Any free wallets available this year

[mydnyte]

BU goaltender Matthew O'Connor is the big name this year.

Toronto boy as well. Oilers, Leafs, and a bunch of other teams looking at him.

Is he good enough to start the Bernier rumors over?

 

[AustonMitchWilly]

Is he good enough to start the Bernier rumors over?

Nope.

 

[Kingstonian84*]

I think all things considered Bozak turned out pretty damn well for the Leafs. The mere fact that he's been miscast as a first line centre tells you he's a solid NHLer.

Also, Scrivens was a main piece in acquiring Bernier.

Bozak has had a successful career, considering the guy never was drafted yet not only made it tot he big leagues but has stuck on the top line with elite players is incredible.

 

[Stephen]

Danny Dekeyser was pretty good...

 

[-DeMo-]

Despite me hating Bozak being on this team, he was still a VERY GOOD pick-up and definitely a NHL caliber player (just not a first line center type). He'd be great as a 3rd line center.

this if he was moved to a third line role with him being a good faceoff guy, it would allow him to focus more on defense and be a better defensive player, while only needing to chip in offensively here and there, something he's capable of.

 

[Kingstonian84*]

this if he was moved to a third line role with him being a good faceoff guy, it would allow him to focus more on defense and be a better defensive player, while only needing to chip in offensively here and there, something he's capable of.

Here's the problem with this and I'm not saying I dusageree with you about him being on the 3rd line but- Who replaces him on the top? Kadri has shown he doesnt click with Kessel and he's horrid on faceoffs, Nylander is only 19 and nowhere near ready for that role, Holland is a 3C at best down the road a 2C.... so who replaces Bozak on the top lin

 

[-DeMo-]

Here's the problem with this and I'm not saying I dusageree with you about him being on the 3rd line but- Who replaces him on the top? Kadri has shown he doesnt click with Kessel and he's horrid on faceoffs, Nylander is only 19 and nowhere near ready for that role, Holland is a 3C at best down the road a 2C.... so who replaces Bozak on the top lin

nobody on our team, I mean if it was up to me I would move Kessel in the summer and role with Kadri/JVR/Lupul as my top line next year with some combo of Bozak/Nylander/Leivo/Holland/Komarov/1st round pick(if Forward)/cheap UFA for the 2nd/3rd lines.

but my statement in the post you quoted was more directed at some of the posters who believe Bozak is worthless and not even an NHL player which he clearly is.

 

[Sergei Berezin]

Hey that Tyler Johnson was a terrible signing too, eh? He wasn't drafted so he must be crap! Theres just no way an undrafted free agent could become a useful NHL piece!! I don't care if he's from the WHL, he still applies.

 

[hullsy47]

Hey that Tyler Johnson was a terrible signing too, eh? He wasn't drafted so he must be crap! Theres just no way an undrafted free agent could become a useful NHL piece!! I don't care if he's from the WHL, he still applies.

free agent wallets are fine ,but remember u can put a guy in the minors for 3 years and hell be 23 -24 years old and u deveolped him against men
look at eric knoedel and mcwiliam those guys are like 25 -26 years old already and in a young mans league ,that is the gamble

 

[HoweHullOrr]

enough of these college free agents. they are all trash and a waste of a contract spot.

burke only used them to take the attention away from the lack of firsts we had.

Funny thing is people bought it. He said something about the player he brought in was the equal of 3 first rounders, or something like that.

But, free wallet sounds so good.

Nothing wrong with using all avenues to get players though. Every once in awhile you find a diamond in the rough.

 

[SprDaVE]

Danny Dekeyser was pretty good...

Tyler Johnson is a top 10 scorer right now.

I have no idea why people think signing low risk prospects for free is a bad thing. We've had a pretty good one in Tyler Bozak despite the hate he gets. You can only dream of drafting those kind of players.

There will be plenty of contract space next year with a crap ton of dead weight contracts leaving, so the Dubas (Marlies GM) would be wise to probably scout the NCAA/CHL heavily for a few players that are at least AHL calibre, and then who knows how they develop?

I guess we're spitting and hating on everything these days.

