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Speculation: Searching for the #2 Defenseman

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kessley Snipes*
  • Start date Start date
Even if Reilly pans out, I think we'd be wise to seek a sound two-way defenseman who can cover up for Dion's mistakes while not hurting his offense, someone in the mold of a Kimmo Timonen. If Dion's going to play big minutes, having a partner who can keep him out of trouble will go a long way. Reilly will definitely be playing with him on the PP though.
 
Kessley Snipes said:
Because teams should NEVER look outside the organization to solve their issues. That is how good General Managers work.

It's almost as if you've never paid attention. :laugh:
Click to expand...

Way to disregard my whole post.

Now is not the time.

Especially in the leafs position with the cupboards filled with d-man and not contending atm.
 
Ricky Bobby said:
Carlyle is showing he wants Phaneuf on the left side and I agree with the move because it helps him from making the big defensive blunders by getting beat to the outside.

Gardiner, Gunnarson, Liles, Rielly and Ranger are also all best suited to the left side.

So yeah we need to look outside for a legitimate top 4 minute Dman who can play the right side.

If Ranger signs with us for next year I think Gunnarson is that top trade chip to help us get that player.
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great post cause Carlyle is noted as saying in the past he wants his D playing their strong side and I will defer to him who played the game for a long time to understand what goes on with Dmen.

So looking for a top pair guy now goes to RH shots.

Too bad Dan Boyle was 36 cause he would be good with Phaneuf while not physical smart with his stick and able to skate out of pressure and make a great first pass.
 
Kessley Snipes said:
Dion Phaneuf is a top pairing Defenseman.

Then we have Holzer, Kostka, Gunnarson, Franson, Fraser; followed by Liles and Komisarek

Carlyle has been highly criticized this year for playing Kostka and Holzer with Phaneuf as they are clearly out of their element. Our "educated" fan base believes these players are terrible, when in reality they are 4/5/6 guys playing top pairing minutes.

The real issue doesnt reside in the play of Holzer, Kostka etc., but rather the lack of another dependable top pairing defenseman.

The question becomes whether or not Jake Gardiner is that guy, or if we need to look outside the organization until Morgan Reilly is ready.

Our Defense could look like this:
Phaneuf-Gardiner
Gunnarson-Kostka
Fraser-Franson
Click to expand...

carlyle likes to use, left-right defence pairings, gardiner would not be a good fit with dion.
gardiner to play has to take out gunnersson or fraser.
so a #2 defence should be a right hand shot.

left hand
dion
gunnersson
fraser
liles
gardiner

right hand
holzer
franson
kostka
 
We have Dion Phaneuf, Cody Franson, Jake Gardiner, and Morgan Reilly, and a platoon of serviceable bottom pairing guys.

Why would we ever be looking for a defender? We're not winning the Stanley Cup this year. Just be patient, we have the prospects.
 
can Leaf fans assume Rielly is playing next year?
if so that would be great, because I'm not sure how much longer I can watch 5 players stand still on the PP
 
I really don't have a problem with Gunnarsson-Phaneuf as the top pair. Given Carlyle's greater attention to detail, they should be just fine.

To me, the issue is the myriad of questionable defencemen behind those 2.

Franson-Fraser have been great, but in limited role(s), and I'd be hesitant to see them increase those roles. Liles hasn't really re-established himself as a top 4 defenceman yet, Komisarek has found his way out of the lineup, Kostka's game seemed to fade quite substantially as the rest of the league came up to speed, and Holzer hasn't really looked all that special.

I think for the top 6 to be a formidable group, they've gotta look to consolidate the talent they have in those extra defenceman, into one excellent, stay-at-home guy, to play with Jake Gardiner.

If I'm looking at next year, I'm invisioning the D looking something like this:

Gunnarsson-Phaneuf
Gardiner-____
Fraser-Franson
Rielly, Holzer

How you get there for the rest of this year... a better question.
 
The leafs should really get a better defenceman to push Phaneuf down the depth charts. I would like Phaneuf to be on a second pairing and completely off the first pairing to improve the leafs goals against and PK
 
Garbs said:
Yeah, then we can spend the next 10 years whining about how we don't have an elite game changing winger, like we did last decade.
Click to expand...

Have you not heard Perry is signing with us this off season. :sarcasm:



If we could move Dion back the the right side would not be against getting Kimmo Timmonen doubt Philly ships him out though they sort of have their own D probs.
 
Agreed - Phaneuf will be a LD from now on so we need a top pairing RD.
Let's try and pry Erik Johnson from Colorado. Him and Phaneuf would be great together.
Probably not possible though.
 
number72 said:
The leafs should really get a better defenceman to push Phaneuf down the depth charts. I would like Phaneuf to be on a second pairing and completely off the first pairing to improve the leafs goals against and PK
Click to expand...
oh come on. did you keep a straight face when you wrote this?
 
Gardiner looked a lot like a #2 dman in his rookie season.
 
Well Phaneuf Rielly and Gardiner should all be in our top 4 in the next few years... and i cant see Rielly and Gardiner together, thefore one of Gardiner or Rielly will end up with Phaneuf. I really like Fraser and Franson pairing too, its the type of D where we can run all 3 lines.
 
What would it take to get harmonic from the isles.

Liles, Gunnarsonn and what else?
 
I agree that a #2 d-man has become more of a pressing issue and I've been thinking about it a lot myself.

Obviously, this organization has so much depth in that area but we don't really have another top pairing guy who can slot in comfortably with Phaneuf.

Normally, it WOULD be Gunnarsson, but he's not 100% and it shows.

Holzer and Kostka are in over their heads, and I'm not sure Gardiner could handle that kind of defensive responsibility.

It's funny, a guy like Ryan Suter would've been perfect, but he would've been too expensive and I doubt he wanted to come here since apparently he wasn't considering Canada at all.

But I think we really need a steady presence who can also move the puck a bit as his partner and not rookie d-men from the AHL.
 
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