Leafs talk 2

20 May 2022 20:27:14
I mentioned my hypothetical exit interview with Curtis Douglas

Anybody else as excited as me about what he could bring to the team?

21 May 2022 04:26:50
Not really. He'll be over with Mason in Florida before we know it. Who doesn't need another Malgin?

21 May 2022 18:15:17
Lol. Let’s hope not.

22 May 2022 13:01:25
A question: am I over-valuing the impact of Douglas?

Could he not easily replace Simmonds and Clifford?

I really liked his year with the Marlies.

Yes the NHL is different but with more quickness in moving that big body would he not be an improvement?

22 May 2022 14:07:13
Douglas lacks in first step quickness from what I have seen from him. He may be able to play 4th line, but does that really solve the Leafs issues? Imo, the Leafs issues were a lack of size and toughness in the top 9. They need mid 6 forwards that can play a heavy game in those slots. I like Douglas, I just don't think he moves the needle enough.

22 May 2022 23:55:47
No he is definitely not the panacea but my point is can he replace both Clifford and Simmonds and save $900k.
As I said before, send him out for boxing lessons (he already has shown his talents here but turn him into someone as feared as Tom Wilson or Reaves), work on his quickness and show him film on net front presence.
I think he could be a good piece.

23 May 2022 07:45:41
If Matthews can bring anywhere near the intensity that he brought to the Tampa series that alone will give that top line a whole different look. The leafs do and seems always will lack team toughness. Simmonds and Clifford just to bring enough to the game to be sitting on the bench anymore. just look at the 4th line in Tampa for comparison.

20 May 2022 18:44:52
Looking at the draft who do we want. I don't think the leafs have the assets to move up in the draft so we are stuck around 20 so I was looking at some of the mock drafts and the guy I like is Conor geekie big center man 6'4 205 with high offensive skill to me the leafs have too many little guy as center prospects the one knock I seen on geekie was his skating

20 May 2022 20:25:58
Geekie is with Seattle and I have already proposed trades for him.
His skating has improved immensely.

20 May 2022 22:36:16
Rsears. Conor is Morgan's younger brother.

21 May 2022 00:24:53
Ok thx, read it quickly but did not know this.

21 May 2022 01:24:31
Doubt geekie drops to us.

20 May 2022 09:36:32
From many unreliable reliable anonymous sources are stating, after the recent events with Mitch Marner he is being assingned a 24 hour security detail on & off the ice. The two security members also had to be able to skate for 24 hour duty. Unfortunate Matthews Marner line had to ve broken up, Marner will be driven by security in a new rubbishbox no newer than 2010 lots of rust & a cracked windshield. A car that looks like it just went through a car jacking preferably with only only 1 working headlight, a sizeable ugly dent in the front bumper, a dangling side mirror preferably drivers side and over all a really nasty paint job ideally spray painted. You can kind of get the jist of where this is goung, thereafter it is a case of who wants sloppy seconds anyways. But if that does not deter a would be carjacker, tell him you were just driving to the junkyard he might believe you. Anyways do feel bad for Mitch, Toronto not nearly what it once was. 2 too many Trudeaus incompetent corrult unethical charlatans. Undeniable Maggie should have ........d Justin.

Anways it was a tough task to find 2 security team members that would also play on a lune with Mitch, they also had to be athletic & able to skate. They had to be paid a league minimum NHL salary to go agsinst tbe xap, aside from their security detail salary. As well these two individuals had to be ample security, both on and off the ice.

Leaf 2022 / 2023 season line combinations

Tavares Matthews Nylander
Jackie Chan Marner Conor McGregor

20 May 2022 01:20:39
For a short while our defense got better. Our goalies did not. I don't forsee a Felix Potvin out of our system, so we are stuck with so so soup.
Let him walk and we are left with what? Keep him and we are left not signing who? Time to trade Nylander, Kerfoot and Mrazek.

20 May 2022 05:47:40
Soup wasn't the issue. The second line was.

Nylander was his usual self, Tavares was a ghost 90% of the time, I'm not sure why people blame Soup.

20 May 2022 12:54:25
@GW. I agree with your last sentence.
If Soup could be had for around $4M, I think the Leafs should re-sign him. If he wants more, yes, let him walk.

20 May 2022 01:13:50
At trade deadline I was hoping for a trade for JT Miller, possibly for Nylander. Unfortunately even only one point separated them at that time, but that current cap space would have put Vancouver way over. And by the end of the season, Miller rocked a hell of a lot more points while Nylander was relegated to third line.
I don't know if Vancouver fans were the only ones coveting Nylander, or if their management did too.
Opportunity lost.

