Dreger: Leafs asking prices for Kapanen and Kadri

[Bazeek]

Brodin is LD. I dont think that would work for leafs.

what about spurgeon, zucker and staal for kadri, kapanen and zaitsev. (can balance with picks/prospects)

That's the latest on Spurgeon. While it doesn't preclude talks falling apart once they get to actual numbers it doesn't sound like a trade is in the cards right now. I think the priority is to keep the top-4 intact. Failing that it wouldn't surprise me if the keep Spurgeon and eventually trade Brodin.

Regardless, there's no way we'd want Zaitsev coming back in any deal with the Leafs. There's no room in Minnesota for a "serviceable defenseman... if you squint hard enough" making $4.5m. We've got Pateryn, Menell and Belpedio to step in for much cheaper, if needed.

Frankly I'm not a fan of adding Kadri, either. He wouldn't be the worst option as a Koivu replacement after next year, but another middle-6 center isn't really a burning need. And spending assets on him just gives us fewer options to address problems elsewhere.

Kapanen's the most interesting, but I wouldn't want Fenton giving up any of the listed players for him.

 

[rafterman]

That's the latest on Spurgeon. While it doesn't preclude talks falling apart once they get to actual numbers it doesn't sound like a trade is in the cards right now. I think the priority is to keep the top-4 intact. Failing that it wouldn't surprise me if the keep Spurgeon and eventually trade Brodin.

Regardless, there's no way we'd want Zaitsev coming back in any deal with the Leafs. There's no room in Minnesota for a "serviceable defenseman... if you squint hard enough" making $4.5m. We've got Pateryn, Menell and Belpedio to step in for much cheaper, if needed.

Frankly I'm not a fan of adding Kadri, either. He wouldn't be the worst option as a Koivu replacement after next year, but another middle-6 center isn't really a burning need. And spending assets on him just gives us fewer options to address problems elsewhere.

Kapanen's the most interesting, but I wouldn't want Fenton giving up any of the listed players for him.

Considering most of last season Staal looked he probably couldn't beat current age, 45yr old Andrew Brunette down the ice, any kind of C should be a burning need. After skilled/scoring RW it should be THE need.

 

[Bazeek]

Considering most of last season Staal looked he probably couldn't beat current age, 45yr old Andrew Brunette down the ice, any kind of C should be a burning need. After skilled/scoring RW it should be THE need.

Staal's never been all that fast; he'll do fine as a 2C for the next two years. Eriksson-Ek will hopefully step into the 3C role over the next season; if not him maybe Sturm or (heaven help us) Rask.

Not saying Kadri would be useless, but is the need "burning" enough to give up Spurgeon for him? Definitely not.

 

[therealkoho]

If keeping Marleau isn’t an option and Dubas needs to buy him out by July 1st, other GMs will know that and will use that fact as leverage in order to pressure Dubas to pay more to get rid of Marleau. This quote from Dubas, if we’re to believe it’s true, is trying to take that leverage away from other GMs.

He’s put out a few other quotes that are similar in terms of trying to gain leverage. For example, saying they might not match a Marner OS. If he said they would match any offer sheet (as some GMs have in the past), that gives leverage to Marner’s camp because they know they can just ask for whatever another team will put on an offer sheet. There are also the Kadri comments.

It’s a stark contrast from previous comments he made in which he clearly gave away leverage. For example, he called the Marner signing “imperative” before July 1st, which gave a lot of leverage away to Marner’s camp.

buyout and/or trade aren't the only two options available here and besides buying out an +35 contract is a fools errand if you're looking for cap relief

 

[innitfam]

They'd be better off keeping Kadri + Kap and trading Nylander

 

[rafterman]

Staal's never been all that fast; he'll do fine as a 2C for the next two years. Eriksson-Ek will hopefully step into the 3C role over the next season; if not him maybe Sturm or (heaven help us) Rask.

Not saying Kadri would be useless, but is the need "burning" enough to give up Spurgeon for him? Definitely not.

Yeah, I wouldn't part with Spurgeon as part of a Kadri deal either, but if it's Brodin as part of a package I'd be all for it. If Spurgeon is being dealt because he won't extend they need to be looking younger...

Last couple months of last season Staal was nowhere near 'fine'. If he comes back and looks like that again to start this season the Wild will be done before Thanksgiving.

