Speculation: Trevor van Riemsdyk (Signs with Chicago)

[Drakkor]

What does "wasting time" mean? Who is wasting time?

Can Steve Spott only instruct 10 or 12 players during the season? Does TJ Brennan go quietly stand at the other end of the ice during practice so Spott can teach Stu Percy in peace?




Again, what spot is being wasted on a undrafted player? Would it be more wasteful to use that spot on an undrafted player than it is to use the spot the way it's currently being used, by a journeyman who has no NHL future? (Mike Duco, Brad Staubitz, Kory Nagy, Wade MacLeod, Stefan Legein, etc.)

You seem to be under the impression that there are about ten spots on an AHL team. There aren't. The Marlies have used 36 different players this year. Last year it was 45.




"All this free wallet crap":

Kunitz - Bozak - St. Louis
Zuccarello - T. Johnson - Read
Glencross - Peverley - Purcell
Dupuis - Letestu - J. Ward
Burrows - Desharnais - Clarkson
Bourque - Arcobello - Brunner
Leino - Halpern - Penner
Conacher - Garbutt - Klinkhammer
Roussel - Konopka - Fontaine

Giordano - Girardi
Gorges - Boyle
Greene - Michalek
Garrison - Tanev
DeKeyser - Krug
Benn - Belov
Dillon - Diaz
Gustafsson - Irwin
Schlemko - Stanton

Bobrovsky
Niemi
Hiller
Fasth
Scrivens
Martin Jones
Backstrom
Lack
Talbot
Gustavsson


Glad the Leafs didn't waste a spot on Tyler Johnson. Brad Ross would have never turned into the great player he is today.




Another bizarre point of view. Are you aware that 90+% of 4th to 7th round draft picks "fail"? (1. http://oilersnation.com/2011/2/25/value-in-acquiring-draft-picks and 2. http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/scott_cullen/?ID=267960) Would you ever say something as ignorant as "why waste time with 7th rounders when we should be spending our time on developing our 1st-3rd rounders"?

During the Burke/Nonis "free wallet" era the Leafs have signed the following undrafted free agents:

Brayden Irwin
Christian Hanson
Tyler Bozak
Jonas Gustavsson
Marcel Mueller
Simon Gysbers
Andrew Crescenzi
Tyler Brenner
Ben Scrivens
Mark Owuya
Jussi Rynnas
Robert Slaney
Spencer Abbott

13 total players. Two of them have become quality NHLers (Bozak and Scrivens).

2-for-13 is a 15% success rate, better than the NHL average for 5th to 7th round draft picks as shown in the articles above. What exactly are you whining about again?


Here's a fun little exercise for you.

Up until 2004 the NHL draft was nine rounds long and they also gave out a large number of compensatory draft picks. Each year there were around 290 players selected. Today there are about 210 players drafted, I doubt you're even willing to open your mind and read this so I'm hiding a message right here hello, each year (7 rounds, 30 picks per round, no comp. picks). Take a look at some of the players taken after the 210th pick in the drafts in the final few years of the NHL's old nine round drafts: http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/index.html

I'll spot you just a couple notables (just from 2003 and 2004):

Pekka Rinne
Dustin Byfuglien
Tobias Enstrom
Matt Moulson

Where do you think these players who used to be drafted between the 211th and 290th overall picks are going today? I'm not confident that you'll come to the correct conclusion so I'll just tell you: they're becoming undrafted free agents every single year. And as "non-hockey" countries like Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Slovenia, Germany, etc. begin to start producing talent, the number of NHL calibre players developed each year will continue to rise. More talent to select in the top 7 rounds of the draft = more talented "8th and 9th rounders" who are bumped out of the draft.

To ignore undrafted free agents is mind-numblingly ridiculous.

excellent post!!

 

[Bluelines]

NO MORE COLLEGE FREE AGENTS PLEASE, ITS NOT WORTH THE CONTRACT SPOT THEY TAKE UP (I'm serious). They are useless.

I'm willing to make the exception when there is an insanely hyped up college FA available. People seem to forget the only college FA thats worked out is Bozak and he was insanely hyped coming in. No more college FA's unless they are hyped like Bozak was (even then, Bozak wasn't that great till now).

