TDL wish list, who, what, how many?

[Mess]

Leafs have Reaves, McMann, Timmins and Lagesson who can be waived and sent down to remove cap if needed. That’s almost 4 million right there and still icing a 20 man roster. They have plenty to work with if they really wanted to.

Leafs are going to need about 1/2 of that alone ie waive Timmons ($1.1 mil) and McMann ($760k) simply to make room to bring Calle Jarnkrok ($2.1 mil) off of IR in a few weeks and be back to 21 man roster.

 

[Folignos Helmet]

as much as i don't think the leafs should trade major assets for help, i am shocked that Tre has not brought in some sort of depth forward who can kill penalties or a depth defencemen who offers something different, if anything just to mix things up a little.

 

[thusk]

To Toronto: Jake Middleton + Frederick Gaudreau
To Minnesota: Nick Robertson + Conor Timmins + NYI 3rd Round Draft Pick

To Toronto: Juuse Saros
To Nashville: Ilya Samsonov + Topi Niemela + TOR 1st Round Draft Pick


Knies - Matthews - Marner
Bertuzzi - Tavares - Nylander
Domi - Gaudreau - Jarnkrok
Gregor - Kampf - Holmberg

Rielly - Brodie
Middleton - Liljegren
Benoit - McCabe

Saros - Woll

middleton would not move the needle enough defensively

and saros to get him out of Nashville will probably cost more than that... saros without including knies, cowan or minten, just forget him

 

[TMLAM34]

Leafs are going to need about 1/2 of that alone ie waive Timmons ($1.1 mil) and McMann ($760k) simply to make room to bring Calle Jarnkrok ($2.1 mil) off of IR in a few weeks and be back to 21 man roster.

I may be wrong but I thought the players salary only comes off if the player goes on LTIR? On IR, they just need to miss 7 days technically.

middleton would not move the needle enough defensively

and saros to get him out of Nashville will probably cost more than that... saros without including knies, cowan or minten, just forget him

I wouldn’t move Knies or Cowan. I’d listen potentially to a deal involving Minten. Saros would really solidify our goaltending for years.

 

[TMLAM34]

middleton would not move the needle enough defensively

and saros to get him out of Nashville will probably cost more than that... saros without including knies, cowan or minten, just forget him

With Middleton, he’s an upgrade over Giordano and Timmins. We instantly improve the blueline considering one of those two hold the 6th and final spot on the blueline when everyone is healthy. He fits the team needs on the backend being big, physical, blocking shots, willing to drop the gloves, plays on the PK, etc. He’s also signed next year at a very modest 2.45 million allowing us to invest more into a Brodie replacement and a better partner for Rielly. Acquiring Middleton also wouldn’t break the bank to acquire.

With a 2nd and 3rd pairing of Middleton - Liljegren and Benoit - McCabe, you’re basically forming two 2B pairings. Let’s say you re-sign Liljegren 3x3 and Benoit 2x1.5, you now have 8.95 million TOTAL in two out of three defensive pairings. Considering we’re going to be pretty cap strapped next year with Matthews and Nylander’s raises kicking in and still a huge need finding Rielly a partner, that’s a pretty good total to have in those 4 dmen.

 

[rumman]

To Toronto: Jake Middleton + Frederick Gaudreau
To Minnesota: Nick Robertson + Conor Timmins + NYI 3rd Rounder


Knies - Matthews - Marner
Bertuzzi - Tavares - Nylander
Domi - Gaudreau - Jarnkrok
Gregor - Kampf - Holmberg

Rielly - Brodie
Middleton - Liljegren
Benoit - McCabe


With Middleton, McCabe and Benoit, that’s three defenceman you have to worry about who will knock you off your skates. Worry about finding a proper partner for Rielly in the off-season.

Only problem is Brodie, get rid of Brodie for the love of God……..

 

[TMLAM34]

Only problem is Brodie, get rid of Brodie for the love of God……..

I definitely agree. I just don’t see him being moved out in season though given what’s going on with his personal life outside of hockey.

 

[Knies iT]

Voted stand-pat.

To me that means retaining our 1st rd pick and not dumping assets on rentals.

We need 2x top four defensemen more than anything. The blueline needs a serious retool if we want to contend and it will take more than one TDL to do that without pissing away more futures that we can't afford to lose.

This TDL: look for a lateral move, i.e. Bertuzzi(+) for another rental D in Tanev/Dumba/Roy/Walker/etc. OR, using secondary prospects/non 1st rd picks for a lower tier RD (Peeke).

