Trades & Free Agency Thread - Too Soon Off-Season Edition

[horner]

Watching the Islanders vs Bruins game.
Hitting all over the ice .
Martin Clutterbuck Casey C, they are hitting Boston's top line every chance they get.
We had Martin but the problem with us we only had Martin on that line.
We need a line like that to wear other teams out.

We need a line like that

 

[Dreakmur]

Watching the Islanders vs Bruins game.
Hitting all over the ice .
Martin Clutterbuck Casey C, they are hitting Boston's top line every chance they get.
We had Martin but the problem with us we only had Martin on that line.
We need a line like that to wear other teams out.

We need a line like that

We don't need guys that hit - though it would be nice.

What we need are guys that aren't scared to get hit. We need guys that aren't content to circle around the perimeter for eternity.

 

[skacore]

We don't need guys that hit - though it would be nice.

What we need are guys that aren't scared to get hit. We need guys that aren't content to circle around the perimeter for eternity.

Just curious why people think this? Why don’t we need players who hit? Lol

why are we the only team in the playoffs who feels no hate or animosity towards our opponents?

 

[Stephen]

We don't need guys that hit - though it would be nice.

What we need are guys that aren't scared to get hit. We need guys that aren't content to circle around the perimeter for eternity.

The name of the game is balance and diversity. You want different players to play different roles but when push comes to shove you need your scorers to hit and you need your hitters to score.

When you watch those classic Western Conference playoff series with the California teams or St. Louis or Vegas this year, it's striking how everybody on the team will buy into the same forechecking program. The more your team invests in hitting, the more worn down the other team will be so they won't be as fresh defending and hitting your stars. The more your stars hit back and compete, the more space they earn to operate.

 

[Captain14]

View attachment 442894
Honestly, this would have excited me last offseason but not anymore.
If we don’t reshape the core, the rest is nonsense. There simply isn’t any money to fix the issues on this team.
You can’t keep adding guys on one year deals for minimum wage to provide “character”. Character needs to come from your core.
We can’t keep adding guys in their late 30’s on one year deals to provide leadership. Leadership needs to come from the core.
The core needs to change.
I realize that they aren’t going to come out in a press conference and tell everyone they are trading Marner, but if they aren’t prepared to break up the core, not much will change and I honestly believe interest in this team will wane. People are truly fed up.
The management team is running the risk of having Marner booed every time he touches the puck. Then a trade gets even more difficult.

100% correct.
The Islanders and Bruins don’t have one player on their roster making more than $7m.
The Avalanche and Knight each have one player at $9m.
They all have a balanced roster that is successful in the post season.
It’s obvious that we need to move Marner, Andersen and possibly Reilly to bring in a number one D, a Goalie and some forwards that play a heavy game with tenacity.

 

[The Iceman]

I like Goodrow and Coleman, but they will surely get overpaid, and not worth that money playing on the third line.

See Vancouver
Sutter @ $4.375 mill
Jay Beagle $3 mill
Roussel $3 mill
as players who did not age well

 

[ryno23]

I would stack the top line and JT can do what he did on the Island and make two players relevant like Moulson. I would be looking for a grinding 3rd line who can chip in with offense. 4th line is 1 vet Spezza, 1 speed guy and then a gritty guy who can get greasy goals.

Marner - Matthews - Nylander
Galcheniuk - JT - Robertson
Hyman - XXX - XXX
Mik - Spezza - Joey Anderson
Brooks

Gone are Kerfoot in trade or expansion, Engvall in a trade to recoup a pick

 

[Stonehands1990]

I would stack the top line and JT can do what he did on the Island and make two players relevant like Moulson. I would be looking for a grinding 3rd line who can chip in with offense. 4th line is 1 vet Spezza, 1 speed guy and then a gritty guy who can get greasy goals.

