So let's go for 70!
You watch, the Leafs trade Robertson and he turns into a 30-40 goal scorer somewhere else. You can see the talent, but Keefe won't use it.
TDL wish list, who, what, how many?
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rumman
Registered User
- Sep 10, 2008
- 16,536
- 12,967
Agreed, but if you can bet two impactful D men and Samsonov and Woll can hold the fort there’s a chance they could get beyond the second round………
nuck
Registered User
- Aug 18, 2005
- 11,753
- 2,762
I chose buy because it is what they will do. As ridiculous as it seems, I do not believe Shanahan will survive another failed playoff. And say they sold, what makes them a competitive team next season? JT will be worse, Brodie will be worse if he is even back. Is there a legit #1 RD to be had even if they had the assets? Telling the board they are taking a year off and then making no real changes because they are waiting for Tavares deal to expire kind of means two years of mediocrity because where are the reinforcements? They have to buy something because they have no help on the way.
They can't afford a real difference making defenseman this year or next, and who is he anyway? Again, I am more predicting than advocating but the Leafs 1st plus an asset for Tanev and the Flames 2nd. That should take the Cowan, Minton and Niemela out of the equation for the plus. He isn't what he was a couple of years ago but I think he moves the needle some and will push Brodie down to some easier minutes so I think they will be a better D corps.
I would have expected a bottom 6 forward too but they have no cap space and not a lot of assets so I don't see how that can happen. All the NT deals have made it impossible to change the makeup of the club in a meaningful way until JT is gone so its Tanev or its Tanev IMO.
They can't afford a real difference making defenseman this year or next, and who is he anyway? Again, I am more predicting than advocating but the Leafs 1st plus an asset for Tanev and the Flames 2nd. That should take the Cowan, Minton and Niemela out of the equation for the plus. He isn't what he was a couple of years ago but I think he moves the needle some and will push Brodie down to some easier minutes so I think they will be a better D corps.
I would have expected a bottom 6 forward too but they have no cap space and not a lot of assets so I don't see how that can happen. All the NT deals have made it impossible to change the makeup of the club in a meaningful way until JT is gone so its Tanev or its Tanev IMO.
GoonieFace
Registered User
He’s really going out on a limb there
nuck
Registered User
- Aug 18, 2005
- 11,753
- 2,762
Fixed. Middleton is a known commodity. Properly used he is a 3rd pairing guy and they already have Benoit on the left. A club with a weak top 4 doesn't get much better tweaking the 3rd pair. I like the guy but he doesn't fit high enough to help them.
They don't have the assets or cap space to make a splash at goalie. Wool or bust.
HellasLEAF
'93 to Infinity
- Sep 14, 2006
- 15,576
- 2,021
I'm still a buy but depends on the prices. Current prices it's a no we'll see.
thusk
Registered User
just watch what ncxabe cost and hes in the same exact category. ok leafs pay a little extra for $ retained... but it is what it is what it is ...
his situation look similar to Mccabe... sorry
Selling would be the best option for the current team for many different reasons. The Leafs are currently at the top of the salary cap for the entire NHL with only $34,999 in cap space.
Out of all that cap space 6 players are going to be UFA next year with many of these players not living up to their contracts.
In addition, the Leafs have the following draft picks in the next two seasons
2024 – 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th x3, 6th, 7th rounds
2025 – 3rd, 5th x2, 6th and 7th rounds
The 2025 draft is a big gap in the first two rounds, and with the salary increase of Matthews and Nylander next season the team will need to get players with value. The only way to get value players is by drafting them.
Problem with this team 10 players have either NMC or NTC on their contract making it harder to sell. Even Jarnkrok has a NTC and on IR right now. It will be difficult to move players on this team with these restrictions, but someone like Brodie, Bertuzzi or Domi that will be UFA should be looked as an option to be moved to either recoup picks or add players on good deals with 2+ year contracts.
The Leafs only have 1st round this draft +3rd next two drafts that can potentially buy a player, but it will not be enough with the defense and goaltending issues this team has.
That is why selling and letting the core 4 do the heavy lifting is best option for this year until the off-season retool can happen.
Out of all that cap space 6 players are going to be UFA next year with many of these players not living up to their contracts.
In addition, the Leafs have the following draft picks in the next two seasons
2024 – 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th x3, 6th, 7th rounds
2025 – 3rd, 5th x2, 6th and 7th rounds
The 2025 draft is a big gap in the first two rounds, and with the salary increase of Matthews and Nylander next season the team will need to get players with value. The only way to get value players is by drafting them.
Problem with this team 10 players have either NMC or NTC on their contract making it harder to sell. Even Jarnkrok has a NTC and on IR right now. It will be difficult to move players on this team with these restrictions, but someone like Brodie, Bertuzzi or Domi that will be UFA should be looked as an option to be moved to either recoup picks or add players on good deals with 2+ year contracts.
The Leafs only have 1st round this draft +3rd next two drafts that can potentially buy a player, but it will not be enough with the defense and goaltending issues this team has.
That is why selling and letting the core 4 do the heavy lifting is best option for this year until the off-season retool can happen.
Darcy Tucker
My Name is Bob
Would anyone consider trading Knies in a package for Noah Hanifin? I think it takes at least Knies and a prospect + pick to get him out of Calgary. Same draft class as Marner's.
Would rather keep Knies as he is cost controlled and just wait for Hanifin to become UFA this off season to see if the Leafs have a chance at signing him for cap space only.
Problem is, cap space is going to be limited as he could be asking a lot more than his current $4.95m cap hit.
