Prospect Info: Making the Big Club # Play The Kids

[Mess]

Obviously

I assumed most people would understand that you have to re-sign UFA's before considering moving them.

If a team commits to a UFA its not with the intention of trading them away any time soon.

If you commit to these vets than that removes opportunities for youth because essentially these are road blocks to their NHL routes.

So its very unlikely the Leafs would re-sign Bozak and then find out in camp that Colborne is ready to make the jump then start shopping Bozak.

 

[tooncesmeow]

for example, the Ottawa Senators had a surprising seasn last year

they didn't go out and sign veteran free agents and trade for experience

they stayed patient and stuck to their original plan

and now they know what they got

They also had a Norris winning D-man, a #1 center, a Hall of Fame winger, a #2 overall pick, and a 30-goal scoring winger to complement their young talent. Thats not mentioning the trade for Methot.

Toronto is good, but they dont have near as ready prospect as Ottawa has, nor the tools they have. I'd like to see them swing a deal if they can for Bergenheim, sign a RW for the 2nd line, and delve into the defensemen market.

 

[daveleaf]

I would say Bozak fits into the over all picture better than Grabo.

 

[tooncesmeow]

He really doesn't. Unless he is comfortable being paid and performing a 3rd line role Bozak doesn't have a future with the Leafs. Grabovski was used out of his element and Carlyle admitted it, and switched Grabo to a more offensive role. Just because he was misused for a season doesn't mean he should be out. He'll be played more next season I bet and the offense will come from it.

 

[AuraSphere]

Please get rid of orr, he's not nhl material, have you seen other team's 4th line? Heck look at boston's


I'd be hella happy if we got Scott from the marlies called up the fourth line, man's amazing... also in a few years, ashton with him wouldn't be bad either. I don't see ashton as a third liner, I see him as a fourth

 

[William Hylander]

Why is everyone so quick to get rid of Mac? He scored an awesome goal in game 6, I doubt any of the young players could have done what he did.

 

[Kyle Doobas*]

Why is everyone so quick to get rid of Mac? He scored an awesome goal in game 6

Dan Carcillo once scored an awesome goal against us

 

[Duffman955]

Please get rid of orr, he's not nhl material, have you seen other team's 4th line? Heck look at boston's


I'd be hella happy if we got Scott from the marlies called up the fourth line, man's amazing... also in a few years, ashton with him wouldn't be bad either. I don't see ashton as a third liner, I see him as a fourth

Ya when Kassian and Niel are gooning it up, Your gonna send out greg scott so he can skate around and look useless.

Good thinking.

 

[Bomber0104]

As soon as you said Holzer I kind of stopped reading, though it would be really nice if we could start developing some good defencemen

 

[hobarth]

i would rather Blacker than Liles

i would rather Holzer than O Byrne

i would rather Colborne than resigning Bozak

i would rather Ashton than resigning MaCarthur

Why because they're young ?

 

[pooleboy]

Imo this is what's gonna happen:
Nyr buy out brad richards, we sign him for 5 mill(or so)
Jvr-richards-kessel
Lupul-kadri-kulemin
Komarov-bozak-frattin
Orr-mcclement-mclaren
Colborne

Grabo for a late first

Gunner-phaneuf
Gardiner-franson
Fraser-obyrne

Reimer

Draft fucale at 21 possibly trade the pick for somone like bieska who could play in the top 4 we have rielly and fucale who have potential to be top tier players int he system, we have gardiner who we could use as a trade chip for a #1 C but imo we could have 4 picks in the top 60 with improving our team (liles for a 2nd) we have a lot of depth and we have guys like:
Biggs, ross, ashton, colborne battling for spots and percy finn rielly blacker who are battling for spots, I don't see any reason to bring in players unless its a #1 C (UFA) or a top 2 D to play with phaneuf but on a lesser term deal. Our team isn't changing a lot and I doubt we sign clarkson unless somone like kulemin is getting traded

 

