2020-2021 Toronto Maple Leafs General Discussion

[Nik]

I'd say yes if that means looking for smart ways to improve the team, no if it means moving any more high round draft picks. This team desperately needs more talent in the system otherwise they really risk wasting some good years from a very talented core.

 

[bustaheims]

Don't look now but Freddie's numbers are climbing.  Now up to .908% on the season despite a slow start.  Hopefully he gets up past .916 his career average which would mean solid goaltending the rest of the way.

Take away his first 2 starts, when he and the team were clearly still rusty, and his Sv% is .922 - which would place him 8th among goalies who have started at least 5 games.

 

[cabber24]

Hyman leaving would be devastating. What's a reasonable contract extension for him? Connor Brown gets $3.6M. Would teams go above that? COVID friendly contract?

 

[Zee]

I'd say yes if that means looking for smart ways to improve the team, no if it means moving any more high round draft picks. This team desperately needs more talent in the system otherwise they really risk wasting some good years from a very talented core.

The Leafs have made a first round selection in each of the last 4 drafts which the exception of 2019 where we took Robertson in round 2.  Granted he could have been a first round talent, so it's a solid pick.  If the Leafs can add an impact player at the deadline that helps them win a Cup this season, I think it's worth sacrificing your first in the upcoming draft.  At some point you have to go all in and make a run, and like Carlton said this year may be the easiest road to the conference finals they'll ever get.  Only having to beat 1 of Boston or Tampa in the conferences finals for a shot at the Cup?  Sign me up.

 

[Nik]

The Leafs have made a first round selection in each of the last 4 drafts which the exception of 2019 where we took Robertson in round 2.

Are you trying to make the case that the Leafs have a lot of good talent in their system?

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Only having to beat 1 of Boston or Tampa in the conferences finals for a shot at the Cup?  Sign me up.

Just a small note, the Leafs or Habs or Oilers or whoever makes it out of the Canadian division after the first two rounds still aren't necessarily guaranteed to play Boston or Tampa in the semi finals. Once we're in the 3rd round the winners of each division will get sorted by points and it'll go 1v4 and 2v3. So there won't be a traditional East and West champion.

 

[Zee]

The Leafs have made a first round selection in each of the last 4 drafts which the exception of 2019 where we took Robertson in round 2.

Are you trying to make the case that the Leafs have a lot of good talent in their system?

I'm no expert on organizational talent, but people that have ranked all the teams future talent have the Leafs fairly high on the list as of this season.  Corey Pronman has them 4th in organizational rankings for players under 22.  Note it was done before Matthews just turned 23, but also before the Leafs current 2020 draft class.

 

[cabber24]

Only having to beat 1 of Boston or Tampa in the conferences finals for a shot at the Cup?  Sign me up.

Just a small note, the Leafs or Habs or Oilers or whoever makes it out of the Canadian division after the first two rounds still aren't necessarily guaranteed to play Boston or Tampa in the semi finals. Once we're in the 3rd round the winners of each division will get sorted by points and it'll go 1v4 and 2v3. So there won't be a traditional East and West champion.

Path to the third round does seem easier this year.

 

[herman]

Pronman also ranked Laine above Matthews

 

[bustaheims]

Only having to beat 1 of Boston or Tampa in the conferences finals for a shot at the Cup?  Sign me up.

Just a small note, the Leafs or Habs or Oilers or whoever makes it out of the Canadian division after the first two rounds still aren't necessarily guaranteed to play Boston or Tampa in the semi finals. Once we're in the 3rd round the winners of each division will get sorted by points and it'll go 1v4 and 2v3. So there won't be a traditional East and West champion.

The Leafs could conceivably face both (or Vegas), should they all advance that far. While this may be the best chance the Leafs have to get the conference final in years, if things play out with all the regular season division winners making it that far, they'd be underdogs.

 

[Zee]

Pronman also ranked Laine above Matthews

He'll take a mulligan on that.  Also trying to project players at 18 is hard.

