Player Discussion What do we have in Josh Leivo

[Bankerguy]

Roussel Pearson Leivo Ferland

If you have these 4 in your bottom six you're going to be considered deep and difficult to play against.
Keep Leivo in the bottom six. He thrives there.

 

[polarbearcub]

Leivo has been disappointing so far

 

[F A N]

Shaller has double the amount of goals Leivo has. Shaller also throws more hits and blocks more shots. Shaller also kills penalties.

Looking at the depth chart, Leivo destined to fight for a spot on 4th line with our wingers.

Would you rather have Schaller there or Leivo there?

Leivo can make plays with the puck. Schaller can't. Leivo is simply the better all around around player. So from a talent perspective there's no question you keep Leivo over Schaller. But yes Schaller does play that traditional grinder role and is utilized to kill penalties. They also shouldn't cost the same. I'm not sure if Leivo is destined to fight for a spot on the 4th wing. He's more often used on the 3rd line or with Horvat. Plus he is given PP time.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Leivo has been disappointing so far

He's no world beater..but for a 3rd line forward ($1.5M x 1 year),I think that he's pretty good..He's heavy on the boards, and an underrated stickhandler..not sure if he PK's..?...Probably good for 10 goals a year.

 

[Orr4Norris]

He strikes me as a streaky goal scorer. So that means we have JV, Pearson, Leivo, and Ferland as guys who tend to go hot and cold. As long as a couple are going at any given time, we’re good. Right now it’s shotgun time.

 

[JAK]

Leivo can make plays with the puck. Schaller can't. Leivo is simply the better all around around player. So from a talent perspective there's no question you keep Leivo over Schaller. But yes Schaller does play that traditional grinder role and is utilized to kill penalties. They also shouldn't cost the same. I'm not sure if Leivo is destined to fight for a spot on the 4th wing. He's more often used on the 3rd line or with Horvat. Plus he is given PP time.

If you look at the lines, how will Leivo fit? Virtanen, Motte, Gaudette are all RFA, we can assume they will be retained.

Miller - Pettersson - Boeser
Pearson - Horvat - Virtanen
Ferland - Sutter - Roussel
Eriksson - Beagle - Motte
Gaudette

Are all under contract, who can you unseat from top 9 with Leivo? We're hoping Virtanen could stick in top 6, or rotate Roussel and Gaudette there.

Baertschi, Goldobin, Lind, MacEwen, Leivo and Schaller are all fighting for that last spot.

If the Canucks cannot unload Eriksson, there just isn't cap space or roster space for Leivo, never mind Leivo fighting for a top 9 spot. And even if Eriksson is unloaded, there is just so much depth available, especially people on lower cap hit deals, which would be very welcoming to help fit the team under the cap.

 

[4Twenty]

Neither Schaller nor Leivo should be back next year, even if they can get out from Eriksson's deal. Not even sure why there is a debate about it.

They should still be trying to turn over the roster. 4 core forwards and a bunch of the rest. Leivo is a poor mans Pearson, who is 2/3 tweener at best. They need to create room to add another legitimate top 6 forward. They absolutely cannot afford to spend 1.5-3m on depth forwards anymore.

 

[Spectrefire]

Leivo has been disappointing so far

He has 7 points in 14 playing on the 3rd line and making $1.5 million.

What the hell more do you want?

 

[Hoghandler]

Neither Schaller nor Leivo should be back next year, even if they can get out from Eriksson's deal. Not even sure why there is a debate about it.

There is a debate because both guys provide value, especially Leivo. Whether or not you bring them back would depend how this season goes, how the depth stacks up going forward and what kind of money it takes to sign them.

Harman Dayal had a detailed write up about Leivo in the athletic today. He believes Leivo is the most under rated forward on the team, and backs it up with data. The guy flat out drives possession - if you buy into advanced stats metrics at all.

 

[Blue and Green]

In the summer I said that he signed for a low salary, that he should've been able to get $1.7M-$1.9M for this season. Even that might've been a bargain. Dayal's summary paragraph on Leivo pretty much encapsulates my thoughts:

"Is Leivo anything more than a third-liner on a good team? No, but he’s a very effective depth player who can play both wings, chips in with offence and adds lots of two-way value. Pretty nice contributions to get from a forward who only costs $1.5 million per year."

 

[bandwagonesque]

Neither Schaller nor Leivo should be back next year, even if they can get out from Eriksson's deal. Not even sure why there is a debate about it.

They should still be trying to turn over the roster. 4 core forwards and a bunch of the rest. Leivo is a poor mans Pearson, who is 2/3 tweener at best. They need to create room to add another legitimate top 6 forward. They absolutely cannot afford to spend 1.5-3m on depth forwards anymore.

Every team in the league spends 1.5-3m on depth forwards.

 

[mossey3535]

At $1.5M, Leivo brings more things especially winning board battles.

Having seen Schaller this year I would love to get him back at a discount, then he would be a perfect player. The way vets are being squeezed, a good GM should be able to make that happen.

The argument "where does Leivo belong in the lineup" is more "where does Leivo belong in the lineup because we're gifting spots to overpaid players".

 

[Icebreakers]

Leivo has been disappointing so far

It depends on your expectations of the guy. Hes 26 and has never been a full time NHL player. Considering hes on pace for ~ 40 points playing 3rd line + 2pp time its really not that bad. Hes never even really dominated the AHL. Considering how badly Leipsic/Vey were, I dont mind Leivo.

 

[JAK]

Salary cap plays in to the reason why guys like MacEwen and Motte will have a spot over Leivo.

That is just the fact of life in NHL today with the salary cap

Leivo should find a good contract next off season.

