Recent content by bustaheims

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that the hockey club has signed forward Miroslav Holinka to a three-year, entry-level contract. https://www.nhl.com/mapleleafs/news/maple-leafs-sign-draft-pick-miroslav-holinka

The quick release and the deceptiveness look better there, for sure. Still doesn't look like he has the same zip to his shot, but he's likely holding back some, considering the circumstances. It's certainly encouraging.

Really? He looked slower to me for a large part of the season, his release was off, and his shot didn't seem as hard or accurate. It got better as the season went on, but he never looked normal. He didn't dominate shifts the way we'd grown accustomed to. There weren't anywhere near as many...

Free up a reserve list spot. Always a good idea to have a few of those open.

Not exactly a bridge, as it walks him straight to being a UFA (per some reports I've read - math doesn't math for me, though).

With the big jump in the cap and the lacklustre free agent crop, we definitely need to realign our expectations on contract values - especially on short term deals. In this market, teams are likely willing to overpay on one year deals to get away from having to sign multi-year deals for guys...

Just the players in the lineup (18 skaters and 2 goalies) have to be cap compliant, so teams still get some wiggle room.

At his best, absolutely. And with how OEL’s puck skills seem to have degraded, I’d say even not at his best.

Also helps break up the opposition forecheck. Getting the puck out of the defensive zone quickly and effectively is a vitally important skillset for a contending team.

He’s also the only reliable puck mover on the blue line. He’s not a #1 D, but he’s a very reasonable #2. The Leafs need more of what he brings, not less.

Hard to get a good read on Thrun’s abilities, given where he was playing, but he does look like a potential NHL calibre guy - even if that means as a 7th D type. Reaves, on the other hand, is basically unplayable at this point. So, win for the Leafs.

We have a Dumba is Carlo. Dumba’s offensive game has evaporated

Pr Probably not a coincidence that those quotes came shortly after a meeting with Ferris. Treliving could clearly read the tea leaves there.

Also, it's likely - if not certain - that the way he talked about Marner that made him feel like he wasn't a priority is a direct result of Tre's confidence in getting a deal done after having multiple conversations with Marner and his reps. He only had a few weeks on the job when Matthews and...