[ConnorTO]

i think when prospects are ready to play

then they're ready to play
at least this time we have a proper training camp

 

[Grandrift145]

players don't graduate from the AHL as finished products

players like Colborne, Ashton and Blacker have additional development ahead of them

just like Kadri and Gardner

the only difference is that Kadri and Gardner are high skilled players

and Colborne, Ashton and Blacker are bigger and more physical players

Blacker wouldn't be a downgrade to Liles, O' Byrne or Kostka
and he has alot more natural skill than Gunnersson

i would rather have Ashton in our bottom 6 than having MaCarthur or Mclearen

i have no doubt that Colborne will be the big club

successful teams develop from within by giving prospects a chance to prove them selves at the NHL level


if Colborne doesn't make the Leafs next season, he will be exposed to the waiver wire before he can be sent down to the Malies

Ashton and Blacker and a few others will be in the same situation after next season


we need guys graduating from the AHL because we have many prospects graduating from junoir to AHL

 

[soulie]

I really hope D'Amigo makes the club. Just something about him makes me think he would be a great 4th liner for us.

 

[613Leafer]

I think theres room for Ashton/D'Amigo in the bottom 6. MacArthur is very likely gone, Komarov might be gone, and one of Orr or McClaren could be gone.

Blacker? I dont see an NHLer in him.
Colborne? Hard to see where he fits in if Bozak gets resigned and Grabo isnt traded.

 

[cyris]

My line-up for next year


Lupul-Kadri_Kessel
JVR-Grabo?_Kulimin
Ashton-Colborne-Frattin
Kamarov?-Mclement-Orr?
Broll?Scott?

Phaneuf-Franson
Gardiner-Blacker
Gunnersson -Holzer
Rielly? (depth Dman)

Reimer
Scrivens

I seriously doubt that team makes the playoffs.

 

[The_Chosen_One]

players don't graduate from the AHL as finished products

players like Colborne, Ashton and Blacker have additional development ahead of them

just like Kadri and Gardner

the only difference is that Kadri and Gardner are high skilled players

and Colborne, Ashton and Blacker are bigger and more physical players

Blacker wouldn't be a downgrade to Liles, O' Byrne or Kostka
and he has alot more natural skill than Gunnersson

i would rather have Ashton in our bottom 6 than having MaCarthur or Mclearen

i have no doubt that Colborne will be the big club

successful teams develop from within by giving prospects a chance to prove them selves at the NHL level

if Colborne doesn't make the Leafs next season, he will be exposed to the waiver wire before he can be sent down to the Malies

Ashton and Blacker and a few others will be in the same situation after next season


we need guys graduating from the AHL because we have many prospects graduating from junoir to AHL

I'm pretty sure Colborne will be playing next season. On the other hand, it's a lot more likely that Richards won't be on the Leafs. In addition, Bozak may end up being allowed to walk as well.

Kadri
Grabovski
Colborne
McClement

is legitimate.

 

[My Sweet Shadow]

I agree to some degree. I'd much rather see Gardiner & Colborne play over Hamilton & Kostka, but I don't think we should gut the roster and fill it up with propects...that's a step backwards from everything we've been doing the last few seasons.

We need to create a scenario where players have to compete and earn a roster spot. Look at Fraser; a guy everyone had pegged as an 8th/9th defenseman on our depth chart at best. He competed at the beginning of the year against Kostka, Liles, Gardiner, Holzer, Franson, etc. and eventually earned a place on the team adn became a very reliable defenseman. The same thing with Kadri...surpassing guys like Grabovski, McClement, and Connollly to secure that 2nd line center spot.

Simply letting Bozak, Mac, Kostka, and O'Byrne walk without bringing in anyone else is a recipe for disaster. What if Kadri has a sophmore slump? What if we get a few injuries on the back-end or down the middle? What if Colborne/Ashton/Blacker aren't ready for a full time role, or start to regress part way through the season?