From the beginning, Nylander asked to be a centre of Babcock. Not a chance with Matthews and Tavares available. The guy will do great anywhere else, so who do you think we need to trade him to?

20 May 2022 05:50:30
Nylander will be Nylander. He has it in him to be a top.5 player in the league, but only if he wants to be. He is far more talented and physically gifted than Marner yet, Marner is the better player.

Everyone knows I always say Nylander needs to be the play driver and I still believe this to be true with a caveat. Nylander needs to be the star of a team. He needs to go somewhere like Detroit where he is the centre of all attention. If he does, he wins a Hart.

Trade him for a bag of pucks for all I care at this point.

20 May 2022 13:01:44
@GW. I think I had put out a list of teams earlier that I thought were the best option for Nylander. Off the top of my head, I think it was Nash, LA, NJ, Buf.

@LL. I know you feel that way and you have me thinking about if Nylander were the star piece, would it create a different attitude in him? I keep coming back to no as my thought. I can't think of a "Hart" type of finalist that isn't a player that already has drive. Sid came in when Pitt was not good. McDavid, Matthews etc are all players that are driven to be great. Nylander just gets driven to his next photo shoot.

21 May 2022 01:15:52
@RLF I'm thinking Taylor Hall.

21 May 2022 12:12:26
@LL. Hall was considered too wreckless with his body when he was young in Edmonton and why he was hurt so much. He had good drive. One great year in Jersey when traded.
Doesn't really remind me of Nylander who I cannot imagine any one saying "Willy, you have to be more selective with your physical play, you are a little wreckless with your body ". Maybe his mom.

21 May 2022 23:17:08
@RLF lol. They play a similar style imo. It's a really odd style that needs the right linemates to compliment.

18 May 2022 20:41:48
I’m thinking our best trade partners are outside our Division and Conference and would be Arizona, Seattle and Anaheim.

San Jose, too but they have nothing affordable that I want while there are several pieces I would like with the others.

19 May 2022 13:17:37
Best trade partners to send who, where?

19 May 2022 23:46:48
Comtois and Jones from Anaheim could be obtained.

I like Geekie (size, speed, shot and will go hard to the net) in Seattle along with Soucy.

Crouse, Hayton and Chychrun from Arizona. I’d consider Fischer as well.

Don’t need to re-state my Arizona blockbuster.

Nylander and Engvall to Anaheim for two power forwards who will break out soon while I’d send Nylander and Holl to Seattle.

20 May 2022 13:08:20
@Rsears
Just my opinion of course.
Comtois maybe, but I don't see Jones or Geekie ever really "breaking out".
Nylander should get Comtois and Jones on his own imo.
Geekie and Soucy doesn't feel like much of a return for Nylander. I know they are taking Holl as well, but I see Geekie like Jones. they are both bottom 6 guys imo.

18 May 2022 16:08:01
I hate to say it, but I could see Dubas letting Campbell walk and trying an older vet with a Mrazek tandem if he can get one on the cheap(around $2M). Holtby maybe? Would MAF sign for $2M?

Not what I hope for, but what I could see Dubas doing.

18 May 2022 16:34:35
Can't remember who said it, but someone in the media was saying Soup wants 7 or close to it. If that's the case then I can see Dubas going to Mrazek as well.

That would have to be a fireable offence, wouldn't it?

18 May 2022 17:13:13
@LL
If Soup wants more than around $4M and 5 years, they have to let him walk imo.
That said, hoping on a wing and a prayer on Mrazek and a cheap vet or inexperienced partner is not acceptable either.
Dubas has to find a way to move Mrazek and shed enough salary to be solid in goal. Leafs aren't winning anything without good/ great goaltending, I am sure you would agree.

18 May 2022 20:09:11
@RLF this is a tough situation. Who's available that you can rely on to be a solid goalie?

If Nylander for Gibson is ever available, I say take it.

18 May 2022 20:26:03
I like Campbell too but like you folks have a limit, a hard stop.

The idea of a Holtby or Fleury sign would be a good fallback position.

A $2m increase for Soup is more than double his current salary so I like $3.650 but $4m is max as RLF states.

Due to his fragile body and injury history I would also only go 4 years.

18 May 2022 22:49:36
@Rsears any which way I slice it, I can't see Fleury-Holtby-Mrazek working out come playoff time. Fleury and Holtby could hit a wall anytime and Mrazek is an AHL goalie.