It's about adding talent not about where they come from. You've just painted EVERY undrafted college player as a waste of a roster spot.

Its like adding a 3rd rounder without having to use up a draft pick. Roll the dice you never know what you will get.

Some decent undrafted NHLers here


2006 (7)
Andy Greene
Ryan Carter
Rod Pelley
Tim Wallace
Bill Thomas
Junior Lessard
Jamie Hunt

2007 (14)
Darroll Powe
Teddy Purcell
Ryan Shannon
Mark Letestus
Chris Conner
Kevin Westgarth
Derek Smith
Trevor Smith
Sean Collins
Gabe Gauthier
Kyle Greentree
John Curry
Sean Bentivoglio
Darcy Campbell

2008 (8)
Jack Hillen
Jesse Winchester
Davis Drewiske
Mike Moore
Peter Mannino
Matt Climie
Brock Trotter
Jeff Penner

2009 (9)
Tyler Bozak
Matt Gilroy
Dan Sexton
Matt Taormina
Christian Hanson
MacGregor Sharp
Evan Oberg
Brad Thiessen
Corey Elkins

2010 (13)
Bobby Butler
Chris Tanev
Tommy Wingels
Nate Prosser
Aaron Volpatti
Erik Gustafsson
Casey Wellman
Ben Scrivens)
Ben Holmstrom
Jarod Palmer
Brayden Irwin
Eric Selleck
Carter Hutton

2011 (9)
Matt Read
Harry Zolnierczyk
Stephane Da Costa
Andy Miele
Torey Krug
Carter Camper
Mike Connolly
Chay Genoway
Keith Kinkaid

2012 (6)
Brian Flynn
Chad Ruhwedel
Jeremy Welsh
J. T. Brown
Matt Tennyson
Cameron Schilling

The chance of finding an undrafted 1st or 2nd liner is almost zero but in a cap world if you cand find a serviceable cap friendly player who plays a solid game, you've struck gold.

 

[Quares27]

BTW one thing i'd like to add that in the past with signings like Hanson and Irwin is that they weren't exactly highly skilled players in college either. Burke signed them because they were 6'5 big physical guys who hit and had some skill. It was clearly a flaw of Burke's to overrate physical guys as we saw with a bunch of wasted draft picks - Ross 2nd, Biggs 1st, Devane 3rd, etc. I agree that it's probably not a great idea to waste a bunch of roster spots on guys like this with low ceilings but those aren't the type of guys we're talking about signing so bringing them up in a discussion like this in terms of busts is irrelevant. We're talking about the Leafs signing guys with real skill that may actually turn into scorers in the NHL.

 

[TheKule]

Myabe lumping guygs like Bozak, Scrivens, Irwin, and Hanson into one group is ridiculous and simplistic. Each one of those guys came out of the NCAA with different expectations and ceilings. No one, anywhere, ever, thought Brayden Irwin would be a player. Using his "failure" to argue the Leafs should stay away from college guys has got be one of the silliest things I've read on this board.

Is TVR good? Do scouts think he can play in the NHL? Sign him.

 

[Slot]

What does "wasting time" mean? Who is wasting time?

Can Steve Spott only instruct 10 or 12 players during the season? Does TJ Brennan go quietly stand at the other end of the ice during practice so Spott can teach Stu Percy in peace?




Again, what spot is being wasted on a undrafted player? Would it be more wasteful to use that spot on an undrafted player than it is to use the spot the way it's currently being used, by a journeyman who has no NHL future? (Mike Duco, Brad Staubitz, Kory Nagy, Wade MacLeod, Stefan Legein, etc.)

You seem to be under the impression that there are about ten spots on an AHL team. There aren't. The Marlies have used 36 different players this year. Last year it was 45.




