2017-18 Toronto Maple Leafs - General Discussion

[herman]

Isn't that Cam Charron's job now?

I think he handles the outbound ferry.

 

[herman]

The conversation to cover tactical adjustments should take place during practice/video sessions, not on the bench.

Looks like today's practice was taking advantage of the downtime the schedule has afforded us to do some maintenance on the systems in place. Outside of roster changes, I don't ever expect to see system tweaks during a road trip. I also think we'll see Plekanec start to turn the corner and settle in. Joining us on an extended road trip coming off of 15 years with the same club is quite an adjustment, on the ice and off, let alone in the midst of the 1C going down to injury. Fortunately, we can afford to be patient with both Matthews and Plekanec thanks to our cushy position and the softest remaining schedule in the league.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/dellowhockey/status/972170454428520453

Look at how many outs Lou/Pridham left for the Leafs on their longer-term signings.

We leveraged this for the Bernier to Anaheim trade on July 2. Andersen's deal is also signing bonus heavy on the last two seasons, as an eject button in case it didn't work out. Martin and Marleau's are also very tradable despite the high hit. Hainsey only has 2.4M left in salary to payout next season for his 3M hit. Even Rielly and Kadri have significant signing bonuses attached to their contracts to make them more attractive to trade partners looking for lower salary.

I'm doing a quick poke around the league to see if anyone else is really leveraging this, but so far in the Eastern Conference, not really. Tampa is really only using it on Stamkos (extremely) and Hedman (latter years). Boston on Bergeron and Marchand.

 

[bustaheims]

I'm doing a quick poke around the league to see if anyone else is really leveraging this, but so far in the Eastern Conference, not really. Tampa is really only using it on Stamkos (extremely) and Hedman (latter years). Boston on Bergeron and Marchand.

Doesn't surprise me. I imagine a lot of teams don't have the ability to dole out large chunks of cash in lump sum payments (especially in the summer, when they have no real revenue), even if they can afford the same amount spread out over a season.

 

[Frank E]

I'm doing a quick poke around the league to see if anyone else is really leveraging this, but so far in the Eastern Conference, not really. Tampa is really only using it on Stamkos (extremely) and Hedman (latter years). Boston on Bergeron and Marchand.

Doesn't surprise me. I imagine a lot of teams don't have the ability to dole out large chunks of cash in lump sum payments (especially in the summer, when they have no real revenue), even if they can afford the same amount spread out over a season.

So if that's the case, it has the reverse effect on trade value earlier in their contracts.

 

[Kin]

I'm doing a quick poke around the league to see if anyone else is really leveraging this, but so far in the Eastern Conference, not really. Tampa is really only using it on Stamkos (extremely) and Hedman (latter years). Boston on Bergeron and Marchand.

Doesn't surprise me. I imagine a lot of teams don't have the ability to dole out large chunks of cash in lump sum payments (especially in the summer, when they have no real revenue), even if they can afford the same amount spread out over a season.

Seems unlikely that too many teams would be that bootstrapped that they couldn't budget for that if they knew it was coming. Sure, most of them probably would prefer to avoid it but outside of Ottawa I doubt it's a real problem anywhere.

That said, I'm skeptical that it would make that big a difference in any trade. At best maybe it's slightly easier to move someone like Hainsey whose deal isn't that problematic to begin withn.

 

[herman]

I'm doing a quick poke around the league to see if anyone else is really leveraging this, but so far in the Eastern Conference, not really. Tampa is really only using it on Stamkos (extremely) and Hedman (latter years). Boston on Bergeron and Marchand.

Doesn't surprise me. I imagine a lot of teams don't have the ability to dole out large chunks of cash in lump sum payments (especially in the summer, when they have no real revenue), even if they can afford the same amount spread out over a season.

Good point. The Leafs didn't really do it until Pridham arrived, and that was about 10 years after the cap was implemented.

These are great chips to feed to the draft pick or prospect bucket, if they don't fit on the ice. There's always a team or three looking to hit the floor by trading their cap room for fewer actual dollars.

