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

[LeafEgo]

Hey Leafs fans,

Was pulling for you guys hard. Was lurking here half as a vibe check on you all and half to see if anything has been proposed in terms of making a deal with Anaheim.

I saw someone mention Brett Leason. My God, if you’re miserable now watching him play hockey for your team isn’t gonna make it better.

I’m curious and I know the chances of Matthews actually moving are slim and the chances of him accepting a trade to Anaheim are probably just as low - but out of curiosity because the Ducks are one team with the pieces and cap to make it work. What would it take. I would think only ones they would say no to would be Carlsson, Lacombe and Gauthier.

McTavish, Mintyukov, #10 overall as a baseline? Feel free to just tell me to f*** off too

Tim Washe, your most expensive forward with a 7M cap hit is intriguing...

 

[TheGreenTBer]

Marner is 100% gone.

Yup. Even if the Leafs want him back, which is debatable, I don't think he wants to be here anymore.

 

[Folignos Helmet]

You're gonna be really let down if you expect the Leafs to move on from all those players. They will still want to be competitive and it's not realistic to expect a change of 8+ players from the roster, on top of signing a bunch of UFAs.

This team will already be looking very different with just 1 top player leaving. The Leafs already have 25M of cap space, and likely more if they finally dump a few players for minimal money back.

I’ve suggested 5. 2 of which are UFA so no effort to move on from. Jarnkrok and Kampf I think are universally considered gone. That leaves Domi who will be tough to move. JT can take 3 million to play 3LW but I doubt he does that.

The other 3 are open questions. I doubt Matthews and Rielly go. At least at all at once this off season. McMann I just see as a piece who could move. He would be an ideal candidate to go for a player a team is looking to dump because of salary - Marchment, Marchessault, Pageau etc.

 

[dubplatepressure]

Yup. Even if the Leafs want him back, which is debatable, I don't think he wants to be here anymore.

not at the $14M you know he'll insist on getting. Goodbye.

 

[Thornbury]

rielly was our worst dman in our zone imo, cant pay a bottom pair dman over 7million. even if i like him as a player and i like his attitude

But he does have a no trade, and he sure doesn't sound like he wants out, unlike Mitch.

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

If we really wanted to, I'm sure we could get a 1st back for Carlo

Laughton is another story lol. Don't know what they were doing with that one

 

[MarMarSab3]

This core and this team just aren't a likeable bunch, our big guys play small, we are a blue collar town and love our blue collar players. We need speed, tenacity and toughness and we lack all of it.

Marner, Tavares, Lorentz can all walk
Reilly, Kampf, Jarnkrok, Holmberg, Robertson need to go asap

Knies Matthews ******
Cowan ******* Nylander
McMann Laughton Domi
Jeannot Quillan/Haymes Tanev

McCabe Tanev
OEL Carlo
Benoit *******

Stolarz Woll



Haymes and Quillan fight for 4C
Sign Brandon Tanev for 4RW
Sign Jeannot 4LW

 

[SprDaVE]

If we really wanted to, I'm sure we could get a 1st back for Carlo

Laughton is another story lol. Don't know what they were doing with that one

Might as well double down and go for it. There will be plenty of time to recoup draft picks. Losing Marner for nothing hurts a lot but we still have good players and you can replace a good player with another... just need scouting and management to do their jobs.

 

[4thline]

Tough situation @ C, a Tavares that wants to sign cheap to stay in Toronto is hard to say no to- but it's also hard to change the identity of the team if you still have him, Matthews, and Nylander in the top 6/9.

The questions I'm asking myself are:-

• if you had a Knies-Matthews-xxx line power on power matchup line, with the xxx being a heavy, reasonably aggressive, defensively responsible winger, and Matthews leans into the "Barkov" aspects of his game to be more of a Selke type, 40/40 for 80 points grindy 1C rather than a 60/40 sniper we gameplan around enabling- can that change be beneficial come playoff time?
• if you had an xxx-Domi-Nylander sheltered offensive usage 2nd line, do you lean into the identity and get them the most offensively talented LW you can afford, or also get someone that brings a higher ratio of weight/aggression/defensive play, and can that line be effective in the playoffs?
• if your top 6 was as above- how much offense do you need from the bottom 6? Can you afford to focus on a grindy, aggressive identity and score by committee?

