Confirmed with Link: Scott Laughton (50% Retention), 2025 4th, 2027 6th to the Leafs for Nikita Grebenkin, conditional 2027 1st

[Leafshater67]

A late first got us Cowan so there's still usually good players left in the late 1st round that the Leafs could definitely draft that could potentially make an impact down the road. Grebenkin we'll have to see, but him eventually being at least as good as Laughton as a winger isn't that hard to imagine.

As for Kuzmenko he may not be elite defensively, but neither is Laughton. He's kinda like Nylander not great, but not a complete liability on defense either. Unlike Laughton though, he brings actual offensive skills that would help with their depth either on the 2nd or 3rd line and on the PP.

Like I said there's nothing that Laughton brings that Kampf doesn't already bring without having to pay a 1st and a decent prospect for. I'm not saying Kuzmenko is the player that will singlehandedly take this team to the next level, but he would bring more scoring ability to a team that often has problems with scoring in the playoffs. I'd much rather roll the dice and take a chance on Kuzmenko producing for us than trading away valuable assets for another Kampf level player who brings nothing special to the table.

Kuzmenko is a flawed player and what offence? Laughton had more goals with him this year, plays centre and brings way more tools including physicality, grit and willingness to mix it up.

Kuzmenko had one good season years ago. Let it go. He couldn’t find his game with 3 different teams this past year. You just want to crap on the leafs. The leafs did pay a premium for Laughton but he fills a position they badly needed and has term as well. If they didn’t pay it, somebody else would.

 

[GQS]

Kuzmenko is a flawed player and what offence? Laughton had more goals with him this year, plays centre and brings way more tools including physicality, grit and willingness to mix it up.

How is Kuzmenko anymore 'flawed' than Nylander is? Kuzmenko isn't elite defensively, but he isn't bad either. Go to the Philly and Kings board and no one is saying he's horrible defensively and unlike Nylander he's able to take at least a little bit of physical contact.

Also if you read the stats for this year between Laughton and Kuzmenko:

Laughton 80 games for 13 goals and 31 pts
Kuzmenko 66 games for 11 goals and 37pts

So Laughton scored a WHOPPING 2 more goals in 14 more games and still had 6 fewer points this season. Laughton's best year in his 10 year career is 18 goals and 43 pts. Kuzmenko in his 3 years in the NHL has scored 39, 22 and 11 goals. His worse offensive year is this year and its still only 7 goals and 6pts off of Laughton's very best year, but yeah Kuzmenko doesn't have more offensive skill by a mile compared to Laughton.

Kuzmenko had one good season years ago. Let it go. He couldn’t find his game with 3 different teams this past year. You just want to crap on the leafs. The leafs did pay a premium for Laughton but he fills a position they badly needed and has term as well. If they didn’t pay it, somebody else would.

Kuzmenko did well in his short time with Philly and then he went to LA where he had 5 goals and 17pts in 22 games. Not bad at all compared to Laughton's 2 goals and 4pts in 20 games with the Leafs.

Also you keep saying Laughton brings physical play and that's nice, but as I've asked before in what way is he signficantly better than Kampf who also is a center and can play physical and give you the same 10-12 mins a game the same as Laughton is doing now? Could've just saved that 1st and Grebenkin and just play Kampf who's already on your team and who you're already paying for this season and next.

 

[ClarkSittler]

How is Kuzmenko anymore 'flawed' than Nylander is? Kuzmenko isn't elite defensively, but he isn't bad either. Go to the Philly and Kings board and no one is saying he's horrible defensively and unlike Nylander he's able to take at least a little bit of physical contact.

Also if you read the stats for this year between Laughton and Kuzmenko:

Laughton 80 games for 13 goals and 31 pts
Kuzmenko 66 games for 11 goals and 37pts

So Laughton scored a WHOPPING 2 more goals in 14 more games and still had 6 fewer points this season. Laughton's best year in his 10 year career is 18 goals and 43 pts. Kuzmenko in his 3 years in the NHL has scored 39, 22 and 11 goals. His worse offensive year is this year and its still only 7 goals and 6pts off of Laughton's very best year, but yeah Kuzmenko doesn't have more offensive skill by a mile compared to Laughton.


