Re-tooling For One More Run With This Core

[diehardleafsfan9878]

I've been looking around the various pro leagues in Europe to find interesting players to sign as depth. Curious what everyone thinks or if anyone has other options or ideas.

I found 3 players that caught my eye:

Filip Chlapik - Former 2nd round pick by Ottawa in 2015. 25 years old, 6'2, just put up 31 goals, 70 points in 53 games in the top league in Czechia. He outscored 2nd place in the league by 13 points. He's signed to play in the NL league in Switzerland this year so I don't think he's allowed to sign an NHL contract. NL has weird rules.

Adam Kubik - Undrafted 6' W/C, 24 years old. Finished the season with 22 goals, good for 10 best in Czechia, 33 points in 52 games. The thing that caught my eye with him was the fact that this was really his first shot playing in Czechia. He played 18 games in the 19-20 season registering just 3 points. Another thing that caught my eye, 8 goals, 12 points in 5 games in the qualifying round for his team for relegation purposes. Now I don't know the result of that. Don't know if they avoided relegation or not, but that was interesting.

The most interesting player I found comes from the Slovakian top league.

Samuel Bucek - Undrafted 6'3 24 year old. He had 41 goals, 64 points in 50 games. He outscored his closest teammate by 21 points and 20 goals. He also led the league by 16 goals and 8 points. This isn't even his first year with this kind of production. In the 18/19 season he had 30 goals 51 points in 53 games. He also spent time in the Chicago Steel program in 15/16 and 17/18 so he's a Dubas type of player.

 

[diehardleafsfan9878]

TRADE: Mrazek - Kerfoot - Holl - Sandin - Robertson - Abruzzese - Der-Arguchintsev - Seney
SIGN: Lybushkin - Engvall - Liljegren $2M each all three of them.
DON'T SIGN: Mikheyev - Kase

We will get some of those prospects back at the draft.
We should be focusing on a big defensive d-man with the round one pick in the draft. Whoever is the best option available at 25.
Add Knies to the team next season on the first or second line LW and get rid of Bunting.
Try to make Engvall a Center and see if he can play there.
Use the rest of the cap space to fill the last slot or use marlies/prospects. Someone that can play as a two-way forward preferably with some size. (6'1-6'2)

Idunno if we could get it done but if it's possible. Hopefully the cap goes up next season lol.

SAAD/KANE - MATTHEWS - MARNER
BUNTING - TAVARES - NYLANDER
KAMPF - ENGVALL - ????????
CLIFFORD - DOUGLAS - SIMMONDS

MUZZIN - LYBUSHKIN
RIELLY - BRODIE
GIORDANO - DRAFTED D-MAN/LILJEGREN

GIBSON - KALLGREN

What is the logic behind playing Engvall at centre when you have Kampf who is a much better centre to begin with on the same line?

 

[Racer88]

Would Dubas fans club leave when Dubas leaves the Leafs?

Probably not. I think they are most likely true Leaf fans, they just feel that Dubas can do no wrong. They claim that they don’t like every move that Dubas makes but the minute someone criticizes a Dubas move they come rushing to his defence.

 

[Dekes For Days]

I agree there is some work involved...

Yes, it's work. Separate from playing hockey, and thus separate from their hockey contract. The potential for endorsements could be a draw to a location, but it's not going to notably impact their hockey cap hit.

but it's like being a plumber and working for $50/hr in one city or $150/hr in another city.

I don't necessarily agree with the analogy, but it should also be pointed out that if one is being paid 3X as much for the same work in a different city, there's likely similar scaling of associated costs for working there instead of the other place.

The point of this is that there are some very good benefits that come with playing for Toronto and players shouldn't act like the cap money is all they can get.

I don't think any players act like the cap money is the only benefit to Toronto. They're just not going to agree to a lesser valuation than they're worth because the Leafs tell them to go work another job to make up the difference.

If Mitch signed with CBJ like he was threatening to do...he would not be making that extra $$ that he does here...

If Marner signed an offer sheet, he almost certainly would be taking home more money after all is said and done than he does right now.

It's more like offering your employee less pay simply because there are other candidates of equal value willing to take the deal given the overall benefits of the opportunity.