"All this free wallet crap":

Kunitz - Bozak - St. Louis
Zuccarello - T. Johnson - Read
Glencross - Peverley - Purcell
Dupuis - Letestu - J. Ward
Burrows - Desharnais - Clarkson
Bourque - Arcobello - Brunner
Leino - Halpern - Penner
Conacher - Garbutt - Klinkhammer
Roussel - Konopka - Fontaine

Giordano - Girardi
Gorges - Boyle
Greene - Michalek
Garrison - Tanev
DeKeyser - Krug
Benn - Belov
Dillon - Diaz
Gustafsson - Irwin
Schlemko - Stanton

Bobrovsky
Niemi
Hiller
Fasth
Scrivens
Martin Jones
Backstrom
Lack
Talbot
Gustavsson


Glad the Leafs didn't waste a spot on Tyler Johnson. Brad Ross would have never turned into the great player he is today.




Another bizarre point of view. Are you aware that 90+% of 4th to 7th round draft picks "fail"? (1. http://oilersnation.com/2011/2/25/value-in-acquiring-draft-picks and 2. http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/scott_cullen/?ID=267960) Would you ever say something as ignorant as "why waste time with 7th rounders when we should be spending our time on developing our 1st-3rd rounders"?

During the Burke/Nonis "free wallet" era the Leafs have signed the following undrafted free agents:

Brayden Irwin
Christian Hanson
Tyler Bozak
Jonas Gustavsson
Marcel Mueller
Simon Gysbers
Andrew Crescenzi
Tyler Brenner
Ben Scrivens
Mark Owuya
Jussi Rynnas
Robert Slaney
Spencer Abbott

13 total players. Two of them have become quality NHLers (Bozak and Scrivens).

2-for-13 is a 15% success rate, better than the NHL average for 5th to 7th round draft picks as shown in the articles above. What exactly are you whining about again?


Here's a fun little exercise for you.

Up until 2004 the NHL draft was nine rounds long and they also gave out a large number of compensatory draft picks. Each year there were around 290 players selected. Today there are about 210 players drafted, I doubt you're even willing to open your mind and read this so I'm hiding a message right here hello, each year (7 rounds, 30 picks per round, no comp. picks). Take a look at some of the players taken after the 210th pick in the drafts in the final few years of the NHL's old nine round drafts: http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/index.html

I'll spot you just a couple notables (just from 2003 and 2004):

Pekka Rinne
Dustin Byfuglien
Tobias Enstrom
Matt Moulson

Where do you think these players who used to be drafted between the 211th and 290th overall picks are going today? I'm not confident that you'll come to the correct conclusion so I'll just tell you: they're becoming undrafted free agents every single year. And as "non-hockey" countries like Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Slovenia, Germany, etc. begin to start producing talent, the number of NHL calibre players developed each year will continue to rise. More talent to select in the top 7 rounds of the draft = more talented "8th and 9th rounders" who are bumped out of the draft.

To ignore undrafted free agents is mind-numblingly ridiculous.

/mic drop, walk off stage

nice post.

 

[Revolt]

What does "wasting time" mean? Who is wasting time?

Can Steve Spott only instruct 10 or 12 players during the season? Does TJ Brennan go quietly stand at the other end of the ice during practice so Spott can teach Stu Percy in peace?




Again, what spot is being wasted on a undrafted player? Would it be more wasteful to use that spot on an undrafted player than it is to use the spot the way it's currently being used, by a journeyman who has no NHL future? (Mike Duco, Brad Staubitz, Kory Nagy, Wade MacLeod, Stefan Legein, etc.)

You seem to be under the impression that there are about ten spots on an AHL team. There aren't. The Marlies have used 36 different players this year. Last year it was 45.




"All this free wallet crap":

Kunitz - Bozak - St. Louis
Zuccarello - T. Johnson - Read
Glencross - Peverley - Purcell
Dupuis - Letestu - J. Ward
Burrows - Desharnais - Clarkson
Bourque - Arcobello - Brunner
Leino - Halpern - Penner
Conacher - Garbutt - Klinkhammer
Roussel - Konopka - Fontaine

Giordano - Girardi
Gorges - Boyle
Greene - Michalek
Garrison - Tanev
DeKeyser - Krug
Benn - Belov
Dillon - Diaz
Gustafsson - Irwin
Schlemko - Stanton

Bobrovsky
Niemi
Hiller
Fasth
Scrivens
Martin Jones
Backstrom
Lack
Talbot
Gustavsson


Glad the Leafs didn't waste a spot on Tyler Johnson. Brad Ross would have never turned into the great player he is today.




