Free Agents and Trade Thread - Offseason on Hold Edition

[ACC1224]

Andersen will likely be gone for a cheaper option. Muzzin's contract is front loaded and easily movable, and at that point we'd probably have to move on from guys like Kapanen anyways.

Yikes, that’s not good.

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

Yikes, that’s not good.

If Liljegren, Sandin, and Robertson continue to develop as they have so far, it's fine.

If they don't you can afford to keep the other guys.

 

[ACC1224]

If Liljegren, Sandin, and Robertson continue to develop as they have so far, it's fine.

If they don't you can afford to keep the other guys.

Which one replaces Muzzin and which one replaces Andersen?

 

[Dekes For Days]

If Liljegren, Sandin, and Robertson continue to develop as they have so far, it's fine.
If they don't you can afford to keep the other guys.

Also there will probably be new guys by then that we don't even know about now. Roster turnover is common. The important part is keeping your key pieces and keeping a solid development pipeline.

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

Which one replaces Muzzin and which one replaces Andersen?

Sandin and Lijegren are both trending towards being top 4 defensemen based on their historical comparibles. If they both do Muzzin is easily replaced as he gets into his mid-30's.

Andersen will be tougher to replace but you hope Woll continues to develop or a team has an extra goalie you can acquire with a cheaper cap hit.

 

[Dekes For Days]

One good thing about the timing of Andersen's contract ending is that it falls in line with the expansion draft, which tends to put some goalies on the market.

 

[Ziggdiezan]

Andersen will likely be gone for a cheaper option. Muzzin's contract is front loaded and easily movable, and at that point we'd probably have to move on from guys like Kapanen anyways.

Muzzin has a NMC in year 1, a NTC in years 2 and 3 as well as a modified 10 team NTC for his final year. I wouldn't say it is the easiest contract to move if he wants to stay in Toronto for the entirety of his deal. You can likely move him in his final year (2023/24) but he can make it tricky to move like Kessel did.

 

[Menzinger]

One good thing about the timing of Andersen's contract ending is that it falls in line with the expansion draft, which tends to put some goalies on the market.

The one thing i will never particularly fret over is goaltending. Even in quite free agency years theres usually st least one starter quality guy availible. And that Andersen year seems to be particularly strong for goalie shopping

 

[Kiwi]

The one thing i will never particularly fret over is goaltending. Even in quite free agency years theres usuallybat least one starter quality guy avilible. And that Andersen year seems to be particularly strong for goalie shopping

I tend to find goaltending very hit and miss from season to season so I'd give myself a AAV and term limit then work from there

Don't overpay or give out to much term

 

[hockeywiz542]

Kyle Dubas explains Maple Leafs' plans for flat salary cap - Sportsnet.ca

But Dubas, holding court with reporters over Zoom on Sunday afternoon, doubled down on his commitment to his talented nucleus and suggested the real roster pain could be delayed until the 2021 off-season, when important pieces Zach Hyman and Frederik Andersen will both coming knocking for raises.

“If we were facing a situation where some of our core players were up at the end of this year and were unrestricted, or they had a large amount of leverage as some of our past [RFA] players have had, I would maybe feel differently and say that we’re going to have to make a major move and delete from our core,” Dubas said.

“But with everybody signed going into this offseason, I think we’re gonna have some space to take care of our restricted free agents that we have and potentially look at some of our own UFAs.”

This should come as welcome news to faithful concerned about the future of impending RFA defenceman Travis Dermott, who might be best served navigating the crunch with a bridge deal and had begun to find his stride before the pause. And to those worried that enticing KHL import Ilya Mikheyev (also RFA) might have priced himself out of town after overdelivering on his one-year, $925,000 foray on this side of the Atlantic

While UFA defencemen Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci are long shots to re-sign, particularly with entry-level talents Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren pushing for ice time, there is mutual interest in contract extensions with UFA depth forwards Jason Spezza and Kyle Clifford. Slight hometown discounts may be in order, however.

Foreseeing a tightening of the cap, which won’t rise until league revenue exceeds $4.8 billion, Dubas shrewdly signed a pair of coveted KHL free agents, winger Alexander Barabanov and defenceman Mikko Lehtonen, to inexpensive deals during quarantine.

And while a middle-class forward (Kasperi Kapanen, Alexander Kerfoot, Andreas Johnsson) might be expended the way Nazem Kadri or Connor Brown was last off-season, Dubas is not threatening to break up the Fab Four if they can’t shoot their way past Columbus in August’s best-of-five qualification round.

 

[Jozay]

Bracco was a waste of pick.

wonder if they'd even be able to get anything for him at this point

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Bracco was a waste of pick.

wonder if they'd even be able to get anything for him at this point

Not all picks turn out, and he was a good one at the time. Really he still is. Most prospects can not accomplish what he has.

The main thing is that he is blocked and may only be a niche player (PP and playmaking specialist). He may never have a huge pay day, but there are guys who can carve out careers in the right place.

 

[LeafChief]

Bracco was a waste of pick.

wonder if they'd even be able to get anything for him at this point

If he can get beyond his personal demons he'll get a shot in the NHL with a team devoid of offensive talent. Highly unlikely he gets a shot in Toronto, though.

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

Think the Leafs can pull Pius Suter over from the NLA? I was a fan of his when he played for Guelph, haven't seen a lot of him recently though.

 

[deletethis]

Kyle Dubas explains Maple Leafs' plans for flat salary cap - Sportsnet.ca

But Dubas, holding court with reporters over Zoom on Sunday afternoon, doubled down on his commitment to his talented nucleus and suggested the real roster pain could be delayed until the 2021 off-season, when important pieces Zach Hyman and Frederik Andersen will both coming knocking for raises.

