Just wanted to say you guys were right.

[Omni Owl]

Honestly, I think it is an awful trade. Lombardi's hard on for Frattin got the better for him.

We should have dealt Bernier for a 1st rounder pick.

4 games in Frattin has already been demoted to the 3rd line spot which Toffoli could be playing in. We added another grinder who can't produce.

I hate the Bernier deal not because we traded him but because of what we got. We added to a position of depth (RW) and took away a spot from a rookie.

Kings are loaded at RW....Brown, Williams, Carter, Toffoli, Nolan, Lewis all play or can play RW.

I'm hoping Fratts will turn into our own version of Simmonds, but he's gotta grow into the team first. I never really liked the trade either but DL's hands were kinda cuffed on that one anyways...

 

[Telos]

Frattin isn't the reason Toffoli isn't playing. Williams and Carter are. Where is Toffoli going to go? Sutter has already pointed out that Toffoli's future will likely be him adapting to the left wing. You can't say that adding Frattin hasn't made the bottom 6 better. Frattin is probably the best bottom 6'er we have at the moment outside of maybe Stoll if he decides to find his offensive game again...

This club's fascination with loyalty, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, is why Toffoli isn't playing with the club. We are stockpiling Carcillo, King, Clifford, Nolan, and Fraser because they are past Stanley Cup winners and we've grown sentimental about our own players. That's just one of the downfalls with the culture we've created and winning a cup. We like to keep players from that 2012 team, or players that have that experience around over others that might do the job better. The locker room becomes a comparable factor to the ice.

 

[kingsfan28]

I highly doubt the Kings couldn't land a 1st for him. Edmonton, Toronto, Florida, Islanders and Philly were all looking for goalies this summer. Each added someone to be a starter or back-up and most of those teams had the assets to make the deal.

Lombardi : "[Toronto GM] Dave Nonis was really the only one who was seriously interested in him. Everyone else was just tire-kicking. I was shocked at the lack of real interest. He had proven himself again last season. The other reason I think people overlook Bernier is because he is small; they overlook his hockey sense, which is his best asset.

Apparently not.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Frattin isn't the reason Toffoli isn't playing. Williams and Carter are. Where is Toffoli going to go? Sutter has already pointed out that Toffoli's future will likely be him adapting to the left wing. You can't say that adding Frattin hasn't made the bottom 6 better. Frattin is probably the best bottom 6'er we have at the moment outside of maybe Stoll if he decides to find his offensive game again...

This club's fascination with loyalty, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, is why Toffoli isn't playing with the club. We are stockpiling Carcillo, King, Clifford, Nolan, and Fraser because they are past Stanley Cup winners and we've grown sentimental about our own players. That's just one of the downfalls with the culture we've created and winning a cup. We like to keep players from that 2012 team, or players that have that experience around over others that might do the job better. The locker room becomes a comparable factor to the ice.

Gotta disagree Telos. Toffoli could be playing the RW alongside Clifford-Stoll/Lewis on the 3rd line. Clifford supplies the grit and TT provides the offensive. That is the perfect spot for a rookie RW.

Frattin is HIGHLY overrated.

 

[tsanuri]

Honestly, I think it is an awful trade. Lombardi's hard on for Frattin got the better for him.

We should have dealt Bernier for a 1st rounder pick.

4 games in Frattin has already been demoted to the 3rd line spot which Toffoli could be playing in. We added another grinder who can't produce.

I hate the Bernier deal not because we traded him but because of what we got. We added to a position of depth (RW) and took away a spot from a rookie.

Kings are loaded at RW....Brown, Williams, Carter, Toffoli, Nolan, Lewis all play or can play RW.

Except he is not playing on the RW he is playing LW. And Sutter already said he didn't want to move TT to the LW. If Frattin was playing RW I could agree. But since he's not, how exactly is he taking away moving TT up?

 

[Omni Owl]

I think its ok for TT to simmer in the minors a bit. He'll either sulk or swim (hopefully the latter)...

 

[ScoreZeGoals]

Except he is not playing on the RW he is playing LW. And Sutter already said he didn't want to move TT to the LW. If Frattin was playing RW I could agree. But since he's not, how exactly is he taking away moving TT up?

Frattin has been moved to RW

 

[Johnny Utah]

Except he is not playing on the RW he is playing LW. And Sutter already said he didn't want to move TT to the LW. If Frattin was playing RW I could agree. But since he's not, how exactly is he taking away moving TT up?

Frattin played his NATURAL RW on Wed. night against Ottawa playing alongside Clifford, a LW and Lewis, the Center.