 

[cabber24]

I'm likely getting ahead of myself, but I do wonder if the Leafs should be really trying to go for it this year. It's possible that Simmonds and Thornton are one-and-dones. It's possible we lose one or both of Hyman and Andersen as UFAs. It's possible we lose both Dermott and Lehtonen for different reasons cutting into our defence depth. And last but maybe most important, it's basically guaranteed that these new divisions give us the best path to the Finals that we'll get for the foreseeable future.

I say this in relation to the Leafs being linked to some mystery winger. Fingers crossed regarding injuries, but we likely only have one forward opening on the team so even though Iafallo seems like a decent fit I wouldn't mind trying to aim a little higher.

I thought that way with Kapanen and Johnsson on the roster but they lost them both and are better this year so it's hard to say when is the best time to go for it.

 

[bustaheims]

I'm no expert on organizational talent, but people that have ranked all the teams future talent have the Leafs fairly high on the list as of this season.  Corey Pronman has them 4th in organizational rankings for players under 22.  Note it was done before Matthews just turned 23, but also before the Leafs current 2020 draft class.

The Athletic's most recent prospect pool rankings have the Leafs 13th. So, they're not exactly flush with high-ceiling talent, but the cupboards aren't exactly bare, either. That being said, with the cap not rising next season and probably not rising in a meaningful way for a couple seasons, it's more important than ever to have low-cost, high-quality pieces to fill out the roster. Some of that can be filled through bargain signings (as the team did this summer), but there also needs to be a sustainable pipeline of young players coming up through the system. It's going to be very important for them to be judicious in the moves they make this season and next. Assets like 1st round picks and other high value trade pieces should only be moved in deals that have long-term benefits. No one-and-dones.

 

[Nik]

I'm no expert on organizational talent, but people that have ranked all the teams future talent have the Leafs fairly high on the list as of this season.  Corey Pronman has them 4th in organizational rankings for players under 22.  Note it was done before Matthews just turned 23, but also before the Leafs current 2020 draft class.

I think including guys on the club who are contributing currently throws that ranking way, way out of whack and I don't think that sort of ranking of the Leafs' system is particularly popular when looking at the team's actual prospects.

And I don't think we need to be experts to look at our system and say "Is anyone knocking down the door forcing his way on the team?". Is there anyone making us say "Well, don't worry too much if we lose Hyman or Andersen or Rielly because look at this awesome guy we have who can step in".

No, in fact it's the opposite. It's "If we lose Simmonds and Hyman, we won't have good depth to make a run next year".

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I guess a related question could be does the unique circumstances of the junior seasons this year mean anything to the value of a 1st round draft pick?

 

[Bullfrog]

I'd say yes if that means looking for smart ways to improve the team, no if it means moving any more high round draft picks. This team desperately needs more talent in the system otherwise they really risk wasting some good years from a very talented core.

I'm 100% with you on this one. Hang on to those picks.

 

[bustaheims]

I guess a related question could be does the unique circumstances of the junior seasons this year mean anything to the value of a 1st round draft pick?

I suppose that depends on how they end up addressing that in the draft. There's been some speculation about 2 drafts next summer.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

How many real moves can we really expect this season or at the trade deadline for that matter. At trade deadline time, most teams should be around 40(leafs will be at 43) games played. Will there be enough separation between the haves and the have nots to make any real decision? With 4 out of 7 teams in each division, who will still feel they are in play for the playoffs? 5th place? 6th place? Add to that, the fact that players will need to quarantine for 2 weeks after getting to their new team(I think that's correct) and suddenly the value of trades become real muddy. By the time the Leafs would have a new player available to them(if received on trade deadline day) they would only have 6 games remaining.

 

[Zee]

I'd say yes if that means looking for smart ways to improve the team, no if it means moving any more high round draft picks. This team desperately needs more talent in the system otherwise they really risk wasting some good years from a very talented core.

I'm 100% with you on this one. Hang on to those picks.

I think in the context of this year being unique and and the Leafs having a good shot at advancing to the conference and or SCF, parting with 1 high pick won't be the end of the world if the end result is a Stanley Cup.  Would it be a high pick + prospect to bring back an impact guy?  Who knows, it all depends on the player coming back and the contract status, if said player is an upcoming UFA the price shouldn't be as high so you won't be mortgaging the future. 

 

[herman]

The Blueprint: Vintage
What an intro lol