Speculation: Lack of RHD Prospects

[keon]

Toronto has a lot of great Left Hand Defense (LHD) NHL players and prospects including Rielly, Gardner, Harrington, Dermott, Percy, Finn, and Loov. Sadly the Right Hand Defense is very thin with only secondary prospects Granberg, Nilsson, Lindgren, and Donaghy. This is an area that management will have to address. I am not a fan of players playing their off-side position. Rielly, Gardner, Harrington, and Dermott all have Top 4 potential on the LH side. None of the RHD have Top 4 potential (possible Lindgren if he develops nicely). We currently do not have a Top 4, we have a Top 3 in Rielly, Gardner, and Phaneuf (all LHD). We need two RHD - Top 4 Prospects.

We obviously do not know Toronto's draft list but by trading down in the draft order from 24-OV to 34-OV Toronto missed out on RHDs Juulsen and Roy. Toronto basically received Dermott, Bracco, and Derzakals, for the 24-OV so they made out fantastic. The two trade-downs have potentially had great results and are to be applauded.

The early projected first round prospects in 2016 have another great LHD in Jakub Chychrun (Ranked #2). There are no RHD prospects at the top of the projected 2016 list that would have Top 4 potential.

This may be an area where Toronto will have to make trades for quality RHDs. Obviously Toronto now has a lot of talent available to trade. RHDs are difficult to acquire through the draft or via trade but there are a lot of good young RHDs in the league. I would love to see Gardner traded at the TD for a equal value RHD. Obviously I am inpatient for change in this roster.

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[pedis]

we just started this rebuild, be patient

 

[Swervin81]

Pretty sure several of them could play on the right side. Chychrun plays on the right side. If Gardiner is going, it better be in a package for someone like a Seth Jones.

But seriously, we just started this rebuild. You do realize there's PLENTY of time to acquire quality RHD prospects? I's not like we're on a time limit here...

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Nielsen also plays RHD. So maybe we don't have any sort of top pairing quality RHD, but those 5 guys are all bottom 4 NHL quality, and good quality at that. They are the types of guys that return their investment big time.

 

[Anthrax442]

more drafts coming..

 

[PuckMagi]

Meh... Rielly looked good when he was on the right side. Phaneuf has also played on the right most of his career.

It would be nice to get a guy like Seth Jones... but it's not an emergency.

 

[Gabriel426]

I think the pairing right hand and left hand defense men is a bit overrated. Look at the Two Scott's in NJ back then, or Nidermayer and Pronger, or Foote and Blake. If they are good defense men, they will be good pair.

 

[New Liskeard]

I think the pairing right hand and left hand defense men is a bit overrated. Look at the Two Scott's in NJ back then, or Nidermayer and Pronger, or Foote and Blake. If they are good defense men, they will be good pair.

Those are Hall of Famer defencemen.

 

[Joel Ward]

What about sending a pick to Detroit for Ryan Sproul? Some fans seem to have soured on him, and he hasn't been amazing in the GR but he is a big right handed shot from Mississauga who can skate and play physically. Still only 22 IIRC.

 

[Budsfan]

Franson still out there and may take a one year deal.

 

[Lebanese Leaf]

The obsession with which side D-men play is way too serious around here. It's really not that hard or uncommon for NHL players to play the other side from which they shoot.

 

[Shwaguy*]

Just because you are a LHD, doesn't mean you are not a RD.

Phaneuf is an example. Chychrun is a leftie who plays on the Right Side, Nielsen our 3rd round pick is the same.

Rielly is left handed and can play both.


People obsess over LHD-RHD way too much.

 

[shelf]

More and more Lefties are entering the league. In the future it just wont be possible to have 3 left shots and 3 right shots.

 

[91Stammer*]

Great that means we won't win the cup next season.

 

[The CyNick]

When I was a kid my Dad used to bring home packs of trading cards after work, there might be 10-20 packs in a bag. I was always most excited when I pulled Leafs players. It felt like a sad day when I ended up with only 1 or 2 Leafs out of the whole stack of packs.

However, I learned at an early age not to get too stressed out when I didnt see many Leafs in the first pack or two, because I probably had another 10 to go, and surely I would get my share of Leafs down the line.

The moral of the story is hockey cards used to be a lot cheaper back in the day, and I miss that.

 

[Szymonmf]

Doesn't mike Babcock really-really-really care about ld-rd???

 

[Mystifo]

Doesn't mike Babcock really-really-really care about ld-rd???

Supposedly he does like RHD/LHD but last year with DET he never had to players to achieve that. So I think he just wants competent D men really.

 

[hfdshdh]

Doesn't mike Babcock really-really-really care about ld-rd???

Detroit had nothing but left-handed d-men for a couple of years there.

 

[Hotel Mario]

This is non-concern at this point, the main roster is an expansion team. It's going to take patience as has been reiterated by management many times.

Why not be excited that the prospect pool is now deep at forward, and LHD.

 

[Menzinger]

The Leafs don't have the prospect depth to worry about things like this yet

 

[Grant]

Doesn't mike Babcock really-really-really care about ld-rd???

I think any coach would prefer to have everyone on their natural side, but there isn't enough RHD for this to be feasible. On team Canada he was able to do it because of the talent pool available, but on NHL teams, the talent usually isn't there.