- Aug 13, 2007
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remember Im a preds fan.... if buying him out would save 1/3 of 48/82 of 3.5 million it would be worth doing for us...
Re-signing Matthew Lombardi
- Thread starter TmlHockeyFan
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remember Im a preds fan.... if buying him out would save 1/3 of 48/82 of 3.5 million it would be worth doing for us...
Mess
Global Moderator
If our Leafs truly have aspirations of getting better that process begins with getting better players.
Rants Mulliniks
Registered User
- Jun 22, 2008
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There's simply no need as our system is chalk full of guys who can play on the bottom two lines. It's precisely what Burke has been working towards...setting up the system to consistently replace from within.
I imagine based on his play that the Leafs likely will not re-sign him to a contract as is.
I don't know if any other team will, possibly it could happen but more likely he'll be lost in the shuffle of the bigger names.
I would guess Burke would give him a try-out to earn a spot on the roster. If he can impress there, then he has just as much right to a roster spot as anyone else.
If he winds up on the Leafs roster, it will be most likely at either the 1C (highly unlikely, but not impossible) or playing wing on the second scoring line with McClement and JvR.
I don't know if any other team will, possibly it could happen but more likely he'll be lost in the shuffle of the bigger names.
I would guess Burke would give him a try-out to earn a spot on the roster. If he can impress there, then he has just as much right to a roster spot as anyone else.
If he winds up on the Leafs roster, it will be most likely at either the 1C (highly unlikely, but not impossible) or playing wing on the second scoring line with McClement and JvR.
Abbott is a long-shot to make the NHL. As is D'Amigo. Ashton still has another 2-3 seasons to go in the AHL before he'll have grown into his body and can play the power-forward role with the strength needed to compete in the NHL.
Frattin should be ready to play, and Kadri continues to look good in the AHL, but whether he is finally ready for the NHL remains to be seen. Transition from the AHL ranks to the NHL isn't a seamless process. A lot of the stuff that players can get away with in the AHL isn't missed in the NHL.
showtime8
Registered User
The problem is he isn't a bottom two line player. He's just been played there because of the fact that he's getting a contract and has nowhere else to go. It would have been really bad if he was a healthy scratch for the full season to go along with Komisarek who sat out a bunch.
TMLife*
Auston Matthews
Rants Mulliniks
Registered User
- Jun 22, 2008
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He also isn't a top 2 line player (certainly shouldn't be over the bodies we have).
showtime8
Registered User
I think that's the issue that the Leafs have had for the past couple of years. Because they've had these players that are under contract, they feel obligated to play them regardless of if they fit the system or not.
Like you said, and I completely agree, is that he's not a top 6 forward on this team. So where does he fit? Is he able to hit? No. So that takes him away from the 4th line. So by process of elimination, he gets put on the 3rd line. And by Burke's standards, the 3rd line is suppose to shutdown the other teams top line and do smaller things like kill penalties and generate an energy. Does he do that well enough to keep him around on this team? No. But the Leafs will manage to do so for 2 years and only because he's getting paid as the 6th highest forward on the team. (last year 5th)
KuleminFan41
Registered User
- Jan 5, 2009
- 5,845
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Even when he had a great stretch for around 15 games people still gave him ****. He's just another guy that can't do anything right it seems. Not saying he was great but once a player is in the bad books of the Leafs fans(sometimes undeserved) they never get out.
As for Re-signing him, we can do better
As for Re-signing him, we can do better
Absolutely not, he was awful last year, and I don't see where he fits in our lineup. *IF* there is a season this year, I see us rolling with something along the lines of:
Lupul - Bozak - Kessel
JVR - Grabo - MacArthur
Kulemin - Connolly/Kadri - Frattin
Komarov - McClement - Brown
Waive: Lombardi, Steckel, possibly Connolly (if Kadri takes his spot)
Other prospects: Biggs, Ashton, D'Amigo, McKegg, Deschamps, Abbott, Leivo, Colborne, etc.
We don't need him now, and we won't need him in the future. Honestly, I think he has trouble getting an NHL contract anywhere in the league, I can see him signing in Europe or the AHL next offseason.
Lupul - Bozak - Kessel
JVR - Grabo - MacArthur
Kulemin - Connolly/Kadri - Frattin
Komarov - McClement - Brown
Waive: Lombardi, Steckel, possibly Connolly (if Kadri takes his spot)
Other prospects: Biggs, Ashton, D'Amigo, McKegg, Deschamps, Abbott, Leivo, Colborne, etc.
We don't need him now, and we won't need him in the future. Honestly, I think he has trouble getting an NHL contract anywhere in the league, I can see him signing in Europe or the AHL next offseason.
No. I wouldn't want on the team if he took up 550K of the cap. The guy was the 2nd worst defensive liability on the team last season. I'm dumbfounded why he even played as many games as he did.
robdicks
Registered User
I know it isn't a very popular opinion, but signing Lombardi on the cheap wouldn't be a very bad idea. As long as it's for 800k - 1.2 million there really isn't anything to lose. Coming back from a back injury like he had isn't exactly easy. He's still incredibly fast, and relatively skillful. Having him on the 4th line is better than having a random AHLer.
I would give him a real cheap, 1 year deal to give him a shot at getting back to form. If he can get back to his PHX/CGY days I'd definitely take him on the team. If he's last years version no thanks
I'd have him back if the price is right.
Whenever hockey resumes he should be a better player cause he'll be in shape and be further away from concussion issues.
Whenever hockey resumes he should be a better player cause he'll be in shape and be further away from concussion issues.
showtime8
Registered User
Right now he's out based on last year. If he's playing at the same calibre as he did pre-concussion he's a great fit on the 3rd line. Speed, solid 2-way play ... excellent role player. I also don't see MacArthur as Leaf going forward... essentially a stop gap player.
Warden of the North
Ned Stark's head
Rico Fata was incredibly fast and relatively skillful, but the Penguins dropped him like a hot potato when they got real players in the lineup.
We have several Marlies ready to make the jump. They are not random AHLers.
Lombardi isn't just speed though.. at least he wasn't. He was very solid defensively and then had that speed on top of it. If he was bigger everyone would be all over him for a bottom 6 role. He played the role great on some very good Calgary teams.
MacArthur was SOOOOOOOOOOO much better than Lombardi last season, looking to dump MacArthur and give his spot to Lombardi makes absolutely no sense to me. MacArthur is 3 years younger, hasn't suffered a major concussion, and is better than Lombardi in literally every way except pure speed.
Lombardi is 30, and turns 31 in two and a half months. He suffered a major concussion that caused him to miss an entire year of hockey, and he really showed no improvement from the start of last season to the end of last season. I don't see a reason to expect him to bounce back in a major way, and IMO he was the worst regular forward on the Leafs last year. I'd much rather just let him go, and let young guys from the Marlies battle for the spot he frees up.
I'll repeat again that I really think Lombardi will have trouble getting another contract anywhere in the NHL next offseason. He's small, soft, and not very effective with the puck, he doesn't bring much to the table other than speed at this point in his career. I can easily see him having to sign in Europe or the AHL.
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I guess you missed this "If he's playing at the same calibre as he did pre-concussion" part of my post...
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