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Does re-signing Bozak and getting Bolland mean...

TMLrule*

Guest
we aren't going for a #1 center? I think it does which is a mistake since it is our biggest need other than a top pairing D-man.

People say re-signing Bozak was good for bringing back Kessel. YOUR WRONG! Kessel said he wanted to play in Toronto because ITS A GREAT HOCKEY CITY. THE SAME REASON why he chose to play at the University of Wisconsin. NOT BECAUSE OF BOZAK. So why would he leave when we start winning but not leave when he had a chance when we were losing? He isn't thats why, regardless of Bozak being here or not.

Back to the point. I think re-signing Bozak screwed us over a bit. Now we either wait till Bolland is a FA to get a #1 or push Kadri to the #1 slot (which he isn't ready for).

We have TOO MANY 2nd line caliber centers. At least we got rid of Grabo because he was another one of them.
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AvroArrow

AvroArrow

Mitch "The God" Marner
Jun 10, 2011
18,439
19,157
Toronto
I dont think we'll see a no.1 center this year, just because of the cap situation. I can see the leafs making a move next offseason because of all the extra cap space. For now we need to fill our holes on D. Gunnar, Franson, Fraser are all unsigned. With the additions of Clarkson/Bolland i think we'll be fine this next season.

Winning the cup isn't a realistic expectation for this squad yet but given last years success and our additions we should be looking at another playoff berth. What makes sense to me is resigning our D men, playing the season with this roster, then we have the the extra cap space go out and try and find a real no.1 center next year. The caps projected to go up quite a bit so the Clarkson/Bozak signings will have reduced effects. I'm not too worried.
 

TMLrule*

Guest
DionPhaneuf3 said:
I dont think we'll see a no.1 center this year, just because of the cap situation. I can see the leafs making a move next offseason because of all the extra cap space. For now we need to fill our holes on D. Gunnar, Franson, Fraser are all unsigned. With the additions of Clarkson/Bolland i think we'll be fine this next season.

Winning the cup isn't a realistic expectation for this squad yet but given last years success and our additions we should be looking at another playoff berth. What makes sense to me is resigning our D men, playing the season with this roster, then we have the the extra cap space go out and try and find a real no.1 center next year. The caps projected to go up quite a bit so the Clarkson/Bozak signings will have reduced effects. I'm not too worried.
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I wasn't aware of the cap going up, thats a good thing. Especially with somethings coming off the salary (tucker and armstrong, hopefully liles).
 
Lebanese Leaf

Lebanese Leaf

Registered User
Sep 19, 2009
7,027
65
Toronto, ON
Can we stop with this "how are we ever going to get a #1C?" talk...

You guys are being like a girl who keeps talking to her guy friend about how guys are such jerks and how she can't find a good guy to settle down with (a #1C) anywhere, when this guy friend of hers (Kadri) is the perfect fit for her, but she's too naive and blind to see it.

Get Kadri out of the friend zone girls, he's the real deal for this franchise's future!
 

The Beyonder

Registered User
Jan 16, 2007
7,006
2,165
tml145 said:
if a #1 center becomes available, i'm sure Nonis will pursue that
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Pretty much this. #1 centers don't grow on trees, and the leafs aren't the only team looking for a #1 centre. If Nonis has a #1 center on the market, I'm sure he'd be on it in a flash. Having Bozak and Bolland doesn't change that at all.
 

Grandrift145

Registered User
Jan 23, 2009
2,224
24
Uptop
Lebanese Leaf said:
Can we stop with this "how are we ever going to get a #1C?" talk...

You guys are being like a girl who keeps talking to her guy friend about how guys are such jerks and how she can't find a good guy to settle down with (a #1C) anywhere, when this guy friend of hers (Kadri) is the perfect fit for her, but she's too naive and blind to see it.

Get Kadri out of the friend zone girls, he's the real deal for this franchise's future!
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me and Kadri are waaayy past the "Friend Zone"

but he needs to prove he is a #1
 
Tonka

Tonka

OFFSIDE
Apr 8, 2007
9,776
245
If Kadri can improve in some areas, he is definitely the #1 C going forward. That being some of those areas may need a lot of work, but still a young guy.
 
Reydin

Reydin

Registered User
Jun 21, 2008
755
43
A1LeafNation said:
We're closer to that than trading for one.

Seriously does anyone trade franchise #1 centers?
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Our last 2 real no. 1 centres Sundin & Gilmour, we traded for. They are few and far in between, we need to try and develop them ourselves. A trade for a no. 1 centre will definitely have Kadri as one of the pieces going the other way. We need to give Kadri every opportunity to become a no. 1 centre, before we even consider this route, its our best bet.
 
Jtabo

Jtabo

Registered User
Sep 16, 2010
2,095
232
Greater Toronto Area
Perhaps management thinks Bozak and Kadri can develop into a sort of Bergeron-Krecji lite. Bozak won't ever be the player Bergeron is, but Kadri definetly can, and probably will be better than Krejci. Couple that with the fact of how good our wingers are, and our forwards are better than that of a Boston. #1 Centers are really nice to have, don't get me wrong, but Kadri Bolland and McClement as 2-3-4 gives us probably the best 2-3-4 in the league. All that needs work is our D, which should improve in time from within, and goaltending. One of Bernier or Reimer will most likely emerge as a top 10 goalie which is good enough for me.

Be happy guys, this is the most promising the leafs have looked in 20 years.
 