 

[Bertuzzzi44]

Ideal 3rd line winger. Can play either side wing and up and down the line up. Wins a very high percentage of his puck battles and is a solid possession player. Terrific underlying analytic numbers. Versatile 2-way forward that can chip in offensively.

 

[F A N]

If you look at the lines, how will Leivo fit? Virtanen, Motte, Gaudette are all RFA, we can assume they will be retained.

Miller - Pettersson - Boeser
Pearson - Horvat - Virtanen
Ferland - Sutter - Roussel
Eriksson - Beagle - Motte
Gaudette

Are all under contract, who can you unseat from top 9 with Leivo? We're hoping Virtanen could stick in top 6, or rotate Roussel and Gaudette there.

Baertschi, Goldobin, Lind, MacEwen, Leivo and Schaller are all fighting for that last spot.

Why are you assuming Motte, Goldy, and Schaller are retained with no other trades made? Obviously, Leivo might not be re-signed, but if he is re-signed I think they are doing so on the basis that he's pencilled in for a 3rd line spot. That's my point. If you are bringing back Schaller you are bringing him back as a 4th line winger. The way Leivo is playing and his likely production this season, if you are bringing Leivo back you are bringing him back as a 3rd line player winger. If there is no spot for him on the 3rd line line you suggest then I don't think he'll be back. Plain and simple. I don't think Leivo is a 4th line player. He's a 3rd line player and a pretty good one.

 

[JAK]

Why are you assuming Motte, Goldy, and Schaller are retained with no other trades made? Obviously, Leivo might not be re-signed, but if he is re-signed I think they are doing so on the basis that he's pencilled in for a 3rd line spot. That's my point. If you are bringing back Schaller you are bringing him back as a 4th line winger. The way Leivo is playing and his likely production this season, if you are bringing Leivo back you are bringing him back as a 3rd line player winger. If there is no spot for him on the 3rd line line you suggest then I don't think he'll be back. Plain and simple. I don't think Leivo is a 4th line player. He's a 3rd line player and a pretty good one.

Motte is RFA, he has not shown enough to warrant a huge raise, but his effort can easily land him a 13th/14th forward spot, especially since his cap hit would not that much higher than $1m

I'm not assuming, I'm just saying the Leivo would have a lot of competition for spots remaining, especially considering what players we have under contract already.

I agree Leivo can be an effective middle 6 winger, but looking at Pearson, Ferland, Virtanen, Roussel and Gaudette alone, and the bunch in Utica. I just cannot see how we can find a spot for Leivo other than fighting Motte for the 4th line winger position. Leivo in UFA should be able to command a 2.5m contract, and he will get it from a team needing middle 6 help. The only way I can see us retaining Leivo under the cap, is if we can find a taker for Eriksson's entire contract with no retain.

However, I don't advocate for trading either Leivo or Schaller unless the team really craps the bed before the trade deadline. Then you offload them both. If we are in the hunt for a playoff spot, depth is key.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Salary cap plays in to the reason why guys like MacEwen and Motte will have a spot over Leivo.

That is just the fact of life in NHL today with the salary cap

Leivo should find a good contract next off season.

There's no doubt that he's a solid 'middle sixer' NHL player at this point...Bizarre to me that Babcock didnt give him a real shot in the first place.

 

[Diamonddog01]

He's been much better of late, at the start of the season he kept bobbling pucks and flubbing plays and was a frustrating player to watch. But yeah, he's playing like an effective 3rd liner. We definitely have a glut of bottom 6 forwards and too much salary tied up in them however. Someone will need to go eventually and I doubt Roussel or Ferland or going anywhere soon. So that leaves one, or even two, out of Leivo, Schaller, Virtanen being traded at some point (or simply let go this offseason).

 

[Bertuzzzi44]

Miller-Pettersson-Boeser
Pearson-Horvat-Ferland
Leivo-Sutter-Virtanen
Roussel-Beagle-Schaller
Gaudette
Eriksson
(Pearson & Roussel interchangeable)

Motte will not be resigned
Schaller possibly resigned
Leivo likely resigned
Sutter possibly moved to make room for Gaudette

That’s the way I see it playing out.

 

[hcg]

There is a debate because both guys provide value, especially Leivo. Whether or not you bring them back would depend how this season goes, how the depth stacks up going forward and what kind of money it takes to sign them.

Harman Dayal had a detailed write up about Leivo in the athletic today. He believes Leivo is the most under rated forward on the team, and backs it up with data. The guy flat out drives possession - if you buy into advanced stats metrics at all.

Leivo is a high energy guy, but he's just not quite good enough to turn that into consistent offence.

Energy is good though, and he will put in the occasional goal.

 

[Jay Cee]

Leivo has been disappointing so far

Really? He is outpacing last year and last year he got a lot more of a free ride for points. I think he is a nice third line player.

 

[JAK]

Miller-Pettersson-Boeser
Pearson-Horvat-Ferland
Leivo-Sutter-Virtanen
Roussel-Beagle-Schaller
Gaudette
Eriksson
(Pearson & Roussel interchangeable)

Motte will not be resigned
Schaller possibly resigned
Leivo likely resigned
Sutter possibly moved to make room for Gaudette

That’s the way I see it playing out.

If no salary cap, sure.

 

[Canadian Canuck]

Miller-Pettersson-Boeser
XXX-Horvat-XXX
Ferland-Gaudette-Virtanen/Leivo
Roussel-Beagle-Schaller

that’s what our forward group should look like next year. Pearson isn’t a 2nd line player.

 

[krutovsdonut]

leivo fits pretty much anywhere in the lineup without excelling in the role of any particular line. he is physical and gets his nose dirty and is dangerous when he gets chances. he can pk or play in ot or even pp.

in short, he's a very useful player and super useful for plugging injury holes even if he has no permanent natural home on any particular line. sort of a granlund with size and grit who holds his ground.