End-of-season player evaluations, speculations

[ZBBM]

Instead of the report-card format maybe people will be up for a more subjective (and condensed) evaluation, plus some speculation.

To set the stage, here's a summary of this year MotM voting:

POINTS
1. Kadri -- 34
2. Bernier -- 26.5
3. Rielly -- 26
4. Reimer -- 24
5. Gardiner -- 20
6. Bozak -- 15
7. Hunwick -- 13
7. Phaneuf -- 13
9. Komarov -- 11
9. Nylander -- 11

NUMBER OF ACCOLADES:
1.  Kadri -- 20
2.  Bernier -- 15
3.  Reimer -- 14
4.  Gardiner -- 9
5.  Bozak -- 8
5.  Komarov -- 8
7.  Parenteau -- 7
7.  Rielly -- 7
9.  Holland -- 6
9.  Hunwick -- 6

NUMBER OF TIMES VOTED FOR:
1.  Kadri -- 34
2.  Bernier -- 24
3.  Rielly -- 23
4.  Reimer -- 22
5.  Komarov -- 20
5.  Gardiner -- 20
7.  Parenteau -- 19
8.  Bozak -- 17
9.  van Riemsdyk -- 15
10.  Phaneuf -- 14

OK, now some questions:

1.  Who was your MVP?
2.  Who was your biggest disappointment and/or biggest pleasant surprise?
3.  Who was your pick for most underrated and/or overrated player?

And finally, some speculation:
4.  Which player will surprise us all by being traded this summer?
5.  Other than Nylander, which of the Marlies call-ups will make the team and have the biggest impact next year?
6.  How many points will Marner score for the Leafs next season?

I'll offer my answers in the next post.

 

[ZBBM]

1.  Who was your MVP?
I don't think you can buck the MotM voters here.  Kadri obliterated the field, gaining over twice as many MotM points as the next forward (Bozak).  While he always leaves me wanting more, he played a hard-nosed game all year and you have to hand it to him.


2.  Who was your biggest disappointment and/or biggest pleasant surprise?
My biggest disappointment was that neither Bernier nor Reimer established themselves w/o question as the starter for the short-term (never mind the long term).  Spaling also accomplished exactly squat, undercutting even the minimal hopes I had for him.

Biggest pleasant surprise was Marincin.  I am pegging him as the next Stralman, if only we have patience.  Parenteau a very close second; I thought he was great value for money.


3.  Who was your pick for most underrated and/or overrated player?
To judge by the MotM votes, JVR was severely underrated considering the season he was having before the injury.

I didn't think anyone was overrated; hard to be on a dead-last team.


And finally, some speculation:
4.  Which player will surprise us all by being traded this summer?
Maybe not a total surprise, but I see JVR being moved.

5.  Other than Nylander, which of the Marlies call-ups will make the team and have the biggest impact next year?
Hyman looks to me ready to play a full season in the top 9.

6.  How many points will Marner score for the Leafs next season?
26.  I think it will take him a whole season to adjust to the jump from junior, and to the speed and physicality of the NHL.

 

[BrownRolo]

1.  Who was your MVP?
Definitely Kadri. Defensively and at faceoffs he improved so much. And considering who his linemates were his offensive numbers were solid.


2.  Who was your biggest disappointment and/or biggest pleasant surprise?
Jake Gardiner. I always thought he would mature into something special. He is still a solid defenceman, but I always thought he would be a little more explosive.

Parenteau surprised me with how hard he worked and he seemed like a good veteran to have on the team which before he came here I didn't expect.


3.  Who was your pick for most underrated and/or overrated player?
To me Rielly is still underrated. People know he is good. But this season he took it to another level and I think he will still improve.

Robidas is overrated. With a cap hit of $3 million a year I would expect to notice him more. I can't even remember one time this season where he made a good or even bad play.


And finally, some speculation:
4.  Which player will surprise us all by being traded this summer?
Lupul, JVR, Bozak

5.  Other than Nylander, which of the Marlies call-ups will make the team and have the biggest impact next year?
Hyman looks pretty good to me.

6.  How many points will Marner score for the Leafs next season?
40 points.

 

[Arn]

1.  Who was your MVP?
I don't think you can look beyond Kadri. I really hope he isn't traded away, I think he can be a really solid piece of the puzzle for the next lot of years.

