Speculation: In 15 days we have to get serious about signing a center (or 2)

[Growler]

The Leafs are really deep at wing on the farm. To me, to leverage that depth optimally, you would want to make room by moving Nylander to Center.

 

[Boutette]

That is a prety outrageous statment lol.... Bozak was one of the best 3rd line centers in the league last year and his line did not get used that differently than many teams third lines while he produced at a top 6 pace.

43 points while playing next to a 36 goal scorer is that impressive to you (just 8 goals/22 assists ES - 8th on the team - basically OK numbers for a 3rd line center not great - even Plekanec in Montreal managed more ES pts per game with a fraction of the offensive zone starts)? A 7% shooting percentage makes him 'one of the best' third line centers (Moore's was 13% by comparison and his overall Pts/60 was only a little less than Bozak's despite not having remotely the offensive talent on his line)? Most 3rd line centers didn't get remotely the offensive starts Bozak was gifted with. Are most 3rd line centers stapled to the bench in the third period when their team is ahead? If he was so great, why did Babcock demote him to the 4th line several times later in the season and steadily reduce his TOI all season? Essential, his job appeared to be as a PP specialist who was allowed to ignore a centers typical defensive responsibilities and to lob shots at the net in the hopes JvR would tip one in. Either he is in serious decline as a player or like JvR he's overspecialized himself as much as his left winger without the benefits JvR provide. 2 years ago, sure, he was above average. Last year, nope.

 

[The Iceman]

I think we can trade for a 4th line centre. Goat is not going to cut it IMO but might fetch a 4th line centre in a trade with some team that likes him. Can Leo be our 4th line centre if we resign him? Plekanic??

 

[Boutette]

I think we can trade for a 4th line centre. Goat is not going to cut it IMO but might fetch a 4th line centre in a trade with some team that likes him. Can Leo be our 4th line centre if we resign him? Plekanic??

If the team must pick up a UFA, Derek Ryan is probably the best of the choices out there for a 4th line C who can fill in at 3rd line if the team's desperate. He's better at faceoffs than Bozak at this point and managed more ES points without a JvR on his wing. Were it me, I might try and sign Ryan and Piri, and let those 2 + Aaltonnen, Lindholm + Nylander fight it out for the 3a + 4b center's job and then keep 1/2 around as spares who can play wing and center as need be.

 

[Hunter74]

About the 4th line.

Do you think Dubas looks at the 4th line in the same was as Lou?

I am thinking Dubas may view the 4th line a little differently and therefore will want players on it with different skill sets. Maybe a Moore and Plekanec type of player are no longer a good fit.

Lou was very conventional with his thinking and Dubas may not be.

 

[Boutette]

About the 4th line.

Do you think Dubas looks at the 4th line in the same was as Lou?

I am thinking Dubas may view the 4th line a little differently and therefore will want players on it with different skill sets. Maybe a Moore and Plekanec type of player are no longer a good fit.

Lou was very conventional with his thinking and Dubas may not be.

I do hope the team goes with a 3A/3B setup. I think there's enough balance of talent on the roster to roll that way. For instance would a line with Leivo and Brown on the wings be that much more or less effective than a line with Johnsson and Kapanen? Might come down to who centers either and what kind of team the Leafs are playing as to which would get more ice time.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Smith has already gone to the DEL, but the 4C job should be an internal one.

I still think 3C should be Nylander.

Why do you choose to be wrong? especially since we saw Nylander at center last year and with the exception of his 1st game it was a pretty spectacular failure.

If it wasn't he wouldn't have ended up on Plekanec's wing by game 3 and Marleau wouldn't have been shifted to center but he did and Marleau was because Nylander could not do it.

Nylander is a GREAT winger but he IS a winger accept it and move on stop trying to break up what has proven to work.

 

[Boutette]

Why do you choose to be wrong? especially since we saw Nylander at center last year and with the exception of his 1st game it was a pretty spectacular failure.

If it wasn't he wouldn't have ended up on Plekanec's wing by game 3 and Marleau wouldn't have been shifted to center but he did and Marleau was because Nylander could not do it.

Nylander is a GREAT winger but he IS a winger accept it and move on stop trying to break up what has proven to work.

Nylander was centering against the opposition Matthews usually faces. On the 3rd line what kind of opposition do you think he'll face. Equal, tougher or easier? What kind of opponents did Bozak have to face?

 

[Lauro]

It's time to let Nylander play C, unless we get Tavares. And use our winger depth with Johnsson, Leivo, Kapanen, Grundström. 4th line should be an internal battle as many have mentioned.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Why do you choose to be wrong? especially since we saw Nylander at center last year and with the exception of his 1st game it was a pretty spectacular failure.

