UFA's Leafs might want?

[showtime8]

I could see Kyle Quincey as an option if he decides to leave Detroit

I would be a big fan of this signing.

Give him a 2-3 year deal and play him on the 3rd pairing with Corrado.

 

[showtime8]

What if the stars align and we get either Matthews or Stamkos (or both). Do you resign Kadri at $5M+ to be your 3rd line center?

To me, Kadri is your offseason trade option towards getting a good, young top 4 D or prospect.

If they did get Matthews, I'd keep Bozak as the 3rd line centre and move Kadri as the trade chip.

I would definitely move Kadri if you're getting a top 4 defenceman.

I really think that Shattenkirk would be the guy to target if you could get him.

 

[AllDay28]

All 3 think the game offence-first. None of them have much size and/or strength either.

Rielly & Gardiner both need to play with guys who approach the game with a stay-at-home perspective. Guys who have a little more size and strength than they do.

Rielly - 6'1 217
Gardiner - 6'2 200
Demers - 6'1 200

define "size" for me please. Maybe we should get Luke Schenn back, he has size.. but no skill...

 

[seanlinden]

Rielly - 6'1 217
Gardiner - 6'2 200
Demers - 6'1 200

define "size" for me please. Maybe we should get Luke Schenn back, he has size.. but no skill...

6'2+, 210+ engaging physically.

Size and skating ability don't have to be mutually exclusive. They just were in the case of Luke Schenn.

 

[Stephen]

How about a Boedker Stamkos duo, and promote a couple of Marlies to go with them to round out the top 6 next year?

Stamkos
Boedker
Nylander
Kadri
JVR
Leivo

 

[seanlinden]

I would be a big fan of this signing.

Give him a 2-3 year deal and play him on the 3rd pairing with Corrado.

Between Zaitsev, Harrington, Percy, Cowen, Corrado, Marincin, and Loov, plus Hunwick in the unlikely event that one of them finds his way into the top 4, the Leafs have absolutely no use for another bottom pairing guy.

 

[AllDay28]

6'2+, 210+ engaging physically.

Size and skating ability don't have to be mutually exclusive. They just were in the case of Luke Schenn.

lol interesting.

does Brent Burns not count? He's 6'5 and 230. Only 230 and 6'5? Thats kinda skinny.

going thru the list of all the top dmen in the NHL, only like... 3 people fit your criteria.. Byfuglien, Burns and Weber. Geez, Suters 6'2 and 206 so he doesnt even fit. Subban, Klingberg, Karlsson, Barrie, OEL, among others all dont make this special size category. A shame really cause I thought they were all elite players and figured theyd compliment Rielly or Gardiner but who knows.

 

[seanlinden]

lol interesting.

does Brent Burns not count? He's 6'5 and 230. Only 230 and 6'5? Thats kinda skinny.

Burns meets both of the criteria. If he was 6'5 / 215, maybe a concern, but 6'5 230 is fine.

It's funny with the names you quoted though... they're exact examples of guys who wouldn't be appropriate compliments to Gardiner and/or Rielly.

Guys like Hamonic, Bogosian, would fit the bill. No need to look at the top of the list of points amongst defencemen.

 

[Mad Brills*]

They really need a top 3 RH shot dman badly.

 

[Stephen]

lol interesting.

does Brent Burns not count? He's 6'5 and 230. Only 230 and 6'5? Thats kinda skinny.

going thru the list of all the top dmen in the NHL, only like... 3 people fit your criteria.. Byfuglien, Burns and Weber. Geez, Suters 6'2 and 206 so he doesnt even fit. Subban, Klingberg, Karlsson, Barrie, OEL, among others all dont make this special size category. A shame really cause I thought they were all elite players and figured theyd compliment Rielly or Gardiner but who knows.

Hedman and Myers, maybe Parayko. How tall is Pietrangelo? Seth Jones. Ristolainen. Erik Johnson.

 

[ViewsFromThe6ix]

Troy Brouwer
David Backes

both would be excellent.

 

[AllDay28]

Burns meets both of the criteria. If he was 6'5 / 215, maybe a concern, but 6'5 230 is fine.

It's funny with the names you quoted though... they're exact examples of guys who wouldn't be appropriate compliments to Gardiner and/or Rielly.

you play too much NHL 16 and worry about team chem man.

 

[seanlinden]

you play too much NHL 16 and worry about team chem man.

Honestly I think the last NHL game I played was NHL 12.

 

[AllDay28]

Hedman and Myers, maybe Parayko. How tall is Pietrangelo?

Hedman is 6'6 220ish and Myers is 6'8 230ish. Neither of these guys have size lol. But its over 210 so it fits the size agenda.

Meanwhile a 6'8 230 person is probably a bone rack. thats comparable to what, 160 on a 5'10 frame?

 

[AllDay28]

worry less about size and whether a player "compliments" another and worry about skill and talent. Skill and Talent trump all. Its really that simple.

 

[seanlinden]

worry less about size and whether a player "compliments" another and worry about skill and talent. Skill and Talent trump all. Its really that simple.

Wrong. Skill and talent cost both money and assets.

Getting players that compliment each other maximizes the use of those assets.

Heck, we just played Edmonton. You'd think the whole "skill and talent trump all" would've been debunked by now.

 

[Ovate]

Wrong. Skill and talent cost both money and assets.

Getting players that compliment each other maximizes the use of those assets.

Heck, we just played Edmonton. You'd think the whole "skill and talent trump all" would've been debunked by now.

Edmonton's issue has been no defence. Chemistry doesn't exist in most cases. Stop using it as an excuse not to add good, young players.

 

[WillNytheSwedishGuy]

6'2+, 210+ engaging physically.

