News Article: shopping right winger Nikolai Kulemin could resolve the situation.

[Durkin67]

I can see it happening. I think he'll sign elsewhere next summer. Might as well get something for him.

This. Id rather see one of Colborne, Damigo or even Biggs take a run at that 3LW spot and get Franson under contract for 3 years

 

[htpwn]

Resolve what situation, exactly?

We have 12 forwards.
We have 6 defensemen.
We have 2 goalies.

We have 3.3 million left in cap space to sign an extra forward and defenseman. More than enough.

The Leafs can offer Franson up to $2.7 million and still fit a 13th forward (maybe not Raymond, but then Kulemin is the better player, why downgrade?) comfortably under the cap at league minimum.

If Franson has no interest in signing, so be it, he can sit out. The Leafs have defenseman who can play his role and the possible emergence of Morgan Rielly (who, incidentally, would probably force a trade of a defenseman if he makes the team) would mean even less leverage to Franson.

If resigning Kulemin is going to be an issue next year (little too early to know that), then the best time to trade him would be the deadline, when his value is the highest, not as cap dump in September.

 

[mcphllp]

wont be a leaf next year, so if it get franson done i say do it.

 

[blueberrie]

Been saying this for a while. It just makes sense. I doubt we resign him so we might as well get assets for him rather than lose the whole KGM line for nothing. I love Kulie but it won't be the end of the world if we trade him.

 

[A1LeafNation]

I cant see Kulemin being here beyond this season. Are we going to pay 3-4M for a 3rd liner?

Best to trade him while he has value and we can get something for him.

I love him but be realistic people, we can't afford to keep him beyond this season.

 

[Rielly4]

He wont be here next season because Phaneuf Kessel and Bolland will get resigned over him. Bolland is more valuable then Kulemin people, dont get that confused. Kulemin is a good player, he works hard which makes him a reliable two way player, his defensive game is vastly overrated even though hes very strong and fast for his size he has a much lower defensive I.Q then people give him credit for. His offensive I.Q is very low. He goes to the net and he has a heavy shot. Where he is most valuable is on the forecheck and down low in the boards, he is a beast on the forecheck because he can skate well for a man built of muscle standing at 6 foot 1 230 lbs. Hes basically just a truck on the 3rd line that works hard and has a hard shot, hes good, but Bolland is more valuable then him for our 3rd lines success.

As for whos the odd man out, i wouldnt mind losing Kulemin because hes gone next year and i think Ashton can do a similar job except with a lesser shot and he weighs 10 pounds less. But my prediction is it wont be Kulemin, because Nonis is building this team for Carlyle to have sucess with, and as you know Kulemin is one of Carlyles favourites because of his size, work ethic and ability to complement Mcclement well on the 1st PK unit with their style of aggressive play and attacking people on the boards and using there strength on the wall. He also makes our 3rd lines forecheck a lot better and guys like Biggs, Ross and Ashton who will be better forecheckers then Kuli arent quite ready yet. The odd man out will be Liles, Rielly and Ranger have surpassed him on the depth chart, Fraser is already ahead of him and Gardiner passed him last year. Liles is a goner unless they really insist on keeping him around for leadership in which Nonis will have to pull some magic or trade Franson for futures and replace his role with the additions of Ranger Gardiner and possibly Rielly into the lineup....

It will be Liles though.

 

[MajorityRules*]

He's very overrated on this board. Had he followed up his 30g campaign with another respectable season I would get onboard with keeping him around. But he didn't and hasn't come close to that production. He won't be worth the money he is asking for so Nonis might as well get something for him.

 

[crump]

Nonis is doing the right thing. Play hardball. Franson can sit, because we have enough D already. I would never trade Kulemin to, essentially, accommodate Raymond. He will either sign for a year or sit.

 

[SprDaVE]

Trading Kulemin would be a terrible ****ing mistake.

I realize he's a darling around these boards but really... would it be the end of the world?

Kulemin is a fine top 9 forward but depending on his contract demands, it could be wise to trade him while his value is all right.

I like Kulemin but right now it's hard to see him fit with his likely high contract demands past this season.

 

[phg]

Depends what we can get for him obviously, but yes the team is being modded to the coaches liking like someone else said.

I doubt it will be franson or kulemin. Why? Because they found themselves as regulars under Carlyle . Lilies didn't. I like JML but I think he's the odd one out here. Same thing with Connolly and Lombardi last year.

A shut down line of kulemin Bolland and (Raymond or Mcclement) would be great, when you want speed, swap Raymond for Mcclement on the 4th C

Hard to move JML with that horrendus contract!

 

[LeafsMonster]

Every move that Nonis has made this summer has been to build a team to the coach's liking.

Kuleman is one of the players in whom Randy Carlyle has the most confidence. While anything can happen, IMO it is highly unlikely that Kuleman would be shipped out for cap reasons. Nonis would look at other options first, including dealing Franson.

