Would This give the Leafs Their Best Chance at a Cup?

[IrishInOntario]

Bringing in conversation points from two threads, I'm curious what people think about this idea.

If Mitch Marner won't sign long term at a decent price, and Toronto instead agrees to bridge him for 3 years at let's say 8.5 million...

And Jake Gardiner really wants to stay in Toronto and is willing to take a bit of a discount to do so, let's say 3-4 years at 5.5- 5.75 million...

Would you trade Cody Ceci's last year at 4.5 million (even if it takes a non roster sweetner), because Jake is a much better player, and roll with this team?

Johnsson / Matthews / Nylander
Hyman / Tavares / Marner
Mikheyev / Kerfoot / Kapanen
Moore / Spezza / Shore
Gauthier

Reilly / Gardiner
Muzzin / Barrie
Dermott / Liljegren
Marincin

Anderson
Hutchinson or Neuvirth

You can nickel and dime that roster under the cap... In the off season you let Muzzin walk and use his money to pay Barrie. The rise in the cap gives you the money to bridge Dermott, and he takes Muzzin's spot in the top 4 in 2020, as Sandin emerges to play alongside Liljegren.

What say you?

Click to read more...

 

[TorontoTrades]

Ya I saw the tsn video too

 

[Dekes For Days]

I'd rather just give Ceci a chance. People vastly underestimate his abilities because he's been playing hard minutes on a dumpster fire for years. The Leafs finally have a balanced LHD-RHD roster for the first time in forever, and I don't want to give that up.

Gardiner doesn't play right side well, he doesn't mesh well with any of our other D, he was a broken down mess last year and I don't trust his back, especially for 3-4 years, I don't think we can afford that much money for Gardiner (who wouldn't get PP time) and re-sign Barrie (who is infinitely more important), and if we can afford to spend that much, I'd rather just keep Muzzin next year.

 

[Peasy]

It's obvious Gardiner isn't even being offered that much from other teams right now as if they were he would have likely signed already.

 

[Damisoph]

sorry but I'm done with Jake. I've been a booster of his for a while but I think this team just needs to move on

 

[Buds17]

Gardiner and Ceci figure to have vastly different roles. Gardiner would be another PP option on a team that looks to have enough of those from the defence. Losing Ceci would take away from the PK that has the greater need. Think the team would prefer to use Dermott on the right side regularly over Rielly as well. We'll have to see if Dermott is ready to start the season too, and also if Liljegren makes the team from the get go.

 

[al secord]

We need a Ceci more than a Gardiner right now. Most likely Jake will sign a short term deal at a higher ticket than we can afford anyway.

Let's give Ceci a look and see if he can shake the dirty Sensness off of him and put together a solid year for us.

 

[mydnyte]

Marner in a package for Seth Jones would give us the best chance for a cup

 

[Havoc]

We lost Z and Hainsey. Makes Ceci a necessity. Hits and blocks need to come from someone.

If Ceci plays even half decent we will be fortunate to have him and Muzzin on each pairing.

If Gardiner comes back he'll most likely be third pairing with Dermott but there's no cap for that. That would probably be the best D in the league though. Maybe he'll pull a Labanc to show teams his back is okay then get paid next year.

 

[zeke]

You sign Jake for multi years at that pricetag and we can't afford Barrie. Might be able to squeeze muzzin back in, but then we'd just be back to that all-LD Dcorps again.

 

[robertmac43]

One thing going for the Leafs in signing Gardiner on the cheap is the familiarity with the organization and medical staff in Toronto. From a back rehab point of view it would not be a bad idea to take a short term discount to stay around the great set of team doctors the Leafs have. Having been here for years as well would also be beneficial to him, as the healing process of most things is better done in a familiar surrounding.

 

[zeke]

Next year's cap situation with Jake signed at $5.5:

Matthews 11.6
Tavares 11.0
Marner 10.0
Nylander 7.0
Kerfoot 3.5
Johnsson 3.4
Kapanen 3.2
Hyman 2.3
Moore 0.8
Petan 0.8
Agostino 0.7
xxxxxx 0.7
xxxxxx 0.7

Rielly 5.0
Jake 5.5
xxxxx
Dermott 3.0
Liljegren 0.9
Sandin 0.9
xxxxx 0.7

Freddy 5.0
xxxxx 0.7

kessel 1.2

~$77.5m

Current caphit is 81.5m, so if we figure in a 2-3m raise in the cap next year, that gives us 6-7m to sign one of Barrie, Muzzin, or another dman.

That's probably not quite enough to sign Barrie, but it would be plenty to sign Muzzin. But again, that would take us back to our all-LD defense.

 

[AustrianHockeyfan]

I don't want Gardiner back.

 

[horner]

Bringing in conversation points from two threads, I'm curious what people think about this idea.

