29 Apr 2020 06:20:01
Okay so the chances of getting Pietrangelo are very slim, and I think we can all agree to that.

One guy I remember they were interested in is Sami Vatanen. Another just this year is Kevin Shattenkirk. If the leafs are looking to free agency, I think either or these players would be a great partner for Jake Muzzin. They can put up similar offensive stats and obviously will not cost as much as Pietrangelo.

However, if they are looking for someone to play with Reilly, then it's more then likely they will have to make a trade. Some guys I would target are Damon Severson (NJ) or Brett Pesce (CAR) as I feel they would be much better in their own zone and both are young and on long term contracts which Dubas seems to like.

I could see Johnson, Liljgren, Engvall and a 3rd getting you Severson.

I think Pesce will cost a bit more like Kerfoot and Dermott.

Depending on which trade the leafs make out of these two, I would love it if they used their remaining assets to get a new 3C because Kerfoot didn't look very comfortable their and Engvall and Goat are far from ready to step into that role, while Spezza is a little to old.

So basically to sum up, my lineup for next year would look like this:

Hyman-Matthews-Marner
Mikheyev-Tavares-Nylander
Barbanov/Robertson-New C-Kapanen
Brooks/Korshkov-Gauthier-Spezza
*Malgin

Reilly-Pesce/Severson
Muzzin-Vatanen/Shattenkirk
Sandin-Holl
*Rosen

Anderson
Campbell

29 Apr 2020 08:57:08
I think free agency might be the best route at the moment it’s probably one of the best years in terms of actual talent out there. Guys that stand out to me are guys like Brodie who the leafs tried to trade kadri for and also I like tanev as well both guys play a two way game and kinda fit into what the leafs are doing biggest think would be moving guys like Johnsson and Kerfoot for picks and cap space and what kind of deals they are handing out.

29 Apr 2020 09:32:05
Free agency is always the best way to overpay for a player guaranteed. Leafs can't afford to sign any free agents unless we move players first. We have no cap space already for next year. Signing someone outright just isn't a possibility.

Vatanen and Brodie are both good adds. Especially Brodie. But those guys will also both be looking to cash in big on their next contract because it will be their retirement contract. Shatter Kirk is a other Barrie, except not as good offensively. He's a guy I don't think Leafs have much interest in. I hope.

29 Apr 2020 15:28:30
Brodie I didn’t really mention because he shoots left but now that you mention him I think he can play the right side so you are right in the fact that she would be a great partner for either Reilly or Muzzin.

The reason I suggested Shatenkirk is because I feel like if the leafs want to keep it cheap that he is the best option. I can’t see a team giving him more then 3 mill for 3-4 year, while guys like Vatanen and Brodie may cost up to 5 or even 6 million to sign.

29 Apr 2020 16:07:59
I think a lot of teams are cap strapped so I don’t see guy who are not legit stars in the league getting big deals even a guy like petro isn’t going to get a deal that everyone thought he was going to get at the beginning of the year only way you will see a big deal come up is if it to a team like Ottawa no contenders have cap space other than Colorado but the avs also have to keep in mind guys like MacKinnon and makar.

29 Apr 2020 17:48:27
I would rather a trade than a signing. Signing players rarely ends up a good deal. Usually it's just a massive overpay.

29 Apr 2020 18:31:40
I would swap lili with Kerfoot for severson and keep Dermott hopefully he transitions.

29 Apr 2020 19:01:17
@leafslife yes I agree that is usually the case but this is an unusual time i mean I’ve never been a guy to pay attention to the cap but I got to believe the league has never had this many teams up against the cap before in which I think players will take less money on short term deals and things like the draft will play big roles in franchises staying competitive year after year.

29 Apr 2020 19:31:11
It will most assuredly be drafting that keeps teams on top but a guy like Petro wants his retirement fund payout right now. He knows he won't be getting a 7 year deal unless he signs one right now. This is his absolute last chance at a Karlson like windfall and someone will pay him.

29 Apr 2020 21:27:10
Let's face it. The cap staying flat only effects the teams by about $2.5M-$3.0M. So anyone making a run at Pietrangelo and his approximately $10M salary is not going to be deterred by the cap staying flat. It will be someone who already has the space. Colorado and Arizona come to mind. Leafs aren't going to clear out their entire third line just to sign Pietrangelo. I mean, I get the whole strong link game b. s. and all, but even that would be a little extreme.

Still. If Dubas really drank his own kool-aid he would do it.

29 Apr 2020 21:44:26
I agree leafsgm. The avs will be the ones to sign pietrangelo
Warmest regards MPH.

30 Apr 2020 08:49:20
I think the avs will be the last team to have interest in petro like I said they have big contracts coming up plus they got a good young core with byram in the minors.

30 Apr 2020 12:23:55
Hard to say. Dubas has been heavily criticised for not going all in when he had MNM on their ELC's and abundant cap space. If Sakic felt like he wanted to go take his shot now he would do it and worry about the following years cap hits in the following years off seasons.

30 Apr 2020 15:50:17
I looked into Avs financial situation. They can easily, and I mean easily, add either Pietrangelo or Hall. They could probably add both.

They have a whopping $25M in cap space next year. Even if cap stays flat, they will have $21.5M in cap space. They have a lot of UFA's and RFA's, but not all are coming back. So if Nieto or Namestnikob don't come back, that's $2M-$4M in cap hit that can be used toward giving someone like Jost a raise. They probably come out just over where they sit currently. Even if they had to gut some of the depth this off season.

The end of next season is a concern as both Landeskog and Makar come up for renewal. But Cole ($4.25) and Bellemare ($2.00) also come off books.

And then in four years is where they run into the problem when they start having guys like MacKinnon, Compher, Donskoi come up all at once. But again, Sakic has it set up so they come off the books at the same time as Erik Johnston, who just so happens to make $6M a year. He won't be back and his cap gets used to re-sign their leader and real captain.

Colorado is in an enviable position. They have a team that is run by one of the best in the game. I loved the Avs-Detroit rivalry of the late 90s/ early 00's. I would like to see these guys both become contenders again. I like the Leafs-Boston rivalry. If we can get past them, we have a chance. May as well take them on early.