Summer: use Klingberg + Brodie cap relief to sign a big fish #2/#3D in Forsling/Hanifin/Pesce (6-7.5m)

Rielly - Tanev/Roy/etc.
Forsling/Hanifin - Liljegren
McCabe - Benoit/Niemela

Still leaves you with more than enough cap space to bring in a budget 3m winger to replace Bertuzzi (while retaining Domi) and a cheaper veteran backup like Talbot. All without losing a 1st rd pick.

 

[rumman]

I definitely agree. I just don’t see him being moved out in season though given what’s going on with his personal life outside of hockey.

Roger that, but it’s obvious you can’t hide his gaffs anymore, he’ll cost the team a series if he’s on the to pairing……..

 

[FerrisRox]

We need to basically run with what we have. We added to the max last year, to win one round.

I don't think the Maple Leafs won a round last spring because they "added to the max."

I think the Lightning, with their injuries on defense, were ripe for the picking and the Maple Leafs were too good a team not to take them down when they were in the state they were in. But their goaltending - then and now - was an achilles heel that a good club was going to exploit eventually and it happened in Round 2.

The Leafs already have all their chips in, they have gone too far to course correct. The last chance to course correct was *before* extending Matthews and Nylander. It's inevitable they they will in turn give Marner a massive extension as well. They might as well try to patch up their blue line and roll the dice this spring cause they aren't going to start selling or changing route.

 

[FerrisRox]

There have been some good moves and strategies over the years - Gilmour and Sundin come to mind.

Those trades were in 1991 and 1994 though, but perhaps that's the joke and it went over my head.

 

[FerrisRox]

At the end of the day if Matthews, Rielly, Nylander, Marner and Tavares need serious help, they weren't the core to begin with.

I think that's over simplifying the problem and maybe giving undo criticism to the players.

I have said for years here - very unpopularly, I might add - that the issue with the Leafs core is not who is in it, but who is not.

The core you listed is pretty solid if the objective is to score a bunch of goals. But if the objective is to win a bunch of hockey games that core doesn't include a minute munching #1 defenseman who can effectively play in all situations and anchor a defense. That core doesn't include an elite goaltender, that will certainly be required if you don't have the aforementioned blue liner. It doesn't have any toughness at all. It doesn't have any pushback. It seem to hit a lot of the same note over and over rather than having some balance and some complimentary pieces.

The obvious thing to do was to create the proper balance and mix by using trading some of these pieces to get the alchemy right, but Dubas seemed to philosophically believe that grit, toughness, pushback and defensive skill were not really lacking with the team.

Look at what the Quebec Nordiques did in the first half of the 90's. They accumulated a lot of young star players but then Pierre Lacroix used the pieces he had to build the proper lineup he required by making some bold transactions. Forget the Lindros trade, which wasn't made for strategic reasons (or by Lacroix) but look at the *other* first overall picks they traded away to get the right roster. The Nordiques shipped out Mats Sundin in order to make the team tougher, more difficult to play against and more balanced. In that trade they got Wendel Clark (who they flipped for Claude Lemieux) and Sylvain Lefevbre. Those two pieces were hugely integral to their 1996 Cup win and made the team way more difficult to play against. They also shipped out Owen Nolan to bring in Sandis Ozolnish to help balance the talent between the forwards and their defense. Having high-end puck mover and offensive contributor absolutely helped their powerplay and helped them maximize their talent up front, and Ozolnish was balanced by guys like Lefevbre and Adam Foote on their d-core. These kind of tough, risky choices turned the Nordiques/Avalanche into champions.

 

[FerrisRox]

just for fun who is the best defensive player in your mind?

Admittedly I've only seen about 30 Leaf games this year, and only four of them live, but in my opinion there's no question that Auston Matthews has been the best defensive forward for the Maple Leafs in the games I've seen.

Not that there's been anything particularly wrong with Marner's play, just that Matthews has been better and a little more dogged than I've seen him in the past, which is nice to see.

I think Matthews, on both sides of the puck, has a higher compete level than we saw last year, for whatever reason.

 

[Nineteen67]

Those trades were in 1991 and 1994 though, but perhaps that's the joke and it went over my head.

They were within the past 54 yrs.

 

[thusk]

With Middleton, he’s an upgrade over Giordano and Timmins. We instantly improve the blueline considering one of those two hold the 6th and final spot on the blueline when everyone is healthy. He fits the team needs on the backend being big, physical, blocking shots, willing to drop the gloves, plays on the PK, etc. He’s also signed next year at a very modest 2.45 million allowing us to invest more into a Brodie replacement and a better partner for Rielly. Acquiring Middleton also wouldn’t break the bank to acquire.

