Are we better or worse?

[BozakKadriKessel]

Are we a better team this year then we were last year? The leafs had a few losses from Bolland,Kuli, Raymond but realistically I can see an improvement on the team. The money that we could have paid Bolland we gave it to players like Frattin, Santorelli, Booth, Konitola, Holland and I think combined they are making less than him as well. I got to say I like some of the additons from this team. Bring back frattin who had success with the less , good energy player good release trying to make it work. Santorelli had a good year with Vancouver coming off injury cheap deal. Booth who is a wild card. Not expecting to much but it is a low risk high reward . Pair him with santorelli as far as I know he improved his game when playing with the guy. Additions of Komarov provides that pest factor the new hybrid enforcers. Players who can skate, kill pen and hit what ever is in his way. The good thing is he rarely takes many pen and draws a lot.

The d improved to me but we still do not have a partner for phaneuf which hurts.. An extra year of Morgan Reilly is a great bonus, Polak and Robidas will sure up the back end and provide grit and leadership and more of an effective back end.

Add a healthy Bernier, rather cut dead weight with Reimer if he does not want to be there and he hates the coach or what not I am not comfortable with him playing games. He has the talent to be a good goalie we have all seen Reimer excel but he needs to be in the right situation and the thing I always loved abt him was the fact he loved the game, he loved battling and he hard a strong work ethic put him in the envt the leafs are for him Idk if we get the same Reimer.

But regardless I think this team is better than what they were just last season what do you guys think?




JVR Bozak Kessel

Lupul Kadri Clarkson

Booth Santorelli Frattin

Komarov Kontiola Holland

Extra :Ashton


Phaneuf Gardiner

Robidas Reilly

Polak Franson


Extra: Granberg/Holzer


Bernier

Reimer

Click to read more...

 

[Drew311]

Better, simply based on more forward depth and seemingly better fitting defensive pairings.

 

[Territory]

The whole bottom 6 is improved. The team is much deeper for next season. I have no doubts the team will be better.

 

[socko]

Looks about the same to me. Getting rid of Clarkson would have helped this team more than anyone they added.

 

[hockeyfanz*]

On paper that team looks like a bottom 10 imo.....

 

[pucci2001]

Komarov back makes us instantly better. Being said our team actually hinges on our defense being better and Clarkson being better. Second to that is Kadri stepping up a bit and Bernier staying healthy. I still don't think we are a serious team. Maybe first round exit team, but who knows anything can happen in the playoffs if we make it, its a coin flip.

 

[officialmark*]

As long as they don't just play the last 10 minutes of the 3rd period for most of the games this year they should be better.

 

[Drew311]

On paper that team looks like a bottom 10 imo.....

It actually looks like a team that can score more goals and give less up.

Let's not forget that this team was top 5 in the conference for 60% of last season. With the improved defense and better possession players I think they're less prone to an 18 wheeler-like losing streak.

 

[rojac]

I'm not sure whether the Leafs are better or worse. I think a lot of it will depend upon what kind of system Carlyle and his new assistants decide to play this year. And why does nobody ever include an "Undecided" or "I don't know" in these polls?

 

[BeerLeaguePro]

The whole bottom 6 is improved. The team is much deeper for next season. I have no doubts the team will be better.

We actually have a bottom 6 now instead of a bottom 4

 

[King85Kong]

Would go with option C, that being even to last year, with so many unknowns. But if I had to choose I would go with better. Hopefully everything works out and we do really well.

 

[Renegade]

This off season was realistic yet successful. I think most Leafs fans think if you don't go out to get a #1 Centre and a top 2 D your off season is a failure. Once you realize getting those pieces are next to impossible, what we've done tackles some of the biggest issues we've dealt with last season. I think bringing back Frattin and Komarov really helps this team regain structure that they had in 2013. Adding Polak and Robidas also helps our D a lot more than we think. Two responsible right handed guys who can handle big minutes. Also adding depth in Kontiola, Booth, Santorelli, Smith helps this team in the bottom 6 formation.

 

[McMatthews]

Not sure.

Added:
Stephane Robidas
Leo Komarov
Roman Polak
Petri Kontiola
Mike Santorelli
Peter Holland
Petter Granberg
Matt Frattin
David Booth

Subtracted:
Nikolai Kulemin
Carl Gunnarsson
Mason Raymond
Jay McClement
Tim Gleason
Jerry D'Amigo
Dave Bolland (15 healthy games last season)
Paul Ranger
Frazer McLaren
Colton Orr

$7.95M left in cap space to sign Jake Gardiner and James Reimer.

22 players.

 

[Mess]

I think the real evidence comes in comparing the contracts that players earned for next year and beyond tells the story of better or worse through change.

If numerous players hit the UFA marked and one player gets 5 years X $5.5 mil and another gets 4 X $4.15 or 3 years @ $ 3.15 mil and your comparing that to a bunch of others that could only get 1 year deals at $1.5 or $1.1 mil than its pretty telling who the better players are as supply and demand makes it pretty clear.

Can a team get better by replacing better players with lesser, cheaper and less experienced versions of themselves, well I guess we are about to find out?.

The team getting better is likely going have to come from the players already on the team improving as opposed to the additions verses subtractions.

 

[ConnorTO]

on paper =/= everything

 

[LeafsNation149]

Much better

 

[LeafalCrusader]

On paper were about the same. Maybe a little better in some areas a little worse in others. Its just a question of whether the new guys are a better fit than the old guys.

 

[hockeyes]

I vote better because nobody which walked was anything remotely special. Sure, nobody signed was remotely special either (at least currently) but they are all solid players at cheap deals, way better than keeping a guy like Kulemin @ 4.1, like not even remotely close better, waaaay better.

 

[HEAVY DUTY]

slightly better. i would have more faith in this year's squad if we had changed the HC, but oh well.

 

[Atomos2]

Same

I think the real evidence comes in comparing the contracts that players earned for next year and beyond tells the story of better or worse through change.

If numerous players hit the UFA marked and one player gets 5 years X $5.5 mil and another gets 4 X $4.15 or 3 years @ $ 3.15 mil and your comparing that to a bunch of others that could only get 1 year deals at $1.5 or $1.1 mil than its pretty telling who the better players are as supply and demand makes it pretty clear.

Can a team get better by replacing better players with lesser, cheaper and less experienced versions of themselves, well I guess we are about to find out?.

The team getting better is likely going have to come from the players already on the team improving as opposed to the additions verses subtractions.

That's the thing. I don't see any better players, just different players. But I'd rather suck while having cheap inexpensive players rather than reaching the cap with a bunch of Clarksons and sucking just the same.

 

[SourGrapes]

While I believe we got better, I think we'll finish worse this year. We rode a hot goalie and streaky forward play for much of the season, and when it failed, so too did the team. I think that Bernier will fall back down to earth and the forwards will put in average seasons.

All in all, I believe we finish near the bottom this year.

 

[Ciao]

That Connor McDavid is one good looking hockey player. If the Leafs miss the lottery, it won't be by design.

 

[Slapshot17]

Hockey is a team game. Last year, other than the Kessel line, the Leafs felt more like individuals than a team. If they can somehow find some of the team magic they had 2 years ago, you'll see a much better result.

 

[Ciao]

Usually a team gets better when the best players get better. Switching spare parts is okay, bit it only goes so fat

 

[Menzinger]

The bottom six seems stronger, as is our defence. But ultimately, it'll depend on how the coaches use the players. If Carlyle uses the same defensive system as last year, the roaster changes wont matter. And although the bottom six looks better, if Carlyle only plays the 4th line for 5 minutes, things won't improve.

Ultimately, I really have no idea how things will end up.