Re-tooling For One More Run With This Core

[robertmac43]

Would like to move JT to the wing on 2nd line. He's better suited there at this stage.

I'm curious to hear more about this. To me, JT is best served through the middle. He is excellent in the face-off dot, defensively solid, has quick hands in tight, etc. I think is still a Center, the wing does not seem like the move at this point IMO.

Brady Tkachuk - Tavares - Nylander (26m)
Bunting - Kadri - Matthew Tkachuk (17m)
Bunting - Kampf - E Kane (6m)
Engvall - Blackwell - Kase (4m)

Chabot - R Andersson (12.5m)
TJ Brodie - Liljegren (6.5m)
Sandin - Lyubushkin (2.5m)

Ville Husso (3m)
Mrazek (3.8m)

Yup, take the 60-goal scorer off a team that keeps losing because they cannot score.

 

[danron1376]

Here's your re-tool...

interesting but i'd rather steal bergeron (who is a ufa) from them. it would take a nylander+ trade to make our salary cap work, though

 

[Racer88]

And so the idea to improve on too many passengers is to trade out a core guy and dilute the talent even further?

The idea of trading a core player is so that you could move up from shopping in the bargain bin for the rest of the team so we can replace the “passengers”
I think it’s for sure that the team that wins the cup this year will not have 3 forwards making 11 million dollars.

 

[Zanks]

I'm curious to hear more about this. To me, JT is best served through the middle. He is excellent in the face-off dot, defensively solid, has quick hands in tight, etc. I think is still a Center, the wing does not seem like the move at this point IMO.


Yup, take the 60-goal scorer off a team that keeps losing because they cannot score.

Ya...the 60 goal regular season...

Rather have the 9 goals & 15 pts post season from E Kane and M Tkachuk.

Plus the Brady Tkachuk and Kadri contribution...

I think physical players produce more in the playoffs relative to their regular season stats...and corresponding bloated salary.

 

[KevinRedkey]

I just had a Leafs fan say they'd rather...
Bunting, Matthews, Tavares, Marner, 2 forward plugs and a shit backup goalie
over
Bunting, Matthews, Giroux, Tavares, Nylander, T.Terry, and a great backup goalie.

Should I consider this what all Leafs fans think? Because man... you guys have some special posters.

 

[ShaneFalco]

I just had a Leafs fan say they'd rather...
Bunting, Matthews, Tavares, Marner, 2 forward plugs and a shit backup goalie
over
Bunting, Matthews, Giroux, Tavares, Nylander, T.Terry, and a great backup goalie.

Should I consider this what all Leafs fans think? Because man... you guys have some special posters.

Sure do

 

[hamzarocks]

How did that work out?

To be honest a lot more successful than the Leafs have

Turning to Sanjose would be a major success for this core

They had like 3-4 WCF runs, made the finals once and won a bunch of series in addition to dominant regular seasons (president trophy/West conference pt leaders/division titles)

We are close in regular season as of the past two years but no where close come playoffs.

The leafs are in a category of their own come playoff failure. Worse than pre-cup Blues and Capitals and definitely worse than the Sharks were from the Marleau/Joe era

Obviously I don't want to have no cups and a bunch of deep runs only but just saying it's pretty disrespectful to the 2006-2018 Sharks team to be compared to the 2017 -2022 leafs (leafs obviously are a lot smaller sample size right now)

 

[ACC1224]

To be honest a lot more successful than the Leafs have

Turning to Sanjose would be a major success for this core

They had like 3-4 WCF runs, made the finals once and won a bunch of series in addition to dominant regular seasons (president trophy/West conference pt leaders/division titles)

We are close in regular season as of the past two years but no where close come playoffs.

The leafs are in a category of their own come playoff failure. Worse than pre-cup Blues and Capitals and definitely worse than the Sharks were from the Marleau/Joe era

Obviously I don't want to have no cups and a bunch of deep runs only but just saying it's pretty disrespectful to the 2006-2018 Sharks team to be compared to the 2017 -2022 leafs (leafs obviously are a lot smaller sample size right now)

It's certainly better than going no where every year.

How many coaches did they go through?
IMO, Keefe is the biggest thing holding the team back.

 

[thusk]

It was a combination of both - us trying to go to the net more certainly made it harder for Vasilevakiy. We didn’t do anything to make Kucherov not work hard and just float around.

They played a hard as they could and it wasn’t good enough… because they were too weak and soft. That’s part of the reason we took so many penalties - players that didn’t really know how to play physical hockey were trying to force it.

Kucherov didnt score any goal at 5v5 and get 1.87 points/60 played and he was on the ice o 4 goal for and 7 against his line... so please dont tell me leafs lost because leafs was too soft and let kucherov do all he want... kucherov line get outplayed 5 of 7 game at 5on5 ...come on find something better

Matthews is at 4.02 and marner at 3.28 pts/60 just giving you an exemple

 

[Dreakmur]

Kucherov didnt score any goal at 5v5 and get 1.87 points/60 played and he was on the ice o 4 goal for and 7 against his line... so please dont tell me leafs lost because leafs was too soft and let kucherov do all he want... kucherov line get outplayed 5 of 7 game at 5on5 ...come on find something better

Matthews is at 4.02 and marner at 3.28 pts/60 just giving you an exemple

So because Kucherov played soft, the Leafs can't also be soft?

