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Confirmed with Link: Muzzin to Toronto for 2019 1st, Grundstrom, and rights to Durzi

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Grundstrom won’t be special but he will be a fan favorite . He’s a for sure NHLer. Top 9 player with a chance to be a 2nd liner. He will be a gamer . I think he makes his debut soon .
 
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WHOneedsSOX said:
He hasn't played with Doughty for 3 years now and has more than held his own on his own pair while covering for Martinez's mistakes. Yes, he takes dumb penalties and makes horrific mistakes from time to time. Guess who also does that? Drew Doughty. Obviously I'm not saying Muzzin is in the same class as Doughty but even the great Drew Doughty makes the dumbest of mistakes every now and then. If you ask me, Muzzin is one of the most underrated d-men in the NHL by fans. I don't understand how some people think Martinez has been better over their respective careers. It's not even close to who's better.
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His play dropped off when he wasn't paired with Doughty and blaming that on Martinez is a joke. If Muzzin was the #1/#2 guy that people like to claim he is, Martinez would not be holding him back.
 
CowMix said:
His play dropped off when he wasn't paired with Doughty and blaming that on Martinez is a joke. If Muzzin was the #1/#2 guy that people like to claim he is, Martinez would not be holding him back.
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Of course his play dropped off when away from Doughty, Victor Hedman's play would drop off away from Doughty. But Muzzin has still been damn good anchoring his own pair. Martinez isn't holding him back. Muzzin has picking Martinez up which is why his play has been so good the last 2 seasons. He had a rough, ugly 2016-17 season but since then he's been excellent.
 
YP44 said:
Was hoping for a higher end prospect than what LA ended up with. Even if it meant only a 2nd rounder. I am good with this deal, and the more time that has sunk in the better with it I am.
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Honestly, it comes down to faith....obviously Blake has it in Grundstrom, but prospects are all about belief and faith, certain posters on here are absolutely over the moon about Kupari, not because what he has done, but what he might be able to do....

It was a good trade, that had to be done, but it's a tough trade to look at LA now and go....they are better because of it...they aren't....they are worse because of it....and that's ok because it's what they needed.

If Grundstrom flames out......that's huge.
 
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This is all a long shot, but the Kings could jump start the retool if Voynov did come back next season, and they signed an elite player like Panarin with the opened up cap space from trading out some vets. This lineup looks really competitive, and I am not even including Vilardi since he is a giant question mark:

Iafallo-Kopitar-Brown
Kovy-Kings 1st Rounder- Panarin
Kempe-Kupari-Gundstrom
Wagner-Amadio-Luff

Forbort-Doughty
Martinez-Voynov
Phaneuf/Walker/LaDue/Fantenberg
 
Economist said:
Leaf fan coming in peace. The Grundstrom and Hornqvist comparison is legit. I’ve watched Grundstrom play and he’s a flat out effective grinder who can shoot and use his body. He’s a power forward.

Re: Muzzin. Do you see him more as a number 2,3 or 4 defensmen?

From what I read it seems like he’s a number 3 that has a decent two way game.
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Muzzin, IMO, is a number 2 and will compliment Reilly well. He's been pretty good this year on a team that is struggling. But in the playoffs, he'll be giving the Leafs a veteran leader whose been thru every playoff war.
 
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@Economist, do not let others fool you. Muzzin is a legit No. 2 defenseman. He is not perfect, and is prone to mistakes. And when he does make mistakes, sometimes his game spirals out of control because his confidence drops. But overall, he is peaking this season and has ironed out those issues throughout the years. He will be clutch in the playoffs for Toronto.
 
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Tak7 said:
A trade like what? Three B-level assets, at best?

There was no urgency to get this deal done, and as a result, they've lost out on potentially getting more. The closer you get to the deadline, the more desperate teams get - especially if Carolina move one of their Dmen for some high level scoring, establishing the market
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Carolina is looking for a a top level scoring forward and have top young defensive prospects/players to offer and I don't think the Leafs are done yet. THey have a surplus of scoring forwards and can't afford to keep them all. It's possible they still make a deal with the Canes closer to the deadline.
 
It would be a risk to wait closer to the deadline to move Muzzin. A lot of things could happen. Muzzin could get injured, Toronto could have met its needs through another trade, etc. At a minimum, we needed a 1st rounder, and we got that. The other two prospects are gravy, and hopefully they pan out. We could not afford to resign Muzzin, so might as well get a 1st rounder out of him. We also got $4 million in cap space off the books.
 
This whole thing about A level and B level prospects...where is the line? What are the criteria elements? In reality, such a label should be more like S&P ratings for bonds.
There's AAA , AA+, AA, AA- , A+, A, A- ...BBB+, BBB, BBB- (yes, these are all real ratings) There probably should be A+, A, A-, B+, B, B- to rate prospects.

