So Truculent
Da Real MVP
all together now like the Islanders victory chant!
YES! YES! YES! YES!
Tyler Bozak Discussion Thread - Keep or Trade?
- Thread starter ULF_55
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all together now like the Islanders victory chant!
YES! YES! YES! YES!
Tak7
Registered User
The answer would be NO if you are looking at teams currently in the playoffs
Which is why I don't think there's any reason for people to be getting exciting about the Leafs making any big moves now prior to the deadline. Lupul / Dion / Kessel are all cap retention moves most likely, meaning the Leafs just can't afford to retain anything on Bozak (that would put them at the limit).
No retention on Bozak probably means no deal.
Boring Monday
maybe this is hurting Vermette. like a part of trading for a rental, is having 20+ games (and playoffs) to see if they fit, and you have negotiation rights up until the Wooing Window for UFAs. knowing that Vermette wants insane money, with a lower cap - all of a sudden having a 4.2m for 3 years Tyler Bozak doesn't seem that bad.
Bozak has his warts - but i think he has shown that he can play with top line talent if your top centre goes down. he does help with faces offs etc (so key in the playoffs) and I think the fact that he can be dangerous on breakaways, if you can get him open - (esp. on the PK) that's something there.
and while your third line centre is making a touch more than you want if he's properly situated... it's a win.if we can move him.
i have no idea who is gonna pay vermette his monies.
He may be, but it could be worse for a team that gets him. They could've ended up with a Bolland-like deal as per what happened with Florida.
$4.2m for a 3rd liner is pretty steep. Add another million+ on top of that, and that's just ridiculous.
There are plenty of bad contracts out there. But paying $4.2m over a reasonable term for a 2/3C like you said is slightly above what they'd want.
Unfortunately for GM's, they rarely get what they want. If Bozak isn't worth something like a late 1st due to cap hit, it wouldn't surprise me if the leafs could land something like two 2nd's and a 3rd/4th for him.
Tak7
Registered User
You, and many others, are setting yourselves up for huge disappointment if you think Bozak's return is going to be that decent. It won't.
He isn't a top 6 forward - he hasn't scored an even strength goal away from Kessel since 2011 (!!!), hasn't put up more than 50 points a season despite playing with the #3 most productive player in the league, and has shown he needs to be carried significantly in that role
He isn't a bottom 6 forward - he just doesn't have the hockey IQ or the defensive acumen to be a good checking / shut down player.
His contract has dollar and term for what essentially is a special teams specialist who is good on fave offs.
He's also 28. In his prime.
Why would anyone pay a 1st or two 2nds or prospects or some combination for that?
Leafidelity
Best Sport/Worst League
Link or it didnt happen
It was the last thing he said, on the tradecenter show between the 2nd and 3rd of the Sens/Ducks game. I'm not sure how to get that though.
Nithoniniel
Registered User
I don't necessarily disagree with you, but I wouldn't be all that surprised if some GM out there stared himself silly on production and usage and pay up for him, thinking that his team can get more out of Bozak than we did.
You see worse player evaluations pretty much every year with UFAs.
Nithoniniel
Registered User
That quote lacks a mention of the eternal battle between faceoff prowess and possession numbers.
Time to celebrate and drink the night away. God am I going to miss those defensive drive-bys with little effort. Happy days my friends, happy days. I think most of the 14 keep votes are just to mess with us, no way can %5 percent of Leafs Nation want to keep this guy, way to high. But actually who cares, back to the party. 
DesertHombre
Registered User
- Oct 10, 2013
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Draft picks and young prospects most often are not NHL ready. Perhaps the Leafs keep the core for one more year and let them struggle. Keep the the prospects and top draft picks on the Marlies and have success there. Then the following year start dumping Dion, Bozak, Clarkson (if possible) and any other veterans that are not performing.
Ollie Jokinen could be the center that teams want instead of Bozak. Jokinen is a true cheap rental who does not have several million to be payed for years to come. The cap is headed down and many of the top teams just need a cheap rental.
Ollie Jokinen could be the center that teams want instead of Bozak. Jokinen is a true cheap rental who does not have several million to be payed for years to come. The cap is headed down and many of the top teams just need a cheap rental.
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Bingo. good veteran depth guy with no strings attached. He's being showcased for a pick or prospect. Personally, Id love to see him back next year.
613Leafer
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- May 26, 2008
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Can Bozak produce 35-40 points with <1 minute PP time a game, 5 on 5 minutes with lesser wingers, and potentially defensive oriented minutes/zone starts?
His offensive ability if put in other roles is a bit of a question mark. With top offensive minutes with top offensive wingers, he's still played at a 55 point pace over the past four seasons (50 point pace this year), but has never actually hit 50.