 

[rdowdall]

I'm doing a quick poke around the league to see if anyone else is really leveraging this, but so far in the Eastern Conference, not really. Tampa is really only using it on Stamkos (extremely) and Hedman (latter years). Boston on Bergeron and Marchand.

Doesn't surprise me. I imagine a lot of teams don't have the ability to dole out large chunks of cash in lump sum payments (especially in the summer, when they have no real revenue), even if they can afford the same amount spread out over a season.

Good point. The Leafs didn't really do it until Pridham arrived, and that was about 10 years after the cap was implemented.

These are great chips to feed to the draft pick or prospect bucket, if they don't fit on the ice. There's always a team or three looking to hit the floor by trading their cap room for fewer actual dollars.

It doesn't become a problem until a poor team trades a player on June 30th to a rich team, and then the trade is reversed on July 2nd.

 

[Frank E]

https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/quick-shifts-toronto-maple-leafs-tips-shot-distance-mark-stone-takeaways-bob-boughner/

Thank you Sportlogiq partnership with SportsNet! Numbers to corroborate what my eyes were seeing. My kingdom for public data on pre-shot movement/events to be integrated into Expected Goals models!

1. The Toronto Maple Leafs don?t sit atop the National Hockey League in any of the major team categories, but there is something they do better than their 30 counterparts ? and they don?t even know it.

Of the 2,171 shots on goal Toronto has taken this season, their average shot distance from the net is 33.7 feet, the closest of all 31 clubs.

?That?s an interesting stat,? says Patrick Marleau.

?I didn?t know that,? says Mitchell Marner.

?Huh. No, I wasn?t aware of that one,? says James van Riemsdyk.

A major contributor to that cozy shot distance is tips. Toronto?s players crash the net like fancy weddings and stir up traffic like the Gardiner just closed.

The Maple Leafs have tipped a NHL-best 197 shots on net and are tied for the second-most tip-in goals with 27.

?You look at different ways guys are scoring. That seems to be the way that pucks go in. A lot of guys try to get to the net, and you have to battle for those tips and loose pucks,? Marleau says. ?It?s one of those things happening all around the league. That?s an interesting stat. It is something we talk about?trying to get pucks to the net and guys in front, so obviously you?ll get some tips and rebounds.?

The 20-season veteran spends a chunk of time before practice wraps with his feet in the slot, his back to the net and his face pointed at Jake Gardiner or Roman Polak?s blade, tipping point shot after point shot on an empty cage.

?If you can get in sync with one of the D-men who knows where you?re going to go and what you?re looking for ? and you get used to their shot, too, in practice ? that makes it easier in games,? Marleau explains. ?It?s become something people look for more as opposed to years past.?

It?s not that the Leafs are under a mandate to hold off on shooting before they get in the home plate area, Nazem Kadri says. It?s more about crowding the goaltender and pouncing on the juicy garbage that chaos offers.

?There are six goalies out there. Everybody is trying to block a shot, and it?s so hard to get pucks on net,? Kadri says. ?You gotta be able to have guys around the area and maybe shoot a little bit wide and deflect pucks on net. I think that?s how the game is trending.?

Survey the room. The Leafs? most generous tipper, most agree, is van Riemsdyk (although van Riemsdyk is quick to give the crown to Auston Matthews).

?JVR, for sure. He is good around the net,? Kadri says. ?Anything in his direction, usually he is able to get a piece of. He works on it all the time, and it?s part of what makes him the player that he is.?

Hot tip, kids: Work on your hot tips.

?Coordination is an important skill to have,? Kadri says. ?Hockey is a game of timing. Tipping and redirecting pucks is a big part of that.?

Disappointing that they don't point out the worst team and median in terms of that statistic.

Like if it's a couple of feet top to bottom?

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Good point. The Leafs didn't really do it until Pridham arrived, and that was about 10 years after the cap was implemented.

Kessel and Phaneuf both had a good amount of signing bonuses in their contracts that Nonis signed. And Clarkson's deal was famously almost all signing bonuses, which led people to complain about how it was basically buyout-proof.

