Line Combos: What is your offseason wish list?

[ToneDog]

I like this approach a lot and was going to say pretty much the same thing. Only thing I would change is we don't need another RHD to play with Muzzin this should be Dermott. And bottom pairing should be Rosen and Hainsey. The addition to this would be to include Kapanen or Johnsson in a trade to a top Dman to put next to Reilly. That is going to be your trade chip. That and your protected 2020 1st Round pick. My preference lineup\team opening night:

Trade Kapanen, Protected 1st Round 2020 pick, Sparks for Pesce, 3rd Round Pick 2020

Extend Muzzin for another 3 years

Bridge Johnsson for 2-3 years

Resign Marner for under 10 million annually on a max contract

Replace assistants next to Babcock, one to be Keefe.

Ferland-Matthews-Nylander
Hyman-Tavares-Marner
Johnsson-Kadri-Bracco
Kassian-Gauthier-Moore

Reilly-Pesce
Muzzin-Dermott
Rosen-Hainsey

Andersen
Hutchison

I could live with that going into the season but only if I never see the Nylander we saw this year. That version needs to disappear and will be raked by Leaf fans if he shows up next season.

 

[ToneDog]

The wish list and practical list are different.

Priority #1 - sign Marner

Priority #1b cap space to sign Marner - Kadri, Gardiner are gone (Marleau isn't going anywhere. Anyone who rejoiced at the signing with a NMC... enjoy). Gardiner won't be resigned and Kadri will be gone but we can't take salary back. Picks and Prospects. Lowered expectations.

Priority #2 replacing them with healthy but older and cheaper UFAs... not because it's ideal... but because it is practical.

Priority #3 - getting Kapanen under contract. Making some overtures to Muzzin's agent and getting that discussion started

Priority #4 - (or 1 for Shanahan) - can the Coach and GM get along? Don't foresee a move here but putting replacements for either on the radar should be a thought

Well the title does say wishlist. Seriously we got rid of Martin and his cap hit. It will come down to whether Marleau has enough pride in his play to retire. I cannot imagine how bad he will be next year after father time takes another strip out of him. If he does show up, he has to understand that he will be playing on the #4 line and will need to make the press box his best friend.

 

[BlueForever75]

I could live with that going into the season but only if I never see the Nylander we saw this year. That version needs to disappear and will be raked by Leaf fans if he shows up next season.

I really think that this season Nylander showed spurts and had a lot of bad puck luck this season. Pair that with him not having the opportunity to play with his long time center and friend Nylander….. you have what we got this season. A player already behind the eight ball with losing a quarter of the season, and a coach not doing him any favors to get him going.

Its on management and coaching in my eyes that need to address some issues. The top one is reuniting what worked and that is the Hyman-Matthews-Nylander line. That line was always our best and for some reason we sign Tavares and that line gets dismantled. Find a player like Hyman to play next to Tavares-Marner. You will see this team be unstoppable.

 

[unitedstars87]

Johnsson/Hyman-Matthews-Marner line 1 would be awesome as well. With all these trades it would be hard to keep Kapanen under the cap.

For sure. Seems it would be worth the trade off cause Rakell and Connor are legit top 6 with bite. We need more lines that can play half court offense so to speak. Too much one and done with this team. Had we had more periods like second period of game 7, we might have seen a different result.

 

[ShaneFalco]

Well the title does say wishlist. Seriously we got rid of Martin and his cap hit. It will come down to whether Marleau has enough pride in his play to retire. I cannot imagine how bad he will be next year after father time takes another strip out of him. If he does show up, he has to understand that he will be playing on the #4 line and will need to make the press box his best friend.

Not if Babcock is still the coach

 

[Pookie]

Well the title does say wishlist. Seriously we got rid of Martin and his cap hit. It will come down to whether Marleau has enough pride in his play to retire. I cannot imagine how bad he will be next year after father time takes another strip out of him. If he does show up, he has to understand that he will be playing on the #4 line and will need to make the press box his best friend.