Another bizarre point of view. Are you aware that 90+% of 4th to 7th round draft picks "fail"? (1. http://oilersnation.com/2011/2/25/value-in-acquiring-draft-picks and 2. http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/scott_cullen/?ID=267960) Would you ever say something as ignorant as "why waste time with 7th rounders when we should be spending our time on developing our 1st-3rd rounders"?

During the Burke/Nonis "free wallet" era the Leafs have signed the following undrafted free agents:

Brayden Irwin
Christian Hanson
Tyler Bozak
Jonas Gustavsson
Marcel Mueller
Simon Gysbers
Andrew Crescenzi
Tyler Brenner
Ben Scrivens
Mark Owuya
Jussi Rynnas
Robert Slaney
Spencer Abbott

13 total players. Two of them have become quality NHLers (Bozak and Scrivens).

2-for-13 is a 15% success rate, better than the NHL average for 5th to 7th round draft picks as shown in the articles above. What exactly are you whining about again?


Here's a fun little exercise for you.

Up until 2004 the NHL draft was nine rounds long and they also gave out a large number of compensatory draft picks. Each year there were around 290 players selected. Today there are about 210 players drafted, I doubt you're even willing to open your mind and read this so I'm hiding a message right here hello, each year (7 rounds, 30 picks per round, no comp. picks). Take a look at some of the players taken after the 210th pick in the drafts in the final few years of the NHL's old nine round drafts: http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/index.html

I'll spot you just a couple notables (just from 2003 and 2004):

Pekka Rinne
Dustin Byfuglien
Tobias Enstrom
Matt Moulson

Where do you think these players who used to be drafted between the 211th and 290th overall picks are going today? I'm not confident that you'll come to the correct conclusion so I'll just tell you: they're becoming undrafted free agents every single year. And as "non-hockey" countries like Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Slovenia, Germany, etc. begin to start producing talent, the number of NHL calibre players developed each year will continue to rise. More talent to select in the top 7 rounds of the draft = more talented "8th and 9th rounders" who are bumped out of the draft.

To ignore undrafted free agents is mind-numblingly ridiculous.

Easily one of the best posts i've read on this forum. Fantastic.

 

[Banic]

Easily one of the best posts i've read on this forum. Fantastic.

Agreed. It's refreshing to read a post that is so blatantly true that the detractors have yet to come back out for rebuttal. In lieu of resorting to the usual responses, he lays out an educated and thoughtful argument complete with all the proof necessary, and no personal attacks.

 

[ARoggy94]

I have no problem with offering him a contract but have any of you guys actually seen him play? Would he make our D corp immediately or would he be with the Marlies for a few season and act as a call up?

 

[Cor]

I have no problem with offering him a contract but have any of you guys actually seen him play? Would he make our D corp immediately or would he be with the Marlies for a few season and act as a call up?

Would probably need some time in the AHL, but he's not far off at all

 

[Alexanderthe89]

Am I crazy or wasn't Stalberg a free wallet as well? Weren't him, Hanson and Bozak the frat pack or something?

 

[Enhanced]

What does "wasting time" mean? Who is wasting time?

Can Steve Spott only instruct 10 or 12 players during the season? Does TJ Brennan go quietly stand at the other end of the ice during practice so Spott can teach Stu Percy in peace?




Again, what spot is being wasted on a undrafted player? Would it be more wasteful to use that spot on an undrafted player than it is to use the spot the way it's currently being used, by a journeyman who has no NHL future? (Mike Duco, Brad Staubitz, Kory Nagy, Wade MacLeod, Stefan Legein, etc.)

You seem to be under the impression that there are about ten spots on an AHL team. There aren't. The Marlies have used 36 different players this year. Last year it was 45.




