Direction this team is heading

[WTFMAN99]

So we've traded 3 picks for a 3rd line centre, drafted a 3rd line centre in the 1st round, and I feel the majority of the picks (although I really loved our 7th pick) were pretty meh picks, likely to be a 3rd line guy kind of guy.

I kind of find it weird we're trading a lot of picks for a 3rd line centre, we should be signing those or developing our own, not trading so much for one.

Also I feel our draft strategy in the last few years is a little rough. I do not feel as though the team is really going for any higher end skill guys. Quite honestly I feel as though the team is has enough 2-way grinder type of players in the system now and we should go for some boom/bust type picks.

I do think we do well drafting defenseman and we're well stocked but Dave Morrison did a great job helping build up our cupboards but he doesn't really take any chance on higher end skill guys.

Anyways kind of ranting and wondering out loud the direction this team is taking. What do you guys think? Are we taking short cuts again trading picks/youth for quick fixes? Are you happy with our draft picks?

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[Duffman955]

We are going to ice 4 #3 lines. Perfect plan.

 

[BIitz]

Well we probably have one of the worst prospect pools, injected it with more bottom 6 pluggers, and used assets on a piece we didn't really need.

So typical Leaf stagnation.

 

[Iskandm004]

The team plays with 2 shut down lines and two scoring lines

Having Bolland and Mac as our 3/4 centers are the perfect fit for this team and play the style randy loves.

This will also allow Garbo to not have to play the 3rd line shutdown role anymore and lets him either free to play more offensive or be traded.

Our first overall pick is the best 2 way center in the draft.....this doesnt make him a 3rd line player, think J.Stall or Landeskog. Great in their own end and above average offence. Perfect 2nd line center/ top 6 forward

 

[InterceptSchenn]

we traded a 2nd rounder and 2 fourth rounders for a guy with 2 cup rings and a guy who is from TO and is only 27. The odds of those pick becoming as good as Bolland are slim. We win.

 

[Rare Jewel]

Stefanovich, Olden, Probably some more.

We've picked some of those "what if" high ceiling(apparently) prospects and they haven't work.


If we pick a player today and you don't know him, Its not our scouts fault; They actually go to the rinks and watch these players.

 

[leafsfuture]

Remind me again the last time we complained about scoring?

It would have been nice to have another defensive center in the last 10 minutes against Boston huh?

 

[Duffman955]

we traded a 2nd rounder and 2 fourth rounders for a guy with 2 cup rings and a guy who is from TO and is only 27. The odds of those pick becoming as good as Bolland are slim. We win.

Odds of a second round pick in a very deep draft being better or as good as a 3rd liner is quite high

 

[WTFMAN99]

The team plays with 2 shut down lines and two scoring lines

Having Bolland and Mac as our 3/4 centers are the perfect fit for this team and play the style randy loves.

This will also allow Garbo to not have to play the 3rd line shutdown role anymore and lets him either free to play more offensive or be traded.

Our first overall pick is the best 2 way center in the draft.....this doesnt make him a 3rd line player, this J.Stall or Landeskog. Great in their own end and above average offence. Perfect 2nd line center/ top 6 forward

I disagree. I feel as though your 3rd line now needs to contribute offense, although I do think that Bolland and Mclement are one of the the better #3 and #4 centre punches in the league, our top 2 centres (as it stands now) with Grabovski and Kadri are among the weakest 1-2 punches.

I am not really a fan of Grabovski who does not seem to share chemistry with any wingers we've put with him, I've find offense goes there to die lately.

I also disagree on your description of Gauthier, I do not think he possesses that kind of offense. He was not even a point per game (yes he's 2 off, but still) in the Q, and a lot of people really question his offensive skills. I hope he proves me wrong and is Getzlaf in a couple years, but as of right now I feel he's a safe pick, but he's not what I want in my 1st round pick, Hunter is who I would of went for.

Also really wanted Crus-Rynberg with our 3rd rounder, great Swedish centre. Highly skilled. I also don't want to become a soft team either, and I believe grit is important, but in the middle of the ice we need to inject some talent.

 

[Warden of the North]

Very happy!

Our C depth got a lot deeper today, and in the future.

 

[wulfio*]

rebuild, tank nation, who's with me?

 

[WTFMAN99]

Stefanovich, Olden, Probably some more.

We've picked some of those "what if" high ceiling(apparently) prospects and they haven't work.


If we pick a player today and you don't know him, Its not our scouts fault; They actually go to the rinks and watch these players.

Okay and that's perfectly fair, some of them don't pan out...and let's be honest, a lot of draft picks don't pan out. It is also on the organization to develop them properly as well.

But at the same time picking regular 2-way forwards and such from North America (noticed you had pinpointed Europeans as the boom/bust guys), what's so great about developing a 3rd/4th line guy? They are available on waivers all the time and super cheap in free agency.