I think there's a decent chance he might be more of a 30-35 point guy once his PP time gets cut and he's no longer playing with Kessel/JvR calibre guys. And while he's good at faceoffs, he's not exactly a good two-way guy. Hopefully we can sell high on him, but Ill be very curious to see how he performs once put in more of a depth role.
Stajan, Moore, Ponikarovsky, etc all put up career years here, and in Stajan/Poni's cases multiple years here well above the numbers they put up on other teams. They got plenty of minutes by default here, and it helped their numbers. Bozak looks similar to me.
Nithoniniel
Registered User
I agree with what you say here.
It's important to remember that other GMs won't make decisions based on what Bozak can do as a #1C, #1PP guy with great offensive wingers, they'll make those decisions based on a smaller role that fits their team. And that scenario isn't looking good for Bozak, with what we have to go on.
Our hope is that someone overpays.
SprDaVE
Moderator
- Sep 20, 2008
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I don't think anyone trading for him is to get him to be their #1 center. They understand what he'll bring, which is decent 2-way game, good on the draws and kills penalties. As much as I hate seeing him play the role he plays right now, I don't think my hatred would be as high if he was properly placed on this team.
I'm sure the teams interested see that he's not completely bad as the #1 center and #1 PP center on the Leafs right now, so if an injury occurs on their team, they know that Bozak can at least handle the minutes to a certain degree for a short period of time. He's a player that you can probably play up and down your lineup and you know you'll get at least something solid.
I think on a good team he's at least an average 2nd line center. His cap hit and production suggests that as well.
Nithoniniel
Registered User
I try to be careful with opinions around Bozak, because it's so hard to get a good read on him. All we really know about him is how he fares as a center with talented wingers, the rest is small sample sizes and circumstantial. If I had to guess, I'd say he'd average out as a below average 2nd line center, but it might also be that it'll turn out that he pretty much needs skilled wingers to be productive offensively, and that could push him down as a below average 3rd line center.
There's pretty much not a player on this team where I feel so unsure how to evaluate them.
Bozak is paid pretty reasonably for what he is.
He's one of the most successful examples of college FAs in the history of the sport. Going from undrafted to being the #1 centre in the centre of the hockey universe.
If he's preventing someone better from being in that position, he's gotta go. If not, he's more valuable than a couple of ****** later draft picks that won't amount to anything.
He's one of the most successful examples of college FAs in the history of the sport. Going from undrafted to being the #1 centre in the centre of the hockey universe.
If he's preventing someone better from being in that position, he's gotta go. If not, he's more valuable than a couple of ****** later draft picks that won't amount to anything.
613Leafer
Registered User
- May 26, 2008
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I dont think he's all that good two-ways and only plays secondary/tertiary PK minutes. This year he's playing 42 seconds / game on the PK for example.
Nobody trading for him will expect him to be a #1, but I think even expecting him to be a solid #2 could end up in disappointment. He'd be a 3rd line C or worse on St. Louis, LA, Pittsburgh, Montreal, TB, NYR, Anaheim, NYi, and Detroit.
The only playoff teams whose 2nd line C he's arguably at the same level as (he isnt even a clear upgrade over most, and is arguably a downgrade over some), would be Vancouver, Washington, Chicago, Nashville, Calgary, and Winnipeg. And even then, once put on a 2nd line with secondary linemates and secondary PP minutes, is he going to be putting up more points than Wilson, Bonino, Richards, Fehr, Scheifele, etc? Hard to say, i doubt he would.
The Legend
GW
- Feb 24, 2004
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Or like the Pirates victory chant. Or the Giants victory chant. Or the Spartans victory chant. Or (in reality) the Daniel Bryan chant.
Any of those will do.
Menzinger
Kessel4LadyByng
If we keep Kessel, than I want Bozak gone. If Bozak stays, then I hope Kessel is traded.
i'd be ok with both going, so long as we get a ranson for Kessel.
ULF_55
Moderator
Bozak just keeps making plays.
Too bad they didn't move him, the 2nd. line was a pro-tank no show tonight.
Too bad they didn't move him, the 2nd. line was a pro-tank no show tonight.
Awesome to hear as it ups his trade value. Hopefully it tricks a GM in thinking that he is a top 6 center. And who knows, in his 28-29 season he might actually score 20 goals. Who says miracles don't happen?
ULF_55
Moderator
Miracles happen, maybe the Leafs draft a 1st. line center this summer.
Wow, talk about a team without any talent when Bozak is the only intelligent player at the dot.
I guess its position is really indicative of the stupidity of the players on the team, if the 1st. line doesn't score they're garbage.
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