It's more like offering your employee less pay than their established industry rate and telling them to go work to make up the difference, when they're one of the best in the entire industry and there aren't any alternatives of equal value willing or able to agree to this abnormal and insulting offer.

 

[justashadowof]

Probably not. I think they are most likely true Leaf fans, they just feel that Dubas can do no wrong. They claim that they don’t like every move that Dubas makes but the minute someone criticizes a Dubas move they come rushing to his defence.

There's no reason to believe a Dubas acolyte isn't a true Leafs' fan. It's way more likely to see dismissive hand-waving, deflection and denial regarding once supposed strong positions to suit their newer truth. We're all allowed to change our minds on things. And don't be shocked if there isn't a little bit of borderline splitting going on where some turn hard against Dubas. We've seen it time and time again regarding former players.

 

[kb]

Avs, Bolts Are Great Examples Why Leafs Must Bide Their Time

 

[ULF_55]

Dubas fanclub does not grabs the simplest of thing. If things are went from good to bad to worst and can go to disaster, you don't wait for them to go to disaster.

You don't pretend that "ohhh there is nobody there" so lets continue with the shit show and get to disaster.

You stop the bleeding, right "Now", worry about "who" later.

But then again I dont expect dubas fan club to see logic and reasoning because they blindly support the guy who has none in his dictionary or thought process.

As you were....

Perhaps you believe the advanced stats guys are enamored with Dubas.

Seems to be an effort to emphasize stats that suggest the Leafs are just unlucky. I have nothing against the x-stats guys, but they seem very important to teams that lose, other teams emphasis wins.

It is likely just like everything else in life, extremes. Those that cannot see truth, only their position. Everything Dubas does is wrong or everything Dubas does is right.

Those who fall into those categories are the extreme, and that is not different than much we see in the western world. Opinion trumps evidence.

I'd like to see improvement made and at this point, we don't really know how deep those changes need to go.
The team did set a record so it isn't like this is a bad team. It does need some improvements, as do most every team that isn't winning the Cup this year.

In my opinion a coach change might make the largest difference, as I believe they had most of the pieces in place in the top, and perhaps even in prospects. If Dubas is unwilling to fire a coach because he's a friend, then Dubas is an issue.

As I've mentioned, Tampa beat the Leafs on the back of Paul scoring 2 goals in game 7. Paul who has a total of 4 goals now in 19 games.

Oh, and the Leafs only scored on Vasilesvkiy because he wasn't his best, well maybe.? Only reason Avs are scoring is because of the same thing. If Vasilevskiy was on his game Avs wouldn't be winning right?

Need a coach who has the courage to make changes, whether it upsets the primadonna players or not.

I believe the team has made progress.

Need a goaltender
Need a change to the bottom 6
Need a restructured line-up.

Might need a new coach.

 

[rocketman588]

Probably applies to both teams, Nylander food poisoning, Matthews not at 100%, Bunting wasn't 100% (obvious). Kase coming off another.

We shouldn't provide excuses for the Leafs nor the Lightning.

I agree everyone is banged up in the playoffs

 

[rocketman588]

I just want to be clear, Marner is overpaid by a couple million, but Fox who is making 9.5 has seasons of 47pts in 55 and 42pts in 70, and the 47 in 55 was propped up by the powerplay, he deserved the 9.5 per, but 94pt Marner got overpaid.

Fox is an amazing player, but 9.5 is a lot for 125 games where you put up 89pts, they were betting on his potential and it paid off.

Yeah he had 89 points in 125 games because he plays f***ing defense

His .71 PPG rate is worth the cash considering he once again plays D.

Not even counting the Norris.

Cale Makar who might be the second best player in hockey makes less then Mitch. That deal was horrific

 

[Dreakmur]

Perhaps you believe the advanced stats guys are enamored with Dubas.

I think people tend to root for people who they identify with. It shouldn't be surprising that people who rely on stats to understand what's happening on the ice have taken a liking to Dubas.

Seems to be an effort to emphasize stats that suggest the Leafs are just unlucky. I have nothing against the x-stats guys, but they seem very important to teams that lose, other teams emphasis wins.

It is likely just like everything else in life, extremes. Those that cannot see truth, only their position. Everything Dubas does is wrong or everything Dubas does is right.

