Line Combos: Was trading for Bolland a mistake?

[varano]

I value what Bolland can bring to the Leafs moving forward as well. And trading for Bolland has zero impact on signing Franson. Nonis can make it work if Franson is being reasonable.



This has nothing to do with Bolland. I fail to see the relevance in it.

Nonis cant make it work. If he did, Kadri and Franson would be signed. We can both do the math here and realize that what Kadri and Franson are worth (even by underassesment) cant fit into the cap space that they have.

 

[EbonyRaptor]

I was sorry to see Bolland leave the Hawks. His value to a team isn't as easily quantified as looking at the stat sheet. He shows up and makes big plays in big games. Is that worth $3.4M? I don't know but if Bolland isn't there to tap in the SCF winning goal, then the game goes to OT and who knows how things would have played out. He made several other plays in the playoffs that were difference makers too. He's the type of player winning teams need to be winning teams. His regular season production may leave you wanting but his value will be seen in the playoffs.

 

[KuleminFan41]

Bolland's cap hit is 3.3m
Grabovski's cap hit was 5.5

I'd say bringing in Bolland helped us with the cap more than keeping Grabo and actually plays the third line unlike Grabovski

 

[Sypher04]

Nonis cant make it work. If he did, Kadri and Franson would be signed. We can both do the math here and realize that what Kadri and Franson are worth (even by underassesment) cant fit into the cap space that they have.

The only thing that their lack of signing indicates at this point is that the sides can't agree on what their values are. Do we likely need to clear some cap? Yeah, I think most people see that, but the fact remains, if Kadri and Franson's demands were in line with what we felt they are worth, they'd be signed already.

 

[Suntouchable13]

By the end of the season, Kadri and Bolland will be our top 2 centres.

 

[likeabosski]

Bolland's cap hit is 3.3m
Grabovski's cap hit was 5.5

I'd say bringing in Bolland helped us with the cap more than keeping Grabo and actually plays the third line unlike Grabovski

Grabovski has no place being on a checking line. He's not suited to that role and he makes too much money for that role. He should be on the 1st scoring line with JVR and Phil Kessel. (If you absolutely need to cut him, at least get Mike Ribeiro). Let Tyler Bozak walk. That guy is a plug. Even Don Cherry said so! Said he was a plug and very over-paid. Because he can't get 20 goals (in a full season) playing with Phil Kessel. For a guy who shoots very, very little, Tyler Bozak should be getting more assists. He is not involved in the play as much as he should be. Though if he was involved in the play more, he might just get in Phil Kessel and JVR's way anyway. He's good at face-offs, breakaways and shootouts. But that to me doesn't scream $4.2m/yr. He sucks at defense (his only value on that end, is face-offs. Grabovski is good from the face-off circle too). I don't know where people are getting this idea that he's good at defense.

 

[My Sweet Shadow]

In the "Komarov coming back...but not necessarily to TO" thread, everyone is complaining about how our 4th line is one of the worst in the league and completely outdated; we should be dressing two checking lines that can play 10+ minutes a game. Then the premise of this thread is that we shouldn't have gotten Bolland because playing McClement on the 4th line is a waste of his talent.

You know summer is coming to an end when some of our biggest debates about who plays on our 4th line. October can't come soon enough.

 

[LaPlante94]

This is what happens when you sign a kid from college and play him on the 1st line just because of so called chemistry with Kessel. Buying out Liles and Komisarek was the best thing to do so we would of had 4 good C.

Kadri
Grabovski
Bolland
McClement

I think we'd have same amount of cap space left now too

 

[diceman934]

Thanks for proving my point.

What was your point....it seems to have moved.

 

[Warden of the North]

Nonis cant make it work. If he did, Kadri and Franson would be signed. We can both do the math here and realize that what Kadri and Franson are worth (even by underassesment) cant fit into the cap space that they have.

The season is still over 5 weeks away.

 

[KuleminFan41]

Grabovski has no place being on a checking line. He's not suited to that role and he makes too much money for that role. He should be on the 1st scoring line with JVR and Phil Kessel. (If you absolutely need to cut him, at least get Mike Ribeiro). Let Tyler Bozak walk. That guy is a plug. Even Don Cherry said so! Said he was a plug and very over-paid. Because he can't get 20 goals (in a full season) playing with Phil Kessel. For a guy who shoots very, very little, Tyler Bozak should be getting more assists. He is not involved in the play as much as he should be. Though if he was involved in the play more, he might just get in Phil Kessel and JVR's way anyway. He's good at face-offs, breakaways and shootouts. But that to me doesn't scream $4.2m/yr. He sucks at defense (his only value on that end, is face-offs. Grabovski is good from the face-off circle too). I don't know where people are getting this idea that he's good at defense.

I personally would have let Bozak walk as well. Grabo didn't have many chances to play with Kessel and people shot that down and said they cant despite being on the ice together where a couple goals were scored. Leafs cut Grabo who put up better numbers than Bozak yet gave Bozak roughly the same money. Just poor decisions because we'll never have a true #1C as long as Bozak is here.

