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

[OVO16]

Knies - Matthews - Nylander
Nelson - Tavares - Cowan
McMann - Domi - Mangiapane
Jeannot - Laughton - Holmberg/Marlie/UFA Signing (minimum)

My forward adds here are Brock Nelson, Andrew Mangiapane and Tanner Jeannot

 

[SprDaVE]

Knies - Matthews - Nylander
Nelson - Tavares - Cowan
McMann - Domi - Mangiapane
Jeannot - Laughton - Holmberg/Marlie/UFA Signing (minimum)

My forward adds here are Brock Nelson, Andrew Mangiapane and Tanner Jeannot

Mangiapane seems primed to be able to sign for 1 year on a show me deal. He played his lowest TOI/G since his rookie 2018 season. Treliving drafted him and has worked with him so I think there's something there. Not sure he'll get back to his 30 goal form but could be a good 40 to 50 point player at the minimum.

 

[seanlinden]

We have to acquire a second line centre. Make a trade - be creative. Resigning Tavares for cheap is fine, but it’s either at 3C or LW.

Trade Rielly.

Look for young guys getting paid a lot that someone wants to dump. We have the cap space. Washington’s lightning quick retool a great case study.

As others have mentioned... the UFA market for centres is extremely shallow, nad the few that are available will likely get ridiculous deals.

The Leafs also don't really have much in the way of trade capital to be able to acquire guys through trade.

 

[Buds17]

Call me crazy but I'd much rather trade Nylander and re-sign Marner than just straight up let Marner walk for nothing

While I'm inclined to agree, there is a NMC involved which can easily scuttle that plan.

 

[OVO16]

Mangiapane seems primed to be able to sign for 1 year on a show me deal. He played his lowest TOI/G since his rookie 2018 season. Treliving drafted him and has worked with him so I think there's something there. Not sure he'll get back to his 30 goal form but could be a good 40 to 50 point player at the minimum.

What do you project his next contract to be?

 

[TheScandal89]

Knies - Matthews - Nylander
Domi - Tavares - 2RW
3LW - 3C - Cowan
4LW - Laughton - 4RW

This is how I see the team next year, the way its looking with Marner leaving and Tavares potentially staying.

Get rid of Jarnkrok, Kampf, Holmberg. They suck and won't contribute to playoff success. There just like Engvall and Mikheyev, good regular season players, who can't do much in playoffs. Your just hoping they stay even at least

McMann and Lorentz, I'm in different, they played hard, but didn't show results either. I'd only keep them if you can't find replacements but they are 4th liners imo come playoffs. Although I could see McMann getting the 3LW spot.

 

[Malachi Crunch]

As others have mentioned... the UFA market for centres is extremely shallow, nad the few that are available will likely get ridiculous deals.

The Leafs also don't really have much in the way of trade capital to be able to acquire guys through trade.

I wonder if we have enough to offer to get Marco Rossi who is rumoured to be on the trading block? It would have to be Cowan+ though.

 

[Jozay]

Reilly Smith, Mangiapane could be some good mid six fowards that can provide a bit of offense and wouldn’t be big/long term commitments

Although Reilly smith says he wants to stay in Vegas.

 

[SprDaVE]

What do you project his next contract to be?

Hard to know but I could see a 1 year deal anywhere between 3M and 4M depending on interest. He just finished a 5.8M cap hit contract so I'm not sure how much lower than that you can go for 1 year.

 

[Zack47]

The missing pieces right under your nose: Going off the board here, because one of the themes you see here is never getting what we have or had in our own system. You guys will know the list better than I do, but just make a list of players let go by Toronto who are now major contributors to other teams. Marchment, Verhaeghe, who else?

I don't think it's because of late bloomers -- that's an excuse. I have seen how badly Toronto treats its own young talent: Kadri was not given a real chance at the beginning -- up and down, up and down, with constant lecturing about playing defense. It didn't help him. Benoit, one of my favorite players, keeps getting downgraded here ONLY because of his history, i.e., low draft status. Who cares? You are buying some scout's theories instead to how he is actually playing.

My current example is one no one brings up: Alex Steeves. You can laugh, but consider this. Here is a guy leading the AHL in scoring, we need secondary scoring, so what do we do with him? Call him up for a few games and put him on the 4th line. Totally, completely, perfectly, definitively dumb.

 

[SprDaVE]

The missing pieces right under your nose: Going off the board here, because one of the themes you see here is never getting what we have or had in our own system. You guys will know the list better than I do, but just make a list of players let go by Toronto who are now major contributors to other teams. Marchment, Verhaeghe, who else?

I don't think it's because of late bloomers -- that's an excuse. I have seen how badly Toronto treats its own young talent: Kadri was not given a real chance at the beginning -- up and down, up and down, with constant lecturing about playing defense. It didn't help him. Benoit, one of my favorite players, keeps getting downgraded here ONLY because of his history, i.e., low draft status. Who cares? You are buying some scout's theories instead to how he is actually playing.

My current example is one no one brings up: Alex Steeves. You can laugh, but consider this. Here is a guy leading the AHL in scoring, we need secondary scoring, so what do we do with him? Call him up for a few games and put him on the 4th line. Totally, completely, perfectly, definitively dumb.

Steeves never getting a shot was mind boggling dumb. He did well in his small stint this season. He might be a player the Leafs kick themselves for not giving a shot to.

 

[notbias]

The missing pieces right under your nose: Going off the board here, because one of the themes you see here is never getting what we have or had in our own system. You guys will know the list better than I do, but just make a list of players let go by Toronto who are now major contributors to other teams. Marchment, Verhaeghe, who else?

I will forever post this when he is mentioned... Marchment is an absolute bum in the post season, why does everyone want him?

He's a cap dump if you go look at his post season numbers.

