Edmonton claimed him.
Armchair GM Thread 2024-25
- Thread starter herman
- Start date
bustaheims
Well-known member
They do love their ex-Leafs
louisstamos
Active member
Good player, and an ideal Reaves replacement, but I'd like someone who can play higher in the lineup.
I would have absolutely given him a shot a month or whatever ago when we were dealing with all those forward injuries. Don't think he has a fit here now. Like you said though guessing he gets scooped up by someone in the first half of the order.
bustaheims
Well-known member
At this point, all he really does it make the roster crunch even crunchier - especially if Jarnkrok ever plays again.
Yep.
Focus on the prize for this team's needs: a half decent center
The desire for term is interesting. Forget the 4thline centers Kampf/Holmberg
We've got Matthews (assuming he'll recover) & Minten pretty soon
So Tavares goes to the wing and is center depth if they add a center with term to next season?
Or is Minten the asset they flip to get a 2nd line center and shift Taveres to the 3rd line (which may not be very appealing this season the way Tavares is playing)?
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dappleganger
Active member
Forget centers, how about a Vince Dunn with term?
With an almost NHL minimum salary, he cleared. He'll make a Wilkes-Barre, PA AHL roster crunchier
I'm sure he has made a few million bucks so sympathy will be limited but it has to be sad for himself, family, friends and fans to see a #4 pick (or whatever he was) never come close to his draft potential and out of a prestigious league where no team wants him..
I've been kicking tires on centers (I have a long way to go ..)
Aside from Brock Nelson, and no interest in Kadri, I've recently glanced at:
Brayden Schenn (concerns: 33, seems in decline with 3.5 yrs left, $6.5 M contract, talent cost to get, NTC)
Ryan O'Reilly (33 - some decline?, doesn't seem to want to be here, $4.5M with 2.5 yrs left, no prohibitive trade clause)
Vince Trocheck (31, good numbers, $5.6M x 3.5yrs left, -everything good but no movement clause)
J.T Miller (31, $8M x 3.5 yrs left - cap fit issue, NMC - might be the best forward available but asset price would be wild)
and a few others
I have issues about the feasibility with all of them. Some due to cap hit or trade clause or asset cost.
This player might be a lower asset price consideration. I don't know him really well but recall seeing him many times.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (32, $5M x1.5 yrs left, 16 team no trade list)
Term might be shorter than Leafs management would desire.
5'11" 195lbs - not big but ok size
He hits, blocks shots, has pretty good takeaway numbers
~.5ppg, always over 50% on faceoffs
Because it should be a lower asset cost to get him, I'd guess he'd be a more plausible possibility
There are bound to be other candidates.
I do not know him very well. I was curious about what people might think about adding Pageau?
Aside from Brock Nelson, and no interest in Kadri, I've recently glanced at:
Brayden Schenn (concerns: 33, seems in decline with 3.5 yrs left, $6.5 M contract, talent cost to get, NTC)
Ryan O'Reilly (33 - some decline?, doesn't seem to want to be here, $4.5M with 2.5 yrs left, no prohibitive trade clause)
Vince Trocheck (31, good numbers, $5.6M x 3.5yrs left, -everything good but no movement clause)
J.T Miller (31, $8M x 3.5 yrs left - cap fit issue, NMC - might be the best forward available but asset price would be wild)
and a few others
I have issues about the feasibility with all of them. Some due to cap hit or trade clause or asset cost.
This player might be a lower asset price consideration. I don't know him really well but recall seeing him many times.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (32, $5M x1.5 yrs left, 16 team no trade list)
Term might be shorter than Leafs management would desire.
5'11" 195lbs - not big but ok size
He hits, blocks shots, has pretty good takeaway numbers
~.5ppg, always over 50% on faceoffs
Because it should be a lower asset cost to get him, I'd guess he'd be a more plausible possibility
There are bound to be other candidates.
I do not know him very well. I was curious about what people might think about adding Pageau?
I like that he's fast, defensively responsible, has just the right amount of grit/toughness while still being able to provide some offence. He's also a right-handed shot which would be a strategic bonus for the coaching staff when it comes to face-offs, which he is of course very good at. From Ottawa, and started his career there, so he might relish the opportunity to come back to Ontario.
I think a 3rd line built around McMann and Pageau with Domi or Robertson or Pacioretty feels like the type of 3rd line teams who go deep often have.
bustaheims
Well-known member
He's not the flashiest of names of anything, buy, yeah, Pageau could be exactly that the Leafs' need as a 3rd line C. He's probably be my #2 choice after Trocheck, depending on acquisition cost.
bustaheims
Well-known member
Yes. Let's move our best puckmoving defenceman - an area that was exposed as a major weakness beyond Rielly in the playoffs over the last few seasons - when there's no one in the system to replace him.
If Matthews was on the LTIR and was miraculously ready for the playoffs how do you spend the $?
Let's go shopping which available pending UFA's to target? Nelson, Vatrano, Provorov, Larsson, Kane, Konecny, Gourde, Granlund, Zucker, Dvorak, Martinez, Tanev.
I am going with Nelson, Vatrano, and Martinez with the Matthews money.
Imagine adding three pieces like that without any meaningful subtractions.
Let's go shopping which available pending UFA's to target? Nelson, Vatrano, Provorov, Larsson, Kane, Konecny, Gourde, Granlund, Zucker, Dvorak, Martinez, Tanev.
I am going with Nelson, Vatrano, and Martinez with the Matthews money.
Imagine adding three pieces like that without any meaningful subtractions.
I mean that'd be easier said than done. Nelson alone would guarantee the loss of at least a 1st round pick, and we're already out of our 2025 one.
I am talking roster pieces. Nelson is on an expiring deal so I am not sure what they would get for him. 37 goals on NYI equates to 87 somewhere else... lol