TheProspector

Registered User
Oct 18, 2007
5,339
1,698
Orlando
Nasty Naz with the Nifty Mittens is the #1 centre of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

8th in +/-, 12th in points and 9th in goals for centers.
 
Yosho

Yosho

Logic
Mar 30, 2010
2,617
0
Kitchener, ON
TMLrule said:
we aren't going for a #1 center? I think it does which is a mistake since it is our biggest need other than a top pairing D-man.

People say re-signing Bozak was good for bringing back Kessel. YOUR WRONG! Kessel said he wanted to play in Toronto because ITS A GREAT HOCKEY CITY. THE SAME REASON why he chose to play at the University of Wisconsin. NOT BECAUSE OF BOZAK. So why would he leave when we start winning but not leave when he had a chance when we were losing? He isn't thats why, regardless of Bozak being here or not.

Back to the point. I think re-signing Bozak screwed us over a bit. Now we either wait till Bolland is a FA to get a #1 or push Kadri to the #1 slot (which he isn't ready for).

We have TOO MANY 2nd line caliber centers. At least we got rid of Grabo because he was another one of them.
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Would you rather pursue a #1C with Bozak as a fall-back option, or pursue a #1C with... no one as a fall-back option?

Answer is pretty logical.
 
FlareKnight

FlareKnight

Registered User
Jun 26, 2006
19,822
1,707
Alberta
It's more like we haven't been able to replace Sundin as a #1 center for all this time so kind of have to plan around not magically getting one in a hurry. If an opportunity pops up Nonis will work around that, but probably is working based on the realistic situation that one isn't available.
 

indigobuffalo

Portage and Main
Feb 10, 2011
6,790
559
Winnipeg MB
When did Kessel ever have the option of leaving Toronto? And when was Toronto ever losing without Kessel? None of this makes any sense!

Besides that, though, people need to get their heads out of their butts and look at the facts.

Fact #1, Bozak isn't making 1C money, not even close. So he's not a 1C even if that's where he lines up on opening night faceoff. The Leafs may have a 1C in Kadri, but that's not too likely either. Kadri looks like he'll sidle up as a Ribeiro-type player, with maybe a slightly more physical edge.

Fact #2 Salary Cap. Since it is a granted that the Leafs will be near the cap ceiling, having Bozak play in the 1C role gives ample room for the Leafs to fill other positions with better players. No matter how you look at it, at some position the salary cap means you have a hole depth-wise.

Some teams have 1C but defensive weakness (Carolina, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Edmonton) while others have great defensive depth but no real 1C (Nashville, Buffalo) and still others have no 1C but spread things out amongst the entire roster (Boston).

Oh and before the uprising for claiming Bergeron isn't a 1C, stat-wise he isn't and he's much closer to a 1b (or 2) center than superstar centers like Staal, Crosby, Getzlaf, Thornton etc. But Boston has a punishing 4th line and 3rd line that out-compete their opposition night in and night out, while the top two lines are still good enough to hold their own against other "true" top lines.

Toronto is adopting that mould. Depth through the line-up, rather than having one or two extremely high-paid superstars and glaring weaknesses in other areas.

Can you imagine if Toronto and Pittsburgh swapped rosters? How people would be going absolutely nuts at the fact that we have Crosby and Malkin when we clearly have defensive problems so you gotta trade one of them!! After a while TO fans would be so fed up with having probably the two best Cs in the game but defensive holes that they'd act like Malkin or Crosby were the worst player ever imaginable, and it would spiral itself out of control.

All that to say that yes, Bozak isn't in the top echelons of centremen, but he allows the Leafs to put what he doesn't provide in elite 1C talent into other areas of the roster, improving the team as a whole. That's how you build a dynasty.
 

JackJ

Registered User
Feb 7, 2012
5,330
0
The only way we're acquiring a #1 is developing one. There are a handful of teams with multiple legit #1's who are not being moved. The rest are all #2/#3's who may fill in as a #1. Nonis decided to stay with the devil we know. Should Kadri falter we're able to make due with Bozak, Bolland and McClement up the middle.
 
LeafsTFC

LeafsTFC

Registered User
Mar 3, 2011
1,510
9
The Annex
If it's the cap you're worried about, Bozak is on a pretty moveable contract I would think, although I'll admit I don't know the specifics of his modified NTC. If there's an opportunity, I'm sure Nonis will pursue it and Bozak can be traded if need be. However, I think it's best to see what we have here in Kadri.
 
Transplanted Caper

Transplanted Caper

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Feb 24, 2003
29,961
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"Getting a number one centre" isn't a particularly easy task.

I don't think the acquisitions of Bolland and re-signing Bozak have any real impact on the desire to acquire another impact forward. If there's an opportunity to acquire another top-end forward, the Leafs will pull the trigger and figure out the rest later.
 
JoeyBeans

JoeyBeans

Registered User
Jan 5, 2013
4,022
145
Halifax
Lebanese Leaf said:
Can we stop with this "how are we ever going to get a #1C?" talk...

You guys are being like a girl who keeps talking to her guy friend about how guys are such jerks and how she can't find a good guy to settle down with (a #1C) anywhere, when this guy friend of hers (Kadri) is the perfect fit for her, but she's too naive and blind to see it.

Get Kadri out of the friend zone girls, he's the real deal for this franchise's future!
Click to expand...

t_634c408d5c97736df2b839393b5e63c8.jpg
 
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