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Roster Building/Team Building/Future Trade/Drafting thread.

If this team once again fails to proceed very far in the playoffs, what would you want them to do?

  • Do nothing, run it back

    Votes: 20 10.3%
  • Make changes to the offense, top 6 forward, better bottom six, but keep the core

    Votes: 13 6.7%
  • Make changes to the offense, including moving core players

    Votes: 77 39.7%
  • Make changes to the defense

    Votes: 12 6.2%
  • Do a retool, including moving core players

    Votes: 90 46.4%
  • Ban the guy who keeps making jinx prediction posts.

    Votes: 23 11.9%

  • Total voters
    194
If Boston is genine about "undoing" the Lindholm deal, then Toronto should really be banging down their doors.... even if you can do something like Lindholm for a 4th, no retention.

Him, Matthews, and Tavares at centre would be a near-perfect group in my view. Matthess and Lindholm that are elite defensively. One elite offensively, the other 2 very good.

Look at the lineup as "pairs"....

Matthews & Domi (or maybe Patrick Kane?)
Lindholm & Nylander
Tavares & Cowan

Keep Jarnkrok around as a guy that you can put out with Lindholm for a shutdown unit, as required. Left side Knies, McMann, and either Domi or another acquisition.

Nope. If we were ever to take on Elias Lindholm from Boston, it would have to be at a punishing price to Boston regardless of how it could benefit us on the ice. You don't let a division rival and motivated seller off the ropes for a cheap price so they can do what they want on the market. You make it damaging for them to dispose of the asset. There would have to be significant retention and futures coming back, non negotiable.
 
Glass half full view.

If you retain our rfa’s at expected amounts including a bridge for Knies and you get JT back on a team friendly sub 5M deal. You have the same roster that took Florida to a seventh game with the only roster difference being Mitch and Lorenz and you have 13M give or take to upgrade. And given Mitch does little in the playoffs it’s not much of a loss 😂

If that 13m became Marchand and P Kane and you flip Jarnkrok and Kampf for 2 bottom six guys with more jam that would be ok. But our center ice would still be a disaster.

At least that’s what I’m telling myself. 🍻

Expect the doom to reach a fever pitch when Mitch walks but a base of...

Matthews/Nylander/Knies + our defense which is solid + our goaltending which is solid to very good.

Then add in plenty of money to spend.

That should definitely still be a playoff team.
 
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Mason Marchment seems like an absolute given doesn't it? Dallas is looking to clear salary, so we can give them practically peanuts or heck even Nick Robertson one for one? Super cheap player with upside.

Marchment seems like an ideal Treliving/Berube player
 
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Mason Marchment seems like an absolute given doesn't it? Dallas is looking to clear salary, so we can give them practically peanuts or heck even Nick Robertson one for one? Super cheap player with upside.

Marchment seems like an ideal Treliving/Berube player

Problem is, his production plummets in the playoffs. He goes from 51pt/82g in reg seasons to 26/82 in playoffs.
 
Nope. If we were ever to take on Elias Lindholm from Boston, it would have to be at a punishing price to Boston regardless of how it could benefit us on the ice. You don't let a division rival and motivated seller off the ropes for a cheap price so they can do what they want on the market. You make it damaging for them to dispose of the asset. There would have to be significant retention and futures coming back, non negotiable.

Lindholm is owed $7.8m over the next 5. Imo if he was UFA right now, he'd be able to get the same deal still. His playoff production is also consistent with his regular season production, although his hit rate triples.

Imo, would be a solid get.
 
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Lindholm is owed $7.8m over the next 5. Imo if he was UFA right now, he'd be able to get the same deal still.

But you have to consider Boston being a motivated seller and what it means for them to have $7.8 million free over the next 5 years. What did we pay for a one year disposal of Patrick Marleau, for example.
 
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But you have to consider Boston being a motivated seller and what it means for them to have $7.8 million free over the next 5 years. What did we pay for a one year disposal of Patrick Marleau, for example.

There are also lots of motivated buyers. Many teams in the NHL could use a #2C at a palatable cap hit. If Bennet and JT are off the market, he might be the best C available.
 
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There are also lots of motivated buyers. Many teams in the NHL could use a #2C at a palatable cap hit. If Bennet and JT are off the market, he might be the best C available.

Honestly, there's no benefit in overhyping Elias Lindholm and creating a pressure point for Toronto to act where there's none. As it stands he's like a Morgan Rielly at center and I wouldn't advocate we act fast and risk this opportunity passing us by.
 
Honestly, there's no benefit in overhyping Elias Lindholm and creating a pressure point for Toronto to act where there's none. As it stands he's like a Morgan Rielly at center and I wouldn't advocate we act fast and risk this opportunity passing us by.

I'm not sure that I see the comparison other than the similar remaining contract. Morgan's weakness is his defense, and that's Lindholm's strength. Lindholm-Nylander sounds like a really good match on paper. And again, a guy whose game doesn't shrink in the playoffs is the type we should be trying to aquire.
 
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Problem is, his production plummets in the playoffs. He goes from 51pt/82g in reg seasons to 26/82 in playoffs.
It's really not a problem, looking at playoff points on every player you want to trade for/sign is not a good way to see if they are good or not.