I wonder if Reimer may have provided some competition had he finished the season out with the Leafs.

2.  Who was your biggest disappointment and/or biggest pleasant surprise?
Peter Holland. I thought we might have something there when he came through. Sadly he's very middle of the road and replaceable.

Komarov's offensive production was a bit of a surprise, and a very welcome one. If he can repeat that I'll be very happy (and even more surprised). Was a little sad he didn't hit the 20 mark.

3.  Who was your pick for most underrated and/or overrated player?
Overrated: Nathan Horton
Underrated: Colin Greening. Salary dump comes in with 0.5 PPG.

And finally, some speculation:
4.  Which player will surprise us all by being traded this summer?
Josh Leivo. I feel we've reached a stage where we have a lot of forward prospect and not much on D or in goal. So we may see a package of some of that forward talent or a swap for some D talent.

5.  Other than Nylander, which of the Marlies call-ups will make the team and have the biggest impact next year?
Connor Brown or Frederik Gauthier.

6.  How many points will Marner score for the Leafs next season?
37. And most of those will be in the latter half of the season. I also don't see him playing much more than 60 games.

 

[Kin]

1. Who was your MVP?

Morgan Rielly

A 9 goal, 36 point season while playing 23 minutes a night as a 21 year old for most of the year. He only ranked 58th among defensemen in PP ice time but finished tied for 34th in scoring despite a pretty questionable collection of forwards. He wasn't perfect but I think night in and night out he was the team's best player.

2. Who was the biggest disappointment?

Morgan Rielly.

I suppose it's strange to have him as the answer to both questions but I'm not sure I was really disappointed by anyone else. I didn't have any expectations/hopes that weren't met by anyone else. Rielly had a very good season but he didn't have much in the way of moments where I thought i was watching a future superstar. A future very good player? Yes. Is he going to be a top of the league #1? I wouldn't rule it out but at this point I'd bet against it.

I appreciate that's not a realistic or fair standard to judge someone against but to me I wanted to walk away from this season saying "Well, the team sucked but oh man, this Rielly kid is going to be something" and instead...I think he's very good and will almost certainly be a very nice player for them for years to come.

2b. Biggest Pleasant Surprise?

Parenteau comes to mind but the fact that they didn't trade him seems to render the whole thing moot. I don't know how happy I was to see him score fairly meaningless goals given that it's probably going to result in no real gains for the team or be indicative of future performance for the Leafs.

In some ways Jake Gardiner comes to mind. I thought he kept up a very high level of play throughout the year. After having my doubts about him, I think he can be a legit top 4 guy for this team for years to come.

3. Overrated/Underrated player

Overrated is easy. Komarov by a country mile. He scored 15 goals in his first 36 games and ridiculously made the All-Star game. He scored 4 the rest of the way. He's an ok grinder and I'm sure he can score 12-15 goals a year on a regular basis if you're in the lamentable situation where he's getting top 6 and PP minutes but you shouldn't pay real money for that. Not selling high on him was a real blunder by this front office.

Underrated, I'd go with Gardiner again. Sort of like Kadri he was in a tough spot where he's not really a prospect and so he got judged a little harshly by those who wanted more from him. I saw a really competent puck moving defenseman but not an offensive dynamo. I think a lot of the criticism of him isn't so much on the basis of what he is but on what people wanted him to be. 

4. Which player will surprise us all by being traded this summer?

I've said before that I think JVR will get dealt but that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Here, I think the answer is Kadri. I like Kadri a lot, I think he had a very good if frustrating season at times but did he show enough for the team to make a long term commitment to him? I doubt it. I just don't know I see how he fits on this team in two or three years.

5.  Other than Nylander, which of the Marlies call-ups will make the team
and have the biggest impact next year?

Hyman but I think that's mainly by default. I'm sure this will earn me more of Patrick's biting ire but I just don't think that the Marlies' success this year is really about a bunch of guys who are going to be big time NHL contributors. I think Kapanen has a chance to be a real player, Brown and Leipsic showed something, Gauthier might be a fourth liner...but I really doubt that any of the Marlies' defensemen or goaltenders ever contribute in a significant way to the big club. 

