Proposal: 2LW and 2C to Toronto

[pspot]

so a team with the majority of its cap tied up into 4 forwards, a patch work d and three goalies who have never been starters need to add more forwards. If that's the case this team isn't going to win this year and should not be trading any of their limited future assets . IMO

 

[jfhabs]

If Flames continue to fall off, Backlund + Coleman. Ready to go 3rd line that will make anyone that plays with them better.

Would probably need to retain on both. Not sure CGY management wants to do that considering both players still have term after this season

 

[DJJones]

Would probably need to retain on both. Not sure CGY management wants to do that considering both players still have term after this season

Not the end of the world if the haul is big enough in return. Bigger problem is its unlikely they pull the plug before the deadline.

 

[seanlinden]

so a team with the majority of its cap tied up into 4 forwards, a patch work d and three goalies who have never been starters need to add more forwards. If that's the case this team isn't going to win this year and should not be trading any of their limited future assets . IMO

Goaltending is far from the Leafs problem.

Adin Hill won the Stanley Cup with Vegas while Broissoit played 8 games.
Darcy Kuemper won the Stanley Cup with Francouz playing 7 games.

Jordan Binnington won a cup with St. Louis as a rookie with 33 games NHL experience.
Stuart Skinner had the Oilers in game 7 of the cup final.
Vancouver went on a bit of a run with Arthurs Silovs

At the end of the day, goaltending is all about having a guy get hot at the right time.

While I don't neccessarily agree with the entirety of the OP, given the large amount of money tied up into 4 forwards, it does seem at least somewhat logical to get the pieces in place that allow them to distribute those guys over 3 lines.

 

[KurtDangle]

It would be hilarious seeing Marchand in a leafs sweater. Would fit that 2LW spot perfectly.

 

[jfhabs]

Goaltending is far from the Leafs problem.

Adin Hill won the Stanley Cup with Vegas while Broissoit played 8 games.
Darcy Kuemper won the Stanley Cup with Francouz playing 7 games.

Jordan Binnington won a cup with St. Louis as a rookie with 33 games NHL experience.
Stuart Skinner had the Oilers in game 7 of the cup final.
Vancouver went on a bit of a run with Arthurs Silovs

At the end of the day, goaltending is all about having a guy get hot at the right time.

While I don't neccessarily agree with the entirety of the OP, given the large amount of money tied up into 4 forwards, it does seem at least somewhat logical to get the pieces in place that allow them to distribute those guys over 3 lines.

In the last 10 years
'14 - Quick
'15 - Crawford
'16 - Murray
'17 - Fleury 15 / Murray split 11
'18 - Holtby
'19 - Binnington
'20 - Vasilevksy
'21 - Vasilevsky
'22 - Kuemper
'23 - Hill
'24 - Bobrovsky

All of the bolded were good, established number 1 goalie. Many of these have multiples cup and/or stanley cup apparences as opposed to the 'other' guys that went hot for one season.

The impact of a good goalie is very underrated around here.

 

[seanlinden]

In the last 10 years
'14 - Quick
'15 - Crawford
'16 - Murray
'17 - Fleury 15 / Murray split 11
'18 - Holtby
'19 - Binnington
'20 - Vasilevksy
'21 - Vasilevsky
'22 - Kuemper
'23 - Hill
'24 - Bobrovsky

All of the bolded were good, established number 1 goalie. Many of these have multiples cup and/or stanley cup apparences as opposed to the 'other' guys that went hot for one season.

The impact of a good goalie is very underrated around here.

Of the 11 years you listed, 7 were what you consdier to be "good" goalies...

But, consider this for a moment....

1. Murray played more games than Fleury in the regular season, and in the playoffs... a fairly substantial split.
2. Vasilevsky's first cup win, he was making $3.5m.
3. Vasielvsky's 2nd cup win, they had Kucherov skip the entire season to be basically $10m over the cap.

It's easy to rant and rave that you need good goaltending, but the reality is, in any given 7 game series a $2m guy can go toe-to-toe with a $9m guy; and that's typically the difference between a substantially impactful forward or defenceman. Look no further than the only playoff series the Leafs have won, where Ilya Samsonov basically went toe-to-toe with Vasi, and the Leafs had $8m more worth of firepower.

The Leafs goaltending this year isn't a household name.... but Stolarz leads the league in sv% and is 2nd in GAA amongst goalies with at least 13 games played. Yes, he's only played 18, while Hellebuyck has played 43 and most of the "regular" #1s have played 35 to 40; but those are still very impressive numbers.

