Speculation: Russian Free Wallets

[Anthrax442]

Any interesting names to look out for?

 

[ULF_55]

I think we can expand it to, any free agents catch any GM's eyes at the World Championship?

And I think you are focusing on / suggesting non-drafted, past draft age players.

Leafs do have openings on Marlies and Leafs.

 

[Anthrax442]

We need another Mikheyev

 

[BlueForever75]

Another Komarov with a little more height would be awesome. Someone that can kill some penalties, with speed and bang to his game. That can chip in offensively on the wing.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

Can we get a magical Benjamin Button machine and bring back Danny Markov, Grabovski and Kulemin?

You could have Markov give himself stitches while the core watch and shit themselves.

 

[BlueForever75]

Can we get a magical Benjamin Button machine and bring back Danny Markov, Grabovski and Kulemin?

You could have Markov give himself stitches while the core watch and shit themselves.

Remember those days of Markov and Yushcevich??? Those were bruisers. Grabovski and Kulemin not so much.

But players like Tucker, Roberts, Corson, Green, Zezel, Osborne and Berg. Bring some of those players back at their equivalent today and the Leafs would have won 2-3 Stanley Cups already with this core 4.

 

[notbias]

Another Komarov with a little more height would be awesome. Someone that can kill some penalties, with speed and bang to his game. That can chip in offensively on the wing.

The entire bottom 6 is this, minus the offensive ability and speed.

It'd be nice to get someone who has more skill and offensive ability who can contribute in the bottom 6, I think they can skip the penalty killing, that is the only player Treliving likes usually.

 

[Duke16]

Shabanov will be the headliner when June 1st rolls around - high skill, very small, but a lot of teams are interested.

I've heard a few goalies will be looking at NA options (Motorygin and Prosvetov). There could be a few depth targets, but nothing overly exciting imo.

A few of the higher-end Euro names this year have already signed elsewhere or stayed in Europe. (Leppanen/Tomasek/Samanski to EDM, D'Astous to TBL)

 

[TheGreenTBer]

Remember those days of Markov and Yushcevich??? Those were bruisers. Grabovski and Kulemin not so much.

But players like Tucker, Roberts, Corson, Green, Zezel, Osborne and Berg. Bring some of those players back at their equivalent today and the Leafs would have won 2-3 Stanley Cups already with this core 4.

Grabovski and Kulemin were not bruisers but they would provide valuable offensive depth. Grabo also didn't play afraid IMO.

How tf did I forget Yushkevich? Yeah bring him on too. Toughness ftw.

 

[ULF_55]

Grabovski and Kulemin were not bruisers but they would provide valuable offensive depth. Grabo also didn't play afraid IMO.

How tf did I forget Yushkevich? Yeah bring him on too. Toughness ftw.

I'd take Antropov.

With healthy knees.

 

[The Shadow]

Can we get a magical Benjamin Button machine and bring back Danny Markov, Grabovski and Kulemin?

You could have Markov give himself stitches while the core watch and shit themselves.

Yuskevich was a warrior

 

[Malachi Crunch]

They're not Russians, but both Leivo and Comtois had good years in the KHL.

 

[Fogelhund]

They're not Russians, but both Leivo and Comtois had good years in the KHL.

They did... I've become extremely skeptical of points totals in the KHL now... I'm not sure it's even as good as the AHL anymore.

Leivo led the league in scoring with 81 points in 62 games. Other top ten in scoring were Shabanov with 67 points in 65 games, Sheldon Rempal (Canadian) with 61 points (who?) Trevor Murphy with 58 points, Barabanov with 58, and Gusev with 69. Comtois had 50 points in 62 games, for 23rd in points.

Rempal played quite a bit of AHL, and averaged 0.77 PPG there, and just a few games in the NHL, registering three points, over five seasons, and 21 games. His first year in the KHL and he has 0.9 PPG.

Murphy is a D man... who averaged 0.5 PPG in the AHL. He's been in the KHL for six seasons now, and has averaged 0.65 PPG over that time.

