Confirmed with Link: Leafs bring back Malgin on a 1 year deal, $750k

[francis246]

The last two off seasons, he’s had a much clearer plan.

Ritchie - you could see what he wanted to do, but adding a lazy player to add energy was a horrible idea.

Kampf was a great role signing. Bunting and Kase were smart gambles on guys to fill special roles.

This year he added Gaudette and Aube-Kubel. Very clear plan, but forced into doing got on a tight budget.

He seems to be figuring out the forward group, but is too tight to the cap to really address it the way it’s needed.

Which is even more reason to push the ELC’s into the line up and then use the accrued cap space at the trade deadline. So many other teams do this. Not sure why it’s foreign for the leafs. This is the Tampa formula. I like the Gaudette and Aube-Kubel signings. Bringing back Engvall will also give us options for a better scoring third or fourth line. But you gotta give the young guys who are scorers, time at the NHL level to be that. You gotta play Sandin and Liljegren.

 

[francis246]

If Robertson can't beat Malgin for a roster spot, that is information we need to know while he still has trade value as a top prospect. Shipping him out asap in a package for something good if he can't beat out Switzerland's finest for a scoring depth role. (Obviously more complicated than this, will have to see how Robertson fails to make it in this scenario etc)

It’s not about beating out Malgin, it’s about putting Robertson in a spot in the lineup where he’ll be effective. So far Keefes deployment of him has been poor. Try him with Matthews and Marner, maybe he takes off on that line. Give him a bit more time with Tavares. Robertson has the tools, he’s similar size to Malgin with a better shot.

But you’re right, if Malgin earns the spot, he earns the spot.

 

[Dreakmur]

Which is even more reason to push the ELC’s into the line up and then use the accrued cap space at the trade deadline. So many other teams do this. Not sure why it’s foreign for the leafs. This is the Tampa formula. I like the Gaudette and Aube-Kubel signings. Bringing back Engvall will also give us options for a better scoring third or fourth line. But you gotta give the young guys who are scorers, time at the NHL level to be that. You gotta play Sandin and Liljegren.

The ELCs at forward don’t fit the team needs.

 

[Dreakmur]

It’s not about beating out Malgin, it’s about putting Robertson in a spot in the lineup where he’ll be effective. So far Keefes deployment of him has been poor. Try him with Matthews and Marner, maybe he takes off on that line. Give him a bit more time with Tavares. Robertson has the tools, he’s similar size to Malgin with a better shot.

But you’re right, if Malgin earns the spot, he earns the spot.

From everything I’ve seen of Robertson, he is a player who doesn’t work well with others. He just gets the puck and tries to get it into a spot to shoot as fast as possible. There’s no attempt to even work as a unit, and that’s detrimental to quality linemates.

If he can improve his defensive play considerably, then he may be able to play as the counter attacker on a checking line.

 

[acrobaticgoalie]

I don’t disagree that any of those guys might earn a shot, but for a team that needs to re-organize the bottom 6 in a specific way, none of those guys really fit.

Holmberg is a hard working, 2 way player. He also has good offense and could possibly replace Mikheyev's production on the 3rd line. He also kills penalties and can also play center. His playmaking could also see him on the 2nd PP.

Robertson skill set would be better served on the 2nd line (which we need) but he does work his ass off, so he could carve out a role on the 3rd line as an energy guy. Hopefully his growth at the end of the year for the Marlies translates to the big league.

Steeves is a hard worker all over the ice and plays with some speed. I would expect him to add more offense than some of the guys we've had in the bottom 6 as well.

Anderson is good along the boards and can play with energy. Has enough skill and goal scoring touch to add some offense to the 4th line. This is likely his make or break year.

One thing I would like to see is an overall team identity. I would like to see all 4 lines play with speed and tenacity. Which is why I hated the Thornton and Ritchie signings. They slowed every line they were on down. If we could rebuild the bottom 2 lines so that you have players that just keep coming at you,defensively responsible, kill penalties and block shots, then I think we're in good shape.

