Tak7
Registered User
With Gardiner ruled out for the season opener on Saturday, and possibly for the first week or so of the season, it's pretty clear that Morgan Reilly will start at least the first 5 games of the season here with the Leafs.
Beyond that, there's a big decision for the Leafs to make.
So what should they do:
Send him down after 5 games?
or
Keep him up?
Personally - I send him down. Here's a few reasons why:
What's with the urgency?
18 years old. He's going to be a great player. Why rush him? He's played well with Moose Jaw, he's played there all year, and given that this is a shortened season, I just don't understand why the organization would be so anxious about getting a young kid into the lineup.
One look at Luke Schenn, in hindsight, and you could argue that perhaps Schenn was thrust into the limelight too fast. He was made one of the faces of the franchise, wore the "A" occasionally, was playing top line minutes, and generally wasn't protected all that well by the team. Look at how that turned out.
Protect the kid.
What if he hits a wall?
Keep him up beyond 5 games, sure. What if he hits a wall?
Then, you are stuck. A delicate situation - you've burned a year on his contract now. Do you pull out your marquee 18 year old from the lineup and sit him in the press box because? You don't send him back to junior at that point, and pulling him out of the lineup could hurt the kid's confidence.
Do you keep him in the lineup and force him to go through "growing pains"? How did that work out for Schenn?
State of our blueline currently
We have roughly one and a half D-pairings that I'd be generally happy with. Phaneuf-Gunnarsson would be the only pair I'm fully comfortable with. The other is Gardiner, and who knows when he's back.
Beyond that, is there anyone we are truly comfortable with? Komisarek-Liles has the potential to be a disaster. Who knows what Franson is going to bring to the table. Who gets that 6th spot?
It's hardly a blue line that spreads confidence - do you really want to throw an 18 year old into that mix? I know I wouldn't.
Hold him back a year.
Blue line log jam
There are 11 Dmen at Leafs camp. There's a lot of numbers there. Keep Reilly out of that mix, wait until you know what you have (potentially upgraded blue line next year), and then put him in and see what he can do.
Plus - there are a few guys in the Marlies that possibly deserve a bit of a chance given the way that they've performed with the Marlies so far this season.
In short- be patient with the kid. There's no urgency in pushing the kid into the lineup at this point in time. Especially when the cost could be a full year lost on his contract over a 40-game season that could go very wrong for him.
Beyond that, there's a big decision for the Leafs to make.
So what should they do:
Send him down after 5 games?
or
Keep him up?
Personally - I send him down. Here's a few reasons why:
What's with the urgency?
18 years old. He's going to be a great player. Why rush him? He's played well with Moose Jaw, he's played there all year, and given that this is a shortened season, I just don't understand why the organization would be so anxious about getting a young kid into the lineup.
One look at Luke Schenn, in hindsight, and you could argue that perhaps Schenn was thrust into the limelight too fast. He was made one of the faces of the franchise, wore the "A" occasionally, was playing top line minutes, and generally wasn't protected all that well by the team. Look at how that turned out.
Protect the kid.
What if he hits a wall?
Keep him up beyond 5 games, sure. What if he hits a wall?
Then, you are stuck. A delicate situation - you've burned a year on his contract now. Do you pull out your marquee 18 year old from the lineup and sit him in the press box because? You don't send him back to junior at that point, and pulling him out of the lineup could hurt the kid's confidence.
Do you keep him in the lineup and force him to go through "growing pains"? How did that work out for Schenn?
State of our blueline currently
We have roughly one and a half D-pairings that I'd be generally happy with. Phaneuf-Gunnarsson would be the only pair I'm fully comfortable with. The other is Gardiner, and who knows when he's back.
Beyond that, is there anyone we are truly comfortable with? Komisarek-Liles has the potential to be a disaster. Who knows what Franson is going to bring to the table. Who gets that 6th spot?
It's hardly a blue line that spreads confidence - do you really want to throw an 18 year old into that mix? I know I wouldn't.
Hold him back a year.
Blue line log jam
There are 11 Dmen at Leafs camp. There's a lot of numbers there. Keep Reilly out of that mix, wait until you know what you have (potentially upgraded blue line next year), and then put him in and see what he can do.
Plus - there are a few guys in the Marlies that possibly deserve a bit of a chance given the way that they've performed with the Marlies so far this season.
In short- be patient with the kid. There's no urgency in pushing the kid into the lineup at this point in time. Especially when the cost could be a full year lost on his contract over a 40-game season that could go very wrong for him.
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