With a 2nd and 3rd pairing of Middleton - Liljegren and Benoit - McCabe, you’re basically forming two 2B pairings. Let’s say you re-sign Liljegren 3x3 and Benoit 2x1.5, you now have 8.95 million TOTAL in two out of three defensive pairings. Considering we’re going to be pretty cap strapped next year with Matthews and Nylander’s raises kicking in and still a huge need finding Rielly a partner, that’s a pretty good total to have in those 4 dmen.

but hes not what leafs need... leafs dont need an other 4/5/6th D... its always the only thing they had in brodie/Mccabe /liljegren/ benoit... if you try to take a 4th d and make him a 2nd or 3rd, you will still have the same exact problem.

 

[mikeyz]

Stand Pat and it’s really not close. Obviously they cant sell. But I think this team is missing way too many pieces to be a contender. So I would just let this current group sink or swim.

 

[TMLAM34]

but hes not what leafs need... leafs dont need an other 4/5/6th D... its always the only thing they had in brodie/Mccabe /liljegren/ benoit... if you try to take a 4th d and make him a 2nd or 3rd, you will still have the same exact problem.

I’m looking beyond these next 30/40 games though, where one of the defenceman you mentioned is a free agent and will need to be replaced. The issue is the number 2 spot, I agree, which Middleton allows us to address cap wise this off-season being cheap against the cap and leaving the room.

 

[mjd1001]

Of course the correct answer is "it depends". But that alone doesn't go over well on a forum so....

I'd say stand pat. This team is flawed. They are not a top 5 team in the league, they are not likely to win the Cup...but they are good enough that if things fall their way, they have a shot. Not likely, but possible.

The only change I would make is if a LEGIT top 4 D-man is available (Legit, not someone we have to convince ourselves is a top 4, but a guy who is experienced but not too old and a legit 20 minute per game guy). I'd give up this years 1st and a prospect (maybe Robertson or even Knies) IF the guy fits under the cap and is more than a rental. The problem is, if a guy like that is available there are probably 10 other teams with better assets to offer that the Leafs will be competing for.

If you can get a guy who is a 'lesser talent', I'm not really interested. I mean, want to flip a 4th or 5th to Buffalo for Eric Johnson for depth, sure, but if I'm not going for a top guy (even if that means giving up top assets in return), then I'm not really interested.

 

[thusk]

I’m looking beyond these next 30/40 games though, where one of the defenceman you mentioned is a free agent and will need to be replaced. The issue is the number 2 spot, I agree, which Middleton allows us to address cap wise this off-season being cheap against the cap and leaving the room.

the problem if they had to spend 2.5M and a 1st pick for an other depht D, they will not have that 1st pick and 2.5M to find a real #2 because that doesn't mean he will come from free agency.

and middleton will not make the difference between winning and losing in playoff

 

[IceColdBear]

I think we should move Bertuzzi and Domi for picks.

Rely on Knies and Robertson as top 6 LW, and accumulate some assets (we have essentially no picks in 2025).

We have Grebyonkin, Minten, and Cowan who will be pushing for jobs next year as well.

If a good D is available on the trade market who can help us this year and for the next few (say Hanifin if he would sign), I would still want us to try and add there.

 

[TMLAM34]

the problem if they had to spend 2.5M and a 1st pick for an other depht D, they will not have that 1st pick and 2.5M to find a real #2 because that doesn't mean he will come from free agency.

and middleton will not make the difference between winning and losing in playoff

I would not spend a 1st round pick for Middleton and don’t think it’ll cost that to acquire him.

 

[thusk]

I would not spend a 1st round pick for Middleton and don’t think it’ll cost that to acquire him.

what do you think to get a 4th dman with an otjer year remaining at good salary will cost? will start with a 1st round sorry its the reality

 

[mikeyz]

x.com

x.com

x.com

x.com

This guy is apparently very credible. He broke the JT signing and the Andersen trade

 

[TMLAM34]

what do you think to get a 4th dman with an otjer year remaining at good salary will cost? will start with a 1st round sorry its the reality

I think you can work out a deal around Robertson for Middleton. I don’t think you need to involve a 1st rounder. It didn’t cost a 1st to acquire him for Minnesota.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Sell. Tactical retreat. This team isn't it.