 

[Bazeek]

Yeah, I wouldn't part with Spurgeon as part of a Kadri deal either, but if it's Brodin as part of a package I'd be all for it. If Spurgeon is being dealt because he won't extend they need to be looking younger...

Last couple months of last season Staal was nowhere near 'fine'. If he comes back and looks like that again to start this season the Wild will be done before Thanksgiving.

Wouldn't want to do it for Brodin, either. If you're right and Staal doesn't cut it as the 1C next year we need to do something more aggressive than grabbing Kadri.

 

[Cotton]

They'd be better off keeping Kadri + Kap and trading Nylander

Or trading Kadri + Nylander and keeping Kappy.

11.4M freed up means signing Marner, Kap and AJ without needing to worry about Marleau and Zaitsev.

 

[innitfam]

Or trading Kadri + Nylander and keeping Kappy.

11.4M freed up means signing Marner, Kap and AJ without needing to worry about Marleau and Zaitsev.

If nothing can be done about Zaitsev/Marleau, trading Nylander and Brown for little salary back (a defenseman ~$3M let's say), can clear $6M in cap room which should be enough to sign Marner/Kap/AJ when factoring in existing cap space and LTIR Horton.

Although, they may have to take pure futures for a Nylander trade rather than any kind of proster player, and hope for the best to cheaply plug roster holes in FA. Brown will he moves for a 3rd, I would say 2nd but everyone knows the Leafs have to make moves and quickly.

 

[hawksrule]

I'd love to get Kadri. Kapanen has become ridiculously overrated on these boards.

 

[Cotton]

I'd love to get Kadri. Kapanen has become ridiculously overrated on these boards.

He's very good, and only just breaking out. So theres that potential of getting someone young and cheap before they hit that next level.

 

[WHISTLERNATE]

Or trading Kadri + Nylander and keeping Kappy.

11.4M freed up means signing Marner, Kap and AJ without needing to worry about Marleau and Zaitsev.

I think the Leafs minus Kadri and Nylander are closer to the Habs level than they are to the Lightning and Bruins. Their biggest asset is centre depth that few teams can match. They would have likely beaten the Bruins if Kadri doesn't get suspended. You obviously get assets back for these 2, but need to come with little salary. They will fix whatever cap issue they have, that is a given, the challenge is how do they do that while icing a better team than they had last year. If Dubas can do that, which he may or may not be able to, he would be the GM of the year.

 

[hawksrule]

He's very good, and only just breaking out. So theres that potential of getting someone young and cheap before they hit that next level.

Whenever I've see him nothing stands out besides his skating.

 

[Cotton]

Whenever I've see him nothing stands out besides his skating.

If he was consistently good he'd already be on that next level.

 

[Curufinwe]

Whenever I've see him nothing stands out besides his skating.

He scores points, too.

 

[Martin Skoula]

Whenever I've see him nothing stands out besides his skating.

He's got a top-3 shot on one of the best shooting teams in the league. He's got peak Grabner potential at minimum.

 

[DANTHEMAN1967]

Nylander is not priority 1 caliber.

Lou did sign Rielly and Kadri when they were RFA's on April 13, 2016. Well before July 1 or in Nylander's case as Dubas found out certainly not wait until Dec 1.

Do you think the Rielly and Kadri contracts turned out ok for the Leafs?

Do you think the Zaitsev and Marleau contract turned out ok for the Leafs?

 

[howkie]

Do you think the Zaitsev and Marleau contract turned out ok for the Leafs?

Well most Leaf-fans Said it was a Good deal in Zaitsev (some Said he was One of the best ufa signings ever) and the Patty contract would be easy to move in the third year..

 

[DANTHEMAN1967]

Well most Leaf-fans Said it was a Good deal in Zaitsev (some Said he was One of the best ufa signings ever) and the Patty contract would be easy to move in the third year..

Most?
I don't think so.
Lou was told that he wouldn't be around for the third year of Marleau's deal so he didn't care.

 

[Isaac Nootin]

Weren't Leafs offering Johnsson 2.1 apparently? I doubt they would offer Kapanen $2,113,717 - $4,227,437 which is a 2nd rd compensation package.

The fact is when Marner is signed, or is signed. The Leafs don't have the money to match. As Shero said, there are no gentleman's agreements among GM's. Dubas has let his cap crunch drag onto what is looking like July 1 now. I would not blame Kapanen for signing an offer sheet to a team that made him their first priority rather than their second or third as Dubas has.