Those who fall into those categories are the extreme, and that is not different than much we see in the western world. Opinion trumps evidence.

Dubas has done many good things, and built a generally good team. He's also made some mistakes.

If you can't acknowledge both of those, you're at one of the extremes.

I'd like to see improvement made and at this point, we don't really know how deep those changes need to go.
The team did set a record so it isn't like this is a bad team. It does need some improvements, as do most every team that isn't winning the Cup this year.

I'd be lying if I wasn't worried that there is something flawed with the core, but I'm not sure either way. I think you start with simplest changes first. The core hasn't yet been properly supported, so that's where I'd start.

In my opinion a coach change might make the largest difference, as I believe they had most of the pieces in place in the top, and perhaps even in prospects. If Dubas is unwilling to fire a coach because he's a friend, then Dubas is an issue.

I think coaching is one of those simple changes we could make. Not a fan of how Keefe runs the team at all.

Need a goaltender
Need a change to the bottom 6
Need a restructured line-up.

Might need a new coach.

Completely agree.

 

[Trapper]

Avs, Bolts Are Great Examples Why Leafs Must Bide Their Time

They kind of leave out some significant roster/GM or coach changes between then and now.
They didn’t just do the same thing and good for a different result.
A forward like Drouin became a D.
Core guys like O’Reilly/Duchene moved.
They also held onto their draft choices and didn’t make moves like they won the Cup already.
They got players under good term.
Changed coaching.

So take this article, Stamkos/MacKinnon and we have Matthews. If you have to make changes around him, do it. Anything goes.

 

[rocketman588]

They kind of leave out some significant roster/GM or coach changes between then and now.
They didn’t just do the same thing and good for a different result.
A forward like Drouin became a D.
Core guys like O’Reilly/Duchene moved.
They also held onto their draft choices and didn’t make moves like they won the Cup already.
They got players under good term.
Changed coaching.

So take this article, Stamkos/MacKinnon and we have Matthews. If you have to make changes around him, do it. Anything goes.

The avs also have the best d corps in hockey and the bolts have a great top 4.

We're nowhere near that defensively

 

[Cos67]

Giordano is still a top 4 D. People expecting 1 million/year are dreaming.

Kind of funny how this aged

 

[kb]

Kind of funny how this aged

Well, he was right.

It came in at $800k. lol

 

[ULF_55]

Kind of funny how this aged

I underestimated how much Giordano wants to win in Toronto.

I hope he has a lot of company, including those who got rewarded before they earned it.

 

[diehardleafsfan9878]

I've been looking around the various pro leagues in Europe to find interesting players to sign as depth. Curious what everyone thinks or if anyone has other options or ideas.

I found 3 players that caught my eye:

Filip Chlapik - Former 2nd round pick by Ottawa in 2015. 25 years old, 6'2, just put up 31 goals, 70 points in 53 games in the top league in Czechia. He outscored 2nd place in the league by 13 points. He's signed to play in the NL league in Switzerland this year so I don't think he's allowed to sign an NHL contract. NL has weird rules.

Adam Kubik - Undrafted 6' W/C, 24 years old. Finished the season with 22 goals, good for 10 best in Czechia, 33 points in 52 games. The thing that caught my eye with him was the fact that this was really his first shot playing in Czechia. He played 18 games in the 19-20 season registering just 3 points. Another thing that caught my eye, 8 goals, 12 points in 5 games in the qualifying round for his team for relegation purposes. Now I don't know the result of that. Don't know if they avoided relegation or not, but that was interesting.

The most interesting player I found comes from the Slovakian top league.

Samuel Bucek - Undrafted 6'3 24 year old. He had 41 goals, 64 points in 50 games. He outscored his closest teammate by 21 points and 20 goals. He also led the league by 16 goals and 8 points. This isn't even his first year with this kind of production. In the 18/19 season he had 30 goals 51 points in 53 games. He also spent time in the Chicago Steel program in 15/16 and 17/18 so he's a Dubas type of player.

 

[kb]

I underestimated how much Giordano wants to win in Toronto.

I hope he has a lot of company, including those who got rewarded before they earned it.

