Eklund Rumor: Leafs in on Cam Fowler

[Sojourn]

Nice try, keep spinning.

I really hope you see the irony here. It would be a damn shame if you missed it.

 

[Duck Off]

If your suggesting to compared Stuart to Fowler you clearly have an issue reading posts. Never compared the two directly, I compared the logic used to call Fowler top pairing is similar a Jets fan calling Stuart top 4 just b/c we played him there. Just b/c a team plays a player in a certain position doesn't make him any better player. Fowler is top 4, Stuart is bottom pairing....regardless where their respective teams play them.

You used Stuart as a sly remark about how we label Fowler.

Stuart is no where near a top 4 defenseman. Everyone knows that.

Fowler is easily a #2, and that's not because of a lack of options. The problem is that he was used as a #1, which he isn't. I would easily call him a #2, but you could at least call him a #3. And yes, there's a difference between calling him a #3 and a top 4.

 

[Hunter368]

I really hope you see the irony here. It would be a damn shame if you missed it.

Agreed, you keep trying to turn the story and make excuses. It's ok, Fowler might still develop into what you believe he is now.

 

[Hunter368]

You used Stuart as a sly remark about how we label Fowler.

Stuart is no where near a top 4 defenseman. Everyone knows that.

Fowler is easily a #2, and that's not because of a lack of options. The problem is that he was used as a #1, which he isn't. I would easily call him a #2, but you could at least call him a #3. And yes, there's a difference between calling him a #3 and a top 4.

I know Stuart isn't a top 4 that's my point, your getting it now.

Just like Fowler isn't top 2.

You guys really need to start to realize it's 2016, not 1970. Eye test is poor at best, analytically Fowler is top 4. Yes I see him play a lot each year. He's top 4.

 

[The Shrike]

Why would we give up Vats who's signed for 4 more years for JVR who's signed for 2 years and a prospect we don't need? Terrible offer.

JVR signed for two years makes more sense for Anaheim, who are a contender now, than two years of Fowler does for the Leafs, who likely won't be competitive until after that window. I know I'm cross pollenating trade ideas, but you get what I mean.

 

[Zippy316]

You know you are in the dog days of the off-season when the main rumor source for the last week on this subforum has been Eklund.

 

[Duck Off]

If you work on a couple of young guys on ELCs and deduct Despres salary your looking at saving a couple of million dollars
You keep Fowler who is better and clear some salary while filling out your forward ranks
How does this not make sense for a team in win now mode?

Trust me. I agree with you here. To me, trading Fowler for anything short of big overpayment is a huge mistake. Lindholm is our best defenseman, but Fowler was the best defenseman we had for the majority of last season.

I think it's a mistake to keep Vatanen over Fowler, but I can see why Murray would think that way.

The problem is that we are not a cap team. Once Lindholm and Rakell re-sign, we're going to be significantly over budget. Trading Despres and "working on a couple of guys ELC's" won't get us near the budget. If that was doable; trust me, I'd most certainly prefer that.

 

[Wayward Son]

Has he been right about anything that hasn't already been reported? Why is this still a source?

 

[dracom]

JVR signed for two years makes more sense for Anaheim, who are a contender now, than two years of Fowler does for the Leafs, who likely won't be competitive until after that window. I know I'm cross pollenating trade ideas, but you get what I mean.

Which is why I said earlier Fowler doesn't make sense for Toronto, while JVR makes sense for us. But trading Vats for JVR doesn't make sense for us.

I don't see why Toronto would want Fowler at all tbh, so I guess we can just write this one up as another terrible Eklund rumor. So maybe it's best to just close this thread now.

 

[TopShelfWaterBottle]

Leafs fans said Andersen wouldn't fetch a 1st lol

 

[Jared Dunn]

The leafs aren't paying Gardiner or Fowler top 4 dollars to play on the 3rd pairing while insuring they have no top 6 wingers who are skilled and not rookies.
Big Pass.

I'm sure one of these professional hockey players can manage playing the right side...

