Trades and Free Agency - 2022 Off-season

[MAB1]

Colorado has 5 of their 6 d-men in the best puck-movers category lol

4, Jack Johnson and Erik Johnson are in the worst puck movers region. Leafs have two in the best-puck movers along with 1 in the safe plays (Avs have none)

 

[LeafChief]

I'd really love to liquidate Kerfoot's money into signing ZAR and one of Milano/Rodrigues.

 

[DarkKnight]

These charts are interesting and worthy of consideration. However, I find it very hard to understand (on a prior chart) how Justin Holl is considered our best shut down defenseman when he makes glaring mistakes more frequently than anyone else.

Just doesn't make sense to me how arguably our worst D is actually the best. I don't understand.

It will make sense when you see the paltry return he nets in a trade.

 

[Mess]

That would be fine for a $4.7 million goalie but it all comes down to what could be done with the extra $5.3 million premium paid for a guy like Bob. That represents a Brodie or Muzzin level defenseman which Florida doesn’t have.

While $10 mil is an ugly contract no doubt, leading the league in wins 39 on the way to the President's Trophy 122 point season helps validate that cost when you enter the playoffs as the #1 seed. Its not his play is making Florida a non playoff team or hurting them.

Leafs lose that cap advantage on other overspending.

Matthews $11.64 mil + Marner $10.903 = $22.543 mil vs Barkov $10 mil + Tkachuk $9.5 mil = $19.5 mil

Cap Allocation #1G & #2C

Toronto
#1 Stating Goalie ..Matt Murray .. 20 games .. 5 wins ............................ @ $4,687 mil
#2 Centre John Tavares ... 79 games 27 goals 49 assists 76 points @ $11 mil
Cap Consumption Total: $15.68 mil
vs
Florida
#1 Starting Goalie Bobrovsky ... 39 wins ...................................................... @ $10 mil AAV
#2 Centre Sam Reinhart ... 78 games 33 goals 49 assists 82 points @ $6.5 mil AAV
Cap Consumption Total : $16.5 mil

If Florida's #2 Centre Reinhart can keep pace with Leafs #2 Centre Tavares statistically for $4.5 mil less then Matt Murray will need to keep win pace with Bobrovsky and his 39 wins for $5.13 mil less cap.

Essentially the advantage Leafs gain from Matt Murray to goalie Bob cap wise they lose by overpaying Tavares compared to Reinhart who produces the same stats.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

I'd really love to liquidate Kerfoot's money into signing ZAR and one of Milano/Rodrigues.

I don't think we need both personally.

 

[LeafChief]

I don't think we need both personally.

I was thinking ZAR on the 4th line with NAK. Two younger players that actually forecheck and lay the body.

Milano/Rod for a little bit higher up in the lineup.

 

[LeafSteel]

Fairly easy. He is a guy who is at his best when you don't notice him. He does that the vast majority of the time, and that is why he is a good defenseman.

The only times Leafs fans notice him is when he makes a mistake, and they are biased towards thinking that is who he is all the time. Judge even the best defensemen in the league by their worst moments alone and none of them look like NHLers.

It happened with guys like Ceci too, and in a different way, applies to some of our forwards as well (Tavares probably the most prominent of the group).

Eye test is all well and good, but most fans' eye tests are not all that good and most players have analytics which do not stray too far away from their actual play. Holl, when you actually pay attention all of the time and not just when he screws up, is a much better defenseman than for what he gets credited.

I have no issues with Holl, and was opinion that Babcock needed to put him in the line-up.

I do think most here see and appreciate Holl for what he is: a solid 3rd pairing RHD. Period.

Where I think some of the Holl "hate" comes from really has nothing to do with Holl, and is more directed to Keefe's misuse of him.

Specifically, sitting Liljegren to play Holl is a mistake and Keefe's insistence in forcing him into the lineup I think has deepened the dislike. Simply put, Liljegren is the better player, and Keefe's use of Holl is interfering with Liljegren's development.

Beyond the reality that we are in a cap crunch and trading Holl frees up money to resign Sandin, who also has a higher upside and larger future role to play for the Leafs than Holl, I can see why so many want him moved.

With Boosh gone and if Keefe will keep Holl on the 3rd pairing, I don't hate Holl on the team. He is what he is, and for a $2 million RHD, he is solid.

