Confirmed with Link: Nick Ritchie to Toronto (2x2.5M AAV)

[The Podium]

Poor Tavares. Dude is a perennial star in this league yet somehow he has to play with Simmonds who hasn't scored more than 8 goals in 5 years. Mikahyev who never scores. Gally who forgot to score. Now Bunting a player who couldn't crack Arizona like up

Only time he had a decent line when Hyman was in that line

Bunting did crack Arizona's lineup...

Bunting now is the age Hyman was when he cracked the Leafs roster full time.

 

[Gary Nylund]

I'm not saying you'll necessarily get equal production from a Hyman replacement, but Matthews and marner have proven they do not need Hyman. They didn't miss a beat with Joe Thornton with them, for example. I think Hymans role is entirely replaceable within that line. You just might see a bit of a production drop from the LW. But willing to bet the marner/Matthews combo or Matthews/Nylander combo continues to be equally effective in Hyman's absense

Any way you slice is, Hyman was a really good player who made a big contribution.

The bottom line is you have to get Ritchie, Bunting, Kase at 4.7m instead of Hyman at 5.5m
Like I said...you have to fill out a team. Is any one of those players better than Hyman alone? I'd agree not. Combined is it more valuable to have those 3 than one Zach Hyman, I'd say yes. But the main thing like I said, is you have to fill out a team. It's like complaining we missed out on Gabriel Landeskog. Is he better than the names above? Yes. Can we afford it? No. We can't afford a 5.5mil puck hound. If you don't like it, send a well written letter to our core 4 explaining your unhappiness lol bottom line is Ritchie, Bunting, Kase bring more value as a whole, at a lower price point. It's not about who is the best individual player in this scenario

Again, all I'm saying is that I don't see how we're better than we were last season. For the purposes of that conversation, Hyman is not a 5.5m player, his cap hit last season was 2.25.

 

[Nylander88]

Not even sure if I'd say poor man's exactly. I think Ritchie is certainly capable of replacing Hyman's offense. He'll just do things a little differently than Hyman did. Having him willing to get a little nasty with people who mess with Matthews certainly cannot hurt either

We've never seen Ritchie with Matthews-Marner, Tavares-Nylander level linemates. He just got a career high 15 goals in a shortened season with his most icetime ever and his best linemate being Krejci. I think he is a pleasant surprise if he works hard this off-season. I'm saying he wears his junior number 20, and he scores 20 goals.

 

[TopProspect91]

I would love for us to add Bertuzzi now.

Bertuzzi-Matthews-Nylander
Bunting-Tavares-Marner
Ritchie-Kampf-Kase
Spezza-Brooks-Simmonds

Engvall, Kerfoot, and Mikheyev all moved

This would be ideal. If we’re shipping all three out, I would go in on Tarasenko. Get the Blues to retain a bit and then we’d have a scary roster.

Trading all three would free up about $6.4M. It can be done.

 

[Nylander88]

Again, all I'm saying is that I don't see how we're better than we were last season. For the purposes of that conversation, Hyman is not a 5.5m player, his cap hit last season was 2.25.

I also don't see how we're better today with Matthews making 11.634 and Marner making 10.893
I thought we were far better set up when they were on their entry level contracts...
What're we talking about here?lol

 

[Sypher04]

Any way you slice is, Hyman was a really good player who made a big contribution.

Agreed, and I think if he was say driving a great 3rd line himself, or we hadn't replaced him for the pk, I'd feel less comfortable, but he wasn't and we did. He's still a loss either way, but one can weather imo

 

[The Podium]

Any way you slice is, Hyman was a really good player who made a big contribution.



Again, all I'm saying is that I don't see how we're better than we were last season. For the purposes of that conversation, Hyman is not a 5.5m player, his cap hit last season was 2.25.

Outside of Hyman the rest of our complimentary players were pretty bad.

Vesey, Thornton, Foligno's short stint.

The Leafs downgraded on Hyman for sure, but have upgraded depth while keeping our D and G relatively intact.

More importantly Dubas targeted players that fit the roles.

Bunting - Agitating pest with offensive upside
Ritchie - Big bodied scoring winger that isnt afraid to get dirty
Kampf - Strong defensive C who can crush it on the PK; arguably our biggest need for years now.

Kase is a bit of a wildcard, he can be literally nothing or he can be a solid 3rd line offensive winger in the same role as Kapanen.

 

[GQS]

I'm not a big fan of Ritchie. I'm not sure 2.5M is that great of value but it's pretty fair at the very least. He'll give us 15 goals and plenty of PIMs.

I hope I am proven wrong though and we're definitely better and heavier with him than not.

Well according to Bruins fans that's pretty questionable since few of them seem to be sad to see him go mostly because he doesn't bring the effort every night. Reading the comments from them, it seems like he could be a good player if he had Hyman like work effort every game, but the problem is can and will he do that. I hope so, but time will tell.

 

[Stephen]

I don't think Nick Ritchie is a good comparison for Hyman because he has better physical tools but lacks the drive that makes Hyman special. So you're basically counting on a guy who has a reputation for not getting the most out of his game, but has a bigger frame to do damage and more power forward based offensive skillset to get things done.