"All this free wallet crap":

Kunitz - Bozak - St. Louis
Zuccarello - T. Johnson - Read
Glencross - Peverley - Purcell
Dupuis - Letestu - J. Ward
Burrows - Desharnais - Clarkson
Bourque - Arcobello - Brunner
Leino - Halpern - Penner
Conacher - Garbutt - Klinkhammer
Roussel - Konopka - Fontaine

Giordano - Girardi
Gorges - Boyle
Greene - Michalek
Garrison - Tanev
DeKeyser - Krug
Benn - Belov
Dillon - Diaz
Gustafsson - Irwin
Schlemko - Stanton

Bobrovsky
Niemi
Hiller
Fasth
Scrivens
Martin Jones
Backstrom
Lack
Talbot
Gustavsson


Glad the Leafs didn't waste a spot on Tyler Johnson. Brad Ross would have never turned into the great player he is today.




Another bizarre point of view. Are you aware that 90+% of 4th to 7th round draft picks "fail"? (1. http://oilersnation.com/2011/2/25/value-in-acquiring-draft-picks and 2. http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/scott_cullen/?ID=267960) Would you ever say something as ignorant as "why waste time with 7th rounders when we should be spending our time on developing our 1st-3rd rounders"?

During the Burke/Nonis "free wallet" era the Leafs have signed the following undrafted free agents:

Brayden Irwin
Christian Hanson
Tyler Bozak
Jonas Gustavsson
Marcel Mueller
Simon Gysbers
Andrew Crescenzi
Tyler Brenner
Ben Scrivens
Mark Owuya
Jussi Rynnas
Robert Slaney
Spencer Abbott

13 total players. Two of them have become quality NHLers (Bozak and Scrivens).

2-for-13 is a 15% success rate, better than the NHL average for 5th to 7th round draft picks as shown in the articles above. What exactly are you whining about again?


Here's a fun little exercise for you.

Up until 2004 the NHL draft was nine rounds long and they also gave out a large number of compensatory draft picks. Each year there were around 290 players selected. Today there are about 210 players drafted, I doubt you're even willing to open your mind and read this so I'm hiding a message right here hello, each year (7 rounds, 30 picks per round, no comp. picks). Take a look at some of the players taken after the 210th pick in the drafts in the final few years of the NHL's old nine round drafts: http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/index.html

I'll spot you just a couple notables (just from 2003 and 2004):

Pekka Rinne
Dustin Byfuglien
Tobias Enstrom
Matt Moulson

Where do you think these players who used to be drafted between the 211th and 290th overall picks are going today? I'm not confident that you'll come to the correct conclusion so I'll just tell you: they're becoming undrafted free agents every single year. And as "non-hockey" countries like Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Slovenia, Germany, etc. begin to start producing talent, the number of NHL calibre players developed each year will continue to rise. More talent to select in the top 7 rounds of the draft = more talented "8th and 9th rounders" who are bumped out of the draft.

To ignore undrafted free agents is mind-numblingly ridiculous.

Would love to hear the rebuttal to this. Damn.

 

[Banic]

Am I crazy or wasn't Stalberg a free wallet as well? Weren't him, Hanson and Bozak the frat pack or something?

Stalberg played NCAA but was drafted by JFJ

 

[highslot]

i'd love to sign tvr, unless we are about to lose any of our draft picks without signing them. would we lose herzog or our swedes if we didn't sign them?

 

[Johny Drama]

i'd love to sign tvr, unless we are about to lose any of our draft picks without signing them. would we lose herzog or our swedes if we didn't sign them?

If we sign him, could mean we don't sign Knodel.

 

[pucci2001]

Will we ever learn? With the likes of Irwin,Hanson ,and Gysbers having failed miserably you'd think they'd be more cautious but they seem to always be in the mix for these college free agents.

Bozak? Danny Dekeyser? There are good ones, why not grab as much potential as possible?

 

[Erndog]

Bozak? Danny Dekeyser? There are good ones, why not grab as much potential as possible?

Add Torey Krug and Matt Read.

You would be stupid, absolutely stupid, if you didn't bother trying to sign any college free agents because they may bust. It's the same principal as the draft. Why bother drafting then? May as well just trade all your picks for known commodoties then eh!?!?

Such dumb logic.

 

[Saul Goodman]

We should be signing as many talented NCAA players as we can. We've been using high round picks to draft the likes of Biggs, Ross, Percy and Gauthier. We need some highly skilled offensive forwards and defenseman in the system, even if they are long shots or projects.

 

[Erndog]

What does "wasting time" mean? Who is wasting time?

