Should we strongly consider Trading W. Nylander while his value is high?

[Glacious]

not in the playoffs, and especially not last night. (or game 6).

sure, minnie is pretty in the regular season.

I don't think I've seen a poster push such an obviously misguided agenda with such fervor before.

Marner absolutely put in a more consistent effort than Nylander throughout the series. That someone would actually try to argue against that is kind of mind boggling to me. Marner's issue is that he sometimes loses the cerebral nature of his game when the pressure gets high (forces passes), but I would never get on his case for effort . Heck, Marner was pretty instrumental on the one goal we did score that game.

I'll admit that cheering for this team has made me a bit deranged too, but not to the degree that it warps my perception of reality like this.

 

[cannucky]

The answer is in my post you quoted - send him out with Matthews when he's getting double shifted. Easy peasy. Can you imagine the damage Matthews&Nylander could do with a few shifts here and there against TB's 4th line?

And he's not useless at all, far from it. He had a very good regular season and an even better playoffs, just like last season. How anyone can be on his case at this point in time is beyond my comprehension.

They played 3.5 seasons together and did sweet Eff All damage in the playoffs but somehow twinkle nuts is going to magically become something he's not if he's back on the ice with Mathews ? give your head a shake bud , he lost that spot because Mathews doesn't want to be stuck with him anymore , he wants an elite set up winger who can get him the Rocket not some liability winger he has to baby sit defensively . Sorry if reality bites but ........

 

[Canadian Finn]

I base my decision on the entire season, playoffs, offensively, defensively, physicality, and away from the puck. Effort level based on everything and Marner blows Nylander away.

and I base my decision on when it counts.

hence the division of the fanbase.

 

[keonsbitterness]

and I base my decision on when it counts.

hence the division of the fanbase.

Pay-per-view cage match required.

 

[Canadian Finn]

Again, how does Nylander put more effort? I think you confuse stat line results and on ice effort. Marner does not shy away and give up on plays and stop moving his feet like Nylander.

I feel like half the fans don't even watch the games lol. I am astonished anyone would think Nylander is anything but the worst player on the team in terms of effort.

stat lines?

I guess I sat in my seat last night and kept my eyes closed.

then got home and checked the stat lines.

you got me.

you so smart.

 

[Gary Nylund]

They played 3.5 seasons together and did sweet Eff All damage in the playoffs but somehow twinkle nuts is going to magically become something he's not if he's back on the ice with Mathews ? give your head a shake bud , he lost that spot because Mathews doesn't want to be stuck with him anymore , he wants an elite set up winger who can get him the Rocket not some liability winger he has to baby sit defensively . Sorry if reality bites but ........

Nylander played great for us the last two playoffs, that's the reality.

 

[Woodman19]

Nylander played great for us the last two playoffs, that's the reality.

He scored some goals for us the last two playoffs, thats the reality. There is more to winning a game then scoring goals, you got to play some defense and sacrifice the body to make plays too, things Nylander has never done.

 

[cannucky]

Nylander played great for us the last two playoffs, that's the reality.

Really ? how did that work out ? and was he playing that great on the line with Mathews which is your premise ? Nice spin attempt .

 

[Leaffan1991]

How so? Marner kills penalties, throws hits and blocks shots on top of outscoring Nylander. There is zero issue with his work ethic on the ice. Nylander does none of those things and periodically gives up completely on plays. What culture does Nylander exemplify?

Don't understand the love affair for Nylander over here

 

[Woodman19]

Don't understand the love affair for Nylander over here

Well maybe they will follow him over to the next team he plays on this offseason. When you can see the coach can't stand his play and former players who are hockey analysts imply that he is a problem then the writing is on the wall.

 

[Gabriel426]

The reason why some here wants to trade Willie is bc they think that’s the contract that is available for trade. And Leafs need Cap room.
The problem is not Willie’s style of play or his productions or his work ethic. The problem is having three 11mil forwards.
Having said that, I think anyone is on the table and it’s all depending on the return package.

 

[keonsbitterness]

Don't understand the love affair for Nylander over here

What's to understand? He's a good player. Most fans like good players. Even our fringe players have fans.

 

[Lightsol]

Don't understand the love affair for Nylander over here

I haven't understood the love affair for Nylander for a while. When he's invested, he's a great player, but when he's uninterested, the only time he actually puts effort in is when he thinks he can score. The poster that said he's like Kessel is dead on.

