Confirmed with Link: Leafs sign Santa! ( aka Mike Santorelli)

[Orfieus]

umm we are running out of cap space quick. Gardiner needs to be signed and Reimer is going to get over $2.9m 1yr contract.

 

[Commander Clueless]

umm we are running out of cap space quick. Gardiner needs to be signed and Reimer is going to get over $2.9m 1yr contract.

Don't they have like $13 mil left?

 

[Commander Clueless]

Great signing, more moves to help the tank?

Moves to help us be patient with prospects.

Moves to bring back some energy and work ethic.

Moves to sell at the deadline if we are out, and good depth if we are in.

Low risk, high reward moves.


Sounds good to me.

 

[Hyperglide]

Kind of sucks we lost McClement but Santa will be a good replacement. Looks like our Bottom 6 is done. I guess Kontiola replaces Bolland, Komarov replaces Kulemin and Santa replaces Mc. Pretty good upgrades if you ask me on the cheap.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Moves to help us be patient with prospects.

Moves to bring back some energy and work ethic.

Moves to sell at the deadline if we are out, and good depth if we are in.

Low risk, high reward moves.


Sounds good to me.

I wasn't born in Missouri but I need the Leafs to show me. The team still has the same deficiencies we had last year. Not sure if the bottom 6 improved. The top 6 are the same, hard to expect more from Bozak, Kessel, and JVR. The 2nd line whomever this is will have to improve 5X next year, at least defensively.

Bernier is the saviour, if he can play lights out we may make the playoffs. But if he is just average to good. I can see another bottom 8 finish.

If this is the case I'd rather finish 29th and almost guarantee Mcdavid or Eichel.

 

[The Hockey Life]

Love this signing!

 

[Commander Clueless]

I wasn't born in Missouri but I need the Leafs to show me. The team still has the same deficiencies we had last year. Not sure if the bottom 6 improved. The top 6 are the same, hard to expect more from Bozak, Kessel, and JVR. The 2nd line whomever this is will have to improve 5X next year, at least defensively.

Bernier is the saviour, if he can play lights out we may make the playoffs. But if he is just average to good. I can see another bottom 8 finish.

If this is the case I'd rather finish 29th and almost guarantee Mcdavid or Eichel.

I wouldn't say they've necessarily improved the team in terms of talent, but they look to have improved the attitude. At least, that's the idea. And it's a good idea.

I don't think it's likely we make the playoffs next year but I think we made some decent moves this offseason so far. Much prefer this to overspending on a huge FA contract we could barely afford, and I think deep down we all knew that Kessel/Phaneuf weren't getting traded.

We'll see what happens. It's tough to predict what this team will do, but I think this is just the start to the Shanahan era. The work ethic/culture was a big thing with this team that Shanny was brought in to change, so this is the start.

But yeah, if Bernier goes down again we're probably toast. Same if we lose Kessel, and probably more so if we lose Phaneuf.

If I was a betting man my money would be on you having a great time next year wading through the possibilities of a high draft pick, but it's really tough to say. Thankfully, I'm not a betting man.

 

[Menzinger]

Low risk signing.

It surprises me why so many people are dismissive of bottom six improvements as being meaningless: teams like Chicago and LA go deep in the playoffs because their coaches can rely on their 4th line for 10-12 minutes a game.

Our 4th line last year sometime played less than 5 minutes.... that's a huge difference.

 

[cup67]

Lupul - Kontiola - Kadri
Komarov - Santorelli - Clarkson
Ashton - Holland - Frattin
?

jvr-kontiola-kessel,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, kontiola will add more points to this line
lupul-kadri-komorov,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, komorov makes room for kadri and lupul
santorelli-bozak-clarkson ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, checking line with scoring
ashton -holland- frattin,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,energy with scoring

 

[Northern Dancer]

umm we are running out of cap space quick. Gardiner needs to be signed and Reimer is going to get over $2.9m 1yr contract.

What ?????

 

[Semantics]

Great signing, more moves to help the tank?

Signing these centers really benefits Bozak as now we can move him down to the 3rd line where he won't be in over his head, and play two of Kadri/Santa/Kontiola in the top six - all better playmakers and better defensively.

 

[napoleon in rags]

are we really expecting a lineup that does not include Orr?

I'm afraid I agree. I just can't see Coach Dinosaur letting go of Orr. Also, I'm skeptical that the 5.25 million dollar man would be relegated to the 3rd or 4th line. But, hey, hope springs eternal.

 

[Northern Dancer]

Signing these centers really benefits Bozak as now we can move him down to the 3rd line where he won't be in over his head, and play two of Kadri/Santa/Kontiola in the top six - all better playmakers and better defensively.

So a 1.1 million dollar centre or a 1.5 million dollar centre are going to replace a 4.2 million dollar centre? God help us if that is the case.

 

[Quares27]

Signing these centers really benefits Bozak as now we can move him down to the 3rd line where he won't be in over his head, and play two of Kadri/Santa/Kontiola in the top six - all better playmakers and better defensively.