Your major contributor to other teams.

Steeves never getting a shot was mind boggling dumb. He did well in his small stint this season. He might be a player the Leafs kick themselves for not giving a shot to.

The issue is he has had one good game in his career and has played 10+, he's been bad.

 

[lanceuppercut75]

Matthews + Robertson
for
Couturier + Foerster + 6th overall

6th overall = Desnoyers (or Frondell)

Knies - Couturier - Nylander
(Ehlers) - (Bennett) - Foerster
McMann - Domi - (Pacioretty)
Holmberg - Laughton - Jarnkrok
Kampf
callup - Cowan
coming soon - Desnoyers (or Frondell)

26/27 :

Knies - Desnoyers - Nylander
Ehlers - Bennett - Foerster
Domi - Couturier - Cowan
Holmberg - Kampf - (UFA/kid)

 

[WTFMAN99]

I don't love this but it feels semi-realistic.

Just put Matthews and 88 together, JT & 88 don't have any real chemistry, they're just 2 good players.

I was debating between Duchene and Granlund at 2nd line RW but Granlund's PK ability sold me.

Quillan/Toews/Kuraly/Faksa would all be guys I consider at 4C

Ultimately, I don't love that JT and Domi project as the 2 and 3C again but you could also mix it around a bit...

Knies-Matthews-Domi
Marchand-JT-Cowan
Kane-Granlund-88

(Or cut it up another way)

 

[Fogelhund]

Piece by piece. Florida as an example was built over several years. That’s a bad the news

The good news is Toronto has some good pieces already. Knies is going to be a great one.

They just have to start this summer. Targeting the type of players they want and go after the ones that make the most sense.

Piece by piece

And stop trading draft picks.

Also I think Haymes is going to be a good NHLer who is exactly what I’m talking about. Big with skill and isn’t afraid to be around the net

Florida is bigger?

6'1" / 186.03 cm 200 lbs / 90.51 kg

Toronto

6'1" / 186.18 cm 199 lbs / 90.38 kg

 

[The Shadow]

Florida is bigger?

6'1" / 186.03 cm 200 lbs / 90.51 kg

Toronto

6'1" / 186.18 cm 199 lbs / 90.38 kg

Lol. Please tell me in my post where I said Florida is bigger

 

[SprDaVE]

Florida is bigger?

6'1" / 186.03 cm 200 lbs / 90.51 kg

Toronto

6'1" / 186.18 cm 199 lbs / 90.38 kg

The big thing with Florida is high end talent on good cap hits, but more importantly -- Their 3rd line is the best in the league. Lundell and Luostarinen have been dynamite not only being to produce, but being puck possession and forechecking beasts. Yeah they got some rats and they're physical but that's not what makes them so damn good.

 

[sxvnert]

Ehlers Matthews Nylander
Crouse Bennett Knies
Marchment Laughton Tanev
Lorentz Bjugstad Pacioretty

 

[weems]

Did anyone hear the story MacKinnon told of training with Crosby?
He talked about them doing these uphill races and that Crosby always beat him but that finally MacKinnon was about to win one when Crosby grabbed his leg from behind and tripped him. Basically saying that this guy hated to lose so much that he was willing to do ANYTHING to win. Marchand literally just said this exact thing yesterday in some long article.

Then you see this clip of Marchand last night. I don't feel like we have much of this amongst the core and their willingness to do whatever it takes to win is questionable.

Who knows what Marchand will have left in the tank at 37+ but I can gurantee he'd bring a TON of value off the ice and helping establish the needed sacrifice.

We need to find more players that have this but that are also somewhat skilled.

 

[Duffman955]

I'm going to work off the assumption that Marner takes off, and we keep Tavares on a team friendly deal ($5mil for 3 years). He will play 2/3C

The following players I would take a hard look at:

Pius Suter - slots in nicely as a 2/3C to compliment Tavares. Puts up 40-50 points, heavy defensive minutes, match-up against other teams top 2 lines to take some pressure off of Matthews and Tavares

Bennet - a 2/3C that adds some elements we are missing. I don't see him coming here, due to reputation, but would show some interest

Boeser/Ehlers - high skill winger to replace some of the offense lost from Marner. I fully expect Domi to be wing next year as well

Rest of the players, we would need to add some beef to the bottom 6 that actually has an impact on play. Mix of defense, offense, and physicality. No more Jarnkork, kampf, holmberg type players

- Coyle
- Kastelic
- Frederick
- Tanev
- Jeannott
- Bjugstad

 

[The Shadow]

Ehlers Matthews Nylander
Crouse Bennett Knies
Marchment Laughton Tanev
Lorentz Bjugstad Pacioretty

That’s not bad. Jets fans were saying Tanev was useless but I didn’t really watch. Bjugstad is huge but I don’t know if he is a playoff type of guy. Is he?

 

[WTFMAN99]

That’s not bad. Jets fans were saying Tanev was useless but I didn’t really watch. Bjugstad is huge but I don’t know if he is a playoff type of guy. Is he?

Tanev had 0 pts in 13GP and his playoff stats other years are mediocre, he is a hard pass.

 

[The Shadow]

Tanev had 0 pts in 13GP and his playoff stats other years are mediocre, he is a hard pass.

You’re on the right track. We can’t keep bringing in guys that offer zero playoff offence. They have to have something to offer offensively.

 

[WTFMAN99]

You’re on the right track. We can’t keep bringing in guys that offer zero playoff offence. They have to have something to offer offensively.

The Armchair GM I did above tried to balance everything.

 

[sxvnert]

Tanev had 0 pts in 13GP and his playoff stats other years are mediocre, he is a hard pass.

As a bottom six forward I'm fine with it. He can play the Hyman type role for the lower lines. Someone who actually has the speed and grit to recover dumped pucks.