But it's clear that a handful of posters here are using what I like to call the Matt Stajan measuring stick; "He skates a lot, so he must be doing stuff!"

 

[Gary Nylund]

He scored some goals for us the last two playoffs, thats the reality. There is more to winning a game then scoring goals, you got to play some defense and sacrifice the body to make plays too, things Nylander has never done.

The stats back up what I saw - when we consider goals scored for and against us while he was on the ice he was a HUGE net positive.

You don't need to sacrifice your body or anything else, you just have to outscore the other team and Willie was very good at doing just that.

Really ? how did that work out ? and was he playing that great on the line with Mathews which is your premise ? Nice spin attempt .

Not what I said at all. What I said was that Nylander was playing so well that it makes sense to get him some more ice time. Sending him out with Matthews now and then to take shifts with the 4th line was just one idea, doesn't mean that that's the only way to do it.

Nice reading comprehension attempt.

What's to understand? He's a good player. Most fans like good players. Even our fringe players have fans.

So simple when you put it like that. Not sure why this is so hard for some to understand but that's really all there is to it.

I haven't understood the love affair for Nylander for a while. When he's invested, he's a great player, but when he's uninterested, the only time he actually puts effort in is when he thinks he can score. The poster that said he's like Kessel is dead on.

But it's clear that a handful of posters here are using what I like to call the Matt Stajan measuring stick; "He skates a lot, so he must be doing stuff!"

So he's like the guy people were dumping on when he played for us, and then almost won the Conn Smythe on his way to winning two cups with a different team. Sounds like a pretty good player to me.

 

[cannucky]

The stats back up what I saw - when we consider goals scored for and against us while he was on the ice he was a HUGE net positive.

You don't need to sacrifice your body or anything else, you just have to outscore the other team and Willie was very good at doing just that.


Not what I said at all. What I said was that Nylander was playing so well that it makes sense to get him some more ice time. Sending him out with Matthews now and then to take shifts with the 4th line was just one idea, doesn't mean that that's the only way to do it.

Nice reading comprehension attempt.


So simple when you put it like that. Not sure why this is so hard for some to understand but that's really all there is to it.


So he's like the guy people were dumping on when he played for us, and then almost won the Conn Smythe on his way to winning two cups with a different team. Sounds like a pretty good player to me.

No what you said is he played great for us the last 2 playoffs , at least thats what you said in the post I responded too , nice comprehension and spin attempt there right back at ya .

 

[Lightsol]

So he's like the guy people were dumping on when he played for us, and then almost won the Conn Smythe on his way to winning two cups with a different team. Sounds like a pretty good player to me.

As a heavily sheltered third liner who got to FEAST on weak competition at a discount because we picked up part of the tab. We've been using Nylander IN that position for the last couple of playoffs. He showed up for half the Montreal series and part of this one. Kessel showed up consistently for Pittsburgh. You don't see the difference?

Oh, and by the time he hit Pittsburgh, Kessel had stopped with the whole "one dimensional scoring winger" thing that was the hallmark of his Toronto years, and THAT'S the issue plaguing Nylander right now. He's way too quick to give up on plays if he's not engaged and he doesn't think he's going to get a chance to score. And it's not good having a player in the playoffs giving up on battles unless he can score... And despite the claims around here, it wasn't just "one time in Game 4", it was MULTIPLE times in Games 5, 6, and 7.

 

[Dough72]

Tinkering with the roster is not the solution. The solution is a new GM/coach combo that loves and embraces NHL Playoff hockey instead of thumbing their nose at it. No more spending 82 games getting the team ready for everything 'except' playoff hockey. Like avoiding dump-in plays all season like it's beneath them instead of getting the team used to it since it's a HUGE part of playoff hockey. Look at the final 10 minutes of game 7 for proof. Or spending 5 entire years grooming the youngsters away from physical play entirely, telling them they can use quick-sticks instead, like physical play is soe silly thing only old schoolers care about. That utter nonsense wasted like 5 years of the Matthews era before the players got used to it on their own. A normal gm/coach would have been getting them comfortable with it from day 1. Yeah tinkering isn't the solution because it doesn't address the real problem. If they hire a normal experienced gm and a normal experienced coach this same roster will go on playoff runs and salvage the Matthews era before it's ruined

 

[keonsbitterness]

Consider trading him? I can do that.

Trade him where and for what?

