Friedman: A lot of NHL executives are already calling Radko Gudas a future Leaf.

[FerrisRox]

They trade one of Johnsson/Kapanen/Kerfoot and Dermott and boom that's probably enough to squeeze him in at 3.5.

Nobody is going to pay Gudas $3.5. That's at least a million more than he's worth and probably $1.5 million more than he's worth.

Gudas is not the type of player you trade someone away to fit into your lineup.

 

[hb12xchamps]

Apparently not a lot of people have seen Radko Gudas play this year

 

[tellermine]

Gudas is darn underrated.
Good basic stuff with a nice passing and grit.
Does no more idiotic stuff.

I think he would really bring right stuff to Leafs.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Gudas is darn underrated.
Good basic stuff with a nice passing and grit.
Does no more idiotic stuff.

I think he would really bring right stuff to Leafs.

He'd be an upgrade for sure

 

[Petrus]

What about Sandin and Liljegren?

We need vet D to mentor those two. Muzz for example, made Holl look good against Columbus. But when Muzz got injured, Holl was a liability.

Toronto needs more vet D, much like the way Chara provides support to the Bruins back end.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Apparently not a lot of people have seen Radko Gudas play this year

Most people don't base their opinion on 1 season and not even a full season, hell it still might not even finish, it looks promising but it's not guaranteed

 

[topshelf15]

He would give them some grit,but they shouldnt be giving out too much term 0r money here...As he isnt the answer they really need

 

[hb12xchamps]

Most people don't base their opinion on 1 season and not even a full season, hell it still might not even finish, it looks promising but it's not guaranteed

Gudas is going to be on the wrong side of 30, is slowing down, handles the puck like a grenade and had a bad season all around. If the Leafs can get him for cheap and think they can get him back to last year's form then it would be worth it. There were big expectations for him once he was traded for Niskanen and he definitely didn't live up to them. Healthy scratched after Dillon was acquired and was only placed back into the lineup recently out of desperation.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Gudas is going to be on the wrong side of 30, is slowing down, handles the puck like a grenade and had a bad season all around. If the Leafs can get him for cheap and think they can get him back to last year's form then it would be worth it. There were big expectations for him once he was traded for Niskanen and he definitely didn't live up to them. Healthy scratched after Dillon was acquired and was only placed back into the lineup recently out of desperation.

There are 18 players on the Leafs that are under 30, 11 are 25 or younger, and that doesn't include Lilly or Robertson, Hollowell or Barabanov who all have shots at the roster, and would all had to the 25 or younger group.

If you take away Jason Spezza who is a pending UFA their oldest forward is Tavares he doesn't turn 30 for another month.

Gudas being on the wrong side of 30, and even he is only 30 might be a good thing Toronto could use a couple older guys.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

He would give them some grit,but they shouldnt be giving out too much term 0r money here...As he isnt the answer they really need

He doesn't need to be the answer he just needs to be a piece

 

[_Del_]

He doesn't need to be the answer he just needs to be a piece

Every body always wants the homerun swings. It's weird how often people are actually opposed to upgrading their rosters because it isn't sexy enough.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Every body always wants the homerun swings. It's weird how often people are actually opposed to upgrading their rosters because it isn't sexy enough.

I think they need 2 RHD Gudas can be one you also need a Tanev, Manson, Larsson, Savard, Brodie, Schultz, Hamilton it doesn't really matter who but they need 2 RHD because you can't have Marincin playing he needs to be the #8 or #9 D

 

[HandshakeLineRespect]

Those two statements are completely contradictory.

He did get rushed to the NHL. He shouldn't have been, but he was. Dubas has long said that Toronto was now a professional organization and no longer did those things, but then with Sandin they revered back to all their all bad habits.

Would you rather have a Sandin at the start of next season who is bigger, stronger and more ready to compete for a top-4 role? Or would you rather have a Sandin at the start of next season who is still being passed over for games by Marincin, and is most likely being sent to the AHL, because he is not strong or big enough to handle defensive assignments?

Because it should have been the former, but instead it will be the latter - because of terrible development.

Yikes! You are either intentionally trolling or that is one horrible take you have there

 

[biotk]

Yikes! You are either intentionally trolling or that is one horrible take you have there

You are free to be wrong about things. I couldn't care less.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

You are free to be wrong about things. I couldn't care less.

Thing is regradless as to if you are trolling or not it doesn't matter.

Sandin is a LD, the Leafs have Rielly and Muzzin at LD so Sandin baring an injury, and I mean a long term injury, not the kind of injury Muzzin got VS Columbus was never competing for a top 4 spot, not after 28 games.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

As a #4/5 I think he would be a welcomed addition to the Leafs Defense. He plays the game with that edge the Leafs sorely lack right now.


Curious to see the cost to get him and what other move allows said signing to occur. Johnson or Kapanen out would be my guess.

See this person gets it nobody expects Gudas to be a star but Gudas-Sandin works and that's an upgrade

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Geeze Dubas has his work cut out for him to improve that.

I'm very curious what trades he will make this offseason. Gonna be fun to see!!