 

[Martyros]

Exactly why trade your biggest asset for a RW? DL brain fart on this one. He just should have held out for better. We would have Toffoli or Pearson playing right now and Bernier still as a backup. We have to start letting some of these young forwards with top 6 potential play instead of rotting in Manchester.

Held out for more? You mean when he becomes a ufa and his value drops furthermore?

 

[Telos]

Gotta disagree Telos. Toffoli could be playing the RW alongside Clifford-Stoll/Lewis on the 3rd line. Clifford supplies the grit and TT provides the offensive. That is the perfect spot for a rookie RW.

Frattin is HIGHLY overrated.

Every bottom 6'er is highly overrated to you But Toffoli would be on this team if any of those players, who are not nearly as good as Frattin, were off the team. The only reason they are here is because they were present when we won the cup. Frattin is also in that spot just because this entire team is sucking and Sutter had to change things up by putting Carcillo on the 2nd line. I have a feeling that won't go on for much longer... That spot usually belongs to Lewis, and I think few can argue here that Lewis doesn't deserve that spot, even ahead of Toffoli... Surely you can agree that Lewis and Frattin are certainly not the reason why the bottom 6 is in the doghouse, let alone the whole team...

 

[blueberrie]

Over/under on how many more "you guys were right" threads from Leafs fans before the end of the year?

Since the Lombardi era began, we've been exposed to good defense and good goaltending. We all laughed at every single Leafs' fan who suggested Bernier wouldn't steal the starting position from Reimer. We knew what we had in Bernier.

To be fair there have been a good number of young goalies with hype coming to Toronto who were supposed to be our next starter. I was pretty reserved at the trade at first but recognized it could be nothing but good for the Leafs. Your boards comments on him though always had me hoping for the best. Bernier has lived up to all of it so far.

I really hope Frattin works out for you guys. I always liked him on the Leafs. He needs to be more assertively physically cause he's built like a truck but never seems to use it. A great utility guy with a heavy shot.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I think it's beyond silly to be smashing on Frattin after 4 less-than-stellar games by the entire team.

It takes time to adjust to a new team, system, role, players.

 

[Brodeur]

I highly doubt the Kings couldn't land a 1st for him. Edmonton, Toronto, Florida, Islanders and Philly were all looking for goalies this summer. Each added someone to be a starter or back-up and most of those teams had the assets to make the deal.

Edmonton would have made some sense. Allegedly they offered up a 1st+ for Schneider, but it would appear like they were one of those teams merely kicking the tires for Bernier.

The Panthers have Jacob Markstrom, albeit I'm not a huge fan of his. A bridge goalie like Tim Thomas (and Jose Theodore before him) makes some sense for them if they're grooming Markstrom to be the eventual #1.

I would have thought the Islanders were more interested, especially given that they seemed to sell low on Nino Niederreiter. Then again, who knows if Lombardi even coveted Niederreiter.

For better or worse, it seemed like Philly was going to proceed for at least a season to see if they could salvage Steve Mason.

 

[King RAZZ]

I just wanted to stop by and say those of you said Bernier was the real deal and got laughed at cause I know it happened cause I saw it, you guys were absolutely 100% RIGHT.

I mean the guy ROBS philly of a win, then when Reimer has an off night he steals a win from ottawa , then he losses 2-1 to the avs in a game that if we had ANY ability AT ALL to win a faceoff that night he probably would haven won, then last night he just decides that Nashville isn't going to score and goes into beast mode with 36 saves and wins 4-0.

we are 4-1 and could EASILY be 5-0 because of Bernier. I know it's early and I'm sure he will have an off night some time but for the first time since 2004 I have ZERO concerns in net.

I hope you guys are laughing at the people that doubted Bernier cause you were right he's legit.

On another note how does Frattin and Scrivens look for you guys?

Oh...he had that same problem with us...

 

[Peter James Bond]

I just wanted to stop by and say those of you said Bernier was the real deal and got laughed at cause I know it happened cause I saw it, you guys were absolutely 100% RIGHT.

I mean the guy ROBS philly of a win, then when Reimer has an off night he steals a win from ottawa , then he losses 2-1 to the avs in a game that if we had ANY ability AT ALL to win a faceoff that night he probably would haven won, then last night he just decides that Nashville isn't going to score and goes into beast mode with 36 saves and wins 4-0.

we are 4-1 and could EASILY be 5-0 because of Bernier. I know it's early and I'm sure he will have an off night some time but for the first time since 2004 I have ZERO concerns in net.

I hope you guys are laughing at the people that doubted Bernier cause you were right he's legit.

On another note how does Frattin and Scrivens look for you guys?

