Thats how you know a GM is bad, good options are available, Dubas just misses them. Or perhaps Dubas' style is just terrible.
Re-tooling For One More Run With This Core
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Apex Predator
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- Jun 21, 2019
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I’m good with that has Matthews should be able to carry who ever is on his line. Internally besides Bunting not sure who else can be moved up to play with him. Who has he played with in the past besides Keefoot? I’m also assuming Mikeheyev won’t be back.
As I've been advocating... Give me a guy like Hellebuyck via trade and I'm all for it. Not sure Sorokin is an obvious upgrade to Campbell as a full time starter (because we haven't seen it) so that could simply be a repetition of the same move they made with Campbell.
I want a guy that we absolutely KNOW can / will be a top half of the NHL, starter. I'm not risk adverse, but I either want to pay premium assets to fix the position, or focus my efforts elsewhere. I'm tired of half measures.
I don’t think we have anybody in the system to play with Matthews other than Nylander.
sounds crazy, but I offer Knies, Sandin and a 1st to get Pat Kane at 50 percent retention to play on Matthews wing.
Nylander can then be traded for D.
trellaine201
Registered User
Too much for Campbell. Besides being a 2nd string goalie he is injured all the time. No thanks. Lets move along.
Ideally, Toronto would add a physical forward forward to play #1 LW and the top 6 would look like this for the sake of balance.
Addition / Matthews / Nylander
Bunting / Tavares / Marner
I think that would provide the best top 6 depth, if you add the right player to play with Auston and Willy.
All for moving along, as long as it's for a guy who has proven he is top half of the NHL type starter.
I don't want to spin our wheels for another lottery ticket. Spend the steep asset price to fix the problem, or don't, but don't take half measures.
Give me something like...
Bertuzzi / Matthews / Nylander
Bunting / Tavares / Marner
I'm completely fine with that.
Stephen
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- Feb 28, 2002
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The big dilemma with Toronto is as follows. This build is the most successful regular season version since the Original Six era. The individual skill level and star power is extremely appealing and provides a lot of enjoyment on most nights throughout a long season. You can't help marveling at it but also can't truly feel comfortable with it. Come playoffs it kind of feels like we're trying to run a Lamborghini Diablo for the Dakar Rally. The team just isn't robust or nasty enough to win ugly at all cost.
CelticDruid
Registered User
bandwagonesque
Practically a late 1st
- Mar 5, 2014
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When Chara was 42, in steep decline and coming off a worse season the Giordano just had, he signed for over 3M in salary and easily achievable bonuses. This last season, when most people thought he was a 6-7 d-man at best, he signed for 50% more than what you're suggesting Giordano will sign for.
This is just something you're choosing to believe.
Maple Leaf
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KingsHockey24
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- Aug 1, 2013
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Washing will bump us out of the playoffs. The Atlantic is so intense there is no way we lose significant pieces and stay in the picture.
How long is the GTA going to subsidize US teams winning the Cup? Bettman's salary cap system has generated a poor product.
All 3 of Matthews, Marner, and Tavares should be able to each carry a line given their bloated cap hits. If they can't then they can GTFO
Apex Predator
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Robertson 3rd line center addition and x
4th line centered around Kampf for defensive assignments. Maybe x - Kampf - Joey Anderson
Aashir
Backcheck, Forecheck, Paycheque
- Apr 19, 2019
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Sorry not matchup defensively, more like physically
Like a nick paul or something who could be stronger and more physical
As for goaltender, 1A/1B is fine. I said starter because if we reallocate mrazeks funds and add a bit more we can probably find a starter, but it’s less of an issue other then the others
Also think we need to revamp the fourth line wingers, these vets aren’t it, we need a physical and fast line
I'd be really happy with something that resembled...