But at the price Hyman came in at this may be a moot anyway. Factor in age and likely career decline, it's also not clear how many more years of "Hyman being Hyman" any team can get anyway.

It's a good soft landing with upside. The Leafs are going to be different.

 

[Mess]

Kase didnt sign to be an extra and definitely wasnt signed to be on the LTIR. That would be a terrible move if so and handcuff this team into being unable to add anyone at the trade deadline.

In case you weren't aware Kase missed all of last season (except the first 3 games of the year) as he spent the remaining 53 games and all playoff games on LTIR, recovering from his 5th concussion.

He attempted a Kucherov to return for the playoffs, but took just a couple shifts in a game, had another setback in his recovery and then couldn't even skate and was shutdown again for the year.

Bruins confirm that Ondrej Kase is done for the 2021 season

Injured in the second game of the season when he took contact from the Devils’ Miles Wood up high, Kase missed 52 games with concussion issues before returning to the B’s lineup on May 10. But when that comeback didn’t take, the Bruins first believed that Kase was dealing with simple ‘conditioning’ issues, but later acknowledged that they were back to square one when it came to Kase’s health after he failed to make it back on the ice for any practices or even solo skates.

The bad news (beyond the obvious) of those setbacks is that Kase and the Bruins did absolutely everything they could to make Kase’s jump back into the fire of NHL game action a smooth one. They didn’t put a timetable of any sort on him, and Kase was upfront about how he felt, at one point even going back on his own belief that he was finally ready after feeling unwell. And, still, his return lasted all of 6:49. “No,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said Monday when asked about Kase’s availability this postseason. “Ondrej has shut it down as well and will not be part of availability for us going forward in the playoffs.”

Kase’s concussion woes are not new. He arrived to Boston with a substantial injury history, and it’s believed that this latest concussion was his fifth documented concussion in his professional career. At just 25, that’s downright terrifying. That decision may also come down to Kase’s health, however, as the Czech wing, who has made over $9 million in his career, is almost certainly hitting a career crossroads where he may have to put his long-term health above his job.

Bruins confirm that Ondrej Kase is done for the 2021 season

The reports out of Boston are not promising that this guy will be playing anytime soon and there was talk of him considering retiring for health reasons.

If he goes on LTIR with the Leafs they are able to replace his salary at par with a healthy player so it will not hurt the Leafs..

 

[mydnyte]

The bottom line is you have to get Ritchie, Bunting, Kase at 4.7m instead of Hyman at 5.5m
Like I said...you have to fill out a team. Is any one of those players better than Hyman alone? I'd agree not. Combined is it more valuable to have those 3 than one Zach Hyman, I'd say yes. But the main thing like I said, is you have to fill out a team. It's like complaining we missed out on Gabriel Landeskog. Is he better than the names above? Yes. Can we afford it? No. We can't afford a 5.5mil puck hound. If you don't like it, send a well written letter to our core 4 explaining your unhappiness lol bottom line is Ritchie, Bunting, Kase bring more value as a whole, at a lower price point. It's not about who is the best individual player in this scenario

i'll admit i despise Hyman (the player) and i would take any of those players over Hyman in the top 6, as i expect them to try to feed the skill players and not pretend that they are a skill player

 

[The Podium]

In case you weren't aware Kase missed all of last season (except the first 3 games of the year) as he spent the remaining 53 games and all playoff games on LTIR, recovering from his 5th concussion.

He attempted a Kucherov to return for the playoffs, but took just a couple shifts in a game, had another setback in his recovery and then couldn't even skate and was shutdown again for the year.



The reports out of Boston are not promising that this guy will be playing anytime soon and there was talk of him considering retiring for health reasons.

If he goes on LTIR with the Leafs they are able to replace his salary at par with a healthy player so it will not hurt the Leafs..

I am aware, but he was close to returning in the playoffs and that is months before the start of next season. It is a gamble signing him for sure, and a 6th concussion and year on the LTIR obviously isnt out of the question, but he was not signed without a thorough medical exam and with the intention he will be LTIR'd.

If he goes on LTIR the leafs accrue 0 cap space and cannot add anyone at the TDL without an equal dollar for dollar swap. So yet it will most definitely hurt the Leafs.

You really need to study LTIR rules a bit.

 

[Duffman955]

If Nick Ritchie was consistent, we would need +6mil to sign him

We are getting a 0.5ppg player with tools and potential to be something more

 

[Leafsfan74]

We've never seen Ritchie with Matthews-Marner, Tavares-Nylander level linemates. He just got a career high 15 goals in a shortened season with his most icetime ever and his best linemate being Krejci. I think he is a pleasant surprise if he works hard this off-season. I'm saying he wears his junior number 20, and he scores 20 goals.

That's the key for players today. Their off-season work ethic. It will not only improve their play but it will translate more seamlessly into their regular season.

As Bruce Lee once said "if you knew you had to fight for your life tomorrow, would you change your training today"?