Fortunately this didn't happen.

 

[rocketman588]

I've been looking around the various pro leagues in Europe to find interesting players to sign as depth. Curious what everyone thinks or if anyone has other options or ideas.

I found 3 players that caught my eye:

Filip Chlapik - Former 2nd round pick by Ottawa in 2015. 25 years old, 6'2, just put up 31 goals, 70 points in 53 games in the top league in Czechia. He outscored 2nd place in the league by 13 points. He's signed to play in the NL league in Switzerland this year so I don't think he's allowed to sign an NHL contract. NL has weird rules.

Adam Kubik - Undrafted 6' W/C, 24 years old. Finished the season with 22 goals, good for 10 best in Czechia, 33 points in 52 games. The thing that caught my eye with him was the fact that this was really his first shot playing in Czechia. He played 18 games in the 19-20 season registering just 3 points. Another thing that caught my eye, 8 goals, 12 points in 5 games in the qualifying round for his team for relegation purposes. Now I don't know the result of that. Don't know if they avoided relegation or not, but that was interesting.

The most interesting player I found comes from the Slovakian top league.

Samuel Bucek - Undrafted 6'3 24 year old. He had 41 goals, 64 points in 50 games. He outscored his closest teammate by 21 points and 20 goals. He also led the league by 16 goals and 8 points. This isn't even his first year with this kind of production. In the 18/19 season he had 30 goals 51 points in 53 games. He also spent time in the Chicago Steel program in 15/16 and 17/18 so he's a Dubas type of player.

Good finds

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

That D is horrendous, and no way Giordano signs for 1 million.

Some of those player traded will need to have salary coming back as well... Muzzin value has plummeted with all those injuries, we're stuck with him for better or worse.

Mrazek, lol. That will cost quite a bit to get rid of.

Rielly at 7.5 millions is a no brainer, but for him to accept such a low AAV it would need to be an 8 y contract.

Why would Lyubushkin sign for 2 millions, or Blackwell for league min? These contracts are too cheap to be true

You were right Gio took 800K

 

[LeafEgo]

Need a goaltender
Need a change to the bottom 6
Need a restructured line-up.

Might need a new coach.

An ideal template would be:
- 3 star F's plus depth
- 2 star D's plus depth
- A top 10 goalie.

If JT was Petro (or similar), the stars were not overpaid, and Freddy was kept we could have had it.

Restructuring the lineup and getting the right bottom 6 would require major changes that might not be available - and the organization doesn't seem interested.

We might be able to secure a goaltender though, and a new coach we can do..

 

[Nylanderthal]

TRADE: Mrazek - Kerfoot - Holl - Sandin - Robertson - Abruzzese - Der-Arguchintsev - Seney
SIGN: Lybushkin - Engvall - Liljegren $2M each all three of them.
DON'T SIGN: Mikheyev - Kase

We will get some of those prospects back at the draft.
We should be focusing on a big defensive d-man with the round one pick in the draft. Whoever is the best option available at 25.
Add Knies to the team next season on the first or second line LW and get rid of Bunting.
Try to make Engvall a Center and see if he can play there.
Use the rest of the cap space to fill the last slot or use marlies/prospects. Someone that can play as a two-way forward preferably with some size. (6'1-6'2)

Idunno if we could get it done but if it's possible. Hopefully the cap goes up next season lol.

SAAD/KANE - MATTHEWS - MARNER
BUNTING - TAVARES - NYLANDER
KAMPF - ENGVALL - ????????
CLIFFORD - DOUGLAS - SIMMONDS

MUZZIN - LYBUSHKIN
RIELLY - BRODIE
GIORDANO - DRAFTED D-MAN/LILJEGREN

GIBSON - KALLGREN

That’s the worst 4th line in hockey hands down.

 

[Dreakmur]

That’s the worst 4th line in hockey hands down.

Clifford should be a Marlie, and Simmonds should likely platoon on the 4th line.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

I seen this and it killed me, go through the replies and see how many heads this joke went over

 

[ACC1224]

I seen this and it killed me, go through the replies and see how many heads this joke went over

Went over mine. I don’t get it.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

Went over mine. I don’t get it.

the entire list are avs players, so all we need to do is become the Avs