Marner - Matthews - Nylander
Galcheniuk - JT - Robertson
Hyman - XXX - XXX
Mik - Spezza - Joey Anderson
Brooks

Gone are Kerfoot in trade or expansion, Engvall in a trade to recoup a pick

I like the way this lineup is looking, however with 3rd line spots open might as well keep Engvall around. Agreed Kerfoot is probably gone in expansion

 

[Menzinger]

Granlund could be an interesting guy to target depending on how much available cap room the Leafs eventually have to play with.

Probably ends up on a very reasonable deal

 

[horner]

I think one of the biggest issues with this team is we just have way too many of the same players. I understand we want to be a team with speed but when you have players like Mikheyev, Engvall, Kerfoot (minus the playoffs because I thought he was one of our better players). These are all players that while bring speed, don't bring much of anything else. When it comes to our bottom 6, I think it's crucial to have those players with speed but also some jam. Casey Czikas is a perfect example. I'm not taking about Wayne Simmonds because he was absolutely useless this year. We need some speedy grinders. I really hope we're able to get Coleman as well.

Czikas Martin Clutterbuck hammer players.
We would wilt in a 7 game series.

 

[stickty111]

Mirtle pointed out some scenarios Leafs could do in the off season to improve the team up front. One of them was the option of Leafs going young on defence next season. Where Dermott gets an elavated role and Sandin makes the team full time, while also opening up minutes for Liljegren. He said they could do this to the deadline, and then make their big splash on D at the deadline. In this scenario, you lose Holl either to expansion or in trade. Bogosian is brought back.
Also I don't think this was inside info on his part, but he did mention that there is a good chance guys like Liljegren and Dermott haven't been thrilled with the limited opportunity they have received.
Honestly I don't mind going this route.

 

[Gallagbi]

Mirtle pointed out some scenarios Leafs could do in the off season to improve the team up front. One of them was the option of Leafs going young on defence next season. Where Dermott gets an elavated role and Sandin makes the team full time, while also opening up minutes for Liljegren. He said they could do this to the deadline, and then make their big splash on D at the deadline. In this scenario, you lose Holl either to expansion or in trade. Bogosian is brought back.
Also I don't think this was inside info on his part, but he did mention that there is a good chance guys like Liljegren and Dermott haven't been thrilled with the limited opportunity they have received.
Honestly I don't mind going this route.

Holl doesn't move the needle much with him making $2M and your replacement being ~850k.

If they're shuffling D it has to be one of their big 3

 

[APV]

People keep mentioning how Matthews disappeared in the playoffs but I put that on Marner and Hyman. Keefe's biggest problem was keeping Matthews and Marner together and not putting a hot Nylander with Matthews.

With Montreal knowing Marner doesn't shoot and with Hyman's lack of ability to finish, they constantly had 2-3 guys attached to Matthews making it nearly impossible for him to get any chances. Putting Nylander with Matthews would've instantly gave him more space since Nylander can shoot with the best of them as well as set up. My ideal lineup after game 5 would've been,

Hyman-Matthews-Nylander
Kerfoot-Spezza-Marner

Those were the 6 guys we should've played majority of the game with the remaining 6 getting minimal minutes.

Keefe takes a lot of the blame for not adjusting

Awesome post.

 

[Dreakmur]

Just curious why people think this? Why don’t we need players who hit? Lol

why are we the only team in the playoffs who feels no hate or animosity towards our opponents?

They don’t count hits on the scoreboard. Hitting is a bonus, but not needed to win.

 

[ryno23]

Mirtle pointed out some scenarios Leafs could do in the off season to improve the team up front. One of them was the option of Leafs going young on defence next season. Where Dermott gets an elavated role and Sandin makes the team full time, while also opening up minutes for Liljegren. He said they could do this to the deadline, and then make their big splash on D at the deadline. In this scenario, you lose Holl either to expansion or in trade. Bogosian is brought back.
Also I don't think this was inside info on his part, but he did mention that there is a good chance guys like Liljegren and Dermott haven't been thrilled with the limited opportunity they have received.
Honestly I don't mind going this route.

so that means moving Rielly? If you move Muzzin and Brodie your D core just got terrible again.

Liljgren would be trade fodder. I don't think his game translates to the NHL that well. Move him before teams really see it.

