They will most likely aim for a d-man less proven but with really good ++ at like 20-21 year olds
and they are gonna run liljgren to save money and put out Hainsey + Gardiner and Marleau will follow up next season , rumours about Brown getting traded too. they will eat enough cap.
Id be more worried about Winnipeg imo
- Hainsey needs a new contract. You think you will get him for less than $2M? And he is 38 next year man. Time is running out for him.
- Liljegren is 20 next year and will have two AHL years under his belt. How does he look in his first 63 AHL games? 23 pts and 3 goals. That's like a prorated 30 pts for 82 games and were talking AHL here. You think he is NHL ready next year? We will see
- Sandin is 19 next year. Looks like he is off to a good AHL start. 6 pts and 4 goals in 10 games. Is he NHL ready next year at age 19?
So you say they will aim for less proven but really good ++ 20/21 year olds? I guess the plan is to pick up other teams spare parts they were willing to dump and Babcock turns them into studs? Come on man. This kind of thinking insults a lot of GM's in the league. It's not that easy to build a solid D. It comes down to $10-$12M of cap space to sign both Kapanen and Gardiner and 7 other players. Do the math. It don't add up
Jets have Laine and Trouba to sign with the same cap space the Leafs have and they have to sign Matthews, Marner, Kapanen, Gardiner. It's not the same situation