If it wasn't he wouldn't have ended up on Plekanec's wing by game 3 and Marleau wouldn't have been shifted to center but he did and Marleau was because Nylander could not do it.

Nylander is a GREAT winger but he IS a winger accept it and move on stop trying to break up what has proven to work.

Nylander did not get shifted over because he was already splitting top line duties with Matthews (at least for most of the year). So he was a failure all year then?

Who else can the Leafs realistically get, outside of Tavares if he even leaves NYI, would could realistically be seen as a better option than Nylander as a 3C? Maybe Stastny if you are lucky, and he's a major over-payment candidate waiting to happen.

Nylander's future with the Leafs is at center. Babcock totally dismantled the Komarov-Kadri-Brown line after getting Marleau despite being one of the more successful and proven lines. Why wouldn't he decide to split up Nylander and Matthews to give the Leafs three legitimate centers and three legitimate scoring lines, especially when they have a ton of skill wingers at their disposal without Nylander?

Now is also the perfect time to move him, because Matthews has ample experience in the NHL now and Kadri is Kadri. He can get a Bozak level sheltering until he is totally comfortable with the position, and will almost certainly do a whole lot more than Bozak did with it at both ends of the ice. Even if he's without a JvR beside him.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

I think we can trade for a 4th line centre. Goat is not going to cut it IMO but might fetch a 4th line centre in a trade with some team that likes him. Can Leo be our 4th line centre if we resign him? Plekanic??

Did people forget about Lindholm on purpose? He's exactly the type of guy Dubas would like out of a center and just came off a near PPG season in the SHL (good for 4th overall). He may not be proven, but there is a good chance he does better than most other 4C's you can find out there, and even then he has Gauthier AND Aaltonen as insurance.

The Leafs did not bring him in to be a depth forward or to be a center for the Marlies. Until he royally screws up, it is his job to lose.

I do not know why Leo, who is PK center at most, or Plekanec, who was practically worthless outside of maybe a couple of playoff games, are even in the conversation.

 

[kindalaidback]

Only Leaf fans believe that adding a bunch of Marlies to the team will make them a playoff contender.

It's time to actually do something. If there is a player on the market that will help us get closer to winning the cup, you'll sign him. Winnipeg traded for Stastny, it made them better, and they almost made the SCF. This is what I wanna see and not Dubas sitting back, believing that's the way to go, and Babcock only promoting Marlies. It's not enough for me.

The Leafs are like the Knicks, man. It's frustrating to be a fan of both teams.

 

[paulhiggins]

Start by trading Goat and Leivo. Neither are in our plans and can be used as part of a payment for a C.

 

[Leafsman]

Start by trading Goat and Leivo. Neither are in our plans and can be used as part of a payment for a C.

Goat and Leivo couldn't be used as part of the payment for even the plane ticket to bring a C over here. I like both but their value is nil!!

I think Leivo can play and is more valuable as a possible winger than any sort of tradeable asset.

 

[LeafSteel]

Stastny.

That is all.

 

[LeafFever]

Stastny.

That is all.

Overpay a UFA to be a 3rd line C?

 

[showtime8]

Only Leaf fans believe that adding a bunch of Marlies to the team will make them a playoff contender.

It's time to actually do something. If there is a player on the market that will help us get closer to winning the cup, you'll sign him. Winnipeg traded for Stastny, it made them better, and they almost made the SCF. This is what I wanna see and not Dubas sitting back, believing that's the way to go, and Babcock only promoting Marlies. It's not enough for me.

The Leafs are like the Knicks, man. It's frustrating to be a fan of both teams.

Adding a couple Marlies aren't going to be the deal breaker.

The difference between Winnipeg & Toronto is Byfuglien-Myers-Trouba-Morrissey. You find a couple defensemen that would resemble that, you could add 3 Marlies up front easily.

 

[LeafSteel]

Overpay a UFA to be a 3rd line C?

Yes.

Kadri or Stastny as 2c/3C. Doesn't matter, both can match up well defensively and put up points.

 

[LeafFever]

Yes.

Kadri or Stastny as 2c/3C. Doesn't matter, both can match up well defensively and put up points.

You might as well sign Tavares then and trade Kadri or Nylander.
I am not a fan at all to overpay someone as aUFA only to be a bottom 6 forward. Bad cap managment.

 

[LeafSteel]

Stastny helps us on the defensive side and shores up our Centre position, as well as gives us our face off ace. He’s our 2C and gives us veteran experience that isn’t a greybeard like Thornton.