Woll's numbers obviously less exciting, but here's a guy who's shown the abiltiy to absolutely shut things down in the playoffs and duel against the league's best.

 

[kevsh]

The impact of a good goalie is very underrated around here.

And the Leafs have Stolarz who has put up elite numbers this year. The big concern is durability.

The top 6 is set, the blueline is solid if not "A" tier, the real ongoing issue* is the bottom 6 which gets quite literally progressively weaker every single year (in part because what's left in cap space after the Core 4 has gone primarily to strengthen the blue line).

In short, the Leafs need at least two forwards (one being an established C is a must) who can play on the 3rd line and generate some offense. That gives us:

Knies-Matthews-Marner
McMann-Tavares-Nylander
Domi-3C-3LW/RW

(Since Berube apparently isn't allowed to drop Mitch or Willie to the 3rd line)

* The other ongoing issue is the inability of the top 6 to score when we need them, but that's another whole deflating conversation.

 

[beardawg]

Nyquist @ 50% and O'Reilly for Minten, Danford and a 1st

 

[jfhabs]

Of the 11 years you listed, 7 were what you consdier to be "good" goalies...

But, consider this for a moment....

1. Murray played more games than Fleury in the regular season, and in the playoffs... a fairly substantial split.
2. Vasilevsky's first cup win, he was making $3.5m.
3. Vasielvsky's 2nd cup win, they had Kucherov skip the entire season to be basically $10m over the cap.

It's easy to rant and rave that you need good goaltending, but the reality is, in any given 7 game series a $2m guy can go toe-to-toe with a $9m guy; and that's typically the difference between a substantially impactful forward or defenceman. Look no further than the only playoff series the Leafs have won, where Ilya Samsonov basically went toe-to-toe with Vasi, and the Leafs had $8m more worth of firepower.

The Leafs goaltending this year isn't a household name.... but Stolarz leads the league in sv% and is 2nd in GAA amongst goalies with at least 13 games played. Yes, he's only played 18, while Hellebuyck has played 43 and most of the "regular" #1s have played 35 to 40; but those are still very impressive numbers.

Woll's numbers obviously less exciting, but here's a guy who's shown the abiltiy to absolutely shut things down in the playoffs and duel against the league's best.

Let's see how it goes when it counts...

And the Leafs have Stolarz who has put up elite numbers this year. The big concern is durability.

The top 6 is set, the blueline is solid if not "A" tier, the real ongoing issue* is the bottom 6 which gets quite literally progressively weaker every single year (in part because what's left in cap space after the Core 4 has gone primarily to strengthen the blue line).

In short, the Leafs need at least two forwards (one being an established C is a must) who can play on the 3rd line and generate some offense. That gives us:

Knies-Matthews-Marner
McMann-Tavares-Nylander
Domi-3C-3LW/RW

(Since Berube apparently isn't allowed to drop Mitch or Willie to the 3rd line)

* The other ongoing issue is the inability of the top 6 to score when we need them, but that's another whole deflating conversation.

I agree on that. Even said it earlier in this thread. With the way the leafs are built, they can't really go for a better goalie any way. You kind of have to hope it sticks. But that model hasn't been successful so far in the playoffs VS teams that built with a strong goaltender.

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

The top 6 is set, the blueline is solid if not "A" tier...

...as an outsider looking in, I disagree with this...you guys need a puck-mover in a bad way, you get almost no offensive help from that Blueline...dunno what happened to Reilly, but neither he nor OEL have been near as effective this Season offensively...

 

[gritdash60]

For what you listed you get either 2LW or 2C not both, also i think Granlund would've been the player if the Leafs front office also shared your thoughts but he went to Dallas. And what is this hilarious dream of playing Marner at third line and Domi at 1st line? Have you completely lost it?

Matthews sitting on the toilet reading this looks at the proposal like "IM GONNA PLAY WITH KNIES AND DOMI???"

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Leafs don't need a 2nd line LW, or a winger at all, that's not to say I wouldn't be open to adding a winger, there is a few I'd be interested in, Rickard Rakell, Brandon Tanev, Reilly Smith among them, in fact I think Brandon Tanev is going to be added.

But primary need is a center.

If you add a center, Let's use Brayden Schenn as an example because his name is out there.e then you got.

Knies Matthews Marner

McMann Tavares Nylander

Domi Schenn.

You got 2 full lines and a pair.

That's good enough.

I think you should get better anywhere you can so I'm not against adding a w winger especially if it means Robertson or Reaves or Holmberg are out.

But the need is a center.