Size and skating ability don't have to be mutually exclusive. They just were in the case of Luke Schenn.

His advanced stats suggest Demers isn't just an offensive guy, and a quick youtube search (a flawed evaluation tool, I admit) will show you that he will bring some of the physicality the Leafs lost with Phaneuf. Plays some PP and PK as well.

I think he's as close a fit as there is in the free agent market, though like I said earlier, his price may rule him out as an option. If they can get him on a 4 year deal at 5 million AAV, that'd be the absolute most id be comfortable with.

 

[seanlinden]

His advanced stats suggest Demers isn't just an offensive guy, and a quick youtube search (a flawed evaluation tool, I admit) will show you that he will bring some of the physicality the Leafs lost with Phaneuf. Plays some PP and PK as well.

I think he's as close a fit as there is in the free agent market, though like I said earlier, his price may rule him out as an option. If they can get him on a 4 year deal at 5 million AAV, that'd be the absolute most id be comfortable with.

I'm of the opinion that there is no appropriate fit in the free agent market.

 

[seanlinden]

Edmonton's issue has been no defence. Chemistry doesn't exist in most cases. Stop using it as an excuse not to add good, young players.

I'm all for adding good young players at "no brainer" costs, and/or when they fit with the team.

Demers fails to meet either criteria. His cost will not be a "no brainer", and he doesn't fit with the group that we're putting together.

You acquire him, with 2 years, you'll be stuck trying to convert either him or Gardiner into somebody who plays more of a stay at home game.

 

[showtime8]

Between Zaitsev, Harrington, Percy, Cowen, Corrado, Marincin, and Loov, plus Hunwick in the unlikely event that one of them finds his way into the top 4, the Leafs have absolutely no use for another bottom pairing guy.

Between those 8 guys that you mentioned, how many have a realistic shot at cracking the line-up?

I mean, this time last year we were talking about Stuart Percy, Matt Finn, Viktor Loov, etc. were going to crack the Leafs line-up this year and not one of those guys even really came close.

So between Harrington, Percy, Marincin, & Loov, you've got to pick 1. And that's if we're lucky.

Is Zaitsev a lock to crack the line-up opening night? I think that he would be similar to what the Leafs currently have in Corrado. Although Zaitsev, from what I've read, has a bit better of a 2 way game.

So maybe your 3rd pairing right side is 1 of Zaitsev or Corrado.

If you have:

Rielly -
Gardiner -
Quincey/Hunwick - Zaitsev
7th dman

You absolutely need to upgrade that defence.

 

[WillNytheSwedishGuy]

I'm all for adding good young players at "no brainer" costs, and/or when they fit with the team.

Demers fails to meet either criteria. His cost will not be a "no brainer", and he doesn't fit with the group that we're putting together.

You acquire him, with 2 years, you'll be stuck trying to convert either him or Gardiner into somebody who plays more of a stay at home game.

Which is pretty debatable. Don't think its that much of a stretch if they try and deploy Demers as more of a stay at home guy, especially relative to Gardiner. With Babcock's (and the rest of the league's) possession based systems, the big stay at home types are becoming less of a requirement.

My big thing is just getting some NHL experience for the top 4, let the fit/chemistry develop.

 

[seanlinden]

Between those 8 guys that you mentioned, how many have a realistic shot at cracking the line-up?

I mean, this time last year we were talking about Stuart Percy, Matt Finn, Viktor Loov, etc. were going to crack the Leafs line-up this year and not one of those guys even really came close.

So between Harrington, Percy, Marincin, & Loov, you've got to pick 1. And that's if we're lucky.

Is Zaitsev a lock to crack the line-up opening night? I think that he would be similar to what the Leafs currently have in Corrado. Although Zaitsev, from what I've read, has a bit better of a 2 way game.

So maybe your 3rd pairing right side is 1 of Zaitsev or Corrado.

If you have:

Rielly -
Gardiner -
Quincey/Hunwick - Zaitsev
7th dman

You absolutely need to upgrade that defence.

Cowen, Corrado & Marincin are all reasonably proven NHL defencemen. Zaitsev seems to have a really solid shot based on the scouting reports. Percy & Harrington have shown flashes. I see little reason to think that we can't get at least a bottom pair and a #7 out of that group.

Realistically, we're not adding 2 big names to the top 4, so Hunwick will have to suffice there for now. The obvious hope would be that one of the names I mentioned is able to force his way into the top 4 and Hunwick out.

That leaves us with the following:
Rielly-Hunwick
Gardiner-_____
Cowen-Zaitsev/Corrado

Yes, we need an upgrade -- a pretty major one at that. Somebody substantially better than Matt Hunwick, somebody who would play alongside Jake Gardiner and have the minutes basically evenly distributed between the top 2 pairs.

Quincey isn't that player, although if you wanted to argue that the Leafs should consider taking a dman or two on a PTO to throw into the mix with those young guys, it couldn't hurt.

 

[Menzinger]

Wrong. Skill and talent cost both money and assets.

Getting players that compliment each other maximizes the use of those assets.

Heck, we just played Edmonton. You'd think the whole "skill and talent trump all" would've been debunked by now.

Edmontons defensive core is terrible, and so is their bottom six.

They've got great skill in their top six though - theyre just missing it everywhere else in their lineup.

 

[jaric1862]

If they did get Matthews, I'd keep Bozak as the 3rd line centre and move Kadri as the trade chip.

I would definitely move Kadri if you're getting a top 4 defenceman.

I really think that Shattenkirk would be the guy to target if you could get him.

Shattenkirk would have 1 more year on his contract, and then will be getting a huge raise, with term