Confirmed with Link: [TOR/ANA] - Staubitz+Holland for Blacker+3rd+7th

[Hurt]

The point I made earlier regarding Couturier still applies for me. We needed #2 center now not someone who can be that guy down-the-road and what exactly are we supposed to do with him when Bolland comes back, anyways?

I know this may be an unpopular sentiment on HF but I think we overpaid considering what Holland is likely to give us.

Bozak - Kadri - Holland - McClement

Bolland isn't coming back for months.

 

[Warden of the North]

How much more would have a veteran
2C cost?

Depends on the contract variables but say at least our 1st and a good prospect

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

I think this was a smart pickup, I think it is about time we go for boom/bust prospects

 

[TmlHockeyFan]

We needed a C badly, Nonis did well to get one without Kadri, Bolland, and Bozak in the lineup. Not sure we win if JVR played C again last night. Again this is why most of us here know minus the usual suspects, that Bozak is a valuable piece to this team.

I like what I have heard from Holland in his interviews, he's a GTA kid and he loves playing in his home town. (another type of player Nonis seems to gravitate to)

I like Kadri, like his skill and spunk. But even Cherry has told him to smarten up. Maybe a little wake up call in Holland does this. Buffalo is a bad team, so let's see what Holland can do against better and with a few practices under his belt. Both kids are the same age so this has the makings of a healthy competition.

My belief is, Nonis will sign Bolland this summer. Commit to Bolland and Bozak as 2 of our core support Centers for the next 5 years. That leaves one spot to compete for. Holland and Kadri. Hope they both play well and we choose the better for our team moving fwd. From a cap and play perspective.

RC will have a big say in this, who he prefers.

Also depends on whether Bolland resigns (probably will). I think Bozak won't be necessarily in a top-6 spot once Holland and Kadri both improve their faceoffs. They're both young and Kadri has improved his faceoffs compared to last season and will continue to improve. Holland was real good yesterday in faceoffs but I don't know how good he is at it since it was one game but he is still young also and that is something he can easily improve.

So I wouldn't hold one spot for either Kadri or Holland if they are both playing good. I'd rather keep both. Depth is always good to have.

 

[thewave]

I think this was a smart pickup, I think it is about time we go for boom/bust prospects

I am with you there, it's the better draft route(outside 1st round). The fringe guys getting close to 25yrs old who are former 1st rounders who just can't crack the lineup are great. They are often discarded and can be got for scraps or late picks.

Been saying this for 2years now. They have been doing it as well to an extent. I mean, even 2 success stories in 5 years is money in the bank!

 

[Porn*]

great move... really liked holland in his draft class and he'll fit in quite nicely.

blacker was stuck behind too many D prospects.

excellent move given our depth.

 

[Hibachi]

I like the move, he's got potential and we didn't overpay for a center. Would have been a bad move spending our first for a better center, especially since both Kadri/Bozak are coming back soon..and we'll probably get Bolland back for the playoffs.

 

[p.l.f.]

Randy seemed more confident in Trevor Smith

 

[TmlHockeyFan]

Randy seemed more confident in Trevor Smith

Maybe because he didn't have enough time to use Holland in practice and this was Carlyle's first game coaching Holland so he didn't know what to expect from him.

 

[hockeywiz542]

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/11/16/maple-leafs-trade-of-alex-steen-backfires-on-toronto

The Leafs were offered a few major-league centres in their dealings before settling on Anaheim's Peter Holland. The reason they didn't trade for a veteran third- or fourth-line guy was because they felt there was no upside in doing so. With Holland, a first-round pick in both the OHL and NHL drafts, there is a belief he could become something. He has size and a good shot. Now it's up to him ...

 

[Leaf Rocket]

I'm prolly a bit late to this but I'm damn happy we got this guy...he's smart and good. He isn't going to blow you away but he's damn talented....just has to put it all together. I've had a crush on him for a while and i've mentioned it several times when anaheim was supposedly looking for a young D as i didn't think the other prospects were available.

With the loss blacker...I don't know what to say, I've cheered on for that guy but I guess his time wasn't with us, I hope for all the best with him as I think hell become something.

 

[Hurt]

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/11/16/maple-leafs-trade-of-alex-steen-backfires-on-toronto

I'm guessing guys like Gaustad are what are on the market right now. Next to trading for a legitimate #1C, this is probably the best move: A player with boom/bust potential.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

I'm prolly a bit late to this but I'm damn happy we got this guy...he's smart and good. He isn't going to blow you away but he's damn talented....just has to put it all together. I've had a crush on him for a while and i've mentioned it several times when anaheim was supposedly looking for a young D as i didn't think the other prospects were available.

With the loss blacker...I don't know what to say, I've cheered on for that guy but I guess his time wasn't with us, I hope for all the best with him as I think hell become something.

The way Carlyle was talking about Holland, he might be a Randy type of player. We will see, but when a player is a Randy type player, they are usually in for some criticism here. Time will tell, he was a good risk considering we were playing JVR at C, and this really hurt the Kessel/JVR duo.

 

[ChuckWoods]

I'm guessing guys like Gaustad are what are on the market right now. Next to trading for a legitimate #1C, this is probably the best move: A player with boom/bust potential.

Agreed.

It sounds as if there was potential options on the market (Fiddler) that could have potentially came in and given you exactly what you'd expect.

But as you said, at essentially the same cost, you get a young player with clear potential to be a mainstay on this team for years to come.