Can Steve Spott only instruct 10 or 12 players during the season? Does TJ Brennan go quietly stand at the other end of the ice during practice so Spott can teach Stu Percy in peace?




Again, what spot is being wasted on a undrafted player? Would it be more wasteful to use that spot on an undrafted player than it is to use the spot the way it's currently being used, by a journeyman who has no NHL future? (Mike Duco, Brad Staubitz, Kory Nagy, Wade MacLeod, Stefan Legein, etc.)

You seem to be under the impression that there are about ten spots on an AHL team. There aren't. The Marlies have used 36 different players this year. Last year it was 45.




"All this free wallet crap":

Kunitz - Bozak - St. Louis
Zuccarello - T. Johnson - Read
Glencross - Peverley - Purcell
Dupuis - Letestu - J. Ward
Burrows - Desharnais - Clarkson
Bourque - Arcobello - Brunner
Leino - Halpern - Penner
Conacher - Garbutt - Klinkhammer
Roussel - Konopka - Fontaine

Giordano - Girardi
Gorges - Boyle
Greene - Michalek
Garrison - Tanev
DeKeyser - Krug
Benn - Belov
Dillon - Diaz
Gustafsson - Irwin
Schlemko - Stanton

Bobrovsky
Niemi
Hiller
Fasth
Scrivens
Martin Jones
Backstrom
Lack
Talbot
Gustavsson


Glad the Leafs didn't waste a spot on Tyler Johnson. Brad Ross would have never turned into the great player he is today.




Another bizarre point of view. Are you aware that 90+% of 4th to 7th round draft picks "fail"? (1. http://oilersnation.com/2011/2/25/value-in-acquiring-draft-picks and 2. http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/scott_cullen/?ID=267960) Would you ever say something as ignorant as "why waste time with 7th rounders when we should be spending our time on developing our 1st-3rd rounders"?

During the Burke/Nonis "free wallet" era the Leafs have signed the following undrafted free agents:

Brayden Irwin
Christian Hanson
Tyler Bozak
Jonas Gustavsson
Marcel Mueller
Simon Gysbers
Andrew Crescenzi
Tyler Brenner
Ben Scrivens
Mark Owuya
Jussi Rynnas
Robert Slaney
Spencer Abbott

13 total players. Two of them have become quality NHLers (Bozak and Scrivens).

2-for-13 is a 15% success rate, better than the NHL average for 5th to 7th round draft picks as shown in the articles above. What exactly are you whining about again?


Here's a fun little exercise for you.

Up until 2004 the NHL draft was nine rounds long and they also gave out a large number of compensatory draft picks. Each year there were around 290 players selected. Today there are about 210 players drafted, I doubt you're even willing to open your mind and read this so I'm hiding a message right here hello, each year (7 rounds, 30 picks per round, no comp. picks). Take a look at some of the players taken after the 210th pick in the drafts in the final few years of the NHL's old nine round drafts: http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/index.html

I'll spot you just a couple notables (just from 2003 and 2004):

Pekka Rinne
Dustin Byfuglien
Tobias Enstrom
Matt Moulson

Where do you think these players who used to be drafted between the 211th and 290th overall picks are going today? I'm not confident that you'll come to the correct conclusion so I'll just tell you: they're becoming undrafted free agents every single year. And as "non-hockey" countries like Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Slovenia, Germany, etc. begin to start producing talent, the number of NHL calibre players developed each year will continue to rise. More talent to select in the top 7 rounds of the draft = more talented "8th and 9th rounders" who are bumped out of the draft.

To ignore undrafted free agents is mind-numblingly ridiculous.

This is probably the best post I've ever read on this site.

This gives me hope that there are still some intelligent boardies among us.

 

[Erndog]

KuleminFan41 care to comment?

Perhaps he stopped coming in this thread and missed it.

Maybe we should link him.

 

[Al14]

What does "wasting time" mean? Who is wasting time?

Can Steve Spott only instruct 10 or 12 players during the season? Does TJ Brennan go quietly stand at the other end of the ice during practice so Spott can teach Stu Percy in peace?