When you get guys like this, putting up more points in the KHL, than they did in the AHL, you really have to wonder how much their play will translate back to the NHL.

 

[VanW27]

They did... I've become extremely skeptical of points totals in the KHL now... I'm not sure it's even as good as the AHL anymore.

Leivo led the league in scoring with 81 points in 62 games. Other top ten in scoring were Shabanov with 67 points in 65 games, Sheldon Rempal (Canadian) with 61 points (who?) Trevor Murphy with 58 points, Barabanov with 58, and Gusev with 69. Comtois had 50 points in 62 games, for 23rd in points.

Rempal played quite a bit of AHL, and averaged 0.77 PPG there, and just a few games in the NHL, registering three points, over five seasons, and 21 games. His first year in the KHL and he has 0.9 PPG.

Murphy is a D man... who averaged 0.5 PPG in the AHL. He's been in the KHL for six seasons now, and has averaged 0.65 PPG over that time.

When you get guys like this, putting up more points in the KHL, than they did in the AHL, you really have to wonder how much their play will translate back to the NHL.

The KHL definitely isn't what it was even 5 years ago. A lot of prospects are putting up 18/19/20 YO seasons equal to or better than elite guys (Ovy, Malkin, Kaprizov).

A guy like Greb, who I liked and still do for Philly, put up numbers that in a historic context make him look like a superstar prospect. But he's not that.

 

[notbias]

They did... I've become extremely skeptical of points totals in the KHL now... I'm not sure it's even as good as the AHL anymore.

Leivo led the league in scoring with 81 points in 62 games. Other top ten in scoring were Shabanov with 67 points in 65 games, Sheldon Rempal (Canadian) with 61 points (who?) Trevor Murphy with 58 points, Barabanov with 58, and Gusev with 69. Comtois had 50 points in 62 games, for 23rd in points.

Rempal played quite a bit of AHL, and averaged 0.77 PPG there, and just a few games in the NHL, registering three points, over five seasons, and 21 games. His first year in the KHL and he has 0.9 PPG.

Murphy is a D man... who averaged 0.5 PPG in the AHL. He's been in the KHL for six seasons now, and has averaged 0.65 PPG over that time.

When you get guys like this, putting up more points in the KHL, than they did in the AHL, you really have to wonder how much their play will translate back to the NHL.

Leivo had a good NHL career... he's a good player.

Also, the AHL is usually dominated by career AHLers, not even part-time NHLers, the KHL is still better, but I think leagues in general are getting more even.

That's your leading AHL scorer this year...

Steeves led the Marlies and likely will have a much worse career than Leivo (so far he has been useless in the NHL).

I think it's good to scout the KHL or other leagues for mid-20s talent because those players aren't signed usually and have some upside, but yes, I sort of agree with the older players scoring there, that is overrated.

 

[Stephen]

We need another Mikheyev

We could probably get the original for not that much.

 

[Fogelhund]

Leivo had a good NHL career... he's a good player.

Also, the AHL is usually dominated by career AHLers, not even part-time NHLers, the KHL is still better, but I think leagues in general are getting more even.

View attachment 1042307

That's your leading AHL scorer this year...

Steeves led the Marlies and likely will have a much worse career than Leivo (so far he has been useless in the NHL).

I think it's good to scout the KHL or other leagues for mid-20s talent because those players aren't signed usually and have some upside, but yes, I sort of agree with the older players scoring there, that is overrated.

Leivo had a career year of 19 points in the NHL. Over 10 seasons, he put up 93 points. He put up 80 in the KHL last year alone.

Steeves "opportunity" this year, was playing with Lorentz, Kampf, Dewar and Holmberg. He played with Kampf for 29 minutes and put up TWO points in that time... call it 2g/60, 4pts/60 If you think a scoring forward, is given opportunity with those guys, and judge him upon that... I'm not even sure what to say. A scoring forward, needs to be put with a scoring line, to show what he can do... that was not done. I'm not saying Steeves will be a good NHLer.. but he most certainly was not put in any position here, to show what he could do.