I would pay good money for those intangibles. Look at the impact he had on the Jets after the trade.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Nylander did not get shifted over because he was already splitting top line duties with Matthews (at least for most of the year). So he was a failure all year then?

Who else can the Leafs realistically get, outside of Tavares if he even leaves NYI, would could realistically be seen as a better option than Nylander as a 3C? Maybe Stastny if you are lucky, and he's a major over-payment candidate waiting to happen.

Nylander's future with the Leafs is at center. Babcock totally dismantled the Komarov-Kadri-Brown line after getting Marleau despite being one of the more successful and proven lines. Why wouldn't he decide to split up Nylander and Matthews to give the Leafs three legitimate centers and three legitimate scoring lines, especially when they have a ton of skill wingers at their disposal without Nylander?

Now is also the perfect time to move him, because Matthews has ample experience in the NHL now and Kadri is Kadri. He can get a Bozak level sheltering until he is totally comfortable with the position, and will almost certainly do a whole lot more than Bozak did with it at both ends of the ice. Even if he's without a JvR beside him.

He wasn't splitting top line duties with Matthews at all he was strictly a winger until Matthews got hurt and then he was quickly moved to Plekanec's wing because he couldn't do it if he could he wouldn't have been shifted to Plekanec's wing.

If taking faceoffs makes you a center then I guess Hyman Komarov and Marleau are all centers.

As for who I want I don't care if it's Tavares Stansty Thornton Rielly Nash or the trade route but they HAVE to get somebody

 

[Boutette]

There is a GIGANTIC difference between the team when Bozak arrived compared to the team when Aaltonen arrived. Looks like maybe you should start living in the 21st century!

Did I suggest Aaltonnen should be handed the #1 center like Bozak was? No, I did not. I suggested he should be in the conversation for the #3. That's in tune with the leafs different success as opposed to in 2010-11. Why are you acting like I did?

 

[showtime8]

Here are the 3rd line centres from all teams in the league (how they finished the season):

Anaheim - Kesler
Arizona - Archibald
Boston - Nash
Buffalo - O'Rielly (Mittlestadt joined with a couple games left)
Calgary - Shore
Carolina - Ryan
Chicago - Esjdell
Colorado - Soderberg
Columbus - Foligno
Dallas - Spezza
Detroit - Nielsen
Edmonton - Strome
Florida - Malgin
Los Angeles - Kempe
Minnesota - Cullen
Montreal - L. Shaw
Nashville - Bonino
New Jersey - Zajac
Islanders - Nelson
Rangers - Hayes
Ottawa - Smith
Philly - Lehtera
Pittsburgh - Brassard/Sheahan
San Jose - Tierney
St. Louis - Sobotka
Tampa - Paquette
Vancouver - Sutter
Vegas - Eakin
Washington - Eller
Winnipeg - Stastny/Little

* Of this list, we could probably come up with names that would be available or could be had at the right price.

 

[diceman934]

No point talking to you since you just put words in people's mouth and argue against your own made up arguments! I also said I wanted Johnsson, Kappy and Grundstrom in, so maybe read the entire post

There is a GIGANTIC difference between the team when Bozak arrived compared to the team when Aaltonen arrived. Looks like maybe you should start living in the 21st century!

I agree Aaltonen will not be our 3rd line center this year. He will be given every opportunity to be our 4th line center I feel and perhaps move up the following year depending on need and his play. Babcock will not start a rookie like him in a key role.

I also said a long time ago that I can see Bozak back on a two year deal. He is great on the PP and faceoffs and is way better defensively then he is given credit for. He is not a shut down guy but with the right line mates he can win his matchups.

 

[Liminality]

Only Leaf fans believe that adding a bunch of Marlies to the team will make them a playoff contender.

It's time to actually do something. If there is a player on the market that will help us get closer to winning the cup, you'll sign him. Winnipeg traded for Stastny, it made them better, and they almost made the SCF. This is what I wanna see and not Dubas sitting back, believing that's the way to go, and Babcock only promoting Marlies. It's not enough for me.

The Leafs are like the Knicks, man. It's frustrating to be a fan of both teams.

Chevy barely made any moves throughout his career with the Jets. Stastny was one of the biggest moves he's ever done and it was done at a time where they had their vets in their prime with enough depth to back them up. Chevy waited for the right moment to try and push the tempo. Besides cap space, I don't think Leafs are in a similar position to give up assets like that.

Cup winners rely on their depth/farm players all the time. It's a part of the NHL way now.