19 May 2022 13:40:41
@LL. I have mentioned Stolarz before. Is it possible that Dubas target is Stolarz as a tandem with Mrazek? Ducks have a decent looking G prospect in Dostal and lots of cap space to add to their team.
Stolarz is signed for another season at $.950M. Something around Kerfoot and Kallgren/ Woll for Stolarz and Jones?

19 May 2022 18:35:28
@RLF That's a good thought. I could definitely see Dubas' having interest in that.

19 May 2022 23:59:14
LL, I prefer Soup to Holtby and Fleury but at what price? The point I was trying to make is if his camp holds us ransom what are the options? Just responding to RLFs comment.

Stolarz is a goaltender I can’t really comment on other than what I read. He’s huge, has a very solid track record on poor teams and is crazy cheap so I’m definitely in support of RLFs proposal of Kerfoot and Kallgren for Jones and Stolarz!

20 May 2022 05:52:37
@Rsears I agree completely. I know Soup can't be paid whatever he wants.

None of those are cup winning goaltenders at this point in their careers. Who do you sign or trade for, that takes you to a cup if Soup walks?

20 May 2022 12:41:13
As an old boss used to say “we are facing a conundrum”.

With no “cup-winning” goaltender available maybe the defence minded Barry Trotz is the answer for Toronto?

They say goal prevention is not the responsibility of only the goalie.

Or else pummelling the opponents to death like Washington and St Louis did.

Alas neither of these approaches are in our DNA.

16 May 2022 16:33:59
I weirdly think, big changes wait to see how Florida handles Tampa. If Tampa wipes the floor with them, the team and management stay intact, if Florida destroys Tampa, you see that the oeafs aren't as close as they thought they were.

17 May 2022 01:47:05
I think the changes will be there no matter what looking at some of the player that may not be there the leafs have quite a few ufa/ rfa players and unless they go off script and use their farm system they will have to replace these guys with nhl players but I don’t think dubas or keefe are getting let go shanny maybe but the president of the team doesn’t have much affect on the on ice product.

17 May 2022 02:38:59
I don't think anything changes regardless.

How Dubas' going to deal with the cap situation, is what I'm wondering. Soup has been close to league min his entire career, he probably wants 25 mil+ on this deal as his last chance. Mikheyev is gone, Engvall is probably gone, Bush is gone, Blackwell is gone, a lot of turnover is coming this off-season and even more next.

Dubas will still be GM, but I do not envy his situation. You need to find a way to move on from Mrazek and Simmonds at a minimum.

Long term, Kampf, Kerfoot and Bunting are all rentals next season. That's extremely concerning.

Dump every prospect you have, or prepare for some form of rebuild. Go big or go home time, this season will be the last hoorah.

17 May 2022 14:04:48
Yes I do hope Tampa prevails. It will give us some measure of consolation.

As for changes, it’s a foregone conclusion! We are a few pieces away from the Cup. Need to get “battle-hardened” and much hungrier. There is, after all, only one puck on the ice.

LL, I see and feel your frustration. I also see turnover through strategic trades and free agent signings.

17 May 2022 23:17:56
@Rsears

It isn't so much frustration, I just don't think Dubas' makes a move other than some minor ones. He and Shanny are hitched to this wagon now, they can't back down.

18 May 2022 17:11:33
They are most likely going to make minor changes to 4th line I bet spezza comes back at league min Robertson can def take a spot next year and who knows about knies.

18 May 2022 20:45:59
So in my hypothetical exit interview with Curtis Douglas I asked him to take boxing lessons, work on getting quicker and watching players net front abilities like Bunting’s peskiness and timing, for example, or Van Remsdyk for defelections.

If he can make the jump sooner go ahead and buy out Clifford and Simmonds.

19 May 2022 13:22:53
There is no need to buyout Clifford. I am not sure why this keeps coming up. His new contract only pays $.762M. Just put him in the minors and it costs nothing against the cap. He may get claimed, who knows.

Simmonds is another story. Although he is only at $.9M, the Leafs could send him to the minors as well, but the optics would look bad. They signed the hometown boy to a two year deal with a partial NTC and he spends his last year in the minors. I don't think the Leafs want to do that to him because of the message it would send to players wanting to come back to Toronto near the end of their career on the cheap.

19 May 2022 21:22:00
You can bury the current entire 4th line if needed, what's with these buyouts? It legitimately costs more to buy them all out, than to send them down.