Kuzmenko did well in his short time with Philly and then he went to LA where he had 5 goals and 17pts in 22 games. Not bad at all compared to Laughton's 2 goals and 4pts in 20 games with the Leafs.

Also you keep saying Laughton brings physical play and that's nice, but as I've asked before in what way is he signficantly better than Kampf who also is a center and can play physical and give you the same 10-12 mins a game the same as Laughton is doing now? Could've just saved that 1st and Grebenkin and just play Kampf who's already on your team and who you're already paying for this season and next.

Claiming Kuzmenko is somehow on the same level as Nylander is hilarious. Nylander is an elite, consistent top-line winger who drives play, creates his own offense, and logs tough minutes against top competition. He puts up 80+ points in his sleep and does it while playing on a line with constantly changing wingers.. Kuzmenko? He’s a skilled winger who had one outlier season driven by an absurd 27% shooting percentage and has been chasing that version of himself ever since. He needs others to create for him and disappears when the game gets tough. That’s not remotely close to Nylander, who you can actually build a line around.


As for the idea that Kuzmenko is better defensively or more physical is just LOL. He’s soft. He avoids contact, doesn’t battle hard on the boards, and you can physically take him out of games. Saying he "can take a bit of contact" doesn’t mean he’s strong on the puck or effective in the dirty areas. Nylander isn’t a bruiser, no one’s saying he is , but at least he can hold his own in battles and doesn’t fold under pressure. Kuzmenko’s defensive impact is minimal at best, and anyone acting like he’s a two-way threat is kidding themselves.


Now, comparing him to Laughton? That’s a totally different conversation. You’re talking about two players who play entirely different games. Laughton might not fill the scoresheet every night, but he does everything else: kills penalties, plays in all situations, brings grit, takes hits, gives hits, and shows up in big moments. He’s a leader and a pain to play against. Kuzmenko floats when he’s not scoring , if his offense dries up, he’s invisible. And let’s not act like point totals in a vacuum mean everything. Laughton starts in the D-zone, plays shutdown minutes, and still chips in offensively. That’s value that doesn’t show up in a a simple stats column.


And seriously, bringing up Kampf like he’s on the same level as Laughton? Kampf is a decent 4C, reliable at times, but let’s be honest, he’s soft too. He’s not a tone-setter, not a leader, and not someone you trust outside of a sheltered 4th line role. Laughton plays with edge and fire, he gets under opponents’ skin, he stands up for teammates, and he can slot anywhere from line two to four depending on the situation. Comparing him to Kampf is laughable and it seems Berube agrees. He likes to run 4 lines consistently and knows with Kampf he can't do that.


Bottom line: Kuzmenko is a finesse player who can be fun when the puck is bouncing his way. But he’s soft, inconsistent, and doesn’t bring a complete game. Nylander is miles better and has the numbers and impact to prove it. And Laughton brings more real-world, playoff-relevant value in one game than Kuzmenko and Kampf do in a month. This isn’t about regular season stats, it’s about what actually matters when the games count. And that’s where Laughton thrives and Kuzmenko disappears. Laughon helped the Leafs win the first round, his line played great. Kuzmenko is somewhere on a golf course right now.

And again if the Leafs traded for him, they wouldn't have been able to fit both him and Carlo under the cap. He's also a free agent so the Kings got him just to lose in the first round and now he's gone, What a stupid trade that was.

 

[arso40]

Claiming Kuzmenko is somehow on the same level as Nylander is hilarious. Nylander is an elite, consistent top-line winger who drives play, creates his own offense, and logs tough minutes against top competition. He puts up 80+ points in his sleep and does it while playing on a line with constantly changing wingers.. Kuzmenko? He’s a skilled winger who had one outlier season driven by an absurd 27% shooting percentage and has been chasing that version of himself ever since. He needs others to create for him and disappears when the game gets tough. That’s not remotely close to Nylander, who you can actually build a line around.