 

[notbias]

Leivo had a career year of 19 points in the NHL. Over 10 seasons, he put up 93 points. He put up 80 in the KHL last year alone.

Steeves "opportunity" this year, was playing with Lorentz, Kampf, Dewar and Holmberg. He played with Kampf for 29 minutes and put up TWO points in that time... call it 2g/60, 4pts/60 If you think a scoring forward, is given opportunity with those guys, and judge him upon that... I'm not even sure what to say. A scoring forward, needs to be put with a scoring line, to show what he can do... that was not done. I'm not saying Steeves will be a good NHLer.. but he most certainly was not put in any position here, to show what he could do.

19 points in 36 games is what he had, and it will likely be much better than Steeves.

Steeves has been given a lot of similar deployment to guys like Robertson or Holmberg when they came into the league, and he is the clear #3 there, so he needs to do something with what he is given.

He's also not really a scoring forward, he is a bottom 6er at best, so he needs to do something there.

 

[Fogelhund]

19 points in 36 games is what he had, and it will likely be much better than Steeves.

Steeves has been given a lot of similar deployment to guys like Robertson or Holmberg when they came into the league, and he is the clear #3 there, so he needs to do something with what he is given.

He's also not really a scoring forward, he is a bottom 6er at best, so he needs to do something there.

Happy to circle back on this one, when he gets opportunity elsewhere this year.

 

[The Shadow]

Leivo had a career year of 19 points in the NHL. Over 10 seasons, he put up 93 points. He put up 80 in the KHL last year alone.

Steeves "opportunity" this year, was playing with Lorentz, Kampf, Dewar and Holmberg. He played with Kampf for 29 minutes and put up TWO points in that time... call it 2g/60, 4pts/60 If you think a scoring forward, is given opportunity with those guys, and judge him upon that... I'm not even sure what to say. A scoring forward, needs to be put with a scoring line, to show what he can do... that was not done. I'm not saying Steeves will be a good NHLer.. but he most certainly was not put in any position here, to show what he could do.

I’m a Steeves fan and feel he deserves a one way one year league minimum. Can bury him in the minors if it doesn’t work out

I also think this sends a message to other Marlies that promoting from within will happen

 

[notbias]

Happy to circle back on this one, when he gets opportunity elsewhere this year.

Leivo played 4th line a lot of his career and produced better than him.

But if Steeves gets a shot somewhere, and can put up a 25 point pace while playing 4th line minutes like Leivo did in his last year in the NHL, I'll say that is good for him.

Steeves is too slow and not skilled enough, Leivo was at least skilled.

This was all just brought up because the KHL is still a good league, and Leivo leading that league doesn't mean it is bad, he had some good seasons in the NHL, and is likely better than the top talent in the AHL still (Steeves was a top talent).

 

[Stephen]

I’m all about free wallets and reclamations. This summer the Leafs should take a look at draft picks from the first three rounds of 2018-2022 and comb through and see if any bust territory players are worth scooping up. Kind of the Kieffer Bellows theory.

 

[Anthrax442]

We could probably get the original for not that much.

No, he is too used at this point, we need new and shiny

 

[Cap'n Flavour]

Steeves led the Marlies and likely will have a much worse career than Leivo (so far he has been useless in the NHL).

I agree last season he showed nothing, but this season his numbers were fine in the very limited minutes he played. I thought he at least deserved a chance over the husks of Jarnkrok and Reaves.

 

[banks]

I agree last season he showed nothing, but this season his numbers were fine in the very limited minutes he played. I thought he at least deserved a chance over the husks of Jarnkrok and Reaves.

Agreed! I'd rather see Steeves, or some Russian free wallet, than Kampf or Jarnkrok again. For a team that has very little cap space for depth players, they sure wasted a lot on duds like those two. Ditch them both. You can get better from the KHL or on the waiver wire.

I don't think Reaves is an NHL player anymore either, but at least he brings an element that is unique and useful. I'd rather give Reaves 6 minutes a night and see if the culture changes a bit.