GDT: Trades & Free Agency -- Off-season edition

[Kiwi]

Talbot is the only UFA goalie who carried a starters load last year. Im fine with him, but it could drive up price for that reason and he'll be 37 next season coming off a bad playoff.

There's a good chance they'll need to trade for a starter or capable 1A type.

WE DONT HAVE THE ASSETS TO DO THAT

It's like saying I want to drive faster so I need a Ferrari, but you don't have the 250K lying around to buy one

 

[the real Fox mulder]

Woll and Stolarz have a combined 138 games between them.

Broissot and Woll would have 180 combined.

Scary stuff if that's our tandem.

Adin hill had about 88 games played before winning the Stanley cup. If Woll and Stolarz or Broissot and Woll turns out to be our tandem heading into next season. I'll have no problem with that, so long as we improve the team in front of him.

 

[SprDaVE]

Woll and Stolarz have a combined 138 games between them.

Broissot and Woll would have 180 combined.

Scary stuff if that's our tandem.

Woll has to start somewhere. He's been a lot more good than bad and he needs some leeway at the starter job. His health is the only thing keeping him back.

This is how you develop a starter. You can't baby them with veteran starters everytime, especially ones with term. It might not work out but it's not like there are a lot of better options.

 

[Duffman955]

Woll has to start somewhere. He's been a lot more good than bad and he needs some leeway at the starter job. His health is the only thing keeping him back.

This is how you develop a starter though. You can't baby them with veteran starters everytime. It might not work out but it's not like there are a lot of better options.

His fitness is terrible. Always injured

If you want to waste the best years of Matthews betting on a minimum salary goalie... then I don't know man

 

[SprDaVE]

His fitness is terrible. Always injured

If you want to waste the best years of Matthews betting on a minimum salary goalie... then I don't know man

If Woll was a RFA right now he wouldn't be a minimum salary goaltender. He's only 26 years old and has been good to great when healthy. He just needs to play. Getting a solid tandem goaltender to fill in like Stolarz would be more than capable to be something similar to what Boston did, or many other teams that ran tandems.

This is how you get your own goaltender long-term. Dumping a player that has shown plenty of upside or blocking his playing time with a veteran doesn't seem like a great idea either.

You either go big or just play what you have. It's not like the market is filled with better/elite options cheap.

 

[Jozay]

Woll is a questionable bet at best, because of his track record of poor health.

It would he wise to secure the goalie position, but I wouldnt mind them taking a bet on someone like Brossoit and kicking the goalie can down to the deadline.

Woll hasnt started 30+ games in a season since 2019.

 

[the real Fox mulder]

His fitness is terrible. Always injured

If you want to waste the best years of Matthews betting on a minimum salary goalie... then I don't know man

If we give up on Woll now, it could turn out to be another Tuukka Rask situation. Vegas won their cup betting on a tandem of Hill/Brossoit. If you look at their stats before winning the cup. It's nothing special.

Why can Vegas do this, it's simply because they have a strong team in front of them and a strong D corps.

 

[Torontonian]

If we give up on Woll now, it could turn out to be another Tuukka Rask situation. Vegas won their cup betting on a tandem of Hill/Brossoit. If you look at their stats before winning the cup. It's nothing special.

Why can Vegas do this, it's simply because they have a strong team in front of them and a strong D corps.

You don't have to give up on Woll, but you need to add stability to the crease incase. Like you mentioned, the only way Toronto can possibly get by with running two 1B options is protecting them via a good d-corps. Maybe that's their plan.

 

[Lupuls Grit]

As more of a neutral observer (Canucks fan living in Orillia with a son who lives and breathes Leafs), it blows my mind that so many Leafs fans are content to run back the same or similar goaltending situation as last year. The Leafs desperately need a solid, number 1 goalie. Perhaps Woll may eventually get over his injury woes. But with the team as currently constructed, you can't waste any more years gambling on his health. Saros is the obvious fix, even if the cost of extending him starts with an 8.

 

[ER89]

Just wait until tomorrow....

You're gna post a worse team?

 

[Brobust]

As more of a neutral observer (Canucks fan living in Orillia with a son who lives and breathes Leafs), it blows my mind that so many Leafs fans are content to run back the same or similar goaltending situation as last year. The Leafs desperately need a solid, number 1 goalie. Perhaps Woll may eventually get over his injury woes. But with the team as currently constructed, you can't waste any more years gambling on his health. Saros is the obvious fix, even if the cost of extending him starts with an 8.

ok

 

[ULF_55]

Debrusk is a UFA

Maybe trade him for a UFA and $5mm salary dump Pageau?

I really, don't think all the suggestions are from Leafs' fans.

 

[ULF_55]

I mean we are apparently seriously considering re-signing Marner. This is not a serious organization.

Yes, but they might be looking for offload Matthews. The Kings and Flames just opened up Cap-Space.

 

[thusk]

Yeah, I'm in no hurry.

Why go out and throw away picks at the deadline for 3rd. pairing defenders every year when you already have them in house.