I would think Grundstrom is not a prospect you can label B prospect and pigeonhole him into a 3rd line grinder...that may pop 10 goals. Only time will tell.
Some of the A+ ones never reach their potential for sure. it appears Grundstrom has more upside, based on his success at every level and his work ethic.
The character and toughness element. To be good on the walls and in front of the net and to actually have a scoring touch and be good around the goal to finish.
Seems like Grundstrom could be an A- or B+. I like that he's excelled in Frolunda, came to the Marlies and helped them to the Calder and most everyone speaks
well of him. If he doesn't have a 5th gear, make highlight reel plays, so what? He can play an NHL game and play heavy. The Kings need players who can win battles
on the wall, be tough to play against, go to the net and YES, put the puck in the net. He has at every level - next up - on the LA KINGS.

Even his coach Sheldon Keefe was impressed and somewhat surprised...I'll take what he says,
over any poster that says he will never be that good. Most Leaf fans thought highly of him as well.

Picked in the second round, 57th overall, in 2016, the 21-year-old is playing through his first full season in North America. He has, however, experienced two playoffs with the Marlies, including 2018’s title run. In total he played 26 post-season AHL games with Toronto, scoring 11 goals and 18 points.
When you look at the kind of game Grundstrom plays, you see why the Kings were interested. At six-feet, 194 pounds, his size isn’t overwhelming, but he overcomes that with a ferocity on the forecheck that plays bigger. Grundstrom will bring physical play into the corners and be a pain for the defenders in puck battles. These elements are what starts to put him on the NHL radar as a third-liner.
“I was impressed, though I can’t say I was surprised,” Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe said about Grundstrom’s mean streak before this season. “He really showed that in the short time he was with us the previous year and then going to Leaf camp.
“We’ve come to expect that from him, that competitive side. He’s a strong guy who plays with a chip on his shoulder, with a skill-set and finish around the net.”
 
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WHOneedsSOX said:
Of course his play dropped off when away from Doughty, Victor Hedman's play would drop off away from Doughty. But Muzzin has still been damn good anchoring his own pair. Martinez isn't holding him back. Muzzin has picking Martinez up which is why his play has been so good the last 2 seasons. He had a rough, ugly 2016-17 season but since then he's been excellent.
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Muzzin was about the only one whose stats remained respectable away from Doughty, and at some points, even better, though obviously it was in a 2nd pairing role vs. 2nd pairing competition. Forbort, Scuderi, McNabb, pick a d-man...even going to the BOTTOM pairing, they'd lose 10% possession and tank GF%. I remember running a chart during his Norris year and it was LOLworthy how much different the team and its parts were with Drew on or off the ice. It was the difference between first in possession and 25th.

Martinez too but he's never with Doughty.

Muzzin-Martinez was always hit or miss but neither held the other back.
 
AlphaBravo said:
This is all a long shot, but the Kings could jump start the retool if Voynov did come back next season, and they signed an elite player like Panarin with the opened up cap space from trading out some vets. This lineup looks really competitive, and I am not even including Vilardi since he is a giant question mark:

Iafallo-Kopitar-Brown
Kovy-Kings 1st Rounder- Panarin
Kempe-Kupari-Gundstrom
Wagner-Amadio-Luff

Forbort-Doughty
Martinez-Voynov
Phaneuf/Walker/LaDue/Fantenberg
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Still a lot of hope going on there with a brutal bottom pairing.

I think it is best to sit out on any big-time dollar deals and keep the powder dry. Say they get Hughes and he is an immediate stud. Sweet. Maybe the likes of JAD/Kupari show something towards the end of next season and, more importantly, someone steps up on the defensive side. Then maybe they can look at Summer 2020 to spend money. Maybe that money is better spent on defense in the event the forward prospects make an impact.
 
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BigKing said:
Still a lot of hope going on there with a brutal bottom pairing.

I think it is best to sit out on any big-time dollar deals and keep the powder dry. Say they get Hughes and he is an immediate stud. Sweet. Maybe the likes of JAD/Kupari show something towards the end of next season and, more importantly, someone steps up on the defensive side. Then maybe they can look at Summer 2020 to spend money. Maybe that money is better spent on defense in the event the forward prospects make an impact.
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Again this is just in fun, because I highly doubt Panarin signs in LA. But if we landed Hughes and signed Panarin, we would be very competitive even with the so-so bottom pairing. I think we could jump to contender status in a year or two if some of our defensive prospects panned out like Clague.
 
kovacro said:
For those interested, Mike Futa will be on Primetime Sports hosted by Bob McCowan (The Fan 590 Sportsnet Radio) in a few minutes.

They usually simulcast so it should be on one of the Sportsnet channels.
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Could you post a summary of what he says?
 
AlphaBravo said:
Again this is just in fun, because I highly doubt Panarin signs in LA. But if we landed Hughes and signed Panarin, we would be very competitive even with the so-so bottom pairing. I think we could jump to contender status in a year or two if some of our defensive prospects panned out like Clague.
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Totally get it. Just think Blake should keep the checkbook closed moving forward until there are prospects on this team that warrant the additional support. Hopefully the Kings nab one in June but I need more than someone like Hughes before Kings are going $10M++ on anyone.
 
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