 

[Al14]

Danny Dekeyser was pretty good...

Fortunately for him, he signed in Detroit! He'd have likely been a huge failure with the Leafs D!

 

[egd27]

Same guys bemoaning the fact that we may not have a 4th round pick, don't want to take a chance on a NCAA free agent.

Thought the plan was to stockpile as much young talent as possible and hope a few of them develop into solid players?

 

[Banic]

Bozak, Scrivens and Monster are all NHL players. Of the 7-10 Burke got as free wallets, 3 have worked out decently at least. That's not a bad ratio.

 

[Rufio65*]

Why would we not take a chance? We're not suffering because of Bozak, we're suffering because he is miscast.

This team is hardly in a position to ignore any chance at getting better.

Very well said.

 

[Mojo19]

It's not that Bozak is bad... it's just he should be a #2 or #3 C.
He wouldn't be a #1 C on a good NHL team.

 

[Leafidelity]

Bozak, Scrivens and Monster are all NHL players. Of the 7-10 Burke got as free wallets, 3 have worked out decently at least. That's not a bad ratio.

That's a better ratio than our draft picks.

Some serious face palming going on here that people can't even admit Bozak is a tradable NHL asset.

 

[Mike Jones]

Nothing wrong with using all avenues to get players though. Every once in awhile you find a diamond in the rough.

At the very least it's a cheap and easy way to fill out an AHL roster. You can only have so many veterans playing so why not sign some free agents to complement and compete with the drafted prospects.

 

[fahad203]

That's a better ratio than our draft picks.

Some serious face palming going on here that people can't even admit Bozak is a tradable NHL asset.

Haters are going to hate.

Don't take it out on Bozak on the fact that his coaches keeps putting on the first line. Bozak has nothing to apologize for, he earned what he's getting.

He's been a professional, low maintence and a good team player

I would love for the Leafs to be able to pick another Bozak. Even Gustavsson, poor guy in his first year losses his mother, has a heart problem and then has Komiserak and Ron Wilson's D on front of him. He made a solid career in Detroit all of a sudden

 

[Banic]

Also a reminder, Martin St. Louis was an undrafted college player.

 

[fahad203]

Also a reminder, Martin St. Louis was an undrafted college player.

Adam Oates, Curtis Joseph, Mike Jhonson

So many good players were undrafted in the past

I'll take a free wallet over some of the fools we have in our organizatoin like Ross and Biggs. Their time has come and gone

 

[Gary Batman]

Jack Eichel? Jonathon Toews?

Which one of them was available as a free agent from NCAA?

Either way, the only NCAA developed players Leafs get are the crappy ones. I'd much rather have Swede players. At least our Swedish scouting is good.

 

[Gary Batman]

Bozak has had a successful career, considering the guy never was drafted yet not only made it tot he big leagues but has stuck on the top line with elite players is incredible.

And the fact that he hasn't managed to cross 50 points even once, with a PPG winger, is even more incredible!

Does that mean he'd just be a 30 point player at best if playing with 3rd line talent on a 3rd line?

 

[Mike Jones]

Adam Oates, Curtis Joseph, Mike Jhonson

So many good players were undrafted in the past

I'll take a free wallet over some of the fools we have in our organizatoin like Ross and Biggs. Their time has come and gone

One of Burke's problems was that he gave the impression that college free agents would somehow replace early draft picks that were traded away and that's not how it works. Free agents and drafting have to go together in order to build a prospect base. The Wings knew that and that's why it was a big part of their rebuild and continuing development process includes both free agency and drafting. A team can't rely on just one way of doing things.

 

[cookie]

Yea! I love free wallets! Just look at how great all of Burke's "free wallets" turned out!

That is how you build a winner...with players nobody else could be bothered drafting.

Bozak, Clarkson, some guy named Giordano are NHL players at some capacity or another. St. Louis is probably the greatest free wallet playing right now who was overlooked because of his size... I think he won a cup.

There's a question you gotta ask yourself: what's more important-- a reaaaaaaally long shot prospect hogging one of the fifty spots or a player that might be useful or at the very least you can trade away for another go at the draft?