GDT: Free Agent Frenzy 2022

[Mitch nylander]

People said that LAST year and it improved. It'll be hard to improve even more for sure, but the ENTIRE core is still here and the main reason we were as good as they were. I don't know how we can view this as an "opposite direction" feeling at all because we're losing Mikheyev and Campbell.

The Leafs might move Kerfoot and Holl because they want to shake up the secondary aspects of the team, which should be mostly just shuffling the deck chairs. They also have young players pushing for promotions, which could give them high value for cheap cap hits.

I think it's ok to question and have concerns. I agree to a certain degree. But I'd wait until the dust settles and make a little more judgments based on that.

I still agree with the sentiment, Im just more concerned this year. I hope he's got a few tricks up his sleeve.

 

[PromisedLand]

If Matthews pulls a johnny hockey move we are so screwed

 

[Mitch nylander]

Some players to look at from the bargain bin...

Ryan Donato
Jonathan Dahlen
Zach Sanford
Oscar Lindblom
Rem Pitlick
Johan Larsson
Zach Aston-Reese
Evgeny Svechnikov
Brendan Lemieux

 

[Shak19]

I like to see us revamp the 4th line:

Sign Zach Sanford and Zach Aston-Reese

 

[Chief Leaf]

No to the first two

The other three are solid, though I have a feeling #5 will get too much term from someone

Kane is not only a scoring machine but he opens ice up for his teammates. I really think he is the type of player that could throw our forward group into a different level.

Big Z is another target that gives our back end a dimension we could use as well.

As for #5 lol you may be right. He is 31 years old and I'd rather have him locked in for 3 years and lose Simmonds and Clifford. Maybe see if Philly would want him back,..he could be a good torts guy.

 

[Leafs87]

Wonder if Marchment decides he wants to be close to family/home after Bryan’s passing and signs here for a discount. He’s be great here

Hopefully Dubas’ nice guy giving him an opportunity elsewhere shit finally pays off for once

 

[Seath The Scaleless]

Kane is not only a scoring machine but he opens ice up for his teammates. I really think he is the type of player that could throw our forward group into a different level.

Big Z is another target that gives our back end a dimension we could use as well.

As for #5 lol you may be right. He is 31 years old and I'd rather have him locked in for 3 years and lose Simmonds and Clifford. Maybe see if Philly would want him back,..he could be a good torts guy.

Kane is solid but we can't afford the potentially massive contract, which won't age well.

Z can't handle speed and doesn't bring any offense. I think we need more mobility and some offensive creativity on the blue line.

 

[TMLeafer]

Hoping for an action packed day. Going to have to get creative to fill some holes.

 

[phillipmike]

Trocheck would be nice, solid defensively and can chip in offensively. And as Tavares ages he could play as the 2nd line centre to let Tavares slide to the wing. But unfortunately he is a player that will get $6-7M with term.

Staal not seeking contract extension with Hurricanes | NHL.com

Center plans to 'ride out' final season of 10-year deal before deciding on future

www.nhl.com

So maybe target another Hurricanes centre, Jordan Staal. Ideal 3rd line centre. Strong defensively, hits a lot, and wins a lot of draws who can give you 40-45 points. Move out Kerfoot for picks and sign Staal to a 2 year deal worth $3M per at most. Could have 2 strong defensive lines in the bottom 6 with Staal and Kampf as the centres.

 

[Chief Leaf]

Kane is solid but we can't afford the potentially massive contract, which won't age well.

Z can't handle speed and doesn't bring any offense. I think we need more mobility and some offensive creativity on the blue line.

You know though,..sometimes a defencemen should be like a bass player.
It's not a bad thing to just play D rather than trying to take the lead.

Like I stated..."a different dimension we could use"
And how many times does the oppostion just keep skating the puck in while defenders just skate backwards? Amswer- most of the time.
With Z and a new dimension, opposition is a little leary coming in knowing they could get rail roaded at any moment. Yes he may not be the fastest skater in the world but he can slow the game down too and use that big frame as we have seen him lambase others many times over.

 

[Chief Leaf]

Trocheck would be nice, solid defensively and can chip in offensively. And as Tavares ages he could play as the 2nd line centre to let Tavares slide to the wing. But unfortunately he is a player that will get $6-7M with term.

Staal not seeking contract extension with Hurricanes | NHL.com

Center plans to 'ride out' final season of 10-year deal before deciding on future

www.nhl.com

So maybe target another Hurricanes centre, Jordan Staal. Ideal 3rd line centre. Strong defensively, hits a lot, and wins a lot of draws who can give you 40-45 points. Move out Kerfoot for picks and sign Staal to a 2 year deal worth $3M per at most. Could have 2 strong defensive lines in the bottom 6 with Staal and Kampf as the centres.

Nice target imo. Not just because I grew up in T.B.,,,,but he would make a perfect 3rd liner and does what you say.

 

[Menzinger]

If we aren't signing guys that are pushing guys like Engvall and Kampf to the 4th line...what are we doing here...treading water?

Bunting Matthews Marner
________ Tavares Nylander
Kerfoot ______ _______
Engvall Kampf _______
Clifford

The objective should be to outmatch each line not just match them imo.

I wouldn't necessarily expect radical changes to the structure of the bottom six. They'll likely bring in another defensive orientated guy to play with Kampf and couple offensive guys for the other line to replace Spezzas and bump out Clifford/Simmonds to the press box

 

[A1LeafNation]

I wouldn't necessarily expect radical changes to the structure of the bottom six. They'll likely bring in another defensive orientated guy to play with Kampf and couple offensive guys for the other line to replace Spezzas and bump out Clifford/Simmonds to the press box

So rinse and repeat...Yay.

 

[Menzinger]

So rinse and repeat...Yay.

