Armchair GM Thread 2022-2023

[bustaheims]

There are quite a few good 4th line types out there, so, I'm confident the Leafs will be able to add help there. Not sure what they'll be able to do elsewhere, but we knew going into the summer that significant additions would be difficult.

 

[princedpw]

I am wondering what is going to happen on defense.

Is there any chance Muzzin could try playing on the right side?  Sandin-Muzzin?  I felt a Sandin was a disaster on the right defensively.  Perhaps Muzzin could handle it better?  Though suggestions like this never happen?

It seems like there are a lot of question marks in a lot of places on this team.

 

[Guilt Trip]

I am wondering what is going to happen on defense.

Is there any chance Muzzin could try playing on the right side?  Sandin-Muzzin?  I felt a Sandin was a disaster on the right defensively.  Perhaps Muzzin could handle it better?  Though suggestions like this never happen?

It seems like there are a lot of question marks in a lot of places on this team.

To be fair I think Sandin
played 1 or 2 games on the right side. I think he could adapt more then Muzz.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I am wondering what is going to happen on defense.

Is there any chance Muzzin could try playing on the right side?  Sandin-Muzzin?  I felt a Sandin was a disaster on the right defensively.  Perhaps Muzzin could handle it better?  Though suggestions like this never happen?

It seems like there are a lot of question marks in a lot of places on this team.

I think being an above average skater is a pretty big requirement for a defenceman playing his off side (like Brodie). I've always felt that Rielly played well on the right, and when Muzzin was first acquired those two actually put up really good results as a pair with Rielly on the right. I wish the Leafs seemed a little more interested in trying him there again. Could do:

Muzzin-Rielly
Giordano-Brodie
Sandin-Liljegren

Or mix up the two bottom pairs to have a vet with a kid.

 

[bustaheims]

I think being an above average skater is a pretty big requirement for a defenceman playing his off side (like Brodie). I've always felt that Rielly played well on the right, and when Muzzin was first acquired those two actually put up really good results as a pair with Rielly on the right. I wish the Leafs seemed a little more interested in trying him there again. Could do:

Muzzin-Rielly
Giordano-Brodie
Sandin-Liljegren

Or mix up the two bottom pairs to have a vet with a kid.

Yeah. I think you swap Brodie and Liljegren for most shifts - I feel like they'll be able to spread the minutes out better that way.

 

[herman]

Leafs D is set up for 3 relatively even pairings with a very good, albeit unhappy spare. You need like 8-9 NHL level D for a long playoff run, and it's on the coaching staff to juggle those minutes and roles to keep them all fresh and motivated.

Keep enough cap space to cycle Muzzin and Giordano in and out of the regular season lineup to give Sandin/Liljegren/Holl-or-replacement enough top-4 experience to be meaningful playoff contributors. Same thing with the depth forwards: give those bottom-6 the leash to grow their games so we have options.

No more, these are the guys I trust to win with every night and I'm sticking with it in this specific configuration; the roster needs to stretch routinely in the regular season to stay flexible for injuries and the playoff grind. Tampa's success and longevity of contention also has a lot to do with the plug-and-play nature of their personnel outside the very tippy top of their lineup.

 

[Bullfrog]

Some guys who didn't get qualifiying offers I'd have interest in:

**Dylan Strome**
Dominik Kubalik
Ilya Samsonov
Sonny Milano
Sam Steel
Danton Heinen
Jonathan Dahlen

What's the story on Samsonov? His last deal was $2M. I wonder is WSH still brings him back.

 

[L K]

Some guys who didn't get qualifiying offers I'd have interest in:

**Dylan Strome**
Dominik Kubalik
Ilya Samsonov
Sonny Milano
Sam Steel
Danton Heinen
Jonathan Dahlen

Obviously some of these guys are going to get dirt cheap contracts but we have no cap space to really make many additions.  Getting one or two of these guys would go a long way to not be dressing a lineup that has to play Simmonds and Clifford every day.

 

[bustaheims]

What's the story on Samsonov? His last deal was $2M. I wonder is WSH still brings him back.

From what I've read, they were mostly looking to avoid arbitration. Whether or not they'll bring him back is very much up in the air, though.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/KPapetti/status/1547199826047139840
Can't get scored on 3+ times in a game if he's playing for the team that did that to him

 

[Andy007]

So is Comrie, Wood or Kubalik, Steel or Milano and a trade for Puljujarvi possible/feasible/too much to expect this offseason?

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I like Comrie as the other goalie, although the comment from Friedman about goalie prices being a little wacky makes me think he'll get more than what I'd be comfortable with.

 

[Andy007]

I like Comrie as the other goalie, although the comment from Friedman about goalie prices being a little wacky makes me think he'll get more than what I'd be comfortable with.

And that is the only thing that surprises me about the Murray acquisition. I really like the player and potential but there was no reason that a) Leafs couldn't get Ottawa to retain 50%, even if it meant taking a worse pick back, and b) failing that, having a third team (out of contention) take a chunk of the 75%, keep the Ott 3rd and send us, say, a 5th.

An extra 1.5-2M would really help in the FA market, if only to snag a Comrie or Samsonov.

 

[Zee]

I like Comrie as the other goalie, although the comment from Friedman about goalie prices being a little wacky makes me think he'll get more than what I'd be comfortable with.