I think we need to let Mac, O'Byrne, and Kostka walk, sign Bozak for a shorter term contract (maybe 2 years in order to determine his actual worth on a competitive team), and then bring in a couple stabilizing veteran players. Then let the kids compete during the camp/preseason for their own roster spot.

 

[My Sweet Shadow]

I'm pretty sure Colborne will be playing next season. On the other hand, it's a lot more likely that Richards won't be on the Leafs. In addition, Bozak may end up being allowed to walk as well.

Kadri
Grabovski
Colborne
McClement

is legitimate.

Do you really think that can compete in the East? Especially come playoff time?

That's putting a lot of pressure on Kadri, who battled with consistency near the end of the season and in the playoffs. As well, we'd better hope that Grabovski can regain his scoring touch and that Colborne can handle a full-time 3rd line role.

 

[The_Chosen_One]

Do you really think that can compete in the East? Especially come playoff time?

That's putting a lot of pressure on Kadri, who battled with consistency near the end of the season and in the playoffs. As well, we'd better hope that Grabovski can regain his scoring touch and that Colborne can handle a full-time 3rd line role.

We were trailing against Boston and took took the series to game 7 when Bozak was out. Let's not kid ourselves, Grabovski is better than Bozak. He has produced more while playing against the top scoring lines. Don't get me wrong, I consider Bozak a 2nd line C and would love him. However, we need to be playing the kids.

Our biggest need is defence. We were atrocious defensively and its what killed us in games where we played better. Our forward core was more than sufficient, in fact.

JVR - Grabovski - Kessel
Lupul - Kadri - Clarkson
Kulemin - Colborne - Frattin

Seems like an excellent top 9 to me. The only two players missing would be Bozak and MacArthur, and Clarkson will easily make up for that.

 

[My Sweet Shadow]

We were trailing against Boston and took took the series to game 7 when Bozak was out. Let's not kid ourselves, Grabovski is better than Bozak. He has produced more while playing against the top scoring lines. Don't get me wrong, I consider Bozak a 2nd line C and would love him. However, we need to be playing the kids.

Our biggest need is defence. We were atrocious defensively and its what killed us in games where we played better. Our forward core was more than sufficient, in fact.

JVR - Grabovski - Kessel
Lupul - Kadri - Clarkson
Kulemin - Colborne - Frattin

Seems like an excellent top 9 to me. The only two players missing would be Bozak and MacArthur, and Clarkson will easily make up for that.

Bozak missed 2 games and we lost one of them. Not really much of a triumph.

Not to mention we won 38 faceoffs and lost 83 in those two games...that's 31.4% on the draw. You're not going to win a lot of games with those kind of numbers.

EDIT: Also...I don't know why you're calling that line-up "Play the Kids". It's swapping Bozak for Colborne and Clarkson for MacArthur.

 

[Ricky Bobby]

players don't graduate from the AHL as finished products

players like Colborne, Ashton and Blacker have additional development ahead of them

just like Kadri and Gardner

the only difference is that Kadri and Gardner are high skilled players

and Colborne, Ashton and Blacker are bigger and more physical players

Blacker wouldn't be a downgrade to Liles, O' Byrne or Kostka
and he has alot more natural skill than Gunnersson

i would rather have Ashton in our bottom 6 than having MaCarthur or Mclearen

i have no doubt that Colborne will be the big club

successful teams develop from within by giving prospects a chance to prove them selves at the NHL level


if Colborne doesn't make the Leafs next season, he will be exposed to the waiver wire before he can be sent down to the Malies

Ashton and Blacker and a few others will be in the same situation after next season


we need guys graduating from the AHL because we have many prospects graduating from junoir to AHL

Ashton, Blacker and D'Amigo have yet to even establish themselves as top AHLers.

Ashton looked very underwhelming when he was given a string of games in the 11-12 season. Keep these kids on the farm and let them develop a little bit longer by playing in all situations then give games as injury call-ups next season.