As for the idea that Kuzmenko is better defensively or more physical is just LOL. He’s soft. He avoids contact, doesn’t battle hard on the boards, and you can physically take him out of games. Saying he "can take a bit of contact" doesn’t mean he’s strong on the puck or effective in the dirty areas. Nylander isn’t a bruiser, no one’s saying he is , but at least he can hold his own in battles and doesn’t fold under pressure. Kuzmenko’s defensive impact is minimal at best, and anyone acting like he’s a two-way threat is kidding themselves.


Now, comparing him to Laughton? That’s a totally different conversation. You’re talking about two players who play entirely different games. Laughton might not fill the scoresheet every night, but he does everything else: kills penalties, plays in all situations, brings grit, takes hits, gives hits, and shows up in big moments. He’s a leader and a pain to play against. Kuzmenko floats when he’s not scoring , if his offense dries up, he’s invisible. And let’s not act like point totals in a vacuum mean everything. Laughton starts in the D-zone, plays shutdown minutes, and still chips in offensively. That’s value that doesn’t show up in a a simple stats column.


And seriously, bringing up Kampf like he’s on the same level as Laughton? Kampf is a decent 4C, reliable at times, but let’s be honest, he’s soft too. He’s not a tone-setter, not a leader, and not someone you trust outside of a sheltered 4th line role. Laughton plays with edge and fire, he gets under opponents’ skin, he stands up for teammates, and he can slot anywhere from line two to four depending on the situation. Comparing him to Kampf is laughable and it seems Berube agrees. He likes to run 4 lines consistently and knows with Kampf he can't do that.


Bottom line: Kuzmenko is a finesse player who can be fun when the puck is bouncing his way. But he’s soft, inconsistent, and doesn’t bring a complete game. Nylander is miles better and has the numbers and impact to prove it. And Laughton brings more real-world, playoff-relevant value in one game than Kuzmenko and Kampf do in a month. This isn’t about regular season stats, it’s about what actually matters when the games count. And that’s where Laughton thrives and Kuzmenko disappears. Laughon helped the Leafs win the first round, his line played great. Kuzmenko is somewhere on a golf course right now.

And again if the Leafs traded for him, they wouldn't have been able to fit both him and Carlo under the cap. He's also a free agent so the Kings got him just to lose in the first round and now he's gone, What a stupid trade that was.

The takes sometimes are nuts

 

[Leafshater67]

How is Kuzmenko anymore 'flawed' than Nylander is? Kuzmenko isn't elite defensively, but he isn't bad either. Go to the Philly and Kings board and no one is saying he's horrible defensively and unlike Nylander he's able to take at least a little bit of physical contact.

Also if you read the stats for this year between Laughton and Kuzmenko:

Laughton 80 games for 13 goals and 31 pts
Kuzmenko 66 games for 11 goals and 37pts

So Laughton scored a WHOPPING 2 more goals in 14 more games and still had 6 fewer points this season. Laughton's best year in his 10 year career is 18 goals and 43 pts. Kuzmenko in his 3 years in the NHL has scored 39, 22 and 11 goals. His worse offensive year is this year and its still only 7 goals and 6pts off of Laughton's very best year, but yeah Kuzmenko doesn't have more offensive skill by a mile compared to Laughton.


Kuzmenko did well in his short time with Philly and then he went to LA where he had 5 goals and 17pts in 22 games. Not bad at all compared to Laughton's 2 goals and 4pts in 20 games with the Leafs.

Also you keep saying Laughton brings physical play and that's nice, but as I've asked before in what way is he signficantly better than Kampf who also is a center and can play physical and give you the same 10-12 mins a game the same as Laughton is doing now? Could've just saved that 1st and Grebenkin and just play Kampf who's already on your team and who you're already paying for this season and next.

You lost me at the Nylander comparison. The amount of mental gymnastics it takes to pull that out of your ass is almost incredible.

Kuzmenko is a third liner bro. He’s not a good fit on the leafs and he is not what they’ve been missing. If you watched that team and think they need a small, soft, one dimensional scoring forward who can’t drive play, you don’t know hockey. You’re just wrong and can’t admit it but whatever.