Problem is, cap space is going to be limited as he could be asking a lot more than his current $4.95m cap hit.
The Iceman
Registered User
- Sep 22, 2007
- 5,343
- 4,065
There are plenty of value signings available every FA period. You just need to hit on them.
Eric Gustafsson was $825K
Pitlick $787K
Lemieux and Motte $800K
Drouin $825K
Martin Jones $875K
JVR $1 million
Pius Suter $1.6
Alex Lyon $900K x 2
Simon Benoit $775K
TMLBlueandWhite
Go Leafs Go
- Feb 2, 2023
- 2,277
- 2,382
Including this one they only have five years with Matthews on the team.
If they throw in the towel on this season and next that's 40% of his term wasted. People tell me I'm too negative all the time. And I STILL think they should go all-in on a Cinderella run.
If I'm too negative what does that make two thirds of this fan base?
A whopping 70% of respondents don't think this team should make any big moves. They don't think the team is a contender. That's how pessimistic Leafs Nation has become.
This is where we are at.
Reduced to selling the future on a couple long shot prospects. Because the present is too dismal to elicit any hope for success. So we give up on the next two years and hope Minten, Cowan, and whoever they draft this year all become stars before the Matthews contract expires.
The team's gonna be a real contender with those guys on it I'm sure.
If they throw in the towel on this season and next that's 40% of his term wasted. People tell me I'm too negative all the time. And I STILL think they should go all-in on a Cinderella run.
If I'm too negative what does that make two thirds of this fan base?
A whopping 70% of respondents don't think this team should make any big moves. They don't think the team is a contender. That's how pessimistic Leafs Nation has become.
This is where we are at.
Reduced to selling the future on a couple long shot prospects. Because the present is too dismal to elicit any hope for success. So we give up on the next two years and hope Minten, Cowan, and whoever they draft this year all become stars before the Matthews contract expires.
The team's gonna be a real contender with those guys on it I'm sure.
It’s been 6 years with Matthews, Nylander, Marner, and Tavares leading the team to only 1 playoff series win.
The audition for these players have already been made including Matthews. At some point the Leafs are going to need to draft players that can help because trades and signings have NOT worked.
The fact is, the Leafs best players were drafted with the exception of Tavares. After 6 years the fan base knows what the team is made of.
Either sell one of the core for additional help elsewhere or draft cost controlled players to complement the core. Can’t keep doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. That’s the definition of insanity!
It's a fallacy to suggest that the Leafs have merely done the same thing every year.
We should not be sellers. We should not stand pat. Make something of this team - but don't spend your assets on rentals. Improve the roster for the playoffs (and beyond), go as far as you can, and continue the work in the offseason.
There's no justification to sit on your hands and do nothing to help this team get better now other than unreasonable prices. If that's why we don't make moves, I can live with that. Anything else is not how you should operate a team at the stage we are at.
Actively choosing to waste a year would be gross mismanagement as far as I'm concerned.
We should not be sellers. We should not stand pat. Make something of this team - but don't spend your assets on rentals. Improve the roster for the playoffs (and beyond), go as far as you can, and continue the work in the offseason.
There's no justification to sit on your hands and do nothing to help this team get better now other than unreasonable prices. If that's why we don't make moves, I can live with that. Anything else is not how you should operate a team at the stage we are at.
Actively choosing to waste a year would be gross mismanagement as far as I'm concerned.
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Brown Dog
Registered User
- Jun 23, 2007
- 5,852
- 5,199
This is fair. To me, rentals should be completely off the table. It's never worked before.
Long-term adds may be explored but only at the right price. If not, roll the dice with this (flawed) group and hope they miraculously get hot at the right time.
Racer88
Registered User
- Sep 29, 2020
- 13,166
- 13,310
The team should have been a real contender with Matthews, Marner and Nylander but the Tavares deal happened and here we are 5 years later and no better if not worse off.
Racer88
Registered User
- Sep 29, 2020
- 13,166
- 13,310
It sure looks like the same thing. They have surrounded the expensive core 4 with six different versions of scrap heap players to fit under the cap and basically the same results year after year. I understand the reasons for trying to make it better at the deadline because these 4 guys are the 4 they have bet their professional lives on but I would be interested in hearing how they have done different things over these past 6 years
thusk
Registered User
the fact sandin, liljegren, dermott, korshkov, etc... doesn't work do that mean draft will never work too?
leafs had a bad D in 2016 and still have the same quality of D...
When Muzzin was here it was fine, but he missed 3 of last 4 series and we saw a hugr decline everytime he get hurt abd leafs missed him and the only time he wqs playing its the only time leafs ever look time a real contender
- Dec 12, 2017
- 26,006
- 12,453
I keep hearing about Tanev, which I think is extremely risky. He plays hard but he’s also 34 yo and is slow, so you don’t want to over pay for him and he turns into Brodie next year.
Hannifan makes a lot of sense for this team.
Hannifan makes a lot of sense for this team.
ULF_55
Moderator
Yeah, although I think the Bruins will land him.
Leafs landing 1 top 3 defender would do wonders for the team.
You would have support for the developing players, not something Leafs are getting with Giordano or Brodie at this point in their careers.
LD:
Rielly
Top3Guy
Benoit
You might even be able to promote a Marlie to fill the last spot, if you have support from the top of the defensive line-up. "I'll cover up for you. Go for it."
Apparently our 1st is on the table.
How long before Treliving does the dumbest, most obvious move of acquiring Tanev for it.
I’d target Saros.
How long before Treliving does the dumbest, most obvious move of acquiring Tanev for it.
I’d target Saros.
