Armchair GM 2016-2017

[herman]

https://twitter.com/mirtle/status/856334161577226244
www.twitter.com/mirtle/status/856334161577226244

On the surface: pass.

Digging a bit deeper: pass.

Yeah, we don't have much NHL-ready depth at LW, so unless JvR is okay with 5M for 3 yrs (an insulting underpayment, really) as he's a sheltered complementary scorer (of which we have oodles), I'd rather play it out with our cheaper options from the Marlies grads like Leipsic, Rychel, Aaltonen, maybe Moore, or Timashov, and tack on a middle six LW from UFA (WINNIK?!).

 

[AvroArrow]

In regards to CtB's idea, what about instead of a left winger, you target a team that's gonna lose a good defender to the X draft.  IE: send Zaitsev to Anaheim for Manson (probably not one for one, obviously) - Z is exempt.

The Wild is another option I brought up a while back.  Send Z+ for two of their dmen (since they have to expose 2).

 

[caver]

are Hunwick or Marincin under contract for next year ?

 

[Zee]

are Hunwick or Marincin under contract for next year ?

Hunwick no, Marincin yes.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

are Hunwick or Marincin under contract for next year ?

Hunwick no, Marincin yes.

Marchenko's also under contract. It'd be nice if we could make that disappear.

 

[Kin]

I guess it all depends on who that winger is. I mean last year we saw Backes, Ericsson, Lucic, Okposo, and Ladd all get $6mil with varying degrees of term. If those are the type of options available to us I think Shattenkirk at $7mil with term would probably be better for our team.

Well, yeah, it depends on who the winger is. Sure we saw all of those guys last year but we also saw Radim Vrbata go for 1 year/3.25 or Vanek get 1 year, 2.6 or Perron get 2 years, 3.75 aav.

Sure, none of those guys necessarily fit all our needs and they're not sure things but my point, again, is we have evidence that teams can go into the UFA market and find decent scoring wingers for reasonable prices and it happens just about every year. Let's keep in mind that with Matthews and Nylander and Marner driving things the Leafs don't need to hit homeruns, some solid doubles will do the trick.

As for Shattenkirk, let's wait and see if he does get 7 million.

 

[Andy007]

JVR is an interesting player. He has great hands, can skate, goes to the front of the net and some of the dirtier areas, and is pretty much a lock for 25-30 goals. But there are stretches of games where he is downright invisible and his defensive game is about as strong as Ezequiel Carerra's. I don't know, at his current cap hit I'd say, sure, an extension wouldn't hurt. At the price he's probably going to get, well, kiss that mouthguard goodbye!

 

[L K]

JVR strikes me as the one player (short of breaking up the big three rookies) who gives the Leafs the shot of adding a defenseman via trade.

 

[Andy007]

JVR strikes me as the one player (short of breaking up the big three rookies) who gives the Leafs the shot of adding a defenseman via trade.

Yea, I think that would be a good deal/avenue to explore. I'd use any combination of JVR, Brown, Carrick and/or Dermott and Neilson if that could bring in a legitimate top-pairing defenseman.

 

[Britishbulldog]

Are there any young Matt Niskanen type defense in UFA this year? He was more the type of player I think the Leafs could conceivably make a pitch for, and kind of the characteristic opposite to Shattenkirk.

Brendan Smith is probably the closest there is:

Good skater, but basically no threat offensively. Could form a good 2nd pairing with Rielly to help get his shots against numbers down or with Carrick to get a stabilizing 3rd pairing.

Hear hear!

I realize that he isn't flashy and doesn't produce offense but I feel he could be a 'Bob Rouse'.  -He skates well -He is tough as nails.  -Doesn't get a lot of PIMs but is a top fighter when the situation calls for it. -knows Babcock and the systems already from Detroit.

 

[Britishbulldog]

I guess it all depends on who that winger is. I mean last year we saw Backes, Ericsson, Lucic, Okposo, and Ladd all get $6mil with varying degrees of term. If those are the type of options available to us I think Shattenkirk at $7mil with term would probably be better for our team.