Wise words and applicable across many disciplines. Training is the difficult part. Doing it well will certainly make your season an easier task.

Almost all players could use a little more speed, if Ritchie focuses on that coming into the season, as we saw with Matthews last season, it can do wonders for your results. As long as it doesn't take away from Nicks physical play.

 

[ottomaddox]

Outside of Hyman the rest of our complimentary players were pretty bad.

Vesey, Thornton, Foligno's short stint.

The Leafs downgraded on Hyman for sure, but have upgraded depth while keeping our D and G relatively intact.

More importantly Dubas targeted players that fit the roles.

Bunting - Agitating pest with offensive upside
Ritchie - Big bodied scoring winger that isnt afraid to get dirty
Kampf - Strong defensive C who can crush it on the PK; arguably our biggest need for years now.

Kase is a bit of a wildcard, he can be literally nothing or he can be a solid 3rd line offensive winger in the same role as Kapanen.

Bunting, Ritchie, and Kampf could very well have the same contribution. What makes them better than Thornton, Foligno, and Vesey?

Is it because they are new and wear blue and white?

 

[rimshot]

Exact same guys that shit on dubas every thread for the record.

Exact same guys? Really? Rarely is there perfect congruity in such things. I am unconvinced. Show your work.

 

[CelticDruid]

I love this signing.

Nice to see some size on our wings, and great if Ritchie could step in a few times to fight.

 

[Racer88]

Everybody happy now?

I’m not sure what to think. All I have been readin on this thread so far is “if the could find a way yo motivate him”. Don’t we already have enough players that they need to find a way to motivate?

 

[The Podium]

Bunting, Ritchie, and Kampf could very well have the same contribution. What makes them better than Thornton, Foligno, and Vesey?

Is it because they are new and wear blue and white?

No, because they play a very different game and arent currently injured.

Thornton was an offensive playmaker that was never fast, overly physical or great defensively. Vesey was always 10 ply charmin soft and had some offensive flare that obviously didnt work here, and Foligno was injured so we never got the Foligno we paid for.

Bunting if he fails offensively still is an agitating pest that can be moved down to the bottom 6. Ritchie, even though Im not a huge fan, has been a quality NHLer and will play that physical game and Kampf is what he is, an offensive black hole who will PK and win some faceoffs.

The expectations arent unreasonable for any of the 3 and they just have a much higher floor than any of the previously mentioned players.

 

[Stephen]

In case you weren't aware Kase missed all of last season (except the first 3 games of the year) as he spent the remaining 53 games and all playoff games on LTIR, recovering from his 5th concussion.

He attempted a Kucherov to return for the playoffs, but took just a couple shifts in a game, had another setback in his recovery and then couldn't even skate and was shutdown again for the year.



The reports out of Boston are not promising that this guy will be playing anytime soon and there was talk of him considering retiring for health reasons.

If he goes on LTIR with the Leafs they are able to replace his salary at par with a healthy player so it will not hurt the Leafs..

Kase is a long shot but worth a gamble. Worst comes to worst I guess you could revisit a Galchenyuk type guy.

 

[keonsbitterness]

Exact same guys? Really? Rarely is there perfect congruity in such things. I am unconvinced. Show your work.

 

[IrishInOntario]

Wish Ritchie would lose about 15-18lbs and focus exclusively on his skating and edge work. If Ritchie leaned out and added a step (similar approach to Matthews last off season) he could probably make something of himself as a top 6 forward. Then, maybe, when he's due his next contract at age 27, it might be a 4+ million dollar deal, with term, rather than the bridge type deal he was forced to accept this time around.

 

[Leafsfan74]

Bertuzzi just signed for two years @ 4.75M per in Detroit. If anyone wants to know why the Leafs weren't in on him.

He'd be a good fit on any team, that's a big pricetag, though he plays a hard game and puts up points so it's not unreasonable.

 

[usernamezrhardtodo]

He was on a 22G pace last season while not playing top-6 minutes.

I think he has a real shot in the top-6 if he will embrace the Hyman role.

I think he will embrace the Hyman role because outside of Toronto it's not exactly a big deal to go in the corners and battle for a puck. We started thinking that Hyman was unique league wide because he was the only player that played that way here. There are lots of players that do what Hyman did...we just preferred the upside of a Vessey because he scored at a 20G+ pace a few years ago over the lower ceiling mucker types. That was a mistake they are actively trying to fix.

I can't stress enough that having a gritty player on every single line will be a huge bonus for us. Anytime there is a scrum there will be at least 1 guy out there who isn't afraid to push back. That is in contrast to before where we would have to wait for Simmonds to hit the ice 4 shifts later to answer a face washing of AM or MM.

 

[Stephen]

I’m not sure what to think. All I have been readin on this thread so far is “if the could find a way yo motivate him”. Don’t we already have enough players that they need to find a way to motivate?

The reality is a 6"3" prime age power winger who didn't have some kind of deficiency would not be available at $2.5 million AAV. He's not quite a reclamation but you're not getting a blue chipper. It's a balance of pedigree, remaining upside and issues that have traditionally held him back from reaching a higher echelon.