2012 NHL Entry Draft

[The Red Polar Bear]

@jonasTSN1050: Matt Finn met for lunch with second cousin Carlo Colaiacovo earlier in the week. Former Leaf offered tips on draft experience.

Injuries don't run in bloodlines, do they?

 

[Tigger]

Remember the days of the free wallets? Look at the pay off: we might get 7th round pick next June!

Aren't you supposed to turn in a found wallet anyways? Apt yet odd analogy.

 

[Guru Tugginmypuddah]

@jonasTSN1050: Matt Finn met for lunch with second cousin Carlo Colaiacovo earlier in the week. Former Leaf offered tips on draft experience.

Injuries don't run in bloodlines, do they?

OH NO!  He's related to 'splody bones?

 

[Guru Tugginmypuddah]

Fifth round Leafs take Dominic Toninato. 

 

[ZBBM]

I can't presume to speak for all of us who were less than thrilled with Rielly, but let me just sum up:

1.  I like the kid, I like the scouting report, and I am expect to be a big fan of his when he makes it to the club.
2.  P-o'd about the selection because we needed skilled forwards way more than another guy who is too similar in skills to Gardiner.  I would have rolled the dice on Grigorenko, but would have been happy with Forsberg.  Couldn't care less that they fell a little -- WE need that kind of player.
3.  Burke just needlessly complicates things every time he shoots his mouth off with his blustering bravado.  Seriously, if we had traded up somehow with EDM and then had gone ahead and picked Rielly, people justifiably would have wanted Burke's head.  If the consensus of our scouts was that Rielly is going to be better than either Yak or Gal, then we need new scouts.  Those comments just expose the club to needless ridicule.  But no, Burke simply cannot STFU....
4.  So while we are waiting for this kind to become the next Kris Letang -- and no joke, that would be great -- we had better hope that Colborne's wrist was what was holding him back.  And we'd better hope Schenn finally steps up (if he's not traded) or else we need to get a defensemen besides Gunnarsson who can, you know, actually play defense.

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

Leafs finally draft a center...

Dominic Toninato

 

[Etiam Vultus]

Fifth round Leafs take Dominic Toninato.

Leafs scouts must be checking this site; they picked someone with a hilarious last name.

 

[maplesyrup]

2.  P-o'd about the selection because we needed skilled forwards way more than another guy who is too similar in skills to Gardiner.  I would have rolled the dice on Grigorenko, but would have been happy with Forsberg.  Couldn't care less that they fell a little -- WE need that kind of player.

This is where I struggle with the negativity. Yes. We need this kind of player but just when exactly will Forsberg be ready to step in and be a top six NHL player. One year? Two years? If the player we need NOW isn't available in the draft then you have to try to get him somewhere else and just draft the BPA I think. - It's a long summer... Let's see what happens.

 

[Chev-boyar-sky]

What happened to the Leafs 3rd round pick?

Traded to LA for a pick in the 2010 draft.

More specifically, Sondre Olden. Ugh.

Fear not, the Leafs scouts know more than we do!

That seems like a pretty odd beef at this point.

I was more-so responding to the sentiment from last night that we should calm down about not taking a forward because the scouts know more.

The same scouts that drafted Sondre Olden.

 

[ZBBM]

2.  P-o'd about the selection because we needed skilled forwards way more than another guy who is too similar in skills to Gardiner.  I would have rolled the dice on Grigorenko, but would have been happy with Forsberg.  Couldn't care less that they fell a little -- WE need that kind of player.

This is where I struggle with the negativity. Yes. We need this kind of player but just when exactly will Forsberg be ready to step in and be a top six NHL player. One year? Two years? If the player we need NOW isn't available in the draft then you have to try to get him somewhere else and just draft the BPA I think. - It's a long summer... Let's see what happens.

Sure, and of course I wish Burke every success in trading for what we need.  But he could have (potentially) gotten what we need for nothing.  We didn't need another puck mover, and I (and many others) would dispute that Rielly was the BPA when Grigorenko and Forsberg were still on the board.  He would have to be the BPA of those 3 by a country mile to justify what Burke did, and his absurd statement about have Rielly ranked #1 is just an ex post facto justification.

EDIT: & Rielly won't be ready any sooner than Forsberg.  Grigorenko might have an immediate impact OTOH.  Who knows, obviously.

 

[bustaheims]

I was more-so responding to the sentiment from last night that we should calm down about not taking a forward because the scouts know more.

The same scouts that drafted Sondre Olden.

Sure, but there's a very significant difference between a guy taken in the 1st round and one taken in the 3rd, like Olden. 3rd round picks have a tendency not to pan out.

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

2.  P-o'd about the selection because we needed skilled forwards way more than another guy who is too similar in skills to Gardiner.  I would have rolled the dice on Grigorenko, but would have been happy with Forsberg.  Couldn't care less that they fell a little -- WE need that kind of player.

This is where I struggle with the negativity. Yes. We need this kind of player but just when exactly will Forsberg be ready to step in and be a top six NHL player. One year? Two years? If the player we need NOW isn't available in the draft then you have to try to get him somewhere else and just draft the BPA I think. - It's a long summer... Let's see what happens.