 

[diceman934]

Grabovski has no place being on a checking line. He's not suited to that role and he makes too much money for that role. He should be on the 1st scoring line with JVR and Phil Kessel. (If you absolutely need to cut him, at least get Mike Ribeiro). Let Tyler Bozak walk. That guy is a plug. Even Don Cherry said so! Said he was a plug and very over-paid. Because he can't get 20 goals (in a full season) playing with Phil Kessel. For a guy who shoots very, very little, Tyler Bozak should be getting more assists. He is not involved in the play as much as he should be. Though if he was involved in the play more, he might just get in Phil Kessel and JVR's way anyway. He's good at face-offs, breakaways and shootouts. But that to me doesn't scream $4.2m/yr. He sucks at defense (his only value on that end, is face-offs. Grabovski is good from the face-off circle too). I don't know where people are getting this idea that he's good at defense.

Grabo was out played by Kadri .....and lost his 2nd line center role. Bozak is the most underrated Leaf player....he did center 3 different wingers to career years. He has been very effective in the role that he inherited and is paid as a 2nd line center and not as a first line center. I will take him over all the other available centers that we could have signed.

I will put the ball in your court to explain why you feel that Bozak sucks defensively.

Grabo was not suited to be a first line center with the wingers we have playing there as he simply does not share the puck enough. You complained about Bozak not getting more assists and yet you wanted Grabo to play on the top line and he does not share the puck much at all.

Kadri will be the number 1 center very soon and Bozak will slide into the number two spot.

 

[diceman934]

I personally would have let Bozak walk as well. Grabo didn't have many chances to play with Kessel and people shot that down and said they cant despite being on the ice together where a couple goals were scored. Leafs cut Grabo who put up better numbers than Bozak yet gave Bozak the same money. Just poor decisions because we'll never have a true #1C as long as Bozak is here.

Bozak is not making 6 million a year....which is what we paid him last year and his cap hit was 5.5 million big difference from that to 4.2 million per year.

 

[diceman934]

Dave Bolland is over-rated and over-paid for what he does and how well he does it. For a so-called elite grinder, his Corsi Against stats are pretty disappointing. On the best hockey team in the NHL. An elite grinder does not let that many shots go through. Let me guess, he was bought in because he is "tough" and a "good ol Etobicoke boy" right? Might as well make Don Cherry the GM. Just because he was part of a winning team (Chicago Blackhawks), doesn't mean that he's hot ****.

Why do you think Chicago are willing to allow us to take him off their hands? Because they want to offload his bloated salary and make cap room for better players. Chicago were probably laughing their ***** off when the deal was done. "The idiot Leafs management got outsmarted again", they thought to themselves. Chicago will bring up yet another cheap, promising youngster to take Bolland's place. Chicago probably have the best scouts in the league to find talent to draft and know how to properly bring up youth.

Chicago traded him because they had to....no other reason. They needed to get under the cap.

 

[dballislife2]

the intangibles that guys like bolland, clarkson, mcclement, bozak and kulemin bring to the table are what set teams apart come playoff time...we got our point producers, tough guys in orr and mclaren, we need guys like these

 

[Avec Fromage*]

Yes. Not the greatest thing to do, but they made their own bed with this.

Actually, all buyout periods have come and gone this year. The Leafs will have to trade Liles is they don't want to carry his cap hit.

 

[AvroArrow]

Don't really see the issue. He knows how to win. Solid 3rd liner. Yeah the cap situation sucks, but it's going back up after this season. Stick it out through this upcoming season, and everyones going to love the bolland trade. He adds depth and experience to the team. Also its really likely him and McClement will be our 2 centers on the PK, which puts the risk of them being injured even higher. Having depth at center is gonna be really useful then.

 

[Stephen]

If depends on how he plays for us and how the Kadri and Franson situations resolve themselves.

 

[charliolemieux]

I liked the trade better before Bozak got re-signed.

 

[ChuckWoods]

Nonis cant make it work. If he did, Kadri and Franson would be signed. We can both do the math here and realize that what Kadri and Franson are worth (even by underassesment) cant fit into the cap space that they have.

If Franson was being reasonable, he could indeed make it work.

But the simple fact is, he's not.

Would you prefer Nonis to overpay Franson just because?

I certainly hope not.

There's a reason Nonis is taking his time with things, and that's because he HAS time to kill.

 

[dballislife2]

kadri and franson can be resigned for 6.5-7mill...we're only about 2mill off right now...it'll take work but not like its a astronomical task

 

[zeke]

I don't know if trading for Bolland was a good move or not, but making McClement our 3rd line C would most definitely have been a bad move.

 

[Drew311]

There's always something to complain about in Leafs land, even a month and a half before the season starts.

 

[WildcatMapleLeafs28]

He's a great addition imo. Depth wins cups.

 

[HOCKEYGOON]

Our center position is solidified with Bolland... everyone has a clear cut defined role.