Sure, some guys played hared than they have in the past, the team as a whole is too small, soft, and easy to play against.

 

[thusk]

So because Kucherov played soft, the Leafs can't also be soft?

Ok ok

Tampa was soft, toronto was soft. Everybody was so f***ing bad so tampa will probably loose in 4 because they are playing too soft

Kampf was too soft too on his penalty and touch shoulder with his stick and go on penalty box for that reason because hes too soft and ultimatlycost 2nd round ticket. But all that is because both team was too soft

 

[Brobust]

I just had a Leafs fan say they'd rather...
Bunting, Matthews, Tavares, Marner, 2 forward plugs and a shit backup goalie
over
Bunting, Matthews, Giroux, Tavares, Nylander, T.Terry, and a great backup goalie.

Should I consider this what all Leafs fans think? Because man... you guys have some special posters.

What a bunch of idiots for not wanting to swap Marner with a 35 year old Giroux.

I just had a Leafs fan say they'd rather...
Bunting, Matthews, Tavares, Marner, 2 forward plugs and a shit backup goalie
over
Bunting, Matthews, Giroux, Tavares, Nylander, T.Terry, and a great backup goalie.

Should I consider this what all Leafs fans think? Because man... you guys have some special posters.

You posted a Marner trade for a 0.904 goalie and the 28th overall pick?

 

[axlrose87]

After setting a franchise record for points in the regular season, before making their same routine exit in round one, I find myself interested in seeing one more run with this core, provided some coaching and roster changes are made in an attempt to get the mix right. I'd love to hear everyone's plan in depth. Here is mine...

Trade Them
Alexander Kerfoot (3.5 million)
Jake Muzzin (5.6 million)
Justin Holl (2.0 million)
Petr Mrazek (3.8 million)

Let Them Walk / Retire
Ilya Mikheyev (1.6 million)
Ondrej Kase (1.25 million)
Jason Spezza (750k)

Re-sign Them
Mark Giordano (1× 1.0 million)
Jack Campbell (3x 4.0 million)
Ilya Lyubushkin (2× 2.0 million)
Timothy Liljegren (3x 3.0 million)
Rasmus Sandin (2x 1.5 million)
Colin Blackwell (1x 900k)
Pierre Engvall (2x 1.75 million)

New Money
Phil Kessel's cap retention (1.2 million)
Salary cap increase (1.0 million)

Roster Forwards
C #1: Auston Matthews (11.6 million)
C #2: John Tavares (11.0 million)
C #3: David Kampf (1.5 million)
C #4: Addition
RW #1: Mitch Marner (10.9 million)
RW #2: William Nylander (7.0 million)
RW #3: Addition
RW #4: Colin Blackwell (900k)
LW #1: Addition
LW #2: Michael Bunting (900k)
LW #3: Pierre Engvall (1.75 million)
LW #4: Addition
13th Forward: Wayne Simmonds (900k)
14th Forward: Kyle Clifford (763k)

Roster Defense
LD #1: Morgan Rielly (7.5 million)
LD #2: Mark Giordano (1.0 million)
LD #3: TJ Brodie (5.0 million)
RD #1: Addition
RD #2: Timothy Liljegren (3.0 million)
RD #3 Ilya Lyubushkin (2.0 million)
7th Dman: Rasmus Sandin (1.5 million)

Roster Goalies
Jack Campbell (4.0 million)
Addition

Total estimated Cap Hit: 71.2 million
Total remaining Salary Cap: 11.3 million

- IMO, this team needs to add a physical, top 6, power forward to play alongside Matthews and Marner, allowing Bunting to slide down to the 2nd line, where he would be a natural fit. I would expect this forward to cost in the $3.0-4.0 million range.

- IMO, this team requires a long term, steady, shutdown partner for Morgan Rielly. A natural RHD that will allow Brodie to play further down the lineup.

- There are numerous players in the system, on ELCs, that should get an opportunity to cheaply fill out some of the bottom 6 roster spots. The 5 names that come to mind include Nick Robertson, Nick Abruzzese, Joey Anderson, Pontus Holmberg and Alex Steeves. I expect at least 2 of those players will make the opening day roster in 2022.

- I think that Toronto will likely stick with Jack Campbell in goal, unless someone unexpected comes available. That said, it's imperative that Mrazek is replaced, with a cheap, solid backup, who has played meaningful games in the NHL. I'm expecting Campbell to cost a little bit of money, therefore, I'd hope that the backup comes in under $2.0 million.

- If the correct addition is made to the defense core, I really like the group on paper. Not only do I think the mix is right, I love the 7 man depth of that group, allowing some of the guys in the system to keep cooking and Sandin to rotate in regularly, keeping everyone fresh. I'd hope the addition they make costs between $3.0-$4.0 million and is a natural RHD.