Really hoping this is the case. Trading kulemin would be a huge mistake. He just gained his confidence back last year and he is one of our best defensive forwards, if not the best.

 

[QMJHLfollower]

I realize he's a darling around these boards but really... would it be the end of the world?

Kulemin is a fine top 9 forward but depending on his contract demands, it could be wise to trade him while his value is all right.

I like Kulemin but right now it's hard to see him fit with his likely high contract demands past this season.

This. I like Kulemin, but we can't sign a 3rd liner for 3+ millions, even if he's really good.

If we can get something like this from the Kings, I'd do it:

Kyle Clifford, Linden Vey
Jordan Nolan, Linden Vey, 5th round pick
Colin Fraser, Linden Vey, 3rd round pick

 

[Joey Hoser]

Hard to move JML with that horrendus contract!

It's kinda hard to call a contract that only pays 3.75 million "horrendus". Especially when the player is capable of playing decent minutes and producing on the powerplay.

 

[Steve]

It's kinda hard to call a contract that only pays 3.75 million "horrendus". Especially when the player is capable of playing decent minutes and producing on the powerplay.

I don't see it. He's a Carlyle player through and through.

Nonis has shown that he's willing to put a Carlyle team together, I don't see him taking a key defensive piece away.

I think you could see Carolina with some interest in Liles if the price is low enough now that Pitkanen is out.

 

[Wendel17]

If someone's getting traded, I'd rather it be Franson.

Agreed 100%. Unless Franson figures out how to skate, then he'll never be more than what he was last year (assuming he can hit that every year from here on in). I'd trade Franson high. Kulemin may have lost his 30 goal touch, but all the other things he does well make him worth keeping.

 

[FrozenJagrt]

Trading Kulemin to make space for Raymond? What exactly does Raymond provide that Kulemin doesn't

 

[ACC1224]

Trading Kulemin to make space for Raymond? What exactly does Raymond provide that Kulemin doesn't

He'd be traded for cap space, not Raymond.

 

[ULF_55]

I cant see Kulemin being here beyond this season. Are we going to pay 3-4M for a 3rd liner?

Best to trade him while he has value and we can get something for him.

I love him but be realistic people, we can't afford to keep him beyond this season.

I bet the Leafs would pay 5.25 for a 3rd. liner.

 

[ULF_55]

Trading Kulemin to make space for Raymond? What exactly does Raymond provide that Kulemin doesn't

He isn't Russian is probably the biggest asset he brings.

http://editorinleaf.com/2013/07/16/the-value-of-nikolai-kulemin/

I say trade Kulemin to the Wings for someone like Helm, and forget about the Canuck cast-off.

 

[LEAFSIN4]

Kulemin can play in any situation. He's just as important, if not more, than Clarkson.

I would never trade him unless he was a part of a bigger deal.

 

[indigobuffalo]

Terrible, terrible thread, based on a terrible, terrible article.

The "roster" posted is even more of a joke.

Trevor Smith and Korbinian Holzer ARE NOT GOING TO BE ON THE ROSTER!!!!!!!!

Take the nearly $1.3M from those contracts off the books.

The roster posted in OP is a 24 man roster. OVER THE LIMIT!!!! Which means you'd have to take at least one person off there anyways!!!!

This is just about the worst piece of misinformation I've seen...

Trevor Smith was signed to fill gaps in the Marlies roster and NOT to play in the NHL.

Likewise, Korbinian Holzer is way down the pecking order for making the Leafs roster, with the far likelier candidates of Rielly and Finn, and possibly Percy and Blacker.

Holzer is NOT going to be on the roster.

There is no need to trade one of our best shut-down forwards just to allow the Leafs to have Holzer and Smith be on this ficticious roster.

/thread

 

[613Leafer]

I would move Franson before moving Kulemin. I think we'll ultimately see Phaneuf, Gunnarson, and Ranger as being better than Franson defensively, with maybe guys like Gardiner, Rielly, Granberg, Percy, and Finn being better than Franson defensively as well in the coming years.

And then I think from an offensive standpoint from the blueline, we're perfectly set shortterm (Phaneuf, Gardiner, Liles, etc) and longterm (Rielly) that we ultimately wouldnt miss him much.

Kulemin on the otherhand is one of our most versatile forwards, key to the PK, key to defensive play at ES, adds secondary scoring, and will ultimatly probably have a lower caphit in a few years than Franson.

 

[dfunk]

I'd trade Kulemin if that team takes Liles too. I don't want to lose him for a pick/prospect, we have a hole on the 3rd line already.



If we add in Raymond and keep Kulie that sets our third line up nicely, but if we sign Raymond and deal Kulie we have a hole at 3rd line RW. Now what? I wouldn't be comfy throwing one of our prospects in there to start the year

 

[Baba Ganoush]

I'd be really upset.

 

[The Kessel Run]

I would be incredibly disappointed if Kuli got traded for cap space. He's one of our most complete players!