6. How many points will Marner score for the Leafs next season?

20ish. I think his PPG will be pretty good but I think his icetime will be limited, he'll get hurt and he'll get to watch a fair number of games from the pressbox.

 

[Boston Leaf]

1.  Who was your MVP? Kadri
2.  Who was your biggest disappointment and/or biggest pleasant surprise?  Disappointment Bernier He was much better in second half but overall was disappointment.. Pleasant surprise Hunwick
3.  Who was your pick for most underrated and/or overrated player? Underrated Hunwick  Overrated Gardiner

And finally, some speculation:
4.  Which player will surprise us all by being traded this summer?  JVR
5.  Other than Nylander, which of the Marlies call-ups will make the team and have the biggest impact next year? Hyman
6.  How many points will Marner score for the Leafs next season? 0..Will stay back and play junior

 

[Kaberle15]

1.  Who was your MVP?
Kadri
2.  Who was your biggest disappointment and/or biggest pleasant surprise? 
Disappointment Bernier/Reimer 
Pleasant surprise Komarov/Hunwick/Marincin
3.  Who was your pick for most underrated and/or overrated player?
Underrated Marincin/PAP
Overrated Bernier

And finally, some speculation:
4.  Which player will surprise us all by being traded this summer? 
Lupul (@ the draft)
5.  Other than Nylander, which of the Marlies call-ups will make the team and have the biggest impact next year?
Hyman, Brown, Soshnikov. Would love to see Kapenen too, he showed flashes of it and was held out of the scoreboard.
6.  How many points will Marner score for the Leafs next season?
He will have an awesome rookie year playing on Matthews wing.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

1.  Who was your MVP?

Nazem Kadri. His big-time scoring slump at the start of the season could have really been a blessing in disguise for the team. Him potting a few more goals and points there wouldn't have changed the teams fate anyway. But since December 5th he scored 36 points in 50 games, which is a 59-point pace.

2.  Who was your biggest disappointment and/or biggest pleasant surprise?

Not to get all stats-snobby but Gardiner and Marincin played roughly where I thought they'd play at, so I wouldn't consider their performances a surprise. So I'll give it to Bozak. Scored at a 50-point pace without Kessel and not as much JVR as he's used to. Still don't really know where he falls on a playoff team, and I still don't think he has any real future with the club, but at least his play made his contract pretty moveable.

On the disappointment side of this, I'll say Hunwick. I was reasonably excited when they signed him, and I thought that his play at the beginning of the season was pretty good considering the minutes he was handling. But it went downhill from there, and fast. Now it's not entirely his fault that he was playing top minutes, that was a decision that Babcock made, but all I can do is judge his performance on the ice. And he performed very poorly. Hate to wish injuries on anyone but it might have been a good thing that he got injured so Babcock could see someone else in that role.

3.  Who was your pick for most underrated and/or overrated player?

Gonna echo Nik's sentiment here and go with Komarov. His stats really fell off in the 2nd half of the season. I mean, I know everyone was expecting it to happen but it still seemed like it didn't get talked about much. From January 17th and on, he scored just 6 points in 24 games. And that was playing mostly with Kadri who was somehow able to keep scoring despite a linemate who wasn't.

As for underrated, I'm going to go with Bernier. He managed to claw his was up to a .908 save percentage, which isn't really good by any means but it really went up as the season went along. Since January 1st he played 21 games and had a save percentage of .920. He's not an all-star goalie by any stretch of the imagination, but he's also not complete trash. He's an average starting goalie, which is fine really.

4.  Which player will surprise us all by being traded this summer?

I really don't know. The obvious answers here are JVR, Kadri, and Gardiner, but I don't see them getting traded. Although I guess that would by definition make their trades a surprise.

5.  Other than Nylander, which of the Marlies call-ups will make the team and have the biggest impact next year?

I'm going to go with Connor Brown. I think that someone like Hyman will actually probably come into camp with a little higher expectations and maybe not perform as well as he did in his stint this season. Brown only played in 7 games, and generally played lower in the line-up than the other call-ups. He still managed 6 points in those 7 games (with 3 coming in a single game). His injury made him fly a little under the radar, but Babcock has been raving about him ever since training camp. He's a big fan.