Well, yeah, it depends on who the winger is. Sure we saw all of those guys last year but we also saw Radim Vrbata go for 1 year/3.25 or Vanek get 1 year, 2.6 or Perron get 2 years, 3.75 aav.

Sure, none of those guys necessarily fit all our needs and they're not sure things but my point, again, is we have evidence that teams can go into the UFA market and find decent scoring wingers for reasonable prices and it happens just about every year. Let's keep in mind that with Matthews and Nylander and Marner driving things the Leafs don't need to hit homeruns, some solid doubles will do the trick.

As for Shattenkirk, let's wait and see if he does get 7 million.

I might be in the minority here but I don't think Shattenkirk is the style of player we need with Rielly and Gardiner already on the roster. 

I feel that paying B Smith and a Manson/Gudbranson a combined $7 MIL will be better for the Leafs in playoff hockey.

 

[Kin]

I might be in the minority here but I don't think Shattenkirk is the style of player we need with Rielly and Gardiner already on the roster. 

I feel that paying B Smith and a Manson/Gudbranson a combined $7 MIL will be better for the Leafs in playoff hockey.

I don't know how familiar you are with Shattenkirk or if there's some recency bias going on here where you're basing a lot of this off of this one series but personally, while I'm not all that high on signing Shattenkirk myself, I don't think it's because of a duplication issue. In fact I think Shattenkirk gives them a weapon they don't really have right now and that's a real scoring threat from the point.

That said I don't think the alternatives you mention move the needle at all so I don't think either option represents a significant improvement in the Leafs situation going forward.

 

[herman]

I might be in the minority here but I don't think Shattenkirk is the style of player we need with Rielly and Gardiner already on the roster. 

I feel that paying B Smith and a Manson/Gudbranson a combined $7 MIL will be better for the Leafs in playoff hockey.

One of these is very much not like the others...

We should also be careful with lusting after defensemen who have good numbers in their play slot, and hoping they will have the same positive effect on the game at a higher TOI.

 

[Britishbulldog]

I might be in the minority here but I don't think Shattenkirk is the style of player we need with Rielly and Gardiner already on the roster. 

I feel that paying B Smith and a Manson/Gudbranson a combined $7 MIL will be better for the Leafs in playoff hockey.

One of these is very much not like the others...

We should also be careful with lusting after defensemen who have good numbers in their play slot, and hoping they will have the same positive effect on the game at a higher TOI.

Did you see the bad stats of Gudbranson in Florida and continued in the few games in Vancouver?  I was hoping you wouldn't catch that...

 

[herman]

Did you see the bad stats of Gudbranson in Florida and continued in the few games in Vancouver?  I was hoping you wouldn't catch that...

I can't say he's ever had good numbers*, per se, but his playstyle is one that lends itself to difficulty in measuring value. He's still quite young though, so maybe it can turn around for him in the right context. We've already got a small handful of defensemen like him in the prospect pool (Desrocher, Mattinen, Middleton) and I'm not sure I even want any of those.

* his poor numbers have a lot to do with his deployment as well, as he is swamped with DZone starts. He's a baby Polak.

 

[AvroArrow]

I also think we should try to pry Columbus' 2018 1st round pick... I still think they implode next year.

 

[herman]

I also think we should try to pry Columbus' 2018 1st round pick... I still think they implode next year.

We should be trying to get as many 2018 1sts as possible, but I'm thinking most teams will be holding on pretty tightly, relative to this season.

 

[Kin]

I also think we should try to pry Columbus' 2018 1st round pick... I still think they implode next year.

Really? They've got solid goaltending and a really good young defense. Strikes me as a team with room to grow.

 

[bustaheims]

I also think we should try to pry Columbus' 2018 1st round pick... I still think they implode next year.

Really? They've got solid goaltending and a really good young defense. Strikes me as a team with room to grow.

I don't see them imploding, either. I figure they'll settle back into the middle of the pack, but, if they stay relatively healthy, they're not likely to end up with a particularly high draft pick.

 

[herman]

Just in case there were still anyone longing for Alzner this off season:
https://twitter.com/JeffVeillette/status/859092209982992386
www.twitter.com/JeffVeillette/status/859092209982992386

His injury cost us the series.