had in the shortened season. But he offers a layer of insulation for Nylander and Marner given his defensive capabilities (ie., how he neutralizes scoring chances against by dictating the flow of the game). Funny how his game's developed... Not to be forgotten is his ability to draw penalties. Playoff games are characteristically tight checking and close in scoring. Getting a powerplay means getting the chance to pull ahead. A good system with good goaltending means remaining in the lead.
I voted Kadri since I believe he'll be able to better retain his strengths whereas Gardiner might not return to that top form.
On the other hand, Kadri may never put up the point per game figures he had in the shortened season. But he offers a layer of insulation for Nylander and Marner given his defensive capabilities (ie., how he neutralizes scoring chances against by dictating the flow of the game). Funny how his game's developed... Not to be forgotten is his ability to draw penalties. Playoff games are characteristically tight checking and close in scoring. Getting a powerplay means getting the chance to pull ahead. A good system with good goaltending means remaining in the lead.
I voted Kadri since I believe he'll be able to better retain his strengths whereas Gardiner might not return to that top form.
All cup winning teams have serviceable players. You need to have some veteran leaders.
seventieslord
Student Of The Game
Gardiner, due to positional need.
we have Marner, Nylander and most likely a stud forward coming in this year's draft, and only Rielly on the back end, and defense wins championships. He's not going to be the guy who we all hoped he was when we watched him in the 2011 preseason, but he is a puckmover and young. It's frustrating watching his defensive mistakes and it's baffling how infrequently his dazzling puckhandling converts to goals, but he is a good possession player who will be a good complement to whatever excellent defensive defenseman we pair him with some day in the distant future when we're actually a competitive team.
JVR and Kadri can go for assets. JVR is a legit first liner. Kadri, well, at this point I'm not convinced he's even destined to be a "good team 2nd liner", he might end up a bad team 2nd liner. Best case scenario he's a Ribeiro, which is nothing to scoff at, but that's a "bad team 1st liner", and you don't win anything with him being your prime weapon.
we have Marner, Nylander and most likely a stud forward coming in this year's draft, and only Rielly on the back end, and defense wins championships. He's not going to be the guy who we all hoped he was when we watched him in the 2011 preseason, but he is a puckmover and young. It's frustrating watching his defensive mistakes and it's baffling how infrequently his dazzling puckhandling converts to goals, but he is a good possession player who will be a good complement to whatever excellent defensive defenseman we pair him with some day in the distant future when we're actually a competitive team.
JVR and Kadri can go for assets. JVR is a legit first liner. Kadri, well, at this point I'm not convinced he's even destined to be a "good team 2nd liner", he might end up a bad team 2nd liner. Best case scenario he's a Ribeiro, which is nothing to scoff at, but that's a "bad team 1st liner", and you don't win anything with him being your prime weapon.
