News Article: THN Top 30 Unrestricted Free Agents

[ottomaddox]

The top 30 unrestricted free agents of 2018 | The Hockey News

"The 2018 free agent class is top heavy. The biggest names, from John Tavares to John Carlson, have come this far without re-signing, so they will likely reach the negotiating window in late June and hear offers from new teams. The open market will produce major bidding wars for some top-notch offensive players, many of them younger than 30. After the top 10 names or so, there’s a precipitous drop in talent. We get a sea of aging former stars and grinder defensemen. It's one of the shallowest UFA classes of all-time."

I don't agree with this assessment of who is available after the top 10. I like many of these names and I am convinced that the Leafs will make a splash and they'll do fine choosing outside of the top 10.

We need:

A 3C, 4C (could be a Marlie), A LW, and a top 4 D.

What do you think?

Outside of Tavares and Carlson who do you like? Is anyone interested in Nash? What about DeHaan?

Who do you like?

Click to read more...

 

[ShaneFalco]

How about Letestu, Maroon, and Kane

I think they go trade route for a d-man

 

[Lebanese Leaf]

I think I've heard the "trade for a d-man" line more times than I have posts on this forum. It's not gonna happen.

 

[Brown Dog]

Pretty ugly group. Go JT or avoid the UFAs altogether.

 

[ShaneFalco]

I think I've heard the "trade for a d-man" line more times than I have posts on this forum. It's not gonna happen.

Ok

 

[Battle Lin]

hes good to miss 20 games every year, but i like kanes age, size and toughness, and hes good for 40-50 pts

hows kanes skating, cause i like jvr a bit more but i dont trust his skating and D as he ages more

we should look at kovy too on short deal

 

[ShaneFalco]

De Haan might be a good one

 

[Kiwi]

Up front

I'd look to Tavares and if I couldn't get him I'd look at someone like Grabner if he'll take a cheapish 2 year deal and swing Nylander into the 3C spot

Hyman Matthews Nylander
Marleau Tavares Marner
Johnsson Kadri Kapanen
Or
Johnsson Matthews Hyman
Marleau Kadri Marner
Kapanen Nylander Grabner/Brown

On the backend

I think Carlson's going to get massively overpayed and so will DeHaan so i'd look at Cole if he's willing to take a cheapish 2 year deal as depth

Rielly Trade
Gardiner Zaitsev
Dermott Hainsey/Cole

 

[phillipmike]

I doubt we are able to make a big splash on defense. Cole or de Hann would be a good buy low.

Love JT as most do but I think Rick Nash would be solid on a 1 year deal too. Like what I saw in the playoffs... I thought he played well but didn't result in good numbers.

 

[Moncherry]

Letestu would be a good #4C. Better than trading another 2nd at the deadline.

 

[Maple Leaf]

Leafs shoulda tanked like I said
Instead they have a joke defense with no fix in sight

 

[thewave]

Leafs shoulda tanked like I said
Instead they have a joke defense with no fix in sight

Didn't need to tank at all. Just play the kids and they would have been fine. We should probably figure out Jake and if not trade him in the summer

 

[Budsfan]

,Anyone giving Carlson a 7.5- 8 mill contract is crazy, he had an exceptional year but it is just that one year, I wouldn't give him more than 5.5 million and any team that does give him that 7.5-8 mill kind of contract will regret it.

Tavares would be a big upgrade at center but again 10.5 mill, could we fit both Matthews and Tavares under the cap.

Riley Nash may be a good pick up, good size and with the good wingers we have in our system, he may become a decent #2 behind Matthews.

 

[Brown Dog]

Leafs shoulda tanked like I said
Instead they have a joke defense with no fix in sight

Yeah. Too bad.

Kovalchuk on a huge money 1-yr deal when we are temporarily flush with cap space is an intriguing idea...

 

[Brown Dog]

,Anyone giving Carlson a 7.5- 8 mill contract is crazy, he had an exceptional year but it is just that one year, I wouldn't give him more than 5.5 million and any team that does give him that 7.5-8 mill kind of contract will regret it.

Tavares would be a big upgrade at center but again 10.5 mill, could we fit both Matthews and Tavares under the cap.

Riley Nash may be a good pick up, good size and with the good wingers we have in our system, he may become a decent #2 behind Matthews.

I can see the appeal of a guy like Nash but to me it's bad business to fill depth spots with UFAs. And let's face it, if Nash is anything other than a depth piece we're in trouble.