Retiring doesn’t remove the cap hit though.

A faked injury does but with his Ironman streak .... not even remotely likely.

 

[ACC1224]

At a minimum, Sparks/Marleau/Nylander not on the roster next October.
I don't expect this wish to come true.

 

[I Believe]

Gonna need a D to replace Gardiner. Don't think you can plug in a rookie there, though I am excited to see Lily/Sandin soon.

Hainsey back on a 1 year wouldn't be terrible either.

 

[18leafsfan18]

Fire assistant coaches. Bring in Keefe as an assistant.
acquire Pesche/Dumba/Ekholm/Parayko/Pietrangelo (dreaming here) to play with Rielly
acquire another RHD to play with Muzzin
Move Marleau cap hit
Move Z and his contract
Trade Brown for a Kassian or a pick
Sign Ferland
Sign Hainsey as your #6 dman to play with Dermott unless Lily is ready to play full time

Anybody other than AM, JT, MM, MR, FA are available in a trade.

Agree, with a few questions:

Do you think firing the assistants changes enough of the coaching errors we saw this season ? (I don't know a lot about coach responsibilities in the NHL).

Is there any chance Sandin is ready ? (Don't know a bunch about our D prospects timelines).

 

[Gary Nylund]

My wish list:

1 - Babcock gone
2 - Marleau gone
3 - Marner signed to a contract that doesn't make me want to vomit

If these three things happen, I'd feel very optimistic heading into next season.

Edit:

4 - Muzzin signed to an extension at a fair price

 

[SHANNYPLAN]

Babcock Gone
Marleau, Gardiner Gone
Trade: Kadri, Nylander, Brown
Get: Lowry/Jenner, Pesce, Clifford/Lemieux, Pick

 

[mapleleafs34]

I would LOVE to see Moore get a shot on Matthews wing next year.

 

[ToneDog]

Retiring doesn’t remove the cap hit though.

A faked injury does but with his Ironman streak .... not even remotely likely.

Retiring will allow them to trade the cap hit. If he does not retire, he has the NMC which makes it almost impossible to move him and his cap hit. The only place he would go would be SJ and I doubt they could fit him in.

As a Leaf fan I am hoping there was a gentlemen's agreement when he signed that he would retire after being paid his bonus July 1st.

 

[ToneDog]

Agree, with a few questions:

Do you think firing the assistants changes enough of the coaching errors we saw this season ? (I don't know a lot about coach responsibilities in the NHL).

Is there any chance Sandin is ready ? (Don't know a bunch about our D prospects timelines).

One intelligent thing I heard Burke say when he was GM here was that he wanted his staff to tell him when he was wrong, He did not need them telling him when he was right. If Babs is too stubborn to listen to his assistants then he may as well have me and you behind the bench. The team needs to change things up and if they do not fire Babs the next best thing is to fire the assistants and get a fresh look.

I think Lily and Sandin might be close but there are more knowledgeable posters that could give you a better opinion. It would sure help Dubas if one could step in to start the season and the other mid season as Dermott did last year.

 

[Mess]

It is pretty clear him and Dubas do not see eye to eye, and its like he almost purposely sabotages things out of spite.

Getting Babcock and Dubas on the same page has to be the #1 priority this offseason..

A good GM provides his coach the players he wants and requests that allow him to be successful, not do the opposite and sabotage his own team in the process.

If Dubas isn't going to respect his elders, then he should at least respect his betters. If he can't do that he needs a younger and more inexperienced coach on his own level, who are on the same page, so at least they're pulling on the management rope in the same direction, even if its the wrong direction.

 

[BlueForever75]

The other thing that I agree with Burke on partially is that the Leafs need a little more truculence. Doesn't need to be all out like a Burkie team. But the Leafs need a Hyman type player on every forward line. And a defenseman like Muzzin on each defensive pairing. This and only this will help the Leafs get to next level.

