With Phaneuff gone, how does the hole get fixed?

[Ricky Bobby]

Guys like Grossman or Gunnarsson are nowhere near good enough to be able to help insulate the young forwards we'll have in the lineup next year.

Yeah, we've got a lot of holes right now. Something like scoring depth can be filled by youth and free agents -- goals will certainly have to be a "by committee" approach. Goaltending -- maybe it's Reimer, maybe somebody else. Defence -- there's simply nobody in the system or free agency who fits the bill. The Leafs are going to have to get aggressive in trade.

This team is going to be garbage again next year. We're in for a few more years of pain and some more recycling of stop gap vets.

Signing a guy like Gunnarson, Polak, Grossman protects the youth.

It's great to say we need that piece and should fill that hole but it's unlikely we acquire that piece. Much more likely we get a stop gap Dman well continuing to acquire picks, prospects and projects who are buy-low candidates.

Almost 2/3rds of the league are also searching for a top 4 or even top 2/3 Dman like us.

 

[therealkoho]

see if you can trade for Trouba and if that goes no where Gudbranson and perhaps re-sign Polack or Gunnarsson

 

[Mad Brills*]

see if you can trade for Trouba and if that goes no where Gudbranson and perhaps re-sign Polack or Gunnarsson

Somehow get trouba/vesey/zaitsev/stamkos

Let's ****ing go!

 

[Al14]

One large PYLON should do the trick! Problem solved.

Opposing players can skate right around it too!

 

[Razz]

Phaneuf has already been replaced by Rielly as the top Defender. The hole left is the 2nd pairing which will be filled internally. The Leafs still need a perfect pairing for Rielly but we'll see how the Marlies D men work out.

 

[Al14]

Somehow get trouba/vesey/zaitsev/stamkos

Let's ****ing go!

I had no idea Stamkos could play D.

Interesting idea though.

 

[Fogelhund]

You draft plenty of D men, and hope that one of them becomes more than expected... which really isn't all that uncommon. Heck, most of the recent Norris nominees weren't expected to be top line D men either.

Norris trophy nominees, top three voted D, for the last five seasons...

PK Subban - 2nd round, 43rd overall
Roman Josi - 2nd round, 38th overall
Erik Karlsson - 1st round, 15th overall
Duncan Keith - 2nd round, 54th overall
Alex Pietrangelo - 1st round, 4th overall
Zdeno Chara - 3rd round, 56th overall
Kris Letang - 3rd round, 62 overall
Ryan Suter - 1st round, 7th overall
Shea Weber - 2nd round, 49th overall
Niklas Lidstrom - 3rd round, 53rd overall
Lubomir Visnovsky - 4th round, 118th overall

So two guys out of 11 were top 10 picks.... plus Karlsson, who wasn't expected to be a #1 D... but then all of these 2nd, 3rd and 4th rounders.... patience... the more quality we have developing, the luckier we will get. draft, develop, get lucky.....patience Nobody knows what our recent draft picks ceiling is... sit back, and enjoy.

You have guys like Nielsen out performing. Zaitsev is an unknown, Valiev has played very well... and so on.... I really want a couple of second round picks this year... pick up a guy like Day with our fourth pick overall, in the second round.

 

[TheProspector]

You draft plenty of D men, and hope that one of them becomes more than expected... which really isn't all that uncommon. Heck, most of the recent Norris nominees weren't expected to be top line D men either.

Norris trophy nominees, top three voted D, for the last five seasons...

PK Subban - 2nd round, 43rd overall
Roman Josi - 2nd round, 38th overall
Erik Karlsson - 1st round, 15th overall
Duncan Keith - 2nd round, 54th overall
Alex Pietrangelo - 1st round, 4th overall
Zdeno Chara - 3rd round, 56th overall
Kris Letang - 3rd round, 62 overall
Ryan Suter - 1st round, 7th overall
Shea Weber - 2nd round, 49th overall
Niklas Lidstrom - 3rd round, 53rd overall
Lubomir Visnovsky - 4th round, 118th overall

So two guys out of 11 were top 10 picks.... plus Karlsson, who wasn't expected to be a #1 D... but then all of these 2nd, 3rd and 4th rounders.... patience... the more quality we have developing, the luckier we will get. draft, develop, get lucky.....patience Nobody knows what our recent draft picks ceiling is... sit back, and enjoy.

You have guys like Nielsen out performing. Zaitsev is an unknown, Valiev has played very well... and so on.... I really want a couple of second round picks this year... pick up a guy like Day with our fourth pick overall, in the second round.

Projecting defencemen is harder than projecting forwards, and projecting goalies is even more difficult yet. That's why forwards go first, and why there's a lot of value in defencemen later on in a draft (as well as goalies).