Sure, and of course I wish Burke every success in trading for what we need.  But he could have (potentially) gotten what we need for nothing.  We didn't need another puck mover, and I (and many others) would dispute that Rielly was the BPA when Grigorenko and Forsberg were still on the board.  He would have to be the BPA of those 3 by a country mile to justify what Burke did, and his absurd statement about have Rielly ranked #1 is just an ex post facto justification.

EDIT: & Rielly won't be ready any sooner than Forsberg.  Grigorenko might have an immediate impact OTOH.  Who knows, obviously.

Why does he have to be the BPA by a country mile? Not just the BPA period?

 

[Tigger]

Further to this notion of Rielly and the draft order...

"Had he not been hurt, he probably would have challenged [Sarnia Sting right wing Nail Yakupov] for the No. 1 ranking," Central Scouting's Peter Sullivan said of Rielly. "He's got that [Bobby] Orr-ish quality about him. He can change the game in all areas of the ice, so I'm not surprised he stayed at No. 5 simply because of how good this kid is."

Now that's just another opinion but it's interesting to see how highly regarded Morgan is.

To me Burke only 'needlessly complicates things' if you invest a lot in that opinion coupled with your own opinion. Why would the Leafs trade up if they had a hunch that he would be there?

I mean I wanted a forward too but this just seems silly.

 

[maplesyrup]

2.  P-o'd about the selection because we needed skilled forwards way more than another guy who is too similar in skills to Gardiner.  I would have rolled the dice on Grigorenko, but would have been happy with Forsberg.  Couldn't care less that they fell a little -- WE need that kind of player.

This is where I struggle with the negativity. Yes. We need this kind of player but just when exactly will Forsberg be ready to step in and be a top six NHL player. One year? Two years? If the player we need NOW isn't available in the draft then you have to try to get him somewhere else and just draft the BPA I think. - It's a long summer... Let's see what happens.

Sure, and of course I wish Burke every success in trading for what we need.  But he could have (potentially) gotten what we need for nothing.  We didn't need another puck mover, and I (and many others) would dispute that Rielly was the BPA when Grigorenko and Forsberg were still on the board.  He would have to be the BPA of those 3 by a country mile to justify what Burke did, and his absurd statement about have Rielly ranked #1 is just an ex post facto justification.

Again though, why don't we NEED another puck mover? We're not married to these players. They're moveable. 

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

Matthew Finn...

With their first pick of Day 2, the Maple Leafs quickly snap up one of the top leftover talents in defenseman Matthew Finn. The 6?0 Guelph Storm blueliner shares many similarities to the Leafs? 2011 first round pick Stuart  Percy as another complete package on the back end. During his rookie season in the OHL, Finn struggled at times with inconsistency and was criticized for his conditioning level. He responded in a big way the following summer with a tremendous work ethic and headed into last season in excellent shape.

On the ice, he?s a reliable defender with a solid physical game. His stick and positional instincts aren?t quite on Percy?s level but Finn offers more in the way on lower body strength and ability to clear out the dirty areas. He?s an effective member of the penalty kill, showing a willingness to get in the shooting lanes and sacrifice his body to make a play. On the offensive side of things,  he plays well with the puck on his stick. He thinks the game quickly and effectively, enabling him to move the puck effectively in transition. Finn possesses an above average point shot and does an admirable job quarterbacking the Guelph powerplay.

 

[Madferret]

Bye bye The Monster - possibly the most overhyped goalie of all time. For a conditional 7th...not very phenom like

 

[Chev-boyar-sky]

I was more-so responding to the sentiment from last night that we should calm down about not taking a forward because the scouts know more.

The same scouts that drafted Sondre Olden.

Sure, but there's a very significant difference between a guy taken in the 1st round and one taken in the 3rd, like Olden. 3rd round picks have a tendency not to pan out.

And yet it proves that the scouts can be wrong. They were wrong about Olden, and could be wrong about Rielly vs. Grigo/Forsberg. They're definitely not among the consensus if they had Rielly pegged #1 overall. I think people were totally justified being p#$$ed about the pick yesterday and no amount of "don't you think the scouts know more than you do" should change that.

 

[bustaheims]

Again though, why don't we NEED another puck mover? We're not married to these players. They're moveable.

There's that, too. What the Leafs really needed was high end talent in the system. Period. Yes, it would have been preferable if that talent was a big centre, but, it wasn't necessarily essential. If Rielly really was the best talent on the the board when the Leafs picked (and, whether or not that's true remains to be seen), then he was an excellent pick, regardless of organizational needs.

 

[Madferret]

I'll admit I was a bit surprised Burke passed on Forsberg - exactly the kind of top prospect the Leafs needed.

 

[bustaheims]

And yet it proves that the scouts can be wrong. They were wrong about Olden, and could be wrong about Rielly vs. Grigo/Forsberg. They're definitely not among the consensus if they had Rielly pegged #1 overall. I think people were totally justified being p#$$ed about the pick yesterday and no amount of "don't you think the scouts know more than you do" should change that.

No one ever said the scouts can't be wrong, and, on top of that, the ability for the scouts to be wrong doesn't make outside onlookers right. I also really don't understand the anger towards picking up a high-end talent, regardless of position. It's not like the team traded the pick away for a short-term fix. The team added a top flight talent last night. i mean, it's not like anyone they picked was going to make a major impact on the team in the next couple seasons. A lot can and will happen between now and the time these picks become major contributors at the NHL level.