Kuzmenko got outscored by Scott Laughton Hahahahahahahahaha. Cope harder! It was a slight overpay but when you’re all in, in the middle of your window a late first means nothing.

 

[GQS]

Claiming Kuzmenko is somehow on the same level as Nylander is hilarious. Nylander is an elite, consistent top-line winger who drives play, creates his own offense, and logs tough minutes against top competition. He puts up 80+ points in his sleep and does it while playing on a line with constantly changing wingers.. Kuzmenko? He’s a skilled winger who had one outlier season driven by an absurd 27% shooting percentage and has been chasing that version of himself ever since. He needs others to create for him and disappears when the game gets tough. That’s not remotely close to Nylander, who you can actually build a line around.

I never claimed Nylander and Kuzmenko are on the same level. The only thing I'm comparing is that Nylander is not known for his defense and neither is Kuzmenko, but neither are tire fires defensively either. So everything else you mentioned isn't what I was comparing between the two.

As for the idea that Kuzmenko is better defensively or more physical is just LOL. He’s soft. He avoids contact, doesn’t battle hard on the boards, and you can physically take him out of games. Saying he "can take a bit of contact" doesn’t mean he’s strong on the puck or effective in the dirty areas. Nylander isn’t a bruiser, no one’s saying he is , but at least he can hold his own in battles and doesn’t fold under pressure. Kuzmenko’s defensive impact is minimal at best, and anyone acting like he’s a two-way threat is kidding themselves.

I'm a Nylander fan, but lets be real the guy tries to avoid hard contact as much as possible. He does battle for the puck, but most times he's along the boards or in the corners he gets outmuscled. His best defensive plays are when he uses his stick to take the puck away from someone and he's really good at creating good scoring chances when he uses his body to protect the puck while taking it to the net.

I haven't watched Kuzmenko as much, but from what I've seen he isn't horrible defensively like you're trying to make him out to be. You can go ask Philly and Kings fans what they think of him and I don't think they'll say that he's horrible defensively either.

And seriously, bringing up Kampf like he’s on the same level as Laughton? Kampf is a decent 4C, reliable at times, but let’s be honest, he’s soft too. He’s not a tone-setter, not a leader, and not someone you trust outside of a sheltered 4th line role. Laughton plays with edge and fire, he gets under opponents’ skin, he stands up for teammates, and he can slot anywhere from line two to four depending on the situation. Comparing him to Kampf is laughable and it seems Berube agrees. He likes to run 4 lines consistently and knows with Kampf he can't do that.

Please. Laughton has played alright, but lets not try and make him out to be some super duper important player on the Leafs right now. He's a body who soaks up 10-14 mins a night and that's about it. Sure he can lay a few hits and do some talking, but you can count on one hand the number of plays he's made that were good enough for you to remember it. He's pretty much Mr. Neutral. Doesn't hurt you too much, but also doesn't help you too much.

If he were even elite defensively he would be playing more than 10-14 mins a night and clearly he isn't that which is why Berube plays him so little. Trying to make him out to be some huge upgrade over Kampf is laughable if we're judging him and his body of work so far with the Leafs.

Bottom line: Kuzmenko is a finesse player who can be fun when the puck is bouncing his way. But he’s soft, inconsistent, and doesn’t bring a complete game. Nylander is miles better and has the numbers and impact to prove it. And Laughton brings more real-world, playoff-relevant value in one game than Kuzmenko and Kampf do in a month.

Again never said Kuzmenko and Nylander are on the same level, but you can't deny that Kuzmenko has offensive ability and he's shown it with the Kings both regular season and in the playoffs. Laughton has been decent, but lets not over inflate his contributions to the team and pretend the Leafs can't win without him. I'd rather roll the dice with Kuzmenko for a mere 3rd round pick who can potentially help the Leafs inconsistent offense than have a bare difference maker in Laughton that we had to pay a significant price for.

And again if the Leafs traded for him, they wouldn't have been able to fit both him and Carlo under the cap. He's also a free agent so the Kings got him just to lose in the first round and now he's gone, What a stupid trade that was.