If this hapless management team does not completely alter this core, you are absolutely dreaming of you think we will improve our results next year.
Tinkering on the edges will get us lucky number 7

 

[Brobust]

Trade Kerfoot, graduate Steeves to take his spot, sign Nick Paul for 4 x 3.5M

His skillset is more needed for this club than Kerfoot.


Also try to acquire a Ryan Lomberg type player, team really needs this.

Management's obsessed with Kerfoot. They had a Kerfoot + Dermott for Weegar deal offered and said no.

 

[Phion Keneuf]

I just had a Leafs fan say they'd rather...
Bunting, Matthews, Tavares, Marner, 2 forward plugs and a shit backup goalie
over
Bunting, Matthews, Giroux, Tavares, Nylander, T.Terry, and a great backup goalie.

Should I consider this what all Leafs fans think? Because man... you guys have some special posters.

Buddy, what are you saying. Go home

 

[Dreakmur]

Ok ok

Tampa was soft, toronto was soft. Everybody was so f***ing bad so tampa will probably loose in 4 because they are playing too soft

Kampf was too soft too on his penalty and touch shoulder with his stick and go on penalty box for that reason because hes too soft and ultimatlycost 2nd round ticket. But all that is because both team was too soft

Kucherov was soft, and he stood out on Tampa because he was the only one.

 

[thusk]

Kucherov was soft, and he stood out on Tampa because he was the only one.

Brayden Point only 1 points at on 5 on 5 2 goal for and 6 against...

Stamkos except his 2 goal, we didn't see him ...

Top 6 of toronto was better of tampa top 6

Bottom 6 of tampa was better than leafs bottom 6.

Defensivly different style but similar result goalie was a non-factor with both giving a chance to his team to win.

Overal Both team was at the same exact level but at the end you need a loser and a winner and the difference was a bouncing puck, call not in your favor, open net missed, deflection missed by a inche...

 

[Dreakmur]

Brayden Point only 1 points at on 5 on 5 2 goal for and 6 against...

Stamkos except his 2 goal, we didn't see him ...

Top 6 of toronto was better of tampa top 6

Bottom 6 of tampa was better than leafs bottom 6.

Defensivly different style but similar result goalie was a non-factor with both giving a chance to his team to win.

Overal Both team was at the same exact level but at the end you need a loser and a winner and the difference was a bouncing puck, call not in your favor, open net missed, deflection missed by a inche...

You do need a loser, and the team with more talent lost. I wonder why....

 

[RoadWarrior]

Management's obsessed with Kerfoot. They had a Kerfoot + Dermott for Weegar deal offered and said no.

They were so obsessed with Kerfoot they exposed him in the expansion draft behind Holl.

Kerfoot is probably gone.

 

[thusk]

You do need a loser, and the team with more talent lost. I wonder why....

Tampa and leafs having the same amount of talent and every season 31 team will not winning stanley cup. If winning round 1 and lost round 2 would be a fail too for the leafs like losing round 3. For a team with aspiration like toronto its stanley cup or fail whatever where you lost

Tampa finishing 8th in NHL 5 pts behind toronto, won last 2 cup and you reacting like it was a serie leafs should won easyly!!! Or the difference betweem those club was huge when this was a serie was just even...

You just looking a reason to cry against leafs ... how many season you think tampa needed to find the way to win their first cup... since they draft hedman/ stamkos they needed 10 years to reach that level. How many season Washington needed to finally be able to win his cup?

 

[ryno23]

Let's see if Kadri wants to come back on a team-friendly deal to play LW on the 2nd line with Tavares and Nylander.

Imagine Naz back LOL

 

[The Masters]

need more players like this. Skill and toughness.

Too bad Knies isnt joining next season.

Dubas shou;ld have found players like this to support matty and marner. time to trade nylander.

 

[Dreakmur]

Tampa and leafs having the same amount of talent and every season 31 team will not winning stanley cup. If winning round 1 and lost round 2 would be a fail too for the leafs like losing round 3. For a team with aspiration like toronto its stanley cup or fail whatever where you lost

Tampa finishing 8th in NHL 5 pts behind toronto, won last 2 cup and you reacting like it was a serie leafs should won easyly!!! Or the difference betweem those club was huge when this was a serie was just even...

You just looking a reason to cry against leafs ... how many season you think tampa needed to find the way to win their first cup... since they draft hedman/ stamkos they needed 10 years to reach that level. How many season Washington needed to finally be able to win his cup?

I’m explaining how they can improve.

 

[Gabriel426]

To people who kept saying the CLUTH gene and players either born with it or will never have it.
ROR seems pretty clutch to me, I guess he just hid his clutch gene when he was playing for Avs and Sabres

 

[Buds17]

Management's obsessed with Kerfoot. They had a Kerfoot + Dermott for Weegar deal offered and said no.

I believe it was Johnsson and not Kerfoot in that potential trade. I'm not entirely convinced that Toronto turned it down either since Weegar is still with Florida.

*I should say I'm not entirely convinced that Florida actually wanted to part with Weegar.