My only concern is that he is not used to impede Liljegren's development now, and Topi's development in the next couple of years.

My ideal is he is traded for a 2nd in next years deep draft, as we do have some depth on the D, but if we are selling him at a loss right now, I'm good with keeping him on the 3rd pairing.......... unless we can somehow whomp together a package of some sort with Holl for Weegar out in Calgary.

 

[CupcakeSprinkles]

Hot take.. I'd rather have Kerfoot whose a proven 40 point + player than any of the lottery tickets on the open market.

 

[Avilaj07]

Hot take.. I'd rather have Kerfoot whose a proven 40 point + player than any of the lottery tickets on the open market.

That's definitely a hot take. Heinen just signed for 1 year at 1 million and he's exactly who Kerfoot is, if not better. Kerfoot is a proven 40 point player because he just happens to play with Tavares and Nylander. You can put anyone with them and they'll get 40 points.
Any hope of getting anything of significance back for Kerfoot has gone down the drain now and that's all on Dubas. Players who bring what he does are signing for way under 3.5 million cap hit.

 

[leafsfan5]

4, Jack Johnson and Erik Johnson are in the worst puck movers region. Leafs have two in the best-puck movers along with 1 in the safe plays (Avs have none)

I realized the Avs had 7 d-men play since Girard got hurt

Still, 5 out of 7 in the good puck movers category is impressive. They have a system and stuck to it

 

[stickty111]

Hot take.. I'd rather have Kerfoot whose a proven 40 point + player than any of the lottery tickets on the open market.

Easily the most underrated player of the team.

 

[ACC1224]

Hot take.. I'd rather have Kerfoot whose a proven 40 point + player than any of the lottery tickets on the open market.

Decent enough player but his cap space can be put to better use.

 

[stickty111]

The problem is most of the grit we've acquired has been past their prime which is all we can afford unfortunately. If we had prime Clifford and Simmonds, it would be different story.

We could use some modern day physical players. Guys that have youthful speed that get in on the forecheck hard and have enough skill to make plays. That's why I can't wait for some of our prospects to make an impact in a couple years. Guys like Knies, Minten, Hirvonen, Tverberg who bring different skill sets and varying degrees of grit and two way play to help round out the lineup and keep an identity of a speed game going. Having Thornton, Ritchie, Simmonds, Clifford slowed us down.

Amirov Matthews Marner
Knies Tavares Nylander
Robertson Minten Holmberg
Hirvonen Kampf Tverberg

For example.

This is pretty much it. If you can't play, than your grit element is usless. Look at the other gritty players on other teams, they can actually play a regular shift. The media and fans scream Leafs are too soft and need more grit. Umm no, they need grit who can actually play.
Thats a nice balanced lineup. Knies we know about and the others, but when you look specifically at Tverberg. Some fans will love him once they learn more about him. The guy is very physical and has the skillset to complement it.

 

[CupcakeSprinkles]

That's definitely a hot take. Heinen just signed for 1 year at 1 million and he's exactly who Kerfoot is, if not better. Kerfoot is a proven 40 point player because he just happens to play with Tavares and Nylander. You can put anyone with them and they'll get 40 points.
Any hope of getting anything of significance back for Kerfoot has gone down the drain now and that's all on Dubas. Players who bring what he does are signing for way under 3.5 million cap hit.

Ridiculous take not worth replying too.

Decent enough player but his cap space can be put to better use.

Paying Engvall 2.25 vs Heninen plus Donato is a better argument.

 

[Fogelhund]

Hot take.. I'd rather have Kerfoot whose a proven 40 point + player than any of the lottery tickets on the open market.

I do value what Kerfoot brings to the table, but at this juncture, it might be possible to sign both Stastny, and Rodrigues with Kerfoot's cap hit. Neither are what I would call lottery tickets, and both have roughly the same affect on the game overall each individually, as Kerfoot does. There isn't much else out there as UFA who would though.

 

[zeke]

Hot take.. I'd rather have Kerfoot whose a proven 40 point + player than any of the lottery tickets on the open market.

well yeah he's definitely better than the Heinen/Milano typed we've been hearing about.