Everybody loves prospects and always think the potential upside will be reached but there is a good chance neither of these guys pan. Every organization has some of these 7.0 type prospects that more often then not don't amount to anything. However, they still might but expectations of them being anything more then a bottom 6er or bottom pairing dman is over ranking them at the point.

Colborne has shown himself to be a top AHLer over an extended period and deserves a very good chance of making the big club.

 

[Taras]

at the beginning of the season players from the Marlies a chance to play in the NHL

guys like Frazer, Kostka and Hamilton

guys that will always be fringe NHLers at best

i think now is the time to see how coach Eakins has developed our higher upside prospects

i also want the spots vacated by UFAs Bozak, O'Byrne and MacArthur to be filled by Colborne, Ashton and Blacker

Colborne can play on the third line, with an improved Kadri and Grabo sharing top six duties

Ashton would be a better fit in our bottom 6 than MacArthur

and i think it is time for Blacker to make the jump to the NHL, maybe mid season

and i expect Holzer to make the team

i also never want to see Liles in a Leafs uniform again

My line-up for next year


Lupul-Kadri_Kessel
JVR-Grabo?_Kulimin
Ashton-Colborne-Frattin
Kamarov?-Mclement-Orr?
Broll?Scott?

Phaneuf-Franson
Gardiner-Blacker
Gunnersson -Holzer
Rielly? (depth Dman)

Reimer
Scrivens

i personally think this is the best thing the organization could do

i understand there is an argument for experience, but this organization has F***ed up too many times by signing washed up free agents and making bad trades

i really want to see this group grow together

what do you guys think?

# Play The Kids

What about

Kessel-kadri-jvr
Lupul-grabo-Mac
Kuly-bozak-fratin
Komarov-Mclemmen-Orr

Phaneuf-gunnarson
Gardiner-franson
Frazer-o'Byrne

Play bozak where he belongs!

 

[The_Chosen_One]

Bozak missed 2 games and we lost one of them. Not really much of a triumph.

Not to mention we won 38 faceoffs and lost 83 in those two games...that's 31.4% on the draw. You're not going to win a lot of games with those kind of numbers.

EDIT: Also...I don't know why you're calling that line-up "Play the Kids". It's swapping Bozak for Colborne and Clarkson for MacArthur.

Bozak and Grabovski's face off percentage are quite close. More so, Grabs is much more likely to be utilized in the defensive zone and is simply a better possession player. One doesn't score 29 goals, 58pts without talent. He'd outperform Bozak if used on the top line.

 

[LeafsNation75]

I agree to some degree. I'd much rather see Gardiner & Colborne play over Hamilton & Kostka, but I don't think we should gut the roster and fill it up with propects...that's a step backwards from everything we've been doing the last few seasons.

We need to create a scenario where players have to compete and earn a roster spot. Look at Fraser; a guy everyone had pegged as an 8th/9th defenseman on our depth chart at best. He competed at the beginning of the year against Kostka, Liles, Gardiner, Holzer, Franson, etc. and eventually earned a place on the team adn became a very reliable defenseman. The same thing with Kadri...surpassing guys like Grabovski, McClement, and Connollly to secure that 2nd line center spot.

Simply letting Bozak, Mac, Kostka, and O'Byrne walk without bringing in anyone else is a recipe for disaster. What if Kadri has a sophmore slump? What if we get a few injuries on the back-end or down the middle? What if Colborne/Ashton/Blacker aren't ready for a full time role, or start to regress part way through the season?

I think we need to let Mac, O'Byrne, and Kostka walk, sign Bozak for a shorter term contract (maybe 2 years in order to determine his actual worth on a competitive team), and then bring in a couple stabilizing veteran players. Then let the kids compete during the camp/preseason for their own roster spot.

I think Nonis is going to let MacArthur, Kostka and O'Byrne leave as UFA's and he will attempt to re-sign Bozak. If he can't agree on a new contract then he will move on to something else, so we got to wait and see what happens. However I would have no problems with Colborne winning a roster spot out of training camp and I think he has a good chance, because he's done his time in the AHL like Kadri did.