Sandin is a 3rd pair guy with some PP time. He needs to work on his skating and strength which can be done over the summer.

 

[wingman75]

The more I think about things, I think the max number for Hyman is $4.45 million. That is what Alex Killorn makes; similar players with Hyman being a little quicker with a little more finish but they bring about the same thing. Hyman is younger but hasn't won anything... If we can get him for that I'd be happy.

 

[Dreakmur]

so that means moving Rielly? If you move Muzzin and Brodie your D core just got terrible again.

Liljgren would be trade fodder. I don't think his game translates to the NHL that well. Move him before teams really see it.

Sandin is a 3rd pair guy with some PP time. He needs to work on his skating and strength which can be done over the summer.

I would move Muzzin before Rielly or Brodie. He’s already starting to break down.

 

[ER89]

Granlund could be an interesting guy to target depending on how much available cap room the Leafs eventually have to play with.

Probably ends up on a very reasonable deal

I 100% would like Granlund.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

People keep mentioning how Matthews disappeared in the playoffs but I put that on Marner and Hyman. Keefe's biggest problem was keeping Matthews and Marner together and not putting a hot Nylander with Matthews.

With Montreal knowing Marner doesn't shoot and with Hyman's lack of ability to finish, they constantly had 2-3 guys attached to Matthews making it nearly impossible for him to get any chances. Putting Nylander with Matthews would've instantly gave him more space since Nylander can shoot with the best of them as well as set up. My ideal lineup after game 5 would've been,

Hyman-Matthews-Nylander
Kerfoot-Spezza-Marner

Those were the 6 guys we should've played majority of the game with the remaining 6 getting minimal minutes.

Keefe takes a lot of the blame for not adjusting

Trusting his stars was his fatal mistake. On the surface it should not have been, but that is just how bad Marner was in that series.

Matthews actually did fairly well all things considered. 35 shots in 7 games with all that pressure on him is pretty good. Surprised he did not score more goals too. It's not like he had terrible shots or opportunities to score, but just could not get those clean snipes off and nothing else was going to beat Price unless it hit someone or Price messed up.

 

[Gallagbi]

Granlund could be an interesting guy to target depending on how much available cap room the Leafs eventually have to play with.

Probably ends up on a very reasonable deal

I think he's the target.

Personally I'd like to see us target Cizikas and Bjugstad. Cizikas as a 3rd line C may be a stretch, but I think he could do well. Bjugstad is a great reclamation project, especially in this market on a 4th line with Spezza and likely Robertson

 

[Knies iT]

Michael Bunting will be one of the best value pickups this off-season. Calling it now.

Whoever takes the risk to give him term (around 3 years) despite his lack of NHL track record will look like a genius given the flat cap. Won't be expensive.

 

[Gabriel426]

We should definitely go hard after Taylor Hall, he's our best shot at Shane Wright.

His voodoo usually skip a year, have to go after him two years from now

 

[Gabriel426]

The name of the game is balance and diversity. You want different players to play different roles but when push comes to shove you need your scorers to hit and you need your hitters to score.

When you watch those classic Western Conference playoff series with the California teams or St. Louis or Vegas this year, it's striking how everybody on the team will buy into the same forechecking program. The more your team invests in hitting, the more worn down the other team will be so they won't be as fresh defending and hitting your stars. The more your stars hit back and compete, the more space they earn to operate.

Leafs players need to learn forechecking hard. That’s one area they need to train.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Trusting his stars was his fatal mistake. On the surface it should not have been, but that is just how bad Marner was in that series.

Matthews actually did fairly well all things considered. 35 shots in 7 games with all that pressure on him is pretty good. Surprised he did not score more goals too. It's not like he had terrible shots or opportunities to score, but just could not get those clean snipes off and nothing else was going to beat Price unless it hit someone or Price messed up.

I agree completely. Just my eye test of course but I thought Matthews played much better than Marner, like not even close.

 

[jaric1862]

If they can't re-sign Hyman, they need to use that money to sign a LEGIT shutdown #3 center. They lacked that all season.