Liljegren in a good D is nothing more than an healthy scratch player. Personally i just don't understand who still believe he's a good dman and see this guy like a potential top 4 dman...

 

[LeafSteel]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1803843552595640450

Been beating the Stolarz drum for some time now.

They are fine to gamble on someone like Matt Murray but unwilling to give Woll and Stolarz a chance?

Nothing to say they can’t do it, with Martin as a 3rd and Hildeby chomping at the bit.

Improve the defence and defensive play on front of the goalies and let’s see what they can do.

 

[Brobust]

$2.5M for Alex Nedeljkovic seems like a bit of an overpay.

 

[TMLegend]

Woll has to start somewhere. He's been a lot more good than bad and he needs some leeway at the starter job. His health is the only thing keeping him back.

This is how you develop a starter. You can't baby them with veteran starters everytime, especially ones with term. It might not work out but it's not like there are a lot of better options.

Woll needs to prove he can stay healthy before the Leafs even think about giving him the starters role. Dude has never played more than 37 games in a season, at any level.

Talbot is a decent stop gap. His age will ensure he gets a short term contract at a modest cap hit, and he won't block Woll from taking the starters job if he outplays him and stays healthy over a period of time.

Pairing Brossoit or Stolarz with Woll scares the shit out of me. These guys aren't even 1B's, they're career backups.

 

[Stephen]

Woll has to start somewhere. He's been a lot more good than bad and he needs some leeway at the starter job. His health is the only thing keeping him back.

This is how you develop a starter. You can't baby them with veteran starters everytime, especially ones with term. It might not work out but it's not like there are a lot of better options.

Woll deserves an audition for sure. But like Matt Murray he’s a risk in terms of 1) quality and 2) health so you need to have insurance against both, and at the end of the day it should be a priority for Toronto to have the best goalie possible in net. Regardlesss of name. Homegrown kid or not.

On a pure meritocracy, we put a high end starter in a platoon role and let Woll fight it out, starting as a backup, then a trusted platoon. Then the clear cut goalie of the future becomes goalie of the present. Look at Swayman surpassing Ullmark in Boston. Look at how Boston still has a valuable goalie asset in Ullmark.

That’s how it should be run. We can’t be soft hearted about Woll and give him any job security or unearned play time or put a cheap partner in assuming anything. We trusted him in the regular season and he fell apart. We trusted him in the playoffs and he fell apart.

 

[Brobust]

Woll needs to prove he can stay healthy before the Leafs even think about giving him the starters role. Dude has never played more than 37 games in a season, at any level.

Talbot is a decent stop gap. His age will ensure he gets a short term contract at a modest cap hit, and he won't block Woll from taking the starters job if he outplays him and stays healthy over a period of time.

Pairing Brossoit or Stolarz with Woll scares the shit out of me. These guys aren't even 1B's, they're career backups.

Stolarz has been stuck behind two highly paid guys and outperformed them both times. He may be a legitimate starter stuck as a backup due to circumstances out of his control.

 

[Stephen]

Stolarz has been stuck behind two highly paid guys and outperformed them both times. He may be a legitimate starter stuck as a backup due to circumstances out of his control.

Stolarz was really good in Anaheim. One year they kept pulling Gibson and Stolarz looked like a million bucks in relief. Big, tall, calm, confident and under control.

 

[TMLegend]

Stolarz has been stuck behind two highly paid guys and outperformed them both times. He may be a legitimate starter stuck as a backup due to circumstances out of his control.

Maybe, but I doubt it at age 30.

Anyway, it would be very on brand for Leafs management to change absolutely nothing structure wise and run out the same team again next season.

Cheap goaltending, a Mitch Marner re-sign and a patchwork d-core and bottom six. Where do I sign?

 

[Menzinger]

I think there is a lot of speculation for clicks. Marner being moved opens up salary to potentially bring in those wingers.

But it apparent the priority is the blue line.

Tre's reputation going back to the Flames was.ro be in on anything and everything. Which means that rumors,.while likely true that he's inquired about these players, shouldn't necessarily mean the Leafs are focused on them.

At the moment I'd say Burt and Domi maintain the inside track for extensions

 

[Cleetus]

Yes, but they might be looking for offload Matthews. The Kings and Flames just opened up Cap-Space.

dang you sound like my Friend who despises the leafs lol

 

[Pinkcat]

Yeah, our infusion of talent from the replenished prospect pool yielded us a grand total of 2 goals and 3 points in the playoffs. Thank god for Dubas! Only he could have produced such magical results in just 5 drafts and 5 offseason….

Yes, completely deviated from the plan once Tavares was signed.

 

[Kurtz]

Maybe, but I doubt it at age 30.

Anyway, it would be very on brand for Leafs management to change absolutely nothing structure wise and run out the same team again next season.

Cheap goaltending, a Mitch Marner re-sign and a patchwork d-core and bottom six. Where do I sign?

Goalies can be funny. Greatest goalie of all time broke out at 29. Tim Thomas broke out in his mid 30's. Sometimes it's about the opportunity.