At the same time, we do need capspace and he's the guy of our real caphits that we can probably most effectively replace for cheap and/or internally.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Paying Engvall 2.25 vs Heninen plus Donato is a better argument.

Engvall is a much better defensive player and provides similar offense.

 

[ACC1224]

Ridiculous take not worth replying too.


Paying Engvall 2.25 vs Heninen plus Donato is a better argument.

Yeah, I'm not an Engvall fan at all. That money could be better spent as well.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

I was thinking ZAR on the 4th line with NAK. Two younger players that actually forecheck and lay the body.

Milano/Rod for a little bit higher up in the lineup.

I don't think Milano or Rodrigues fit for the 2nd line at all, so it would be bottom 6. ZAR would also be for the bottom 6. I think the Leafs are going to leave one spot for Malgin or a prospect down there, so you only really have a spot for one of those guys.

I think the Leafs would sign one and then maybe sign a guy like Sprong or Dahlen to a PTO.

 

[Mess]

Yeah, I'm not an Engvall fan at all. That money could be better spent as well.

A lot of these Engvall and Kerfoot types are certainly not must keep players.

The problem come playoff time its these players that need to provide the secondary scoring behind the core 4 and just don't do it at any consistent level.

 

[Fogelhund]

I don't think Milano or Rodrigues fit for the 2nd line at all, so it would be bottom 6. ZAR would also be for the bottom 6. I think the Leafs are going to leave one spot for Malgin or a prospect down there, so you only really have a spot for one of those guys.

I think the Leafs would sign one and then maybe sign a guy like Sprong or Dahlen to a PTO.

At this juncture, you might be able to sign Phil to a PTO.

 

[Fogelhund]

Yeah, I'm not an Engvall fan at all. That money could be better spent as well.

I like what Engvall brings to the table, but the way this market has turned out, you could have spent the money more wisely. Clearly it is a very soft market for bottom six players this year, particularly at this time... but that wasn't all that easy to predict. There will be players taking $1 mil or less, who should get a lot more, just to stay in the league. Next year it very well could be the same, so many a wait and see approach for the bottom six, and most of ours will be UFA next year... would be wiser.

 

[Mess]

I don't think Milano or Rodrigues fit for the 2nd line at all, so it would be bottom 6. ZAR would also be for the bottom 6. I think the Leafs are going to leave one spot for Malgin or a prospect down there, so you only really have a spot for one of those guys.

I think the Leafs would sign one and then maybe sign a guy like Sprong or Dahlen to a PTO.

I wonder why Rodrigues is being mentioned as Leafs option.. Been there done that.

The Evan Rodrigues era in Toronto is over .. As quickly as his legendary tenure as a Leaf began, Evan Rodrigues has decided to head back to his old team according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN:



Evan Rodrigues, who was one of the pieces acquired in the Kasperi Kapanen trade, would likely slot into the bottom-six with the ability to play both the wing and centre position. Given that cap space is tight and Toronto may want to spend that money in other areas (if you catch my drift).

His time as a Leaf began back in August when he was part of the return package that sent Kasperi Kapanen to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He must have really wanted to play with Kapanen so perhaps that’s why he decided to go back.

 

[BertCorbeau]

I wonder why Rodrigues is being mentioned as Leafs option.. Been there done that.

The Evan Rodrigues era in Toronto is over .. As quickly as his legendary tenure as a Leaf began, Evan Rodrigues has decided to head back to his old team according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN:



His time as a Leaf began back in August when he was part of the return package that sent Kasperi Kapanen to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He must have really wanted to play with Kapanen so perhaps that’s why he decided to go back.

I believe is was because the Leafs did not have a clear cut top 9 spot for him, so he walked as a UFA to re-sign with Pittsburgh

 

[Sypher04]

I wonder why Rodrigues is being mentioned as Leafs option.. Been there done that.

The Evan Rodrigues era in Toronto is over .. As quickly as his legendary tenure as a Leaf began, Evan Rodrigues has decided to head back to his old team according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN:



His time as a Leaf began back in August when he was part of the return package that sent Kasperi Kapanen to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He must have really wanted to play with Kapanen so perhaps that’s why he decided to go back.

Not being interested in whatever his QO was doesn’t necessarily mean they wouldn’t have interest on a cheap free agent deal.