Do you like this team?

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

So as of now this is what we have.

Hyman Matthews Marner

Mikheyev Tavares Nylander

Robertson Kerfoot Engvall/Vesey

Engvall/Vesey Spezza Simmonds

Rielly Brodie

Muzzin Holl

Sandin-Bogosian/Dermott/Lehton/Lilly

Andersen

Campbell

That roster looks pretty good to me.

They have 8 or 9 NHL D .

and one of Vesey or Engvall are going to be the 13th and that's assuming Joey Anderson or Barabanov don't earn a spot.

Dubas is FINALLY doing what I have wanted him to do since he became GM.

There is FINALLY some REAL depth on this team.

Click to read more...

 

[The Iceman]

Will be interesting to watch the finishing touches.
To answer your question I like this team a whole lot better than the team that started last September.

Wild card for me is if Lehtenen is a legit potential top 4 D

 

[capfit9]

no

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

no

Why

 

[Leafmealone11]

So as of now this is what we have.

Hyman Matthews Marner

Mikheyev Tavares Nylander

Robertson Kerfoot Engvall/Vesey

Engvall/Vesey Spezza Simmonds

Rielly Brodie

Muzzin Holl

Sandin-Bogosian/Dermott/Lehton/Lilly

Andersen

Campbell

That roster looks pretty good to me.

They have 8 or 9 NHL D .

and one of Vesey or Engvall are going to be the 13th and that's assuming Joey Anderson or Barabanov don't earn a spot.

Dubas is FINALLY doing what I have wanted him to do since he became GM.

There is FINALLY some REAL depth on this team.

He did a good job on fixing the D the third and fourth line are super bad tho. Hope they can hold a playoff spot all year and grab a couple UFA depth players at the deadline for late draft picks

 

[Leafidelity]

The bottom 6 took a hit at the expense of better defense, but that's probably for the best. If a couple of the question marks can produce (Robertson, Barabanov, Engvall, Simmonds) we're likely a much better team than last year.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

You really never know what training camp will reveal. Hallander and Barabanov will be looked at extensively. Lehtonen also. I think they have a good camp they completely change things. Boyd and Anderson are going to add competition too. I can’t see Engvall on the team next year. There are players similar with more jam now for cheaper

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

He did a good job on fixing the D the third and fourth line are super bad tho. Hope they can hold a playoff spot all year and grab a couple UFA depth players at the deadline for late draft picks

You think a 4th line of

Simmonds Spezza Vesey/Engvall is bad?

I don't think I agree, the 3rd line has questions but the 4th line?

I kind of disagree

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

You really never know what training camp will reveal. Hallander and Barabanov will be looked at extensively. Lehtonen also. I think they have a good camp they completely change things.

I don't think Hallinder makes the team out of camp I think he's a year away

 

[Cleetus]

yes I like the team, like it more than what we had when we got eliminated by Columbus... thinking dubas is having a good off season so far, like his moves, we are a better team today.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Ask me when the puck drops. This team was frustrating to say the least last season. Hopefully they can play with more consistency this year and have more fight to them.

 

[Stephen]

I don't think the renovation is complete but there are good rational signs with some more edits to come.

It's too early to go to the matt here and fight over whether we should be in love with this new roster or disgusted by it, as the reconstructed bottom 6 and defense could easily flop, or we find ourselves with a team in much better fighting shape. Time will tell.

 

[TheShape]

Lots of unknown in the bottom 6. The D should be better than last year and I’d still
like to see Dubas address the goaltending situation.

Can’t have it all in a flat cap salary world, but yes so far I like the roster more than last season.

 

[Leafs604fan]

Yes.

- If Bogosian is healthy

- If Lehtonen translate his KHL number to the NHL and therefore replaces Barrie "offensive" numbers

- If mikheyev or Robertson can replace the offensive number provided by Johnsson and Kapanen. Everybody is slotting mikheyev on the 2nd line. Remember he went pointless in the playoffs and produce decent numbers for half a season. So pretty quick to slot him on the 2nd line. Even robertson only has 4 nhl playoff games under his belt

- IF barabanov, can repeat what mikheyev did in his 1st year.

I think the biggest key here is KERFOOT. If he can rebound and return or exceed his usual point total. Kerfoot needs to be the 2 way center everyone would love to have.

I really wish we had the modern day ZOB LINE (90 leafs reference) to shut down another teams top 2 lines

 

[Guided by Veseys]

I really like this team. Can’t wait to see a healthy top 4d paired with the best top 6 in the league (you could put Vesey in there and it’s still the best top 6)
Last year the team was the Las Vegas favourite for Stanley Cup, didn’t turn out well, but honestly they look much more deep and prepared this year.
I think the core wasn’t ready last year but they are ready to absolutely destroy this year.
I’m calling best record ever and minimum conference finals next year.

 

[indigobuffalo]

Yes. Although my answer is tied to the core players we have. I would add Brodie to the “core” and with that signing, I think we have a really great team.

Hopefully we have a lucky year of minimal injuries and ride that into a deep playoff run.

 

[Fogelhund]

On paper, Dubas appears to have done, what most of us wanted, and expected. We knew that at least two of Kapanan, Kerfoot and Johnsson were gone, to help fix the D. He made changes that improved the D, and gave us some more size, and grit.

Of course, we would all wish for more, but there is only so much cap to go around. There were players that I had interest in, that I thought could make the team better, at a reduced cost to the ones we had....

One such player is Faksa... I figured he could be traded for, and signed for $2.5 mil, or less. He's coming of consecutive 20 point and 30 point seasons... a downgrade offensively from Kerfoot, but better defensively.. but, he signed for $3.25 million, in which case, I think we are better off with Kerfoot and his 28 and 42 point seasons... and the 28 point season, was with injury issues.

Another guy I had hoped for, was Derek Grant. 6'3" 220lb 4C, 25 points last year, strong defensively, and good in the PK... but, he went back to the Ducks, at $1.5 mil, which is obviously more than we can afford to pay a 4C. Crazy bit about his contract, is it appears as though in year three of the contract, he'd actually get paid more in the minors (1.75mil), than the (1.5) he'd be paid in the NHL.

Do I like this team? Heck, I haven't seen them play yet, so I really don't know. Maybe they'll be great, maybe they'll be ok, maybe this won't work at all... we don't know. If they win a few rounds in the playoffs, yes, I will think it was a good team.

 

[paulhiggins]

Robertson needs to be on the first or second line, on some team. As long as Marner/Nylander are here, this would make the first two lines too weak physically. Also need a shutdown C. Not done yet.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

I don't think Hallinder makes the team out of camp I think he's a year away

He is a question mark for me is a better way of expressing him. I don’t think he is making the team but I’m not counting him out until we see

 

[Nineteen67]

I like Hyman and Matthews

 

[Wafflewhipper]

I don’t like it having a-third line center making $3,500,000. Kerfoot being moved suits me fine.

 

[crump]

We got freaking Matthews!

 

[The Podium]

If Dubas can add a solid defensive 3C and add another top 4 D (Wallmark and Weegar are my targets) while keeping Dermott and Mikheyev (Kerfoot and Holl gone) I think he deserves an A+ on the offseason.

Right now I give him a B, Brodie was a solid addition, Bogo, Vesey and Simmonds are wild cards and the Kapanen deal was incredible timing when looking at what has happened since.

 

[Nineteen67]

On paper they’re is no reason to think this team wouldn’t battle for a playoff spot, but it doesn’t appear to be a team that would go far if they got in.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Ask me when the puck drops. This team was frustrating to say the least last season. Hopefully they can play with more consistency this year and have more fight to them.

But do you like the look of it right now? that's the question