Would like to see a decent 3rd line center signed pushing Kampf down to the 4th line.

We should hopefully see a boost at the end of the year once Knies' season is done at college as well

 

[kb]

Imagine actually believing that signing players like Malgin and Gaudette is some signal that you lack confidence in your farm players. Imagine actually being worried that a Malgin could block a young player from making them team? I mean, if you aren’t better than these depth insurance signings, you don’t deserve the spot. These guys are for internal comp, depth and insurance. You don’t go into a season gifting roster spots, without some sort of backup plan. When and if a Robertson/Anderson/McCann/Seney/Holmberg/Steeves/Abruzzese is ready, they’ll take the spot they deserve. In the meantime, a guy like Robertson has been given a few games, and told what he needs to work on for the best success of the player and team.

All this panic and hysteria over Denis F Malgin for crying out loud. Everybody has, and needs cheap replacement level depth and insurance players. Everyone.

Yup. My god I can't believe some of the stuff I am reading. It's insane!!

No matter what, you have to stock an AHL team too - preferably with guys who can step in to the NHL with not much of a downgrade.

Suddenly this bizarre narrative starts about not trusting their youngsters when all the Leafs are doing is adding organizational depth like every other team does and has to do.

I am really starting to agree with other team's fanbases assessment of some of our fans.

 

[Dreakmur]

Holmberg is a hard working, 2 way player. He also has good offense and could possibly replace Mikheyev's production on the 3rd line. He also kills penalties and can also play center. His playmaking could also see him on the 2nd PP.

Even if he is all those things, that’s not what we need to add right now. We need some beef.

Robertson skill set would be better served on the 2nd line (which we need) but he does work his ass off, so he could carve out a role on the 3rd line as an energy guy. Hopefully his growth at the end of the year for the Marlies translates to the big league.

Robertson’s skills may be second line calibre, but he’s not even close on the mental side of the game. He plays like he’s being chased by bees.

Steeves is a hard worker all over the ice and plays with some speed. I would expect him to add more offense than some of the guys we've had in the bottom 6 as well.

Again, not what we need.

Anderson is good along the boards and can play with energy. Has enough skill and goal scoring touch to add some offense to the 4th line. This is likely his make or break year.

This is the only guy who might fill the role that we need filled.

One thing I would like to see is an overall team identity. I would like to see all 4 lines play with speed and tenacity. Which is why I hated the Thornton and Ritchie signings. They slowed every line they were on down. If we could rebuild the bottom 2 lines so that you have players that just keep coming at you,defensively responsible, kill penalties and block shots, then I think we're in good shape.

Spleen and tenacity is great, it if you can’t win puck battles when you create a turnover, it’s a lot less productive.

Would like to see a decent 3rd line center signed pushing Kampf down to the 4th line.

Getting a better center than Kampf would cost a lot more to ab we can afford. He’s a very good 3rd line center.

 

[Fogelhund]

No one’s panicked over Malgin. We tried him, didn’t work, people don’t wanna see it again. It wasn’t a fit the first time around. There’s nothing wrong with that. If it works out the second time cool, if it doesn’t hopefully they move him out for an asset. No problems with that.

I don’t get why people feel the need to tell others how to feel about signings. Some people in the fanbase want to see change, they want to see bottom six guys who can score but play physical. Leafs management has talked about change and addressing these needs but then they go out and sign players that are the exact opposite of those changes. So obviously it’s going to cause a bit of a stir among the fans. Dubas needs to get his messaging straight. If he wants a skilled based team then he needs to just bet his career on that. Stop going back and forth. Be confident in how you want to build your team and just do it, instead of pandering to the fans and then doing the opposite. Just my two cents.

Tried for Eight games!!! It didn't work out. I mean, we could come up with a pretty massive list of players who didn't do well after eight games, and conclude they aren't worth looking at again, in a completely no risk situation.

Dubas doesn't need to get his messaging right to a bunch of Karen's on social media. Pandering to fans? LOL Seriously?

