Carl Gunnarssons next contract

[Nylanderthal]

Preferably paid by someone else, unless he takes #5D money. That's where he should be playing.

Here's the right answer. Too many people wanna tie up money into middling players. 2 year deal, 3m max, anymore and its sayonara sucker

 

[Porn*]

Here's the right answer. Too many people wanna tie up money into middling players. 2 year deal, 3m max, anymore and its sayonara sucker

he's a solid 3-4 dman and should be paid accordingly. he isn't bottom pairing.

he was having nagging hip issues this year which limited his mobility.

 

[Lightsol]

he's a solid 3-4 dman and should be paid accordingly. he isn't bottom pairing.

he was having nagging hip issues this year which limited his mobility.

Um, nagging hip issues doesn't explain a defenseman who seems to forget the basic tenets of playing defense once his ice time creeps past the 10 minute mark.

Gunnarsson is the classic tweener. He's passable offensively and passable defensively, but you can make up for that using defensive pairings. Since he doesn't excel at either, he's best used as a bottom pairing defenseman simply because you minimize risk that way. If you try to use him as a top pairing defenseman, his presence tends to magnify the flaws of his defensive partner, since then the whole pairing has a major weakness in whatever his defensive partner isn't skilled at. Hence the constant *****ing about Phaneuf; it's not that Phaneuf is bad, it's that Gunnarsson isn't good enough to mask Phaneuf's weaknesses, which should be the goal of every defensive pairing.

This tends to be why most teams relegate D-men like Gunnarsson to the bottom pairing. The Leafs used to have a Gunnarsson-type D-man back in pre-lockout; Aki Berg. Why do you think Berg never progressed past being a #5D? After all, he was a high draft pick specifically because of his balanced traits.

 

[CmonLeafs]

Um, nagging hip issues doesn't explain a defenseman who seems to forget the basic tenets of playing defense once his ice time creeps past the 10 minute mark.

Gunnarsson is the classic tweener. He's passable offensively and passable defensively, but you can make up for that using defensive pairings. Since he doesn't excel at either, he's best used as a bottom pairing defenseman simply because you minimize risk that way. If you try to use him as a top pairing defenseman, his presence tends to magnify the flaws of his defensive partner, since then the whole pairing has a major weakness in whatever his defensive partner isn't skilled at. Hence the constant *****ing about Phaneuf; it's not that Phaneuf is bad, it's that Gunnarsson isn't good enough to mask Phaneuf's weaknesses, which should be the goal of every defensive pairing.

This tends to be why most teams relegate D-men like Gunnarsson to the bottom pairing. The Leafs used to have a Gunnarsson-type D-man back in pre-lockout; Aki Berg. Why do you think Berg never progressed past being a #5D? After all, he was a high draft pick specifically because of his balanced traits.

 

[Duke Silver]

No he wasn't. Points does not equal good play.

He was played exclusively against 4th liners and 3rd liners at the most. When he was moved to the second pairing, he looked awful in his own end.

Well how would you rank our defencemen's performance this season (regular season + playoffs)?

I'll take a stab at it:

1. Phaneuf
2. Franson
3. Gardiner
4. Fraser
5. Gunnarsson
6. Liles
7. Kostka
8. O'Byrne
9. Holzer

 

[Duke Silver]

Um, nagging hip issues doesn't explain a defenseman who seems to forget the basic tenets of playing defense once his ice time creeps past the 10 minute mark.

Gunnarsson is the classic tweener. He's passable offensively and passable defensively, but you can make up for that using defensive pairings. Since he doesn't excel at either, he's best used as a bottom pairing defenseman simply because you minimize risk that way. If you try to use him as a top pairing defenseman, his presence tends to magnify the flaws of his defensive partner, since then the whole pairing has a major weakness in whatever his defensive partner isn't skilled at. Hence the constant *****ing about Phaneuf; it's not that Phaneuf is bad, it's that Gunnarsson isn't good enough to mask Phaneuf's weaknesses, which should be the goal of every defensive pairing.