And that is the only thing that surprises me about the Murray acquisition. I really like the player and potential but there was no reason that a) Leafs couldn't get Ottawa to retain 50%, even if it meant taking a worse pick back, and b) failing that, having a third team (out of contention) take a chunk of the 75%, keep the Ott 3rd and send us, say, a 5th.

An extra 1.5-2M would really help in the FA market, if only to snag a Comrie or Samsonov.

https://twitter.com/josephdzita/status/1546986456920604678?s=20&t=pMdPluDy_ItDpkoy1ponZg

Ottawa was adamant about not retaining more than 25% and if other teams were interested, the Leafs didn't have all the leverage here.

 

[Andy007]

I like Comrie as the other goalie, although the comment from Friedman about goalie prices being a little wacky makes me think he'll get more than what I'd be comfortable with.

And that is the only thing that surprises me about the Murray acquisition. I really like the player and potential but there was no reason that a) Leafs couldn't get Ottawa to retain 50%, even if it meant taking a worse pick back, and b) failing that, having a third team (out of contention) take a chunk of the 75%, keep the Ott 3rd and send us, say, a 5th.

An extra 1.5-2M would really help in the FA market, if only to snag a Comrie or Samsonov.

https://twitter.com/josephdzita/status/1546986456920604678?s=20&t=pMdPluDy_ItDpkoy1ponZg

Ottawa was adamant about not retaining more than 25% and if other teams were interested, the Leafs didn't have all the leverage here.

I'm just surprised there weren't any non-contending teams (thus no interest in Murray) who wouldn't take 1.5-2M in space for a couple of years to acquire a 3rd, which is what the deal would ultimately come down to.

 

[herman]

Bunting - Matthews - Marner
Robertson - Rodrigues - Nylander
Aston-Reese - Tavares - Aube-Kubel
Engvall - Kampf - Anderson

If there is money for it, Sonny Milano or Danton Heinen over Nick Robertson wouldn't bother me. or Flip Engvall up there instead if you want to spread scoring around better. (or Holmberg, or Steeves, whoever; we got spare LWs). It should work fine with Kerfoot if we don't want to split his cap hit into those other pickups/EngvallSandin raises.

Anyway, the point is, the bottom 6 will forecheck the puck off everything, and let Tavares do his thing with simple, messy spade work. The non-Matthews lines play somewhat equal minutes (~19-14-14-13)

 

[Kin]

I'm just surprised there weren't any non-contending teams (thus no interest in Murray) who wouldn't take 1.5-2M in space for a couple of years to acquire a 3rd, which is what the deal would ultimately come down to.

I'm not if only because I think the # of teams out there who are in a financially secure enough spot to not really care about the 3-4  million dollar expenditure on top of the financial hit of looking at a season where they don't expect to compete is probably pretty small.

Even a pretty big market well-off team that isn't looking to compete like, say, the Blackhawks would probably look at a deal and say "Well, if we have 3 or 4 million to spend, is a 3rd the best we can do?" and look at signing one year guys who you can maybe flip at the deadline for a better return(say, along the lines of the Max Domi signing).

 

[CarltonTheBear]

It's also important to remember that teams can only retain on 3 contracts each season. Burning 1 of those for 2 straight seasons might not really be worth it for just a 3rd. Going off Chicago again, they might already be planning to retain on Domi and Athanasiou when they're inevitably dealt at the trade deadline. That would put Chicago at the max if they also retained on Murray. And then they wouldn't be in a position to help facilitate another trade deadline deal as a 3rd party that could easily net them a mid round draft pick for considerably less actual cash than Murray would need to be paid to get a 3rd.

Arizona, another popular dumping ground, is already retaining on OEL for the next 5 seasons. So getting Murray would mean they only have 1 more opening in each of the next two seasons.

 

[Andy007]

Fair enough, all logical points 

 

[herman]

Revised back of the napkin lineup

Bunting - Matthews - Marner
Engvall - Tavares - Aube-Kubel
Robertson - Nylander - Jarnkrok
Holmberg - Kampf - Anderson

A cheap UFA flyer could bump Engvall down to Kampf's line if it's someone like Sonny Milano or Danton Heinen, but I really wouldn't mind just running this after moving Kerfoot's salary for cap space to accrue (and fund Sandin's contract).

If you're going to shelter a line for offensive minutes, you might as well make it one that can do stupid damage: Robertson and Nylander have plenty of firepower between them, and Jarnkrok is a smart safety blanket that can shoulder some of the forechecking load if this line is not just taking OZ draws and OTF rushes.

The Tavares line holds the same logic as previous: forechecking wingers with speed to free pucks for Tavares. The captain's super power is turning nothing pucks into roof jobs, as well as carving out time and space for his linemates. The running theme holding back Engvall and Aube-Kubel's offensive production is they need a bit more time and space to rip it.

Kampf's DZ draw workload might be lessened with Tavares having those two for wingers, and him babysitting Marlie grads, but they will be fixtures on the PK going forward. Maybe Adam Gaudette is mixed in there for the initial run of the season. Both Holmberg and Anderson have some breakaway chops to take advantage of the way Kampf plays and chip in some counter attack goals.

Compared to the insanity lineup with the new bodies: i.e. same thing as the last time it didn't work
Bunting - Matthews - Marner (well, this worked)
Kerfoot - Tavares - Nylander
Engvall - Kampf - Jarnkrok
Aube-Kubel - Gaudette - Simmonds