Put Hyman back with Matthews-Nylander and find a hard nosed winger like Hyman with size to play with Tavares and Marner. Your top 2 lines would be unstoppable. Why did we not put Brown all season with Tavares and Marner? Makes no sense to me at all. He didn't play on single shift with them. This guy was a finisher and grinder for McDavid in the OHL. He has skill. But we didn't utilize him as he should have been. Marner and Tavares would have made Brown into a star. If Hyman could score 20 goals playing with them, imagine what Brown would do.

To me its just mis-utilization of the players we have.

 

[Nineteen67]

I think it’s time to let Babcock go. You watch other coaches and what they are able to do and then compare it to Babcock.
Craig Berube came in to St Louis and changed the style the teams to meet the personnel
Rick Tochet did a great job with a scrap heap of Coyotes.
Rod Brind’Amour just advanced to the semis.
Bruce Cassidy works magic with his team

I keep thinking about Scotty Bowman and how he adapted over several decades. It’s not a mistake that he had 10+ rings

Babcock did a great job changing the culture and turning the ship around. But, what made him unsuccessful in Detroit is making him unsuccessful in Toronto. 10 years of the same thing is not a blip.
It’s highly unlikely that he’ll change his ways so I’m not sure giving him another year is the right thing for this team.

He'd be perfect for a team that rebuilding.

 

[Raym11]

One intelligent thing I heard Burke say when he was GM here was that he wanted his staff to tell him when he was wrong, He did not need them telling him when he was right. If Babs is too stubborn to listen to his assistants then he may as well have me and you behind the bench. The team needs to change things up and if they do not fire Babs the next best thing is to fire the assistants and get a fresh look.

I think Lily and Sandin might be close but there are more knowledgeable posters that could give you a better opinion. It would sure help Dubas if one could step in to start the season and the other mid season as Dermott did last year.

being told you're wrong doesnt matter if you don't actually use it constructively

 

[hullsy47]

lol abrasion? aberation? abortion? anomoly? abnormality?
I am assuming you were torpedoed by spell check.

lol aberation ty

 

[LeafSteel]

being told you're wrong doesnt matter if you don't actually use it constructively

You are wrong!!!

Sorry, couldn’t resist....

 

[bodechek]

My rant...

MUST!

• A defenseman that actually plays defence! If Dubas still thinks that the blueline is fine, then it was a huge mistake making him GM too soon!

Would like

• A replacement for Nazim Kadri. The f****** moron is like Jake Gardener and just doesn't learn. Two playoff series in a row he gets suspended, this year is even worse!
• A playoff performing goalie. The first goal of that last game was so damn weak, there is NO excuse for it. Plus two game seven in a row he did NOT perform.
• To find Nylander, does he still play for this team? Seemed to have disappeared after sitting out for a huge pay increase

 

[Ratboy]

once babcock is fired, you will see a better option then Hyman on the top line. thats a given.

But how long until he is fired? I'd think he gets at least one more season.

 

[DanM]

At a minimum, Sparks/Marleau/Nylander not on the roster next October.
I don't expect this wish to come true.

We would regret Willy, I will guarantee.

This year was not a true picture of him, he missed a lot of time, and never got on track.

We move him, and we are looking for exactly that type of player after.

This kid will be a 70+ point winger next season.

His contract will look like a bargain.

 

[ACC1224]

We would regret Willy, I will guarantee.

This year was not a true picture of him, he missed a lot of time, and never got on track.

We move him, and we are looking for exactly that type of player after.

This kid will be a 70+ point winger next season.

His contract will look like a bargain.

Something will need to give with the cap.

I can't think of who the bolded could be.
Does such a player exist?

 

[biotk]

"What do you want this leafs team to look like come October?"

Head coach ̶B̶a̶b̶c̶o̶c̶k̶ Keefe