Why not? Just do what they did in the O'Reilly trade and get a 3rd team involved for cap retention purposes in exchange for a pick if they need to. Its not that hard. Also Kuzmenko did what he could to help the Kings and they were simply outclassed by the Oilers. It only cost LA a 3rd pick compared to what we gave up for a non-difference making player.

 

[GQS]

You lost me at the Nylander comparison. The amount of mental gymnastics it takes to pull that out of your ass is almost incredible.

Read my above post. Only comparison I made was the defensive abilities of both Nylander and Kuzmenko. Neither are great, but neither are horrible. That's the only comparison I was making.

Kuzmenko is a third liner bro. He’s not a good fit on the leafs and he is not what they’ve been missing. If you watched that team and think they need a small, soft, one dimensional scoring forward who can’t drive play, you don’t know hockey. You’re just wrong and can’t admit it but whatever.

Have you looked at the scoring on this team? Its gotten better this postseason against the Panthers, but game 4 showed how easily the Leafs can revert back to their old ways and their powerplay this entire series has been horrible, but hey let's burn significant assets to bring in a guy that barely moves the needle playing 10-14 mins a night vs spending a 3rd round pick on a guy that can potentially help you offensively and especially on the PP. Yeah I'll take the latter over the former anyday.

Kuzmenko got outscored by Scott Laughton Hahahahahahahahaha. Cope harder! It was a slight overpay but when you’re all in, in the middle of your window a late first means nothing.

I think YOU'RE the one coping when you say its a 'slight overpay' for Laughton. He's so good that Berube barely plays him and doesn't even give him the tough defensive assignments that a guy like Cirelli might get. There's really nothing about Laughton that stands out.

And by the way in the playoffs:

Laughton - 10 games for 2 assists
Kuzmenko - 6 games for 3 goals, 3 assists

And yeah a late 1st 'means nothing' which is where we drafted a guy like Cowan and Danford who also looks promising.

 

[Leafshater67]

Read my above post. Only comparison I made was the defensive abilities of both Nylander and Kuzmenko. Neither are great, but neither are horrible. That's the only comparison I was making.


Have you looked at the scoring on this team? Its gotten better this postseason against the Panthers, but game 4 showed how easily the Leafs can revert back to their old ways and their powerplay this entire series has been horrible, but hey let's burn significant assets to bring in a guy that barely moves the needle playing 10-14 mins a night vs spending a 3rd round pick on a guy that can potentially help you offensively and especially on the PP. Yeah I'll take the latter over the former anyday.


I think YOU'RE the one coping when you say its a 'slight overpay' for Laughton. He's so good that Berube barely plays him and doesn't even give him the tough defensive assignments that a guy like Cirelli might get. There's really nothing about Laughton that stands out.

And by the way in the playoffs:

Laughton - 10 games for 2 assists
Kuzmenko - 6 games for 3 goals, 3 assists

And yeah a late 1st 'means nothing' which is where we drafted a guy like Cowan and Danford who also looks promising.

Yeah you’re right dude, Kuzmenko is Nylander’s peer and a total star. The 3 teams to give up on him in the past 2 seasons are all just wrong.

He’s a lot more Nikita Gusev than he is William Nylander. Championship hopefuls don’t horde late firsts in hopes of scoring a game changer like Ben Danford lol….

 

[ClarkSittler]

I never claimed Nylander and Kuzmenko are on the same level. The only thing I'm comparing is that Nylander is not known for his defense and neither is Kuzmenko, but neither are tire fires defensively either. So everything else you mentioned isn't what I was comparing between the two.

You claimed "Go to the Philly and Kings board and no one is saying he's horrible defensively and unlike Nylander he's able to take at least a little bit of physical contact."


First of all I don't care what a bunch of morons who probably haven't even laced up a pair of skates let alone played an organized game of hockey have to say. Fans of American teams are mostly clueless about the game of hockey.

Secondly and more importantly your claim that Kuzmenko can take more physical contact than Nylander is ridiculous, see examples below from this year:

220 lbs Zetterland tries to knock Willy off the puck and he just shrugs him, eventually heads straight for the net through the front of the crease and scores. But yeah he's unable to take physical contact.