Depending on the answers to those questions- looking at UFA's available, knowing Berube, it's not hard to see a revamped F group with Matthews/Nylander/Knies/Domi providing the skill- everyone else selected for some combo of size/speed/aggression/work rate. A real lunch pail group. Assuming Kampf/Jarncrok/Robertson traded + Marner and Tavares gone, Bennet and Marchard re up in Florida and are off the table.

Matthews/Knies/Nylander/Domi/Laughton/McMann/Lorentz (re-signed) returning. Do you go after a Granlund/Ehlers/Boeser? Or keep that powder dry and reinvent the team with 5 of Mangiapane/ Raddysh/ Kunin/Kuraly/Appleton/Tanev/Bjugstad/Robinson/Gourde/Jeannot. Could a Brock Nelson fit into that kind of a heavy bottom 6, or displace Domi to the wing?

 

[mydnyte]

funny thought, if Stolarz wasnt 'injured' the Leafs win that series going away.
Woll came in Game 2 and gave up a few softies after Stolar had been shutting them down, and that gave them a little confidence, then, in Game 3, Woll blew the game with weak goals against, Stolarz had let in 1 weak goal the entire Ottawa series.
in our losses Woll was our worst player.
if we should be looking to put blame on someone, Woll needs to be at the top of the trade him list

Benoit had great moments, but, he couldnt clear the puck out of his zone, he also needs to be a #7 at best
Rielly needs to be asked to waive his NMC
Jarn and Kampf need to be traded for anything to get the $$ off the roster if they are going to be out as much as in the lineup

a descision needs to be made on Robertson, as he can put the puck in the net, but, if this is a Berube team, and he wont play him, he needs to be moved too, though, he should have been in the lineup

these should be the Leafs 1st things to address in a roster turnover, then decide on Marner/JT etc.

 

[SprDaVE]

Tough situation @ C, a Tavares that wants to sign cheap to stay in Toronto is hard to say no to- but it's also hard to change the identity of the team if you still have him, Matthews, and Nylander in the top 6/9.

The questions I'm asking myself are:-

• if you had a Knies-Matthews-xxx line power on power matchup line, with the xxx being a heavy, reasonably aggressive, defensively responsible winger, and Matthews leans into the "Barkov" aspects of his game to be more of a Selke type, 40/40 for 80 points grindy 1C rather than a 60/40 sniper we gameplan around enabling- can that change be beneficial come playoff time?
• if you had an xxx-Domi-Nylander sheltered offensive usage 2nd line, do you lean into the identity and get them the most offensively talented LW you can afford, or also get someone that brings a higher ratio of weight/aggression/defensive play, and can that line be effective in the playoffs?
• if your top 6 was as above- how much offense do you need from the bottom 6? Can you afford to focus on a grindy, aggressive identity and score by committee?

Depending on the answers to those questions- looking at UFA's available, knowing Berube, it's not hard to see a revamped F group with Matthews/Nylander/Knies/Domi providing the skill- everyone else selected for some combo of size/speed/aggression/work rate. A real lunch pail group. Assuming Kampf/Jarncrok/Robertson traded + Marner and Tavares gone, Bennet and Marchard re up in Florida and are off the table.

Matthews/Knies/Nylander/Domi/Laughton/McMann/Lorentz (re-signed) returning. Do you go after a Granlund/Ehlers/Boeser? Or keep that powder dry and reinvent the team with 5 of Mangiapane/ Raddysh/ Kunin/Kuraly/Appleton/Tanev/Bjugstad/Robinson/Gourde. Could a Brock Nelson fit into that kind of a heavy bottom 6, or displace Domi to the wing?

It's hard to find players that want to stay and can thrive in this environment. A PPG center and almost 40 goals last year, and 5 goals in 13 playoff games is pretty solid. He's not perfect though. Obviously money and term matter but he's probably the one player out of them all that would take a fair deal to stick around and retire here. We're also so thin in capable centers.

I think there's enough change coming up with Marner likely walking, and a few dead weight players hopefully dumped.

It might be time to give a huge boost to secondary scoring after the top players with the money. Problem with that is that it might create a few deadweight players if you don't target the good ones... kinda like Kampf. I'd model my bottom lines like the Hurricanes and the Capitals.

 

[4thline]

It's hard to find players that want to stay and can thrive in this environment. A PPG center and almost 40 goals last year, and 5 goals in 13 playoff games is pretty solid. He's not perfect though. Obviously money and term matter but he's probably the one player out of them all that would take a fair deal to stick around and retire here. We're also so thin in capable centers.