“If we were facing a situation where some of our core players were up at the end of this year and were unrestricted, or they had a large amount of leverage as some of our past [RFA] players have had, I would maybe feel differently and say that we’re going to have to make a major move and delete from our core,” Dubas said.

“But with everybody signed going into this offseason, I think we’re gonna have some space to take care of our restricted free agents that we have and potentially look at some of our own UFAs.”

This should come as welcome news to faithful concerned about the future of impending RFA defenceman Travis Dermott, who might be best served navigating the crunch with a bridge deal and had begun to find his stride before the pause. And to those worried that enticing KHL import Ilya Mikheyev (also RFA) might have priced himself out of town after overdelivering on his one-year, $925,000 foray on this side of the Atlantic

While UFA defencemen Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci are long shots to re-sign, particularly with entry-level talents Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren pushing for ice time, there is mutual interest in contract extensions with UFA depth forwards Jason Spezza and Kyle Clifford. Slight hometown discounts may be in order, however.

Foreseeing a tightening of the cap, which won’t rise until league revenue exceeds $4.8 billion, Dubas shrewdly signed a pair of coveted KHL free agents, winger Alexander Barabanov and defenceman Mikko Lehtonen, to inexpensive deals during quarantine.

And while a middle-class forward (Kasperi Kapanen, Alexander Kerfoot, Andreas Johnsson) might be expended the way Nazem Kadri or Connor Brown was last off-season, Dubas is not threatening to break up the Fab Four if they can’t shoot their way past Columbus in August’s best-of-five qualification round.

I don't expect Dubas to show his hand but don't believe the brave face. Dubas has some serious manoeuvring ahead of him to make a viable roster for the 2020-21 season. It would serve no purpose for him or the Leafs to admit that it's daunting.

 

[TML1967]

Think the Leafs can pull Pius Suter over from the NLA? I was a fan of his when he played for Guelph, haven't seen a lot of him recently though.

Part of me thinks 'no way', as we have a few guys who are AHL/NHL tweeners who he would need to compete with.
Another part thinks, 'well maybe' if the Leafs think he may be able to be a 3C type, he could be given a good opportunity. It could give the Leafs another option to move (adding Kerfoot to AJ) to free up some more money for D.

I think they can offer an interesting piece most teams cant. A good pay in the AHL, and the AHL city located in the same place as the NHL.
With the AHL season maybe being canceled, it could be a big leg up.

I also wonder, how bad is the situation in the US going to hurt their abilities to bring in guys from Europe?
The Covid-19 issues are real, and hard to properly weigh as part of the decision making process.

 

[4thline]

I don't expect Dubas to show his hand but don't believe the brave face. Dubas has some serious manoeuvring ahead of him to make a viable roster for the 2020-21 season.

Or they disagree with you about the viability of Dermott in the top 4

 

[LeafChief]

Pius Suter wechselt in die NHL | ZSC Lions

Potentially may be lost in translation but it appears Pius Suter will be signing with an NHL team for next season. I know there were some in here that are very high on him.

 

[Captain34]

Pius Suter wechselt in die NHL | ZSC Lions

Potentially may be lost in translation but it appears Pius Suter will be signing with an NHL team for next season. I know there were some in here that are very high on him.

It appears that he is signing with the Chicago Blackhawks:

According to Swiss newspaper Tagesanzeiger, Suter already has an agreement within an NHL club and is going to sign a one-year contract. The paper speculates it's the Chicago Blackhawks.​

 

[HoweHullOrr]

Muzzin has a NMC in year 1, a NTC in years 2 and 3 as well as a modified 10 team NTC for his final year. I wouldn't say it is the easiest contract to move if he wants to stay in Toronto for the entirety of his deal. You can likely move him in his final year (2023/24) but he can make it tricky to move like Kessel did.

Ya, and it will take some time for our young prospect defenders to reach the level that Muzzin is currently at. There's a pretty big learning curve for most young NHL defenders.

 

[ACC1224]

Sandin and Lijegren are both trending towards being top 4 defensemen based on their historical comparibles. If they both do Muzzin is easily replaced as he gets into his mid-30's.

Andersen will be tougher to replace but you hope Woll continues to develop or a team has an extra goalie you can acquire with a cheaper cap hit.

Their development and subsequent play will determine if they can replace a player like Muzzin not an 'historical comparable'.
They are quite a ways away from doing that at the moment.

 

[Beaumaris]

Which one replaces Muzzin and which one replaces Andersen?

Surely just about anyone could replace Andersen.

 

[Cor]

CJ was on the SDP again.

- Says he's unsure whether the Leafs will even qualify him. It seems both sides are comfortable with moving on. Said the Leafs were pretty clear that when the AHL season was cancelled, that they were only going to do exit interviews with the players that for sure wouldn't be joining the NHL team/taxi squad for a re-start, and that Bracco was one of the first they did.

 

[ACC1224]

CJ was on the SDP again.

- Says he's unsure whether the Leafs will even qualify him. It seems both sides are comfortable with moving on. Said the Leafs were pretty clear that when the AHL season was cancelled, that they were only going to do exit interviews with the players that for sure wouldn't be joining the NHL team/taxi squad for a re-start, and that Bracco was one of the first they did.

Who is SDP?

 

[Cor]

Who is SDP?

SDP = Steve Dangle Podcast.

CJ = Chris Johnston, Sportsnet