 

[4thline]

IMO there didn't look like a huge gap between him and Suter at the WC's. I see this as a similar move to Bunting last off-season. There's a very real chance we get a cheap 50 point player riding shotgun in the top 6. There's also a very real chance we get Point per game Ahler.

 

[ShameOnYouZidlicky]

Engvall Kerfoot Malgin could be a productive 3rd line

 

[Smif]

He played C in the Swiss league I'm told by people that watched him play. Having C insurance in case of injury is always good.

 

[Al14]

What is the definition of insanity again? Oh Yeah, it's bringing back Malgin again! Good one Dubas, good one!

 

[acrobaticgoalie]

Even if he is all those things, that’s not what we need to add right now. We need some beef.



Robertson’s skills may be second line calibre, but he’s not even close on the mental side of the game. He plays like he’s being chased by bees.



Again, not what we need.



This is the only guy who might fill the role that we need filled.



Spleen and tenacity is great, it if you can’t win puck battles when you create a turnover, it’s a lot less productive.



Getting a better center than Kampf would cost a lot more to ab we can afford. He’s a very good 3rd line center.

The avalanche's bottom 6, I wouldn't exactly call beefy. They just worked hard. Which is what I'm suggesting. We already signed Aube Kubel who forechecks hard every shift and hits a lot. I would rather have guys that aren't necessarily big but give 100% effort every shift, chase down the puck and pressure the opposition to make turnovers and be responsible defensively. For example, I would much rather have a team of Trevor Moores than Nick Ritchies. Hyman isn't exactly a guy that hits a lot but he works hard to win the puck.

It would be great to have guys who have size and snarl but where has that gotten us with Ritchie, Clifford, and Simmonds. Guys like Holmberg, Steeves, and Anderson can offer more to the game by being tenacious, play with speed, be defensively responsible and kill penalties and not take dumb penalties. They can also add a little offense from the bottom 6 which has been an issue for us in the playoffs when the big guns weren't getting it done.

Robertson's game was really coming along at the end of the year which is what I was referring to when I said growth. He slowed down and was making more space for himself, which lead to him not getting knocked down so much.

If we move Kerfoot and or Holl, my wish is to sign Stastny to push Kampf to the 4th line.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

The avalanche's bottom 6, I wouldn't exactly call beefy. They just worked hard. Which is what I'm suggesting. We already signed Aube Kubel who forechecks hard every shift and hits a lot. I would rather have guys that aren't necessarily big but give 100% effort every shift, chase down the puck and pressure the opposition to make turnovers and be responsible defensively. For example, I would much rather have a team of Trevor Moores than Nick Ritchies. Hyman isn't exactly a guy that hits a lot but he works hard to win the puck.

It would be great to have guys who have size and snarl but where has that gotten us with Ritchie, Clifford, and Simmonds. Guys like Holmberg, Steeves, and Anderson can offer more to the game by being tenacious, play with speed, be defensively responsible and kill penalties and not take dumb penalties. They can also add a little offense from the bottom 6 which has been an issue for us in the playoffs when the big guns weren't getting it done.

Robertson's game was really coming along at the end of the year which is what I was referring to when I said growth. He slowed down and was making more space for himself, which lead to him not getting knocked down so much.

If we move Kerfoot and or Holl, my wish is to sign Stastny to push Kampf to the 4th line.

With all due respect, does it make sense to move 2 regular roster players to bring in Paul Stastny. Stastny is a decent forward, but his 6.5 million dollar cap hit almost guarantees he'll never be a Toronto Maple Leaf.

But...

It could work at the deadline if Dubas gets a 2nd team to retain, WPG to retain, plus a LTIR they traded for in the fall.

 

[kb]

Tried for Eight games!!! It didn't work out. I mean, we could come up with a pretty massive list of players who didn't do well after eight games, and conclude they aren't worth looking at again, in a completely no risk situation.

Dubas doesn't need to get his messaging right to a bunch of Karen's on social media. Pandering to fans? LOL Seriously?

This is where imaginations and emotions tend to run wild.