Playoffs are a different beast and harder game to play. If you don't get a point but caused a turn over on the forecheck and we score, that's the same as assisting.
 
Leafs need to be proactive and just do the Lyubuskin + Mavrik Bourque for a 6th round pick. That buyout cost is not a big deal at all.
 
Guys I'm starting to warm to the idea of taking a BIG run at Ekblad.

Not because I don't love the Rielly Carlo pair I love that pair.

But if you could land Ekblad you could run.

Rielly Ekblad

McCabe Tanev

OEL /Benoit and Carlo

An Ekblad Tanev Carlo right side would be as good as you find.

It would likely mean the end of either OEL or Benoit unless you wanted to COMPLETELY STACK the defense and make Benoit the #7 D, which would make Myers the #8.

I doubt it happens but taking a legitimate run at Ekblad would be a smart move.
 
Nope. If we were ever to take on Elias Lindholm from Boston, it would have to be at a punishing price to Boston regardless of how it could benefit us on the ice. You don't let a division rival and motivated seller off the ropes for a cheap price so they can do what they want on the market. You make it damaging for them to dispose of the asset. There would have to be significant retention and futures coming back, non negotiable.

It's not a 2 team league. If Bostons best offer is Lindholm for a 5th, giving them a 4th doesn't "let them off the ropes for cheap"... its simply smart business for your own interest.
 
The issue is - how long is Lindholm going to be a top 60 C? Is he a 2C today? Sure.

Is he a 2C in year 3/7? It’s a gamble.

I’d think the Leafs would be better off grabbing Coyle who is worse today but is 2.5M cheaper and you get to walk free next summer and chase a better player.

Ultimately I think if you're the Leafs, you have to look at the next 3 years as your window to win.

Between Coyle & Lindholm, I don't think there's neccessarily a wrong answer, but some things to consider:

- Lindholm at age 30 is likely to decline slower than Coyle at age 33.

- If you assume Tavares back, Lindholm likely gives you a bit better versatility to use on a 3-deep arrangement with Nylander, whereas Coyle is more of a "true 3rd line C".

- Lindholm, with his contract and performance last year, may be viewed as a dump that could be acquired for an insignifcant price.

- The Leafs do not have a ton of futures, or even movable pieces, to get a deal done. The Avs gave up Casey Mittelstadt, a 2nd rounder, and a guy ~9 months removed from being a 3rd round pick. Troonto realistically doesn't have the draft capital to put together a package in that ballpark.
 
Guys I'm starting to warm to the idea of taking a BIG run at Ekblad.

Not because I don't love the Rielly Carlo pair I love that pair.

But if you could land Ekblad you could run.

Rielly Ekblad

McCabe Tanev

OEL /Benoit and Carlo

An Ekblad Tanev Carlo right side would be as good as you find.

It would likely mean the end of either OEL or Benoit unless you wanted to COMPLETELY STACK the defense and make Benoit the #7 D, which would make Myers the #8.

I doubt it happens but taking a legitimate run at Ekblad would be a smart move.

Adding Ekblad to our current defensive core is a waste of cap space.

We need top-9 forwards a lot more than we need to push Simon Benoit out of the lineup.

Spend the money where it helps the most. Let’s not repeat the Tavares mistake.
 
Adding Ekblad to our current defensive core is a waste of cap space.

We need top-9 forwards a lot more than we need to push Simon Benoit out of the lineup.

Spend the money where it helps the most. Let’s not repeat the Tavares mistake.
If Ek is obtainable for the right price I would sign him and deal Carlo for my top 9 forward.. Ekblad and one of Ehlers or Boeser as well. Moving Rielly out would be nice too but even a poor puck mover is better than none and I don't see an FA lefties.
 
Looks like Colorado don't need to shed cap space anymore.



Does that tweet mean he’s hitting UFA?

They have 1.2 million in cap space with 12 forwards, 5 defensemen, and 2 goalies signed. Unless their only move is signing RFA Sam Malinski as their 6th D and going with a 20 player roster all year, they still need to shed someone.
 
Does that tweet mean he’s hitting UFA?

They have 1.2 million in cap space with 12 forwards, 5 defensemen, and 2 goalies signed. Unless their only move is signing RFA Sam Malinski as their 6th D and going with a 20 player roster all year, they still need to shed someone.
Friedman is reporting they don’t intend to shed salary.

 
leafs.aav.next.year.salary.cap.2026.png


Besides Marner walking and JT needing to be signed at a reasonable AAV, we dont have many big signing needed.

Alexander Nylander is UFA.
 
Does that tweet mean he’s hitting UFA?

They have 1.2 million in cap space with 12 forwards, 5 defensemen, and 2 goalies signed. Unless their only move is signing RFA Sam Malinski as their 6th D and going with a 20 player roster all year, they still need to shed someone.
 
If Ek is obtainable for the right price I would sign him and deal Carlo for my top 9 forward.. Ekblad and one of Ehlers or Boeser as well. Moving Rielly out would be nice too but even a poor puck mover is better than none and I don't see an FA lefties.

No you keep Carlo the point of signing Ekblad would be

A to bring in somebody other than Rielly that can produce offense.

B it gives you Ekblad, Tanev, Carlo that's arguably the best right side in the league.

OEL would be the guy you deal.
 
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