Again, what spot is being wasted on a undrafted player? Would it be more wasteful to use that spot on an undrafted player than it is to use the spot the way it's currently being used, by a journeyman who has no NHL future? (Mike Duco, Brad Staubitz, Kory Nagy, Wade MacLeod, Stefan Legein, etc.)

You seem to be under the impression that there are about ten spots on an AHL team. There aren't. The Marlies have used 36 different players this year. Last year it was 45.




"All this free wallet crap":

Kunitz - Bozak - St. Louis
Zuccarello - T. Johnson - Read
Glencross - Peverley - Purcell
Dupuis - Letestu - J. Ward
Burrows - Desharnais - Clarkson
Bourque - Arcobello - Brunner
Leino - Halpern - Penner
Conacher - Garbutt - Klinkhammer
Roussel - Konopka - Fontaine

Giordano - Girardi
Gorges - Boyle
Greene - Michalek
Garrison - Tanev
DeKeyser - Krug
Benn - Belov
Dillon - Diaz
Gustafsson - Irwin
Schlemko - Stanton

Bobrovsky
Niemi
Hiller
Fasth
Scrivens
Martin Jones
Backstrom
Lack
Talbot
Gustavsson


Glad the Leafs didn't waste a spot on Tyler Johnson. Brad Ross would have never turned into the great player he is today.




Another bizarre point of view. Are you aware that 90+% of 4th to 7th round draft picks "fail"? (1. http://oilersnation.com/2011/2/25/value-in-acquiring-draft-picks and 2. http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/scott_cullen/?ID=267960) Would you ever say something as ignorant as "why waste time with 7th rounders when we should be spending our time on developing our 1st-3rd rounders"?

During the Burke/Nonis "free wallet" era the Leafs have signed the following undrafted free agents:

Brayden Irwin
Christian Hanson
Tyler Bozak
Jonas Gustavsson
Marcel Mueller
Simon Gysbers
Andrew Crescenzi
Tyler Brenner
Ben Scrivens
Mark Owuya
Jussi Rynnas
Robert Slaney
Spencer Abbott

13 total players. Two of them have become quality NHLers (Bozak and Scrivens).

2-for-13 is a 15% success rate, better than the NHL average for 5th to 7th round draft picks as shown in the articles above. What exactly are you whining about again?


Here's a fun little exercise for you.

Up until 2004 the NHL draft was nine rounds long and they also gave out a large number of compensatory draft picks. Each year there were around 290 players selected. Today there are about 210 players drafted, I doubt you're even willing to open your mind and read this so I'm hiding a message right here hello, each year (7 rounds, 30 picks per round, no comp. picks). Take a look at some of the players taken after the 210th pick in the drafts in the final few years of the NHL's old nine round drafts: http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/index.html

I'll spot you just a couple notables (just from 2003 and 2004):

Pekka Rinne
Dustin Byfuglien
Tobias Enstrom
Matt Moulson

Where do you think these players who used to be drafted between the 211th and 290th overall picks are going today? I'm not confident that you'll come to the correct conclusion so I'll just tell you: they're becoming undrafted free agents every single year. And as "non-hockey" countries like Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Slovenia, Germany, etc. begin to start producing talent, the number of NHL calibre players developed each year will continue to rise. More talent to select in the top 7 rounds of the draft = more talented "8th and 9th rounders" who are bumped out of the draft.

To ignore undrafted free agents is mind-numblingly ridiculous.

Great post!

Our Leafs need to turn over every stone possible in search of hockey players that can transform our team into a Stanley Cup contender, year in, year out.

Non-drafted free agents can also be used in trades to improve the team. These assets need to be acquired just as much as any of our drafted players IMHO.

If we don't sign these 'free wallets', other teams will, and, we could miss out on hitting the next home run!

 

[Goldie]

Eric Knodel first team All Hockey East. Best college hockey conference in the country. Led the league in both scoring and blocked shots. Just sayin.

 

[Willchel Marlynder]

What does "wasting time" mean? Who is wasting time?

Can Steve Spott only instruct 10 or 12 players during the season? Does TJ Brennan go quietly stand at the other end of the ice during practice so Spott can teach Stu Percy in peace?