This tends to be why most teams relegate D-men like Gunnarsson to the bottom pairing. The Leafs used to have a Gunnarsson-type D-man back in pre-lockout; Aki Berg. Why do you think Berg never progressed past being a #5D? After all, he was a high draft pick specifically because of his balanced traits.

Ever play hockey with a hip issue? It's affects your ability to cross-over, your turning, your first step, and your general mobility and agility. As a result, your timing is off as you are slower to react and change position, which leads to mistakes. It's a tough injury in hockey. It's why you don't see many players play through hip flexors.

Gunnarsson will always be under-appreciated by many Leafs fans. Many forget how well he played for us in 2011-12, on the top pairing might I add.

 

[Nylanderthal]

Ever play hockey with a hip issue? It's affects your ability to cross-over, your turning, your first step, and your general mobility and agility. As a result, your timing is off as you are slower to react and change position, which leads to mistakes. It's a tough injury in hockey. It's why you don't see many players play through hip flexors.

Gunnarsson will always be under-appreciated by many Leafs fans. Many forget how well he played for us in 2011-12, on the top pairing might I add.

Not disagreeing with either of your posts, although I might flip Fraser and Liles, but then again I think JML hasn't gotten a fair shake from the new coaching staff. I also know that gunn did play on our top pairing in 11-12 (over his head btw) but he was just terribad this year, hip or not. I'd like to ideally see a bridge type deal, let him prove himself again. 2yrs 3M

 

[Duke Silver]

Not disagreeing with either of your posts, although I might flip Fraser and Liles, but then again I think JML hasn't gotten a fair shake from the new coaching staff. I also know that gunn did play on our top pairing in 11-12 (over his head btw) but he was just terribad this year, hip or not. I'd like to ideally see a bridge type deal, let him prove himself again. 2yrs 3M

I put more stock in his healthier, better season than his unhealthy, worse season.

I think we can both agree that if Gunnarsson is on your top pairing, your team's defensive depth is lacklustre. We need another top-pairing d-man but I'm not sure we have the prospect depth to get one. Here's hoping Gardiner takes the next step.

 

[Porn*]

Hahahahahhaha

comparing gunnerson to aki berg. what a joke.

i'll leave this thread now.

 

[Renegade]

Love Gunnarsson. Possibly our best two way defender, and that is really something that lacks on this club, defensemen who play more defense. Consequently he should make similar to Cody Franson, same term.

4yrs/3M apiece.

 

[Duffman955]

Well how would you rank our defencemen's performance this season (regular season + playoffs)?

I'll take a stab at it:

1. Phaneuf
2. Franson
3. Gardiner
4. Fraser
5. Gunnarsson
6. Liles
7. Kostka
8. O'Byrne
9. Holzer

Well I would go something like this:

Phaneuf


Gunnarsson (Hip issue considered)

Franson
Gardiner
Fraser
Obyrne

Kostka/Holzer

Just goes to show that we need a massive upgrade on defense. By the way, even when Gunnarsson had a hip injury, he was better than Franson in the Dzone by a country mile.

Now imagine a healthy Gunnar, he is nearly the same player as Hjalmarsson, who didnt do too bad on a two time cup winner's #3Dman.

I am not saying he is a core player, but at around 3mil a year, he is a very effective complimentary player that any team would love to have.

 

[TMLife*]

Anyone think we resign O'Byrne for a year?

 

[Duffman955]

Anyone think we resign O'Byrne for a year?

Wouldn't mind him. Could be a 6/7 guy. He played alright in his limited minutes.

 

[The_Chosen_One]

I want Gunnarsson signed to a 3m-ish short-term deal. There is a possibility that his puck moving ability will improve, because that's Phaneuf's real weakness on the defensive side. The problem, however, is that Gunnars isn't very effective in the transition game so we're really going to see a lot of offensive duties being offloaded to the the Gardiner - Franson pairing as we saw in the playoffs. Those two will have to step up their game and not be a liability when up against the top shutdown line.

 

[zeke]

I'll guess $3.0-$3.5 million over 3-4 years.