 

[Jared Dunn]

I know Stuart isn't a top 4 that's my point, your getting it now.

Just like Fowler isn't top 2.

You guys really need to start to realize it's 2016, not 1970. Eye test is poor at best, analytically Fowler is top 4. Yes I see him play a lot each year. He's top 4.

Analytics do not outweigh eye test, period. Fowler is a top 2 for sure, there is a zero percent chance there are 60 defencemen in the NHL better than him

 

[buttman*]

Hossa for heatley

Mike Richards to LA

Carter to Columbus

Franson and Lombardi to Toronto although in that instance he didn't have the names but did say a Leaf trade would be announced in the morning and it was

Eklund didn't even have hockey buzz when Hossa was dealt for Heatley.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

I know Stuart isn't a top 4 that's my point, your getting it now.

Just like Fowler isn't top 2.

You guys really need to start to realize it's 2016, not 1970. Eye test is poor at best, analytically Fowler is top 4. Yes I see him play a lot each year. He's top 4.

Here's the problem with your argument. You're trying to make the connection that Stuart is a top four based on how he was used ignoring partners. Stuart was carried by his partners in the role. Fowler is not and is in fact carrying someone pretty similar to Stuart in Bieksa with regards to how effective they are in the role. Fowler absolutely is a top pairing d-man in this league. Carrying dead weight like Bieksa in the toughest minutes to a respectable result is what makes him so. Now, he's not a #1 even though his minutes could suggest that but his effectiveness does not at least to me.

You may want to point to the whole it's 2016 thing and focus on the analytics but you're really just on the other extreme end of the spectrum when it comes to eye test/analytics in how it's used to be judged if you think Fowler isn't a top pairing d-man.

 

[Nordic*]

To be honest, I don't want to trade Fowler.

Rather ship Vatanen.

We already have two very gifted offensive defencemen who are (close to) NHL-ready, in Theodore and Montour.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

What can Fowler do for the Leafs that Gardiner/Rielly/Dermott can't do?

 

[Duck Off]

To be honest, I don't want to trade Fowler.

Rather ship Vatanen.

We already have two very gifted offensive defencemen who are (close to) NHL-ready, in Theodore and Montour.

agreed, but no way that's happening now. Not after his extension. Especially how it was broke to the fans.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

What can Fowler do for the Leafs that Gardiner/Rielly/Dermott can't do?

Well, you need more than two reliable d-men in the NHL to succeed. Dermott's not going to be a consistent NHL'er this season.

 

[Breakers]

I like Eklund Rumors.

Because 99.9% of the time they are wrong.

So essentially the leafs arent interested in fowler.

 

[Mad Brills*]

Analytics do not outweigh eye test, period. Fowler is a top 2 for sure, there is a zero percent chance there are 60 defencemen in the NHL better than him

Analytics are supposed to back up or sometimes challenged conclusions you have made via your watchings.

Trust me. I still use what I see as a primary tool, and the numbers will either say I'm wrong or right.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Well, you need more than two reliable d-men in the NHL to succeed. Dermott's not going to be a consistent NHL'er this season.

Yeah but we also don't need 4 offensive LHD in our top 4 for the next 10+ years badly enough to give up value for Fowler. He's just not a need for the leafs

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Duck fans for some reason seem to think JVR is useless

Well birds of a feather

 

[Kiwi]

Leafs fans said Andersen wouldn't fetch a 1st lol

Most of us agreed on the first bar a few exceptions but most of us presumed that we would eat Stoners salary as a plus rather than give up a second

If the bidding war thing is true and I have no reason to believe it is not I can't understand why we were not forced to take Stoner as well especially when we resigned Polak after the trade even if you guys had to forgo the second

 

[Ezekial]

Eye test is swayed by opinion, analytics can lack context.

Who cares, the Leafs won't trade for Fowler, more Ekbait.

 

[WhatTheDuck]

Leafs fans said Andersen wouldn't fetch a 1st lol

Some were adamant that he wouldn't, but there were fans on both sides who were pretty spot on with that deal.