I've been a big defender of JT, and I agree, if he wants to come back on a reasonable dollar figure it's hard to say no, but....

• culture wise I think it's hard to instill that warrior mentality with him and Matthews as your lead C's and Nylander in the top 6. Of the 3 he is now the least impactful, and the only one not under contract
• He had a 1C level offensive season and still finds a way to get it done in the O-zone, but his footspeed his becoming an issue on defensive rotations and breakouts, and that's only going to get worse.

 

[SprDaVE]

I've been a big defender of JT, and I agree, if he wants to come back on a reasonable dollar figure it's hard to say no, but....

• culture wise I think it's hard to instill that warrior mentality with him and Matthews as your lead C's and Nylander in the top 6. Of the 3 he is now the least impactful, and the only one not under contract
• He had a 1C level offensive season and still finds a way to get it done in the O-zone, but his footspeed his becoming an issue on defensive rotations and breakouts, and that's only going to get worse.

I still think he's well worth retaining him even with the warts. You won't be able to replace a PPG and 40 goal center. Bennett is the only one that could maybe come in and make an impact as a 2nd line center but he likely won't make UFA. So if Tavares outprices his stay as well... The Leafs might cooked as the kids say.

 

[rumman]

This core and this team just aren't a likeable bunch, our big guys play small, we are a blue collar town and love our blue collar players. We need speed, tenacity and toughness and we lack all of it.

Marner, Tavares, Lorentz can all walk
Reilly, Kampf, Jarnkrok, Holmberg, Robertson need to go asap

Knies Matthews ******
Cowan ******* Nylander
McMann Laughton Domi
Jeannot Quillan/Haymes Tanev

McCabe Tanev
OEL Carlo
Benoit *******

Stolarz Woll



Haymes and Quillan fight for 4C
Sign Brandon Tanev for 4RW
Sign Jeannot 4LW

I got no problem with Lorentz, he plays with edge and gives it his all…….

 

[rumman]

funny thought, if Stolarz wasnt 'injured' the Leafs win that series going away.
Woll came in Game 2 and gave up a few softies after Stolar had been shutting them down, and that gave them a little confidence, then, in Game 3, Woll blew the game with weak goals against, Stolarz had let in 1 weak goal the entire Ottawa series.
in our losses Woll was our worst player.
if we should be looking to put blame on someone, Woll needs to be at the top of the trade him list

Benoit had great moments, but, he couldnt clear the puck out of his zone, he also needs to be a #7 at best
Rielly needs to be asked to waive his NMC
Jarn and Kampf need to be traded for anything to get the $$ off the roster if they are going to be out as much as in the lineup

a descision needs to be made on Robertson, as he can put the puck in the net, but, if this is a Berube team, and he wont play him, he needs to be moved too, though, he should have been in the lineup

these should be the Leafs 1st things to address in a roster turnover, then decide on Marner/JT etc.

I love discussions that are based on IF’s, they’re just so hypothetical…….

 

[rumman]

I've been a big defender of JT, and I agree, if he wants to come back on a reasonable dollar figure it's hard to say no, but....

• culture wise I think it's hard to instill that warrior mentality with him and Matthews as your lead C's and Nylander in the top 6. Of the 3 he is now the least impactful, and the only one not under contract
• He had a 1C level offensive season and still finds a way to get it done in the O-zone, but his footspeed his becoming an issue on defensive rotations and breakouts, and that's only going to get worse.

Nothing changes without change…….

 

[4thline]

I still think he's well worth retaining him even with the warts. You won't be able to replace a PPG and 40 goal center. Bennett is the only one that could maybe come in and make an impact as a 2nd line center but he likely won't make UFA. So if Tavares outprices his stay as well... The Leafs might cooked as the kids say.

I haven't been a fan of Domi's a cap allocation or deployment for much of his Leaf stint, but he's been a successful 2C in the league. In a post Tavares world where an xxx-Domi-Nylander line is allowed to feast on the bulk of the pure offensive minutes/matchups, I wouldn't be shocked at a return of 18-19 Canadiens or 22-23 Blackhawks level production from him.

 

[4thline]

Re: The D Corps- we need Morgan back, in shape, focused, and over whatever he was dealing with this year- adjustment to Berube, collicky kid, injury, whatever. McCabe and Tanev are warriors. Love them both. And they were a great regular season pair- it's hard to argue with their results. But they take so much punishment that could be avoided with more of a faster/puckmoving partner. Even if we got through Florida, it was only a matter of time before Tanev disintegrated, there would be nothing left by a hypothetical cup final. I wouldn't be surprised if he was already being held together by athletic tape and injections.