 

[acrobaticgoalie]

With all due respect, does it make sense to move 2 regular roster players to bring in Paul Stastny. Stastny is a decent forward, but his 6.5 million dollar cap hit almost guarantees he'll never be a Toronto Maple Leaf.

But...

It could work at the deadline if Dubas gets a 2nd team to retain, WPG to retain, plus a LTIR they traded for in the fall.

He is 36 yrs old and had 45 pts this year. He only made 3.75M on the jets this year and is likely going to come in at around 2.5-3M.

 

[francis246]

This is where imaginations and emotions tend to run wild.

It’s not emotions or anything, it’s just a matter of preference. I don’t get why you guys think we have to like every move Dubas makes. That’s fandom. It doesn’t make you irrational or a shittier fan than those who love the move.

Ive liked some of Dubas’ moves, not a fan of others.

There’s a contingent of you who continually come on here and shit talk people who have different ideas of how the roster should be built. Or try to make others feel like they are inferior fans or lack hockey knowledge. Who cares. If you like Malgin and think he’s going to be a good fit that’s great. No one is going to knock you for that. If you’re in the group who doesn’t think it’s going to work that’s also fine. At the end of the day everyone wants this team to succeed, we may just have different views on how we think they are going to achieve it.

 

[ShaneFalco]

No one’s panicked over Malgin. We tried him, didn’t work, people don’t wanna see it again. It wasn’t a fit the first time around. There’s nothing wrong with that. If it works out the second time cool, if it doesn’t hopefully they move him out for an asset. No problems with that.

I don’t get why people feel the need to tell others how to feel about signings. Some people in the fanbase want to see change, they want to see bottom six guys who can score but play physical. Leafs management has talked about change and addressing these needs but then they go out and sign players that are the exact opposite of those changes. So obviously it’s going to cause a bit of a stir among the fans. Dubas needs to get his messaging straight. If he wants a skilled based team then he needs to just bet his career on that. Stop going back and forth. Be confident in how you want to build your team and just do it, instead of pandering to the fans and then doing the opposite. Just my two cents.

If you look at the short-comings of this team, year after year, how does Malgin address any need? Depth? He didn;'t sign here to sit or to go to the Marlies. A good 3rd/4th line guy? Right!

 

[Ianturnedbull]

He is 36 yrs old and had 45 pts this year. He only made 3.75M on the jets this year and is likely going to come in at around 2.5-3M.

Sorry. Capfriendly told me he made 6.5 million on the cap.

I'll check again.

 

[francis246]

If you look at the short-comings of this team, year after year, how does Malgin address any need? Depth? He didn;'t sign here to sit or to go to the Marlies. A good 3rd/4th line guy? Right!

Exactly my thinking. The signing of Malgin in a vacuum is not bad. He’s a good player. But where does he fit in? As a fan I’m not sure our team has a true identity, if Kyle wants to build a fast skilled team, I see Malgin fitting nicely. If they are looking to build a heavier team that is a bit tougher I don’t see where he fits.

 

[CelticDruid]

It’s not emotions or anything, it’s just a matter of preference. I don’t get why you guys think we have to like every move Dubas makes. That’s fandom. It doesn’t make you irrational or a shittier fan than those who love the move.

Ive liked some of Dubas’ moves, not a fan of others.

There’s a contingent of you who continually come on here and shit talk people who have different ideas of how the roster should be built. Or try to make others feel like they are inferior fans or lack hockey knowledge. Who cares. If you like Malgin and think he’s going to be a good fit that’s great. No one is going to knock you for that. If you’re in the group who doesn’t think it’s going to work that’s also fine. At the end of the day everyone wants this team to succeed, we may just have different views on how we think they are going to achieve it.

This might fly over certain posters heads.

 

[kb]

It’s not emotions or anything, it’s just a matter of preference. I don’t get why you guys think we have to like every move Dubas makes. That’s fandom. It doesn’t make you irrational or a shittier fan than those who love the move.