Whether or not he reaches that potential is the gamble, but if he does then its a clear win on the Leafs part as oppose to purchasing a stop gap at the same price.

 

[Rare Jewel]

Randy seemed more confident in Trevor Smith

Randy has more confidence in McClemnet than he does Kadri.

 

[thewave]

Agreed.

It sounds as if there was potential options on the market (Fiddler) that could have potentially came in and given you exactly what you'd expect.

But as you said, at essentially the same cost, you get a young player with clear potential to be a mainstay on this team for years to come.

Whether or not he reaches that potential is the gamble, but if he does then its a clear win on the Leafs part as oppose to purchasing a stop gap at the same price.

I'm a huge fan of picking up these former first rounders. I don't even care pas the second round so much the odds of a presumed bust fire sale turning it around is higher than 3rd round plus picks. And they are at service age and usually make the farm team better. It's all plus plus plus.

 

[Duke Silver]

Brilliant reporting, Simmons, on the Steen trade. Just top-notch analysis.

 

[goonx]

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/11/16/maple-leafs-trade-of-alex-steen-backfires-on-toronto

I read the Zherdev post. Man, did CBJ **** up on that pick. Could have had a #1 at any position but they picked the bust.

At least they're getting better luck this time around. (and started avoiding russians with their top picks.)

 

[darrylsittler27]

Ouch! Steen.

Steen is an example of why I like these fringe trades. I can think of many first rounders we threw away who went on to be quite good players and the major reason we have been a weak team for decades. Courtnall,Neidermayer(the pick),Rask come to mind.Toronto is a funny market which pressures GM's into bad moves for the sake of change. Nonnis has brought players in without sacrificing a lot assets who can come back and bite him. Even if Blacker becomes an effective top 4 Dman we have a lot better anyway. Even with Clarkson,we only lose cash but he did lose the cap ability to land top C if he became available. This injury rash has exploited our weakenss in a top position. I cant recall a team ever winning the cup without one since Roy did it singlehandedly with Kudos to C.Lemiuex.

For some reason our defense still worries me. I hope he can fix that.

 

[Antropovsky]

Difference between steen and holland is that Steens work ethic/compete level were never in question, his production was in the gutter and the coach insisted on him being a defensive center. Crushing his offensive confidence. Years prior to that he seemed destined to be at least a very good 2nd line player, with fantastic 2 way skill.

Steen had a 18 goal 45 point rookie season.

He followed it up with a 35 point 15 goal season.

He followed that season up with a 15 goal 47 point season

The following year surrounded by little talent and a team decimated by negativity, he was struggling and the silver fox came in and immediately traded him for scraps.

Basically steen had a very good rookie season, he had a minor sophomore slump like a lot of young players, he had a comeback type year in his 3rd year.... Wilson played him with crap and insisted he be a defensive player 1st before offensive and his offense completely went off the cliff. After only 20 games, he was shipped away....

 

[Antropovsky]

http://nvsportsandthecity.blogspot.ca/2008/11/ron-wilson-hates-alex-steen.html?m=1

Here's a poorly written blog, by someone who knew what he was talking about, back before steen was traded.

 

[false bobo]

Randy has more confidence in McClemnet than he does Kadri.

Why wouldn't he? McClement is as dependable as they come.

 

[zeke]

you can probably still find the steen trade thread here at HF.

plenty of us knew it was a horrible trade at the time.

 

[hockeywiz542]

http://o.canada.com/sports/leafs-deal-for-centre-changes-team-dynamic/

TORONTO — Everywhere Dave Nonis looked, teams were trying to unload their high-paid problems on a general manager who seemed desperate to make a deal. The Toronto Maple Leafs were without their top three centres and their offence was sputtering. James van Riemsdyk, who was moved from the wing to the middle, had gone five games without a goal.

The Leafs, who had lost to the last-place Buffalo Sabres, were screaming out for a solution. But Nonis, who had offers, refused to make a short-term fix that would become a long-term burden.

Instead, the Leafs traded for a 22-year-old former first-round pick whose impact today might not be as significant as it is in the future.

“It’s not just a short-term solution,” said Nonis, after acquiring Peter Holland, along with Brad Staubitz, from the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday for Jesse Blacker, a conditional third-round and a seventh-round pick in the 2014 draft. “We look at the long term for him and we think he has the potential to be a long-term player for us. Whether or not he continues to contribute here will depend on his play.”

From the outside looking in, the trade for Holland appeared to be a knee-jerk reaction following the three-game suspension Nazem Kadri received Thursday. But Nonis said the Leafs had been in talks to acquire the 6-foot-2 centre as early as last season. Those talks heated up again shortly after Dave Bolland’s ankle tendon was severed two weeks ago, joining Tyler Bozak on the long-term injured reserve.

It was a trade, Nonis said, he would have made regardless of the team’s shortage down the middle.

“From our standpoint, it accomplishes two goals,” Nonis said of acquiring Holland, who was the Norfolk Admirals’ leading scorer with five goals and nine points in 10 games. “It provides a centre for now that is capable of playing, but it also gives us depth at a position that we’re lacking. And he’s still on his entry-level (contract).

“He’s a guy that has upside. Whether he realizes that potential or not remains to be seen but we think there’s an opportunity for him to turn into a solid player for us.”

 

[pooleboy]

Maybe because he didn't have enough time to use Holland in practice and this was Carlyle's first game coaching Holland so he didn't know what to expect from him.

Carlyle has coached holland before.