Thanks. I was on your boards after Bernier came in relief against Ottawa and said Bernier was one of the 5 best NHL goalies and I got laughed on...I think there is a good chance no one will be laughing, when he leads the Leafs deep in the playoffs. I also predicted in the off-season - that the most popular Leaf jersey would be Bernier #45.
I bet there are lots of orders coming in.

I guess we still have the Leafs #2 pick this year, or next, so that will help. The Kings usually do well with 2nd round picks.

 

[Battle Hymns]

I think it's beyond silly to be smashing on Frattin after 4 less-than-stellar games by the entire team.

It takes time to adjust to a new team, system, role, players.

i agree.

i will first say that we were never going to get better value and holding on to him was pointless because he was going to become a ufa. and don't say we could have traded him at the deadline, the offers would have been worse. no playoff team is going to trade for a goalie like bernier without him even being an established number 1. and most playoff bound teams already have their goaltending figured out by deadline time.

i think the frattin hate is a bit premature. i love his tool box () he can skate, hit, has a motor and doesn't shy away from physicality. he's already an upgrade over penner. as long as he can become a quality 3rd liner for us, i will be more than happy. i will give him the entire season before i start to definitively judge him.

 

[HolyShot*]

Frattin will come into his own. He just neeeds the right chemistry.

 

[false bobo]

Gotta disagree Telos. Toffoli could be playing the RW alongside Clifford-Stoll/Lewis on the 3rd line. Clifford supplies the grit and TT provides the offensive. That is the perfect spot for a rookie RW.

Frattin is HIGHLY overrated.

Frattin was looking very promising up until he required a maintenance surgery for his pre-existing MLC injury. Never really regained his form after that.

Hope he stays healthy because I could definitely see him grow into a solid 2nd line winger over the course of a full season.

 

[MxH0CKEY]

Exactly why trade your biggest asset for a RW? DL brain fart on this one. He just should have held out for better. We would have Toffoli or Pearson playing right now and Bernier still as a backup. We have to start letting some of these young forwards with top 6 potential play instead of rotting in Manchester.

Detroit Red Wings MGMT is laughing at you... Plenty of time for these players. Let them grow in the minor system. DL said it himself that he wants to create a similar system to the Wings. You start that by grooming your young players properly with patience.

 

[Steve Zissou]

I don't think Toffoli isn't in the lineup for any other reason than Toffoli. He just didn't impress during pre-season whatsoever.

 

[Liferleafer]

Leafs fans in a few months you'll be able to trade Reimer to Philadelphia for a huge return.

Not sure why the Flyers decided that they didn't need Bernier.

I just posted this in another thread. Philly, Calgary and even New Jersey should have been able to beat our offer. Jersey could have kept the 1st.

 

[dsf]

Don't get too down on Frattin yet. He's a tank and also has the ability to put up points. Just needs to gain comfort and build chemistry. Great work ethic and an upgrade on Penner no doubt.

Scrivens is underrated. He's probably just as good as Reimer and will thrive with your defensive system.

I hope the 2nd rounder works out well for you guys, but unfortunately at this rate it looks to be a later one if Bernier keeps this up.

I had heard rumblings about how good he was but I was still uncertain about the trade as I'd grown a bit attached to Reimer (he's a likeable guy). Truth is, Bernier just sees the game better and is more technically sound.

Here's hoping to success for both teams as I think it would be awesome to see an eventual showdown Quick vs. Bernier in the finals!

 

[Scottkmlps]

I hope the 2nd rounder works out well for you guys, but unfortunately at this rate it looks to be a later one if Bernier keeps this up.

No worries there. The Kings generally do really well outside of the 1st round. Voynov, Clifford, Simmonds, Martinez, Toffoli, Prokhorkin, Andreoff, Shore, Vey, Kitsyn, and Zykov all taken in the 2nd round or later under Lombardi's watch. The first 5 players are either regulars or have played meaningful games in the NHL. The following 6 players have a real solid chance of seeing NHL action in the next year to 3 years.

 

[KINGS17]

I don't think Toffoli isn't in the lineup for any other reason than Toffoli. He just didn't impress during pre-season whatsoever.

I think this is exactly right. Toffoli played like he had the team made early in camp and was saving himself for something instead of dominating like he should have if he wanted a spot in the NHL.

 

[sinister6000]

Its not about how well Fratton or Scrivens has played, its about how great Bernier is. All he needed was playing time, and he didn't get that with the Kings. Even if he out played Quick, Sutter wasn't going to play Bernier over Qiuck. You just have to look at last season. Bernier was way better than Quick during the regular season, and Sutter wouldn't even play him in back to back games. I'm glad the Kings finally let him go, now he show how good he is. They didn't get enough for him though. Have you noticed how many ex Kings prospects are now playing big roles in the NHL now? Lombardi has done a good job finding young players in free agency and the draft.