Bertuzzi / Matthews / Nylander
Bunting / Tavares / Marner
Robertson / Kampf / Engvall
Anderson / Addition / Blackwell
Simmonds
usernamezrhardtodo
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- Mar 26, 2014
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I know a relative of Gio's and he told me a few years ago that he would never sign here to play in the "Circus" as he called it. I think if he does decide to stay it won't be for pennies. He is still a very useful top 4 D-man. You are not getting him to leave money on the table to join this Leaf's team in therapy sessions all the time. You leave money on the table for a chance to win.
Lyubushkin was terrible with Rielly. He's not top pair material and he isn't going to sign for scrub #6/7D money.
Giordano is way too old to commit to, and similarly, unless he really loves TO, he's not going to take a sweetheart $1M deal. At his age, why commit anyway? He's the kind of guy you should be able to trade for at the deadline if you need to, once they've proved they can still play.
Blackwell is a nothing player and was the most disappointing of the three. He cleared the very low bar of being better than Simmonds and Clifford but that's it.
More to the point, why commit to these particular players just because they were available at the deadline? There are going to be dozens of similar or better options available in UFA. What makes you think they're the best the Leafs can do? The team has umpteen pro scouts for a reason - use them!
If I'm lilly I'd have called my agent for a trade as soon as that third period ended. The way Keefe is using him is f***ing horseshit.
killer1980
Registered User
All the fanboys here are Charlie Brown and the core is Lucy. Keep believing these slackers are going to give us a kick at the ball. You can be sure that these guys will put it all on the line come contract time. Until then, all they care about is that we buy their new lne of clothing they are modeling.
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I thought Giordano and Liljegren were excellent together towards the end of the regular season. Gio can still play and Lilly is developing nicely. I think it was a huge mistake by the coaching staff to go with the "vets" in the playoffs. Holl is horrendous.
Lyubushkin is a bottom 4 guy, period. He should be playing major minutes with Rielly. If he has delusions of being paid top pairing money, I'm fine with it being somewhere else. That said, I think he's an ideal #5/6 and should be making in the range of $2 million per year.
Blackwell is simply a placeholder in that spot relative to my roster. Most 4th line players are disappointing. Look across the NHL, there are terrible 4th liners, contributing very little, elsewhere, the same as in Toronto. If you want to replace Blackwell with another guy in the 750k-1.0m range, I will not lose a wink of sleep over it.
There is a segment of Leafs fans that seemingly have an extremely high expectation of what the 4th line brings a hockey team in a salary cap system, where said players are making near league minimum. Can our 4th line improve? Definitely. Should we be expecting great things out of them? No.
Part of the answer already lies on the roster. In an ideal world, David Kampf and Pierre Engvall would be 2/3 of your 4th line, with a guylike Joey Anderson or Wayne Simmonds (simply for toughness) rotating in beside them. However, because of how much money Toronto committed to their top 4 forwards, guys like Kampf and Engvall actually have to slot up on the roster, when they would make for ++ bottom line players.
I'm fine with trading a piece from the core, assuming we agree that the core is...
Matthews
Marner
Nylander
Tavares
Rielly
Marner or Nylander are the obvious moves, but I'm not trading either of them simply to "shake it up". I want a player / players of equal value back in that trade, that offer roster dimensions that the Leafs currently lack, while still being able to score. The type of players I'm talking about are the likes of...
Matthew Tkatchuk
Brady Tkatchuk
J.T. Miller
Roman Josi
Shea Theodore
Jacob Chychrun
Zach Werenski
Patrick Kane
Filip Forsberg
Chris Kreider
David Pastrnak
Tyler Bertuzzi
Elias Lindholm
If you're not getting that type of impact player back in the deal, you're likely simply shuffling deck chairs for the sake of doing so and in many instances, you're going to lose the deal and acquire worse players, simply for the sake of making a trade.
Alexanderthe89
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- Apr 29, 2011
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I’m actually ok bringing Spezza back. He doesn’t have to play every game but the intangibles are worth it and he’s 10x more effective than the old guys we used to sign.