Willy grabs the puck and basically gets molested on his way to scoring the clinching goal. Sure looked like he couldn't take physical contact there.




Schmidt annoys Willy, so he cross checks him in the teeth. More Willy being afraid of that physical contact.

I'm a Nylander fan, but lets be real the guy tries to avoid hard contact as much as possible. He does battle for the puck, but most times he's along the boards or in the corners he gets outmuscled. His best defensive plays are when he uses his stick to take the puck away from someone and he's really good at creating good scoring chances when he uses his body to protect the puck while taking it to the net.

See above, that's not true at all. I admit he's not exactly Gary Roberts or Wendel Clark, but doesn't go out of his way avoid contact. Practically every goal here he's headed straight towards the front of the net, he isn't afraid of contact at all.

I haven't watched Kuzmenko as much, but from what I've seen he isn't horrible defensively like you're trying to make him out to be. You can go ask Philly and Kings fans what they think of him and I don't think they'll say that he's horrible defensively either.

Again, I'm not interested in what LOL Philly and Kings fans think. Is that how you assess a players worth by what opposing fans think? Using that rationale, Carlo should suck and be our worst defenceman based on what the clowns on the Bruins board were saying

Please. Laughton has played alright, but lets not try and make him out to be some super duper important player on the Leafs right now. He's a body who soaks up 10-14 mins a night and that's about it. Sure he can lay a few hits and do some talking, but you can count on one hand the number of plays he's made that were good enough for you to remember it. He's pretty much Mr. Neutral. Doesn't hurt you too much, but also doesn't help you too much.

He's a role player and good penalty killer, exactly what we need, not some soft, overpaid floater like Kuzmenko who we couldn't afford anyway.

If he were even elite defensively he would be playing more than 10-14 mins a night and clearly he isn't that which is why Berube plays him so little. Trying to make him out to be some huge upgrade over Kampf is laughable if we're judging him and his body of work so far with the Leafs.

And how many minutes would Kampf be playing? Oh that's right the same or probably less. Let's play a soft, useless player over a fearless gritty one. That makes total sense. Thank god Berube is the coach and not you.

Again never said Kuzmenko and Nylander are on the same level, but you can't deny that Kuzmenko has offensive ability and he's shown it with the Kings both regular season and in the playoffs. Laughton has been decent, but lets not over inflate his contributions to the team and pretend the Leafs can't win without him. I'd rather roll the dice with Kuzmenko for a mere 3rd round pick who can potentially help the Leafs inconsistent offense than have a bare difference maker in Laughton that we had to pay a significant price for.

The Leafs don't need soft floaters, they can't afford. They need gritty players made to win in the playoffs. Kuzmenko hadn't played an NHL playoff game in his life and he was a -5 in these playoffs. 6 points and a minus 5, that's pretty much unplayable territory. Take his 3 PP goals away and he's basically useless. Small, soft and he played a grand total of 3.5 minutes per game more than Laughton does. Amazing! And all for $5.5 million a year, such value!

Why not? Just do what they did in the O'Reilly trade and get a 3rd team involved for cap retention purposes in exchange for a pick if they need to. Its not that hard. Also Kuzmenko did what he could to help the Kings and they were simply outclassed by the Oilers. It only cost LA a 3rd pick compared to what we gave up for a non-difference making player.

Well if they went looking for a third party for cap relief it would've cost more than third round pick for a useless rental, now wouldn't it?

 

[ClarkSittler]

And by the way in the playoffs:

Laughton - 10 games for 2 assists
Kuzmenko - 6 games for 3 goals, 3 assists

And yeah a late 1st 'means nothing' which is where we drafted a guy like Cowan and Danford who also looks promising.

Yes Kuzmenko is quite the star, scored three goals all on the powerplay and was a minus 5.

He would be a third line player here, except we already have someone who's almost a duplicate, small size and everything who can't get into games as it is and actually scored more goals than your hero Kuzmenko for a fraction of the money.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Would be nice for him to get on the board with a goal tonight.

 

[GQS]

Yeah you’re right dude, Kuzmenko is Nylander’s peer and a total star. The 3 teams to give up on him in the past 2 seasons are all just wrong.