 

[Kin]

These are great chips to feed to the draft pick or prospect bucket, if they don't fit on the ice. There's always a team or three looking to hit the floor by trading their cap room for fewer actual dollars.

Have any deals like that legitimately materialized in recent years?

 

[herman]

Good point. The Leafs didn't really do it until Pridham arrived, and that was about 10 years after the cap was implemented.

Kessel and Phaneuf both had a good amount of signing bonuses in their contracts that Nonis signed. And Clarkson's deal was famously almost all signing bonuses, which led people to complain about how it was basically buyout-proof.

Well spotted. Phaneuf's signing bonuses are relatively flat, so I'm not sure there was any intent there, other than rewarding a good player with a summer bump. Bozak got similar.

Kessel's is definitely more significant signing bonus usage. Especially in the latter years, save for the two gap years 2018-2020, which might be a lockout hedge.

I can't even begin to decipher the reasoning behind the Clarkson deal.

 

[herman]

Have any deals like that legitimately materialized in recent years?

The most recent one is probably Bernier (2 yrs signed one month after Lou joined) being traded as an addendum to the Andersen deal, which is neither a prospect or pick return.

Winnik's second contract with us was bonus laden but I can't say that was for cap advantage reasons as it was to the Capitals.

I think Vegas sort of did it with Marcus Kruger to Carolina. Vegas waited to trade for him from Chicago after the signing bonus was paid (wasn't this an expansion draft side deal?), and then flipped him two days later to the 'Canes (for a 5th), who saved 2.0M.

If we've only just started to sign contracts like these (2015), the harvest time hasn't yet come.

 

[disco]

https://twitter.com/HennyTweets/status/972090497710903296
Momo basically a veteran at 24.
https://twitter.com/TLNdc/status/972103926894944256
Details are sketchy...

 

[Kin]

I think Vegas sort of did it with Marcus Kruger to Carolina. Vegas waited to trade for him from Chicago after the signing bonus was paid (wasn't this an expansion draft side deal?), and then flipped him two days later to the 'Canes (for a 5th), who saved 2.0M.

If we've only just started to sign contracts like these (2015), the harvest time hasn't yet come.

Yeah, like I said, I'm pretty skeptical those deals are ever going to produce much beyond a 5th round pick. It seems to me they're more likely to fall into a category of a team looking to scrape the cap floor getting something(the high cap low dollar contract) and the signing team getting something(clearing cap space) and looking at it as a relatively square deal.

The value, I think, will just be in making them easier to move.

 

[ZBBM]

https://twitter.com/pierrevlebrun/status/972157004906156032

Kaberle still saucing beautiful assists from beyond retirement.

My hated for Cam Janssen is bottom-free.

 

[herman]

I think Vegas sort of did it with Marcus Kruger to Carolina. Vegas waited to trade for him from Chicago after the signing bonus was paid (wasn't this an expansion draft side deal?), and then flipped him two days later to the 'Canes (for a 5th), who saved 2.0M.

If we've only just started to sign contracts like these (2015), the harvest time hasn't yet come.

Yeah, like I said, I'm pretty skeptical those deals are ever going to produce much beyond a 5th round pick. It seems to me they're more likely to fall into a category of a team looking to scrape the cap floor getting something(the high cap low dollar contract) and the signing team getting something(clearing cap space) and looking at it as a relatively square deal.

The value, I think, will just be in making them easier to move.

I'm largely in agreement here. I characterize it as an eject button more than a draft pick income stream. Some would say a high 5th is not much different than a 3rd, so I'd still do it because there's next to zero downside for a team as cash-flush as the Leafs.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

https://twitter.com/pierrevlebrun/status/972157004906156032

Kaberle still saucing beautiful assists from beyond retirement.

Kaberle will always be one of my favourites.

 

[Highlander]

https://twitter.com/HennyTweets/status/972090497710903296
Momo basically a veteran at 24.
https://twitter.com/TLNdc/status/972103926894944256
Details are sketchy...

My son and Mogen same date, but me son is 25....hard to believe, very hard to believe

 

[Kin]

Rielly has reached froty points for the first time in his career.