Our day 1 gameplan plus the addition of Carlo
Rielly-Tanev
OEL-McCabe
Benoit-Carlo

That's deep and more balanced- less hard miles and hits on retrievals to the key guys- but it requires a much better version of Rielly than we got this year.

 

[Field of Dreams]

This core and this team just aren't a likeable bunch, our big guys play small, we are a blue collar town and love our blue collar players. We need speed, tenacity and toughness and we lack all of it.

Marner, Tavares, Lorentz can all walk
Reilly, Kampf, Jarnkrok, Holmberg, Robertson need to go asap

Knies Matthews ******
Cowan ******* Nylander
McMann Laughton Domi
Jeannot Quillan/Haymes Tanev

McCabe Tanev
OEL Carlo
Benoit *******

Stolarz Woll



Haymes and Quillan fight for 4C
Sign Brandon Tanev for 4RW
Sign Jeannot 4LW

Im not sure if you stepped out of a time machine, but Toronto definitely a white collar town. If we are using the colour of our collars to decide the identity of our team, I will point you in the direction of Nick Petan who is a free agent.

 

[MarMarSab3]

Im not sure if you stepped out of a time machine, but Toronto definitely a white collar town. If we are using the colour of our collars to decide the identity of our team, I will point you in the direction of Nick Petan who is a free agent.

Have you noticed every time there's a big hit or a fight at Scotiabank arena those are the loudest cheers? not sure what you're talking about

 

[Field of Dreams]

Have you noticed every time there's a big hit or a fight at Scotiabank arena those are the loudest cheers? not sure what you're talking about

White collar fans can enjoy a good hit just like blue collar fans can enjoy a skillful play. I'm saying this is the most white collar town in all of Canada.

 

[aingefan]

Outside of the obvious top 6 targets, I wouldn't mind grabbing a bunch of young RFAs/UFA group 6, who are likely under the compensation for offer sheets on try-me deals. Hope you strike gold.

IE:
Adam Klapka - 6"8 power forward
Jakob Lauko - absolute puck hound bottom 6er, who hits everything that moves
Rasmus Kupari - incredible skater. Might be one of the faster players in the league.
Kole Lind - Has had back to back great AHL playoff performances, physical, can score.
Grigori Denisenko - Former top pick, definitely has skill, not sure about the tool box.

There’s a few interesting group six’

Can’t forget Alex Steeves

Ole Lycksell centre-winger

https://puckpedia.com/player/olle-lycksell

Matej Blumel winger

https://puckpedia.com/player/matej-blumel

Depth and competition are good things.

Leafs are in that nice position where they can offer up a couple years, top end of that pay scale if it comes down to it.

 

[djdev]

But he does have a no trade, and he sure doesn't sound like he wants out, unlike Mitch.

at the end of the day who cares? tell him waive the no trade or we sit you. too long have we let the inmates run the asylum.

 

[WTFMAN99]

I like the changes for the most part but I don't think we'll see 9 different forwards and a gazillion trades. Not even the most insane aggressive GMs/teams do that unless they are fire selling for a rebuild.

Clear the bad depth out asap, take almost anything that doesn't bring back cap, look at adding one or two upgrades in the forward ranks via trade in whatever capacity and look at free agency to get a really good forward upgrade or two and then efficient depth pieces that can hopefully do well.

They cannot go into next season with deadweight players in their depth that can't create energy or have some awful negative shot attempt ratio. So many games this past season were atrociously carried by goaltending or super production by the top 6.

I think it's really aggressive but not entirely unheard of.

Colorado changed out 2 goalies in-season, added Coyle, added Nelson, added Lindgren, E.Johnson, traded Rantanen for Necas,

So 7 trades within a season...

 

[Malachi Crunch]

Of the ideas floating around here, I think I like the following the most, so far:

Marchessault (Trade - good Marner replacement)
Marchment (Trade - gritty 3rd liner who can score)
E. Kane (Trade - big personality, big game player)
Marchand (FA - intangibles)
Provorov (FA - if Rielly goes)
C. Brown (FA - clutch bottom sixer)
B. Tanev (FA - perfect all-around bottom sixer. The bros in their hometown)
J. Leivo (PTO - worth a shot)
Comtois (PTO - definitely worth a short - great bottom six skills)