I think there's opportunity for some mild improvement to the bottom six - especially finding more offense from it with some smart free agency signings, and maybe even a bit more energy/physicality. But this team is always going to live or die by it's core + goaltending

 

[phillipmike]

PHR's 2022 Top 50 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents

Originally published July 12th. What an offseason it has been already. A 40-goal scorer, an 85-point powerhouse, and a two-time …

www.prohockeyrumors.com

30. Max Domi – Toronto Maple Leafs – 1 year, $2.5MM

Domi’s 28-goal, 72-point 2018-19 campaign seems like ancient history as he heads to market, following a season that saw his playing time drop to just 13 minutes a night. The idea that he can be relied on as a full-time center has been forgotten, and some of the goal-scoring issues from his early career have returned. There’s no one doubting his ability to create for teammates when he is engaged, but too often he settles for perimeter play despite having the strength and toughness to compete in more difficult areas. Still, as one of the younger options on the market–Domi only turned 27 in March–there will likely be teams tantalized by his previous results and confident they can get him back to that level.

32. Ilya Lyubushkin – Toronto Maple Leafs – 2 years, $3.0MM ($1.5MM AAV)

Lybushkin couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity just before free agency than he received this year. A midseason trade took him from the floundering Coyotes (where he had spent his entire career to that point) to the playoff-bound Maple Leafs, where he had a chance to showcase himself on a wider stage. While his weaknesses still showed–namely his footspeed, or lack thereof–Lyubushkin proved he could be a reliable depth option on the right side, capable of suppressing offense and adding physicality.

44. Zach Aston-Reese – Toronto Maple Leafs – 3 years, $4MM ($1.33MM AAV)

While Aston-Reese hasn’t been able to come close to matching the offensive production that made him a highly sought-after college free agent, the 27-year-old has been able to carve out a role as an effective energy fourth liner. He has ranged between 13 and 17 points over his four NHL seasons and recorded 231 hits in 2021-22 between Pittsburgh and Anaheim. That should help him to generate some interest as several teams will be looking to add grit this summer.

50. Eric Comrie – Toronto Maple Leafs – 2 years, $2.4MM ($1.2MM AAV)

With 19 solid appearances last year for the Jets, Comrie enters the market as a sneaky option for bargain bin hunters that need a second goaltender. He has just 28 games at the NHL level, and a good chunk of those have been rather poor performances. But with his game rounding into shape over the last two years, and Comrie only just turning 27 a few days ago, there’s enough upside left for someone to take a chance on a multi-year deal.

I wouldn’t be angry with any of these signings. Didn’t realize there are so many good players available who would be great fits. Comrie and ZAR would be steals on those deals. I don’t like Domi as a fit here but at $2.5M on a 1 year deal, it might be worth it.

Bunting-Matthews-Marner
Domi-Tavares-Nylander
Robertson-Kerfoot-Simmonds
Engvall-Kampf-Ashton-Reese

Rielly-Brodie
Muzzin-Holl
Giordano-Liljegren
Lyubushkin

Murray
Comrie

Would love to clear $5.5M in Kerfoot and Holl and grab so more players at these contracts and improve on Kerfoot, Simmonds and possibly Robertson and Engvall at the same time.

Stralman who played 21 minutes last year is a great bargain at $1M. Forgot about Colin Miller, Dubas would probably love him at $1M. Rutta at $1.75M is better than Bush at $1.5M.

Stastny isn’t bad for 1 year at $3M. If he gets that then maybe Staal could as well.

 

[Menzinger]

Picking up Colin White, Zach Aston-Reese + one of Strome/Malgin and maybe Comrie or Samsonov would be a good day.

Holl probably traded at some point in the next few days once teams figure out what they still need. There's always a need for a rhd

 

[LeafSteel]

By the end of tomorrow we will have no more Soups…..

We went from 2 kinds of Soup to soup less.

That’s ok. It looks like a bread and water day anyways for us…

 

[OVO16]

Wouldve liked Holl traded before free agency for more freed-up cap. But I guess we're gonna have to go with what we have.

Mason Marchment
Zach-Aston Reese
Darren Helm
Eric Gubrandson

Would be my targets tomorrow.

 

[OVO16]

Friedman says Leafs are interested in Noel Acciari.

I mean, its not terrible. I would've liked someone meaner and more tenacious. Maybe if we're getting Boston Bruins Noel Acciari, I'd be on board

Friedman also guesses Mikheyev to Washington

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Picking up Colin White, Zach Aston-Reese + one of Strome/Malgin and maybe Comrie or Samsonov would be a good day.

Holl probably traded at some point in the next few days once teams figure out what they still need. There's always a need for a rhd

I think Holl could take some time, and we don't need a super fancy replacement for him anyways.

I expect Kerfoot to be gone relatively soon though. Wouldn't even be surprised if there is something already set up with Ottawa.

 

[Chief Leaf]

E. Kane signs with the oilers for 4 more years for $5.125

Dang that is a great price/discount for the Oil. Would have loved him here especially at that price. wow

 

[OVO16]

Kane could've gotten a lot more in the Market.

He must have really valued Edmonton taking a chance on him when no one else would

 

[phillipmike]

 

[stickty111]

Weren't Oilers only offering what 4 8 or something? Looks like Holland got desperate

 

[Menzinger]

Wouldve liked Holl traded before free agency for more freed-up cap. But I guess we're gonna have to go with what we have.

Mason Marchment
Zach-Aston Reese
Darren Helm
Eric Gubrandson

Would be my targets tomorrow.

Teams can go over the cap by something like 10% during the offseason, just need to be compliant by the fall. So Holl (and even Kerfoot even) won't get in the way of them signing anybody - but they'd have to be traded later.