Better playmakers and better defensively based on what? the fact that they didnt play for the Leafs last season?

 

[Phion Keneuf]

So a 1.1 million dollar centre or a 1.5 million dollar centre are going to replace a 4.2 million dollar centre? God help us if that is the case.

Don't worry we have a 5.25 million dollar winger to propel is to the playoffs.

 

[Confucius]

Nice signing for you guys.

Santorelli wasn't just good for the first half of the season, he was ridiculously good. Was top-10 in the NHL in ES points for the first half of the season, and scoring like a high-end first-liner from 2nd/3rd line minutes. Can play center or wing anywhere in the top-9 with equal effectiveness, so an awesome utility guy to have.

Showed up here last year as the hardest-working, most-fit player on our team and skated his ass off - excellent skater who plays a three-zone game. However, this wasn't the book on him in the past, so whether he can maintain that consistently is still in question. Also suffered a serious shoulder injury to end his season in January ... so might not be as fit as last year.

Wish him well and wish we'd kept him. Was probably caught up in the housecleaning with a new regime here.

Ahh, sheltered points

 

[GPNuck]

we have too many centres now. Have to feel like there is a move coming with basically a full roster and 5M of cap space (once we sign our RFAs)

He's an awesome player who can play all 3 forward positions.. Kills Penalties, Scores goals. Fast! He's also in ridiculously good shape was the only guy on the team last year who beat out the Sedins on a 2 mile run...

You guys will love him. Much better then MayRay IMO

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Better playmakers and better defensively based on what? the fact that they didnt play for the Leafs last season?

Watch him quote GA per 60(almost the same as Datsyuk's mind you), I know his routine.

 

[Semantics]

What ?????

Leafs don't get to decide Reimer's salary. He's going to arbitration. He has decent numbers the past couple of years so it's entirely likely that he gets awarded a (lower tier) starter's salary.

In 2012-13 he had a better GAA, sv%, and win% than Bernier did this year. The arbitrator will focus on his ability is and his overall body of work in the NHL; the fact that he's used as a backup on the Leafs only shows what the Leafs value him as, it doesn't necessarily reflect his true value. His .914 career save % is the same as Jonathan Quick, same as Corey Crawford, so he certainly can argue that he's capable of being a starter.

$2.9M is what Bernier got as a backup when he was less proven and had worse stats than Reimer currently has, so Reimer will easily be awarded that sum.

Only real option is to trade him. The ideal scenario would be to trade him before arbitration proceedings and have him negotiate a deal with his new team to avoid the arbitration.

 

[mikebel111*]

Watch him quote GA per 60(almost the same as Datsyuk's mind you), I know his routine.

I think you have proven you take Bozak over Crosby, so really I could care less

 

[Northern Dancer]

Leafs don't get to decide Reimer's salary. He's going to arbitration. He has decent numbers the past couple of years so it's entirely likely that he gets awarded a (lower tier) starter's salary.

In 2012-13 he had a better GAA, sv%, and win% than Bernier did this year. The arbitrator will focus on his ability is and his overall body of work in the NHL; the fact that he's used as a backup on the Leafs only shows what the Leafs value him as, it doesn't necessarily reflect his true value. His .914 career save % is the same as Jonathan Quick, same as Corey Crawford, so he certainly can argue that he's capable of being a starter.

$2.9M is what Bernier got as a backup when he was less proven and had worse stats than Reimer currently has, so Reimer will easily be awarded that sum.

Only real option is to trade him. The ideal scenario would be to trade him before arbitration proceedings and have him negotiate a deal with his new team to avoid the arbitration.

If he gets awarded 2.9 million, Leafs will walk. If an arbitrator gives him an 80% raise based on last year's disaster, the League is doomed.

PS. Bernier was NOT paid 2.9 million as a back-up !!!

 

[Kyle Doobas*]

Ahh, sheltered points

He had the third-highest Rel Corsi QoC of any Canucks forward, behind Kesler and Higgins, while receiving some of the lowest offensive zone starts of anybody on the team at 43.2% (behind Richardson, Dalpe, Sestito and Higgins). On average, he spent more time per game on the PK than on the PP, and 26 of his 28 points were scored at even strength.

 

[Warden of the North]

I'm afraid I agree. I just can't see Coach Dinosaur letting go of Orr. Also, I'm skeptical that the 5.25 million dollar man would be relegated to the 3rd or 4th line. But, hey, hope springs eternal.

Coach Dinosaur has a new boss who is forcing change on him.

 

[SprDaVE]

umm we are running out of cap space quick. Gardiner needs to be signed and Reimer is going to get over $2.9m 1yr contract.

We have plenty of cap space. Why are people so afraid of the damn cap?

We'll have around 5M in cap space left once everyone signs, excluding Franson. If he does stay, we'll 1 or 2M in cap space left.

We're fine. Stop making something out of nothing.

 

[Teeder9]

I think you have proven you take Bozak over Crosby, so really I could care less

Wasting your time. You know he thinks a player is good when Bozak is threatened by them.