 

[1specter]

Don't understand the love affair for Nylander over here

Don't understand the hate boner for Nylander over here. This place always turns into a psych ward after the first round

 

[Woodman19]

Tinkering with the roster is not the solution. The solution is a new GM/coach combo that loves and embraces NHL Playoff hockey instead of thumbing their nose at it. No more spending 82 games getting the team ready for everything 'except' playoff hockey. Like avoiding dump-in plays all season like it's beneath them instead of getting the team used to it since it's a HUGE part of playoff hockey. Look at the final 10 minutes of game 7 for proof. Or spending 5 entire years grooming the youngsters away from physical play entirely, telling them they can use quick-sticks instead, like physical play is soe silly thing only old schoolers care about. That utter nonsense wasted like 5 years of the Matthews era before the players got used to it on their own. A normal gm/coach would have been getting them comfortable with it from day 1. Yeah tinkering isn't the solution because it doesn't address the real problem. If they hire a normal experienced gm and a normal experienced coach this same roster will go on playoff runs and salvage the Matthews era before it's ruined

So the issue isnt what was on the ice to lose games, its whats off the ice the games were lost?

Don't understand the hate boner for Nylander over here. This place always turns into a psych ward after the first round

I wouldn't call it hate, I would call it frustration that he doesnt use his talent all the time rather than just when he wants to. He could be just as good as Matthews and Marner if he did.

 

[SwedishFire]

If they could trade him for a 2 way D, they should do it. Otherwise. I dont see it.
If they do, they coud save cap meanwhile, Ds is more often cheaper.

 

[Tak7]

Any discussion pertaining to trading Nylander, depends entirely on the return.

If there's an equivalent or better piece coming back, on an equally decent contract, then I explore it.

But trading for the sake of trading, is the sort of decision that teams regret down the road.

I trust Dubas and co. not to make any knee-jerk reactions.

 

[Menzinger]

They may very well end up trading him because he's the "easiest" to move in a way. Will be in high demand and would allow management to avoid having to make the much for difficult decision on a couple other players who likely should be looked at trading first. You could build an entire third line by moving an 11 million dollar player......

It will also likely be a mistake to do so. He's one of the few guys to find a way to elevate his game in the post season (and remains one the teams top playoffs point producers of the last several post-seasons).

That said, I'm not hundred percent sure management will even go down this route. Trading a combination of guys like Kerfoot/Holl/Mzarek frees up about 10mil to play around with first.

 

[Gary Nylund]

No what you said is he played great for us the last 2 playoffs , at least thats what you said in the post I responded too , nice comprehension and spin attempt there right back at ya .

I said that too and guess what, I'm right.

As a heavily sheltered third liner who got to FEAST on weak competition at a discount because we picked up part of the tab. We've been using Nylander IN that position for the last couple of playoffs. He showed up for half the Montreal series and part of this one. Kessel showed up consistently for Pittsburgh. You don't see the difference?

Oh, and by the time he hit Pittsburgh, Kessel had stopped with the whole "one dimensional scoring winger" thing that was the hallmark of his Toronto years, and THAT'S the issue plaguing Nylander right now. He's way too quick to give up on plays if he's not engaged and he doesn't think he's going to get a chance to score. And it's not good having a player in the playoffs giving up on battles unless he can score... And despite the claims around here, it wasn't just "one time in Game 4", it was MULTIPLE times in Games 5, 6, and 7.

I can't agree with you there. Nylander played great overall for both of the two playoff series.

Consider trading him? I can do that.

Trade him where and for what?

That's the question, isn't it!

Don't understand the hate boner for Nylander over here. This place always turns into a psych ward after the first round

Indeed.

 

[Menzinger]

In hindsight, Schneider would have looked better in that spot too.

My problem with Dubas drafting is I'm kind of concerned with how projectible some of the talent is. Do we feel comfortable that relative successes like Robertson, Abruzzese, Sandin and even Niemela will grow up into players that thrive in a series like Tampa? Feels like we need to be bigger, more athletically robust and harder to play against but we're overstocked in brainy, intelligent and undersized talent. Knies is the crown jewel in that respect. He's got upside, projects well and will solve current and future needs. I'm not sure where the development system meets up with today's playoff needs. They don't speak to one another.

To be fair, we haven't had much of a chance for the last few draft cycles worth of prospects to hit the development stage where they can make an impact. If most non top 10 draft picks 2-5 years to develop, Dubas' first draft is just starting to show results (Sandin) and is only 4 years old at this point.