Ive liked some of Dubas’ moves, not a fan of others.

There’s a contingent of you who continually come on here and shit talk people who have different ideas of how the roster should be built. Or try to make others feel like they are inferior fans or lack hockey knowledge. Who cares. If you like Malgin and think he’s going to be a good fit that’s great. No one is going to knock you for that. If you’re in the group who doesn’t think it’s going to work that’s also fine. At the end of the day everyone wants this team to succeed, we may just have different views on how we think they are going to achieve it.

Stating preferences is fine, but voicing opinions as if they were facts is not.

I'm the same....I've liked some of Dubas' moves, but disliked others. The one thing I always see in his moves is his logic, even if I don't agree with it. That is not something I could say for any of his predecessors in the past 20 years. But again, nowhere near perfect, and it's actually crazy that appears to be the expectation.

There is a contingent of fans that continually come on here and shit talk the direction of the team solely because of who the GM is. Or shit talk posters because they don't hate every move the GM makes, so they resort to name calling.

This is 100% a case of someone living in a glass house and throwing stones.

 

[4thline]

Exactly my thinking. The signing of Malgin in a vacuum is not bad. He’s a good player. But where does he fit in? As a fan I’m not sure our team has a true identity, if Kyle wants to build a fast skilled team, I see Malgin fitting nicely. If they are looking to build a heavier team that is a bit tougher I don’t see where he fits.

Depends what he his. If the WC's were real and he translates as a 30+ point middle-6 C/W that can handle his shit defensively it certainly opens a lot of looks in the top 9. The two that come to mind are centering a Nylander driven overmatch line 3, or playing with JT to free up Nylander for somewhere else.

 

[Dreakmur]

The avalanche's bottom 6, I wouldn't exactly call beefy. They just worked hard. Which is what I'm suggesting. We already signed Aube Kubel who forechecks hard every shift and hits a lot. I would rather have guys that aren't necessarily big but give 100% effort every shift, chase down the puck and pressure the opposition to make turnovers and be responsible defensively. For example, I would much rather have a team of Trevor Moores than Nick Ritchies. Hyman isn't exactly a guy that hits a lot but he works hard to win the puck.

Colorado had a lot of side in their top-6, so they could go with smaller energy guys in the bottom.

It would be great to have guys who have size and snarl but where has that gotten us with Ritchie, Clifford, and Simmonds. Guys like Holmberg, Steeves, and Anderson can offer more to the game by being tenacious, play with speed, be defensively responsible and kill penalties and not take dumb penalties. They can also add a little offense from the bottom 6 which has been an issue for us in the playoffs when the big guns weren't getting it done.

The issue is that our bottom 6 didn’t play a playoff style, which is why their offense dried up. We need a bottom 6 that is going to score in the playoffs.

Robertson's game was really coming along at the end of the year which is what I was referring to when I said growth. He slowed down and was making more space for himself, which lead to him not getting knocked down so much.

Even if he could play with good linemates, he doesn’t fit with Tavares.

If we move Kerfoot and or Holl, my wish is to sign Stastny to push Kampf to the 4th line.

If we make cap space, it should be found to a winger for Tavares. Left wing on the second line is by far a bigger priority than retiring bump a center who was actually really good in his role.

 

[francis246]

Stating preferences is fine, but voicing opinions as if they were facts is not.

I'm the same....I've liked some of Dubas' moves, but disliked others. The one thing I always see in his moves is his logic, even if I don't agree with it. That is not something I could say for any of his predecessors in the past 20 years. But again, nowhere near perfect, and it's actually crazy that appears to be the expectation.

There is a contingent of fans that continually come on here and shit talk the direction of the team solely because of who the GM is. Or shit talk posters because they don't hate every move the GM makes, so they resort to name calling.

This is 100% a case of someone living in a glass house and throwing stones.

I haven’t called anyone names, or questioned their hockey knowledge. Or even trashed Dubas. He’s probably one of the better GM’s we’ve had. I state my opinion, engage in discussion like a sensible human and I try and see both sides.