Again where did I say that Kuzmenko was equal to Nylander? I simply compared how they were defensively which was not amazing, but not horrible either. That's it. You and others are trying to make the offensive comparison when all I was saying was that Kuzmenko wasn't as bad defensively as people made him out to be and that he was similar to Nylander in that regard.

He’s a lot more Nikita Gusev than he is William Nylander. Championship hopefuls don’t horde late firsts in hopes of scoring a game changer like Ben Danford lol….

Danford looks solid so far and Cowan is looking pretty damn good. Late 1sts are still good picks that you shouldn't give away for a non-difference making player.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

I got a weird feeling he is gonna win us da game tonight .. not only our shut down Cats C but he buries da winner

 

[Stephen]

All hands on deck will need a goal from Laughton in the next game or two. Or three.

 

[GQS]

First of all I don't care what a bunch of morons who probably haven't even laced up a pair of skates let alone played an organized game of hockey have to say. Fans of American teams are mostly clueless about the game of hockey.

Why does someone need to have played hockey to be knowledgeable about a team that they're passionate about and have followed for many years? Probably many Leafs fans here have never played hockey, are you saying they're 'morons' as well? Are you one of those 'morons' that we shouldn't take seriously too?

Look I'm sure there are alot of casual fans on HFboards, but there's also many fans who follow their teams and the league very closely and are very knowledgeable fans. I'll take the opinion of a dedicated Philly fan who has watched Laughton probably his entire career over say you who has only seen him a few dozen games in a Leafs uniform.

Secondly and more importantly your claim that Kuzmenko can take more physical contact than Nylander is ridiculous, see examples below from this year.

Your examples proved my point that I stated above. Nylander can take physical contact when he has the puck and is protecting it to try and create a good scoring chance. What none of your examples show is him hitting anyone much or him grinding it out along the boards and in the corners for the puck the way Knies does. That's why I said in another thread that if Nylander had the intensity and willingness to fight for pucks everywhere the way Knies does, then Willie would be an insane player.

Again, I'm not interested in what LOL Philly and Kings fans think. Is that how you assess a players worth by what opposing fans think? Using that rationale, Carlo should suck and be our worst defenceman based on what the clowns on the Bruins board were saying

How about yes? Like I said above why WOULDN'T you take the opinion of fans who have followed their teams closely for many years and have followed all the players who have come and gone on their team? Does this mean we shouldn't take YOUR or any Leafs fan opinion on this board seriously too about the Leafs team?

When you're a huge fan and you've followed your team for so many years if not decades, why wouldn't you know enough about the players on your team to make a informed opinion about them? As for Boston fans and their opinion on Carlo he WAS playing not as good as he use to, but that doesn't mean a player can't improve when he moves to a new team and find his form again. So good for the Leafs that Carlo looks pretty decent with us so far.

He's a role player and good penalty killer, exactly what we need, not some soft, overpaid floater like Kuzmenko who we couldn't afford anyway.

Yes Laughton is SUCH A GOOD PENALTY KILLER that Berube used him in that role exactly for ZERO MINUTES of PK time in 2 of the 4 games against the Panthers and Matthews, Marner, Knies and Jarnkrok have taken the majority of the PK minutes so far in this series. Yes Berube trusts EVEN JARNKROK in that role more than he does Laughton.

Yep that's what our 1st and Grenbenkin got us. A guy who doesn't contribute much offensively, but who also isn't elite defensively, isn't great in the face off circle and isn't even the first guy up on the PK and is even beaten out in that role by Jarnkrok who missed most of the season from injuries.

Compare that to Dallas who got Granlund and Ceci for a 1st and 4th from the Sharks and now Granlund is doing everything that we hoped Laughton would be doing for us, chipping in offensively, killing penalties and is playing well enough that he's getting 15+ minutes of ice time per game in the playoffs. What a great deal by Brad!!