If Mitch Marner won't sign long term at a decent price, and Toronto instead agrees to bridge him for 3 years at let's say 8.5 million...

And Jake Gardiner really wants to stay in Toronto and is willing to take a bit of a discount to do so, let's say 3-4 years at 5.5- 5.75 million...

Would you trade Cody Ceci's last year at 4.5 million (even if it takes a non roster sweetner), because Jake is a much better player, and roll with this team?

Johnsson / Matthews / Nylander
Hyman / Tavares / Marner
Mikheyev / Kerfoot / Kapanen
Moore / Spezza / Shore
Gauthier

Reilly / Gardiner
Muzzin / Barrie
Dermott / Liljegren
Marincin

Anderson
Hutchinson or Neuvirth

You can nickel and dime that roster under the cap... In the off season you let Muzzin walk and use his money to pay Barrie. The rise in the cap gives you the money to bridge Dermott, and he takes Muzzin's spot in the top 4 in 2020, as Sandin emerges to play alongside Liljegren.

What say you?

Don't want Gardiner

 

[Seras]

I'd love to have Jake back if we can afford it

 

[Dough72]

I don't think he's more valuable than Johnsson or Kapanen so I'd only want him back with a contract like theirs

 

[TheKingSlayer]

Jake can come back on a 1 year real cheap deal - I`d be down with that for sure. It best be at/around or under 2 mil though. Prove it deal for him. If he can prove that he can be healthy and finally handle the TO pressure, maybe he gets paid next off-season.

 

[Fogelhund]

If we could magically make the Salary Cap disappear, I'd have Jake back in a second.

 

[horner]

I'd love to have Jake back if we can afford it

Why
The guy gives up the when he thinks he is going to get hit.
He can skate like no other but he doesn't do that any more.
If he had any kind of a shot from the I would say maybe but doesn't.
In crucial games he just folds like a tent.
No would rather get the kid we got from Ottawa sorted out.
Jake s time has passed.

 

[Beanzy]

Big NO to Gardiner. I hope the D pairings will look like this...

Rielly - Ceci
Muzzin - Barrie
Dermott - Liljegren

Barrie is a guy that really likes to rush the puck from his own zone and we need a big body like Muzzin to hang back. Who knows what Babcock will come up with, though.

As for the forwards... I think Mikheyev will end up playing in and out of the top 6. Realistically, Hyman would be better suited as a 3rd liner.

 

[IrishInOntario]

Big NO to Gardiner. I hope the D pairings will look like this...

Rielly - Ceci
Muzzin - Barrie
Dermott - Liljegren

Barrie is a guy that really likes to rush the puck from his own zone and we need a big body like Muzzin to hang back. Who knows what Babcock will come up with, though.

As for the forwards... I think Mikheyev will end up playing in and out of the top 6. Realistically, Hyman would be better suited as a 3rd liner.

So you want Ceci playing top minutes with Reilly proving in Toronto, what he proved in Ottawa... That he isn't a top 4 guys who should be playing big time minutes?

 

[KuleminFan41]

Sometimes you have to move on and now is the right time to move on from Gardiner and that era of losers.

 

[Nineteen67]

I really hope Harpur can play some valuable minutes. Agostino as well.

 

[TheProspector]

Next year's cap situation with Jake signed at $5.5:

Matthews 11.6
Tavares 11.0
Marner 10.0
Nylander 7.0
Kerfoot 3.5
Johnsson 3.4
Kapanen 3.2
Hyman 2.3
Moore 0.8
Petan 0.8
Agostino 0.7
xxxxxx 0.7
xxxxxx 0.7

Rielly 5.0
Jake 5.5
xxxxx
Dermott 3.0
Liljegren 0.9
Sandin 0.9
xxxxx 0.7

Freddy 5.0
xxxxx 0.7

kessel 1.2

~$77.5m

Current caphit is 81.5m, so if we figure in a 2-3m raise in the cap next year, that gives us 6-7m to sign one of Barrie, Muzzin, or another dman.

That's probably not quite enough to sign Barrie, but it would be plenty to sign Muzzin. But again, that would take us back to our all-LD defense.

This would be my preference. You might be able to sign Barrie if you don't resign Muzzin -- and Muzzin is not necessary to resign if we already have Rielly, Gardiner, and Dermott up at LD.

 

[Beanzy]

So you want Ceci playing top minutes with Reilly proving in Toronto, what he proved in Ottawa... That he isn't a top 4 guys who should be playing big time minutes?

Ottawa has been a dumpster fire of an organization from top to bottom the last couple of years. I would like to see what Ceci can do as a top 4 D with our coaching staff and the skill we have in our lineup. I don't think he's going to be as awful as people think.

Why do we want to re-sign another LHD with possible back issues and a knack for folding defensively in big games? For the first time in a while we can have 3 right handed dmen playing the right side. I'd like to see how it pans out.