 

[member 147413]

Give me

Stastny 4years x 4.5mil
Nash 2years x 4.25mil
Brodziak 2years x 1.6mil
DeHaan 2years x 4.5mil

Trade Brownie + Rasanen for Tanev
Trade Gardiner for #10 overall (Draft Veleno)
Trade Big Mac for 4th round pick

Nash - Matthews - Nylander
Marleau - Kadri - Marner
Johnsson - Stastny - Kapanen
Grundstrom - Brodziak - Hyman

Rielly - Tanev
DeHaan - Zaitsev
Dermott - Hainsey
Carrick

Andersen
Sparks

PP1 Kadri - Matthews - Nylander - Marner - Rielly

PP2 Marleau - Stastny - Nash - Dermott - Zaitsev

PK1 Hyman - Kapanen - DeHaan - Tanev

PK2 Brodziak - Johnsson - Hainsey - Zaitsev

I was bored

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Hyman-Matthews-Marner
Marleau-Kadri-Brown
Johnsson/FA-Nylander-Kapanen
Johnsson/FA-Lindholm-Leivo
Gauthier/FA-Martin/FA

Rielly-Hainsey
Trade-Zaitsev
Dermott-Green
Ozhiganov

Andersen-Sparks/McElhinney

PP1 NET Marleau - C Johnsson (Matthews or Marleau take face-offs) - SNP Matthews - QB Nylander - D Rielly
PP2 NET Leivo- C Kadri- SNP UFA/Kapanen/Brown - QB Marner - D Green
PK1 Hyman - Kapanen - Trade - Zaitsev
PK2 Lindholm - Brown - Rielly/Dermott- Hainsey

• Trade Sparks/McElhinney, Gardiner, Pickard, Carrick, (possibly) Martin, (possibly) Gauthier, and maybe a few Marlies are tossed around in deals as well.
• Sign Green (2 years@ 5 mill per maximum).
• Sign UFA 4C for around the minimum if Gauthier is traded.
• Sign UFA winger for around the minimum if Martin is traded.
• Sign either a 3LW (if Johnsson is 4LW/Leivo is 4RW), 4LW (if Johnsson is 3LW and Leivo is 4RW) or 4RW (if Johnsson and Leivo fill both the 3LW and 4LW spots) for one (or two years max). I've toyed around with a few guys but none really stand out unless they come for cheap, so we may have to look at the trade market again here.
• Acquire a top 4 LD
• Acquire at least one goalie for the Marlies (two if Kaskisuo is not re-signed).

I really don't think it needs to be an overly complicated offseason. Like last year, the UFA market kind of sucks, especially if Tavares pulls a Stamkos. Only thing I would really do is properly revamp the defense by moving out Gardiner for a more defensively responsible top 4 LD and then signing Green for a couple of years to cover Gardiner's offensive responsibilities until Liljegren is ready to step in.

 

[Buds17]

Don't want to get wrapped up into much term beyond Tavares or Carlson, and with expansion again looming, that's probably for the best. "Better" for forwards compared to defence too. Maybe Riley Nash or Beagle for C, Grabner or possibly Comeau for wing. Depends on price, but there's surely going to be a dip into FA.

 

[GodEmperor]

Get Tavares and Green or trade for Tanev.

Green acts as a surrogate Gardiner if he leaves and we go for Doughty or he can just be a crypto 4/6 as we equalize Z-G Dermott-Green as an interchangeable 3-6.

 

[leafsfuture]

Anyone follow DeHaan at all this year? He looked like he had low end top 4 potential. Worth a look?

 

[Bluelines]

After seeing what LV did this year, build a world class pro team from the ground up. If you were a GM and had a bottom feeder like Buffalo, Montreal or Ottawa would you have the stones to trade everyone (or as many as possible) on your pro team for picks and prospects and then replenish your team with UFA.

So your team would look like :

JVR-Tavares-Neal
Kane-Stastny-Kovalchuk
Nash-Thornton-Grabner
Perron-Bozak-Comeau

Carlson- Green
De Haan-Cole
Polok-Sbisa

Halak
Lehtonen

Could this UFA team be any worse than Buffalo, Ottawa or Montreal?

You'd probably ice a very competitive team and you would have boatloads of prospects and picks from trading your previous pro line up... Crazy you say? or so ingenious your mind can't comprehend how genius it is?

 

[The Podium]

Leafs shoulda tanked like I said
Instead they have a joke defense with no fix in sight

How did you expect to tank? You think trading Bozak, Komarov and JVR wouldve kept them out of the playoffs? They made the playoffs largely on the back on the big 3, Rielly and Andersen. So unless you go breaking legs for them to sit out the season it wouldve been impossible for the Leafs to have tanked.

 

[MR4]

3C = Nylander
LWs = Johnsson, Marleau, Hyman w/ Grundstrom waiting for a call up
4C = Aaltonen

Really only a RD that we need.

 

[thewave]

3C = Nylander
LWs = Johnsson, Marleau, Hyman w/ Grundstrom waiting for a call up
4C = Aaltonen

Really only a RD that we need.

Unproven 3c, rookie LW, grinder LW and unproven 4C.

I don't know but that looks like a downgrade or very iffy at best vs this seasons team. Certainly a step back.

 

[ottomaddox]

3C = Nylander
LWs = Johnsson, Marleau, Hyman w/ Grundstrom waiting for a call up
4C = Aaltonen

Really only a RD that we need.

This can't be serious.

Maybe TOR doesn't make a big splash and only signs a couple of players, but it can't be what you're proposing. Eventually TOR might want to get out and of the first round of the playoffs.