See that's the thing though it's not the whole defense, Rielly, Muzzin, Sandin and Dermott at LD that's pretty good.

It's just the right side is SO SO bad you NEED a piece there.

 

[PWJunior]

See that's the thing though it's not the whole defense, Rielly, Muzzin, Sandin and Dermott at LD that's pretty good.

It's just the right side is SO SO bad you NEED a piece there.

The Leafs need a quality RHD that can play the tough minutes and slot the other RD's down the lineup into more appropriate roles. 3rd pairing band aids like Gudas won't have much impact.

I get your logic, but hoping that the defense will improve by bubbling from the bottom up is not the way to go. It needs to be a trickle down effect to really improve the defense.

Another factor is that the forwards need to do a much better job supporting the defense. The whole philosophy needs to change.

 

[biotk]

Thing is regradless as to if you are trolling or not it doesn't matter.

Sandin is a LD, the Leafs have Rielly and Muzzin at LD so Sandin baring an injury, and I mean a long term injury, not the kind of injury Muzzin got VS Columbus was never competing for a top 4 spot, not after 28 games.

It is sad that Sandin has to play for a team which has fans that don't care about his development and don't care that Dubas is developing him in the exact opposite way of which Dubas has said that young prospects must be developed.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

The Leafs need a quality RHD that can play the tough minutes and slot the other RD's down the lineup into more appropriate roles. 3rd pairing band aids like Gudas won't have much impact.

I get your logic, but hoping that the defense will improve by bubbling from the bottom up is not the way to go. It needs to be a trickle down effect to really improve the defense.

Another factor is that the forwards need to do a much better job supporting the defense. The whole philosophy needs to change.

The Leafs need EVERYTHING at RD, they can't have Marincin playing as #7 D man he can't be coming in because ONE guy got hurt he proved that AGAIN.

Marincin should be traded, waived, fired into the sun, whatever you need to do but if he HAS to stay then he needs to be your 8th, 9th guy he can't be playing because of ONE injury.

To achieve this you need at least 2 D men preferably RD.

Gudas is a start

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

It is sad that Sandin has to play for a team which has fans that don't care about his development and don't care that Dubas is developing him in the exact opposite way of which Dubas has said that young prospects must be developed.

I mean what do you do? trade Muzzin? that's likely not happening

You need to take someone's job, in fact he's likely taken Dermott's job but you need to take Muzzin's job to get top 4 minutes.

Unfortunately for Sandin he doesn't play the right side or he'd be in the top 4.

But he plays the left side so he's not

 

[biotk]

I mean what do you do? trade Muzzin? that's likely not happening

You need to take someone's job, in fact he's likely taken Dermott's job but you need to take Muzzin's job to get top 4 minutes.

Unfortunately for Sandin he doesn't play the right side or he'd be in the top 4.

But he plays the left side so he's not

Umm...you develop him properly. Has nothing to do with trading Muzzin. As Dubas has long said - the Leafs' now develop prospects properly - which means not doing the amateur things the Leafs' used to do like bringing them up too early. Prospects in the first 2 years of their ELCs would ONLY (his emphasis) be brought up when the team was certain they were ready for a permanent spot in the lineup. Says to do otherwise - have them in and out of the lineup - is bad for the development. He also said last summer that the Leafs' had brought in lots of depth like Schmaltz, Gravel, Harper on top of Marincin and Kivi so that way Sandin and Liljegren would not be used this season and would be developed until they were ready for full-time.

What does he do instead? Starts Sandin on the Leafs and sends him down after 6 games (bad for development according to Dubas). Then calls him up again in January. Is he ready for a permanent spot in the lineup? Nope - healthy scratch for 8 of the Leafs' last 10 hockey games.

Instead of having him concentrate on getting bigger and stronger - the very reasons he was not in the lineup - from March onward - tell him to stay in game shape, wasting a 5 months of time so he could suit up for a the pre-game skate of one game. Complete f***ing embarrassment of an organization. But, I guess who gives a shit because the Leafs' have Rielly and Muzzin anyway and apparently being bigger and stronger won't help in making the third pairing - but I am sure that pre-game skate did wonders.

 

[le_sean]

As if we needed more reasons to hate the Leafs

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Gudas is darn underrated.
Good basic stuff with a nice passing and grit.
Does no more idiotic stuff.

I think he would really bring right stuff to Leafs.

That's what they need just basic, solid defense

 

[Drake1588]

At $2.345M/yr, after retention, Gudas was OK for the Capitals this year. Nothing special, but he wasn't brought in with enormous expectations either. The cost-to-performance ratio was alright. I liked him more early on, and he regressed a bit over the course of the season. He was brought in to be much cheaper than Niskanen, in a cap move that yet left Washington with a top-six veteran on defense. In that light, the transaction made sense.

I'd want to take care when thinking of my ceiling in any negotiations with him on the UFA market. He's a third pairing guy who can supplement other players on your club who already provide a snarl role. In Toronto, I suspect he'd be expected to do more than he is capable, in terms of overall minutes, in terms of the enforcer role, the works. This is a secondary or tertiary player, one who is useful, but not more than that.