Remind me again the last time we complained about scoring?

It would have been nice to have another defensive center in the last 10 minutes against Boston huh?

These play-offs we complained about scoring, even during the regular season. We never really had 2 lines going at once. It was Kadri and whoever he was with at the beginning of the year, and then towards the end it was whoever was with Kessel. Also whenever Lupul played he did quite well. It would be nice to get a top line centre and have Kadri running our 3rd line.

Also no guarantee a defensive centre would of prevented the Boston come back...you can point to goaltending, face offs...lots of factors in there.

I just think if I am using a 1st round pick on the guy i'd like to think I have a chance to get a top 6 guy. It's not written in stone he's a 3rd line centre, but that's the projection.

 

[Duffman955]

Very happy!

Our C depth got a lot deeper today, and in the future.

So you want to fill our roster with a bunch of #3C's?

 

[hotpaws]

The team plays with 2 shut down lines and two scoring lines

Having Bolland and Mac as our 3/4 centers are the perfect fit for this team and play the style randy loves.

This will also allow Garbo to not have to play the 3rd line shutdown role anymore and lets him either free to play more offensive or be traded.

Our first overall pick is the best 2 way center in the draft.....this doesnt make him a 3rd line player, think J.Stall or Landeskog. Great in their own end and above average offence. Perfect 2nd line center/ top 6 forward

WTF are you talking about . I have no problem with the pick but he's no where close to being the best 2 way c in the draft and he's not close to the prospect Stall or Landeskog were .

I have no idea why some fans have to blow there brains out with over the top projections as soon as we draft a kid .

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Remind me again the last time we complained about scoring?

It would have been nice to have another defensive center in the last 10 minutes against Boston huh?

This is what I don't get. We've had a top 10 offense for the past two years, while our defense before this past season has been bottom 10 the last five years, and bottom 2 three times.

The last thing we need is offense right now. As you said defense was our undoing in that game 7.

 

[Johnny Engine]

Odds of a second round pick in a very deep draft being better or as good as a 3rd liner is quite high

About a quarter of second-rounders become career NHL players. The majority of those are probably not as valuable as an upper-tier checking centre who could be a second liner in a pinch.

 

[leafhky88]

Looking at Toronto's centers last year, I see Grabovski, Bozak and Kadri, none of whom really fit that 3rd line center, shut-down quality player criteria.

So while Toronto did just trade for Bolland (3rd line center) and draft Gauthier, who likely projects to be a a 3rd line center, what I find more surprising is not the activity of the 2013 draft, but of the 2011 draft.

At that time, the centers moving forward were also Kadri, Bozak and Grabovski. If a 3rd line center was really as desperately needed as today's activities indicate (and I am in favor of today's moves strengthening that position), I am more surprised that the move was made trade away picks to move up to pick a 3rd line RW in Tyler Biggs at 22, when 3rd line centers (such as Jenner etc) were available in that range.

Essentially, I am surprised moves such as today's were not made sooner.

I still do not know what Toronto's center depth projects to be for next season, but regardless, Bolland adds a player type they did not have until today. I do not know where he will fit, but Bolland is one of the best players in the league at his position/role, so it is hard not to be at least intrigued.

 

[SprDaVE]

Good lord this is getting depressing reading some of these comments.

 

[ConnorTO]

you need a good all around team...

not just flashy players

 

[Cor]

The right way. Dave Bolland fits on our team like a country singer in Nashville

 

[FlareKnight]

Well at least our fanbase remains consistent in being unhappy about everything.

I don't think we're heading down a road to disaster here. No idea what our picks from this year are going to be after they've had a chance to develop and are in a position to make the team. Trying to build on what we have and fill in the gaps. Have a lot of high end skill on the roster right now, partially thanks to trading some of that defense like Schenn for JVR.

For once I'm pretty optimistic about where we are going. Continuing to draft and hold onto our first round picks while making trades here and there to get the team better.

 

[egd27]

Odds of a second round pick in a very deep draft being better or as good as a 3rd liner is quite high

Define quite high

 

[buntek]

Had the Leafs given up what the Isles dealt for Clutterbuck, then you could whine all you want.... But two 4th and a 2nd, big deal...

 

[MajorityRules*]

Leaf fans unhappy? Well that's new.

 

[Hero]

Bolland is a great fit in Toronto, I think we gave maybe a bit more than we should of.

But look at these pieces.

2014 4th round pick, that's what we got for Mike Brown, what we gave for Shane O'Byrne. It's the value of a veteran 4th liner or 3rd pairing guy.

117th pick, is again a late 4th round pick, see above.

We pretty much gave up a late 2nd for Bolland (27 yrs old, 9 yrs older than the player we traded for)