 

[aingefan]

I’ll just say again, salary cap.
His regular season deployment with the Leafs was due to no immediate chemistry - which happens - and the sum of the parts.
At the time, the McMann-Domi-Robertson was playing well. Of course 4-5 more points would have been nice.
And 6th in toi among forwards in a matchup role (against the defending cup champs) in the playoffs shows the coach’s confidence.
The line is reliably moving the puck from the D zone to the offensive zone and playing even hockey (aside from one bad period).
And there’s next year and next years playoff at 1.5.

 

[TMLAM34]

Wouldn’t mind seeing a line of McMann - Laughton - Robertson tonight. Think McMann and Laughton would/should work well together.

 

[aingefan]

Wouldn’t mind seeing a line of McMann - Laughton - Robertson tonight. Think McMann and Laughton would/should work well together.

I like that idea moving forward.
I’m not entirely sure tonight’s the night for it, but that’s my preference to ride the existing lines good work getting the puck to rhe neutral and o-zones.
Lotty has definitely shown the composure and defensive awareness to mesh with those two.

 

[Maple Leaf]

Mid

 

[The Shadow]

Did someone call Laughton scoring on our own net in a big game?

 

[Stringer Bell]

Would be nice for him to get on the board with a goal tonight.

Be careful what you wish for.

 

[Leafshater67]

Again where did I say that Kuzmenko was equal to Nylander? I simply compared how they were defensively which was not amazing, but not horrible either. That's it. You and others are trying to make the offensive comparison when all I was saying was that Kuzmenko wasn't as bad defensively as people made him out to be and that he was similar to Nylander in that regard.


Danford looks solid so far and Cowan is looking pretty damn good. Late 1sts are still good picks that you shouldn't give away for a non-difference making player.

Both being mediocre at D is one thing but it doesn’t mean much when one is an elite scorer and one is a third liner.

I’d like to see Kuzmenko bounce back but the notion that the leafs are idiots for paying what they did for a key locker room guy and role player is just coming from you hating them.

They’ve tried almost everything and still can’t win. They need to focus on that locker room and get guys who will mix it up. Those picks don’t help them now.

 

[Suntouchable13]

What a dumb move. Another 1st rounder wasted. The guy provides nothing.

 

[PanniniClaus]

Trying to block that shot with his purse and scoring an own goal, will be his legacy here.

 

[GQS]

Both being mediocre at D is one thing but it doesn’t mean much when one is an elite scorer and one is a third liner.

Doesn't matter if you call Kuzmenko a 1st liner or a 3rd liner, its undeniable that he does have good offensive talent that would've potentially helped this team no matter where in the lineup he plays. Jarnkrok, Laughton, Domi, McMann, Holmgren, Lorentz etc. None of these guys are producing much. Maybe Kuzmenko with the Leafs does nothing as well or he does what he can, but the Leafs still end up down 3-2 in the series. Either way as I said before I'd rather roll the dice on a guy that could potentially make a difference than a guy that doesn't move the needle at all.

I’d like to see Kuzmenko bounce back but the notion that the leafs are idiots for paying what they did for a key locker room guy and role player is just coming from you hating them.

Laughton such a 'key locker room guy' that he got them all hyped up for a 6-0 blowout loss at home with half the 3rd period left to go. Yeah we DEFINITELY need more of those guys on this team rather than anyone who could actually help produce some offense on the ice.

They’ve tried almost everything and still can’t win. They need to focus on that locker room and get guys who will mix it up. Those picks don’t help them now.

No its not the locker room. Its just the rotten core that needs to be carved out and jettisoned because they yet again can't get the job done when they're needed the most. This Kuzmenko-Laughton debate is pretty much moot at this point because he isn't going to be able to help enough to fix this mess. Heck even McDavid couldn't save this stinky team on his own.

All I'm saying is that I'd rather have Kuzmenko who potentially could've helped them in a close game like game 3 where you needed more talent on the ice than trading for a non-difference 'locker room guy' like Laughton. And lets be clear. Laughton for a 3rd pick and its perfectly fine. No complaints. Laughton for a 2nd pick? Still OK. Laughton for a 1st and Grebs? Yeah that's just a terrible trade and all those who kept saying just wait for him to get comfortable and he'll be good in the playoffs? Yeah well that hasn't happened and it won't happen.