Again, what spot is being wasted on a undrafted player? Would it be more wasteful to use that spot on an undrafted player than it is to use the spot the way it's currently being used, by a journeyman who has no NHL future? (Mike Duco, Brad Staubitz, Kory Nagy, Wade MacLeod, Stefan Legein, etc.)

You seem to be under the impression that there are about ten spots on an AHL team. There aren't. The Marlies have used 36 different players this year. Last year it was 45.




"All this free wallet crap":

Kunitz - Bozak - St. Louis
Zuccarello - T. Johnson - Read
Glencross - Peverley - Purcell
Dupuis - Letestu - J. Ward
Burrows - Desharnais - Clarkson
Bourque - Arcobello - Brunner
Leino - Halpern - Penner
Conacher - Garbutt - Klinkhammer
Roussel - Konopka - Fontaine

Giordano - Girardi
Gorges - Boyle
Greene - Michalek
Garrison - Tanev
DeKeyser - Krug
Benn - Belov
Dillon - Diaz
Gustafsson - Irwin
Schlemko - Stanton

Bobrovsky
Niemi
Hiller
Fasth
Scrivens
Martin Jones
Backstrom
Lack
Talbot
Gustavsson


Glad the Leafs didn't waste a spot on Tyler Johnson. Brad Ross would have never turned into the great player he is today.




Another bizarre point of view. Are you aware that 90+% of 4th to 7th round draft picks "fail"? (1. http://oilersnation.com/2011/2/25/value-in-acquiring-draft-picks and 2. http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/scott_cullen/?ID=267960) Would you ever say something as ignorant as "why waste time with 7th rounders when we should be spending our time on developing our 1st-3rd rounders"?

During the Burke/Nonis "free wallet" era the Leafs have signed the following undrafted free agents:

Brayden Irwin
Christian Hanson
Tyler Bozak
Jonas Gustavsson
Marcel Mueller
Simon Gysbers
Andrew Crescenzi
Tyler Brenner
Ben Scrivens
Mark Owuya
Jussi Rynnas
Robert Slaney
Spencer Abbott

13 total players. Two of them have become quality NHLers (Bozak and Scrivens).

2-for-13 is a 15% success rate, better than the NHL average for 5th to 7th round draft picks as shown in the articles above. What exactly are you whining about again?


Here's a fun little exercise for you.

Up until 2004 the NHL draft was nine rounds long and they also gave out a large number of compensatory draft picks. Each year there were around 290 players selected. Today there are about 210 players drafted, I doubt you're even willing to open your mind and read this so I'm hiding a message right here hello, each year (7 rounds, 30 picks per round, no comp. picks). Take a look at some of the players taken after the 210th pick in the drafts in the final few years of the NHL's old nine round drafts: http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/index.html

I'll spot you just a couple notables (just from 2003 and 2004):

Pekka Rinne
Dustin Byfuglien
Tobias Enstrom
Matt Moulson

Where do you think these players who used to be drafted between the 211th and 290th overall picks are going today? I'm not confident that you'll come to the correct conclusion so I'll just tell you: they're becoming undrafted free agents every single year. And as "non-hockey" countries like Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Slovenia, Germany, etc. begin to start producing talent, the number of NHL calibre players developed each year will continue to rise. More talent to select in the top 7 rounds of the draft = more talented "8th and 9th rounders" who are bumped out of the draft.

To ignore undrafted free agents is mind-numblingly ridiculous.

Can't really debate this since this is pretty much the correct answer.

 

[goonx]

Hey that St. Louis guy is pretty good!

and what's that? He has a SC and a Gold Medal?

There's more?! He's worth a first and conditional first?

But he was a "free wallet"...........

 

[cookie]

Would signing a college free agent go against the 50 contract limit? Why doesn't our team do quantity for quality trades in terms of their draft picks. Just trade the latter picks up for a mid round pick. This way you have a chance to select a higher quality prospect or even some chips for acquiring an already established NHL player. Then the team can pick and choose any of the free agents in the NCAA, European league, NA league, etc. to round out the 50 contract limit.

 

[Al14]

Ok, why haven't we signed TvR already. Come on, we need D, he is available, and, we already have JvR, his brother, on the team.

Let's go Nonis!