6.  How many points will Marner score for the Leafs next season?

Drouin is probably a good comparable here. He scored 32 points in 70 games. That was in limited minutes but a good chunk of it was with Stamkos. I expect the Leafs to be very careful with Marner. He'll likely play 4th line minutes + PP time. He won't play every game. As I wrote that it reminded me a lot of how Brad Boyes was used this season. I could see him getting that same type of usage. Boyes scored 24 points in 60 games while having one of the best P/60 on the team. I'll say Marner gets the same.

 

[bustaheims]

1.  Who was your MVP?

I guess I'll echo Kadri. Hard not to go with the team's leading point producer and most talented forward.

Had he not been injured, this would have been JvR. The way the team's offence dropped off after he got injured said a lot to me.

2.  Who was your biggest disappointment and/or biggest pleasant surprise?

Disappointment - Not sure I really have one. Pretty much everyone was at least roughly near the level I expected from them. Maybe Grabner. I thought he's be able to contribute a little more offence and become a potential trade chip - though, with the way the deadline went, who knows?

Biggest surprise - Marincin. I thought he'd end up in the pressbox for most of the season, but he turned out to be a pretty solid, if unremarkable, defenceman.

3.  Who was your pick for most underrated and/or overrated player?

Underrated - Marincin, again. People focus on the mistakes he made, but, really, they weren't frequent or beyond what any other defenceman in the league would be prone to. They just stand out because he plays such a quiet game.

Overrated - Komarov. I like him a lot. He's a solid 3rd line winger, but people were talking about him as a core player, and a guy you need to keep around as a role model and all that . . . and, to me, that's just lunacy. I wouldn't give him away, but, I also recognize the attributes people identify as reasons to hold on to him are relatively easy to find in the UFA market.

4.  Which player will surprise us all by being traded this summer?

I'd be surprised if the team can move Lupul. Other than that, maybe Gardiner - though, admittedly, that would only be a mild surprise.

5.  Other than Nylander, which of the Marlies call-ups will make the team and have the biggest impact next year?

Hyman or Soshnikov. I don't think the impact will be significant, but they're the most NHL ready of the Marlies.

6.  How many points will Marner score for the Leafs next season?

I'm gonna say 30-35. They'll shelter him for a good chunk of the season - largely because they'd prefer to have him in the AHL - and, also let him go to the WJCs. He's too good to send back to junior - not that I think it will have a negative impact on him, it'll just put his development a year behind schedule.

 

[Frank E]

1.  Who was your MVP?
I was really hoping for Rielly to be my MVP, but it?s Kadri for me.  Hopefully for him, 15-16 was his toughest campaign to get through in terms of linemates.

2.  Who was your biggest disappointment and/or biggest pleasant surprise?
I am disappointed that Rielly didn?t emerge as a top-shelf d-man given the opportunity.  As has been said, I didn?t see enough of those plays that showed me glimpses of greatness.  Solid?  Sure.  Top pairing guy?  Probably, but still some work to do to be a certain #1.

The biggest surprise to me was Bozak.  I didn?t think he?d survive as a top 6 point producer, so that surprised me.

3.  Who was your pick for most underrated and/or overrated player?
Underrated, Bozak.

Overrated, I don?t have one.  I don?t think anyone got an easy pass this year.  I don?t think anyone here thought that Komarov was as good as his numbers were in the winter.

4.  Which player will surprise us all by being traded this summer?
Gardiner.

5.  Other than Nylander, which of the Marlies call-ups will make the team and have the biggest impact next year?
Brown.

6.  How many points will Marner score for the Leafs next season?
12g ? 18a

 

[mr grieves]

1.  Who was your MVP? Kadri.
2a.  Who was your biggest disappointment? None. With expectations so low... Maybe would've been nice to see Holland prove himself a guy you'd like keeping around as a middle-6 option. Not that there'll be much room for that soon... Or Panik. I wanted him to be more useful than he was, didn't even make it out of camp
2b. biggest pleasant surprise? Bozak
3a.  Who was your pick for most underrated? I didn't watch enough games closely enough to say. Likely a defenseman who made some obvious mistakes but was, on the whole, pretty steady.
3b. and/or overrated player? Komarov.

And finally, some speculation:
4.  Which player will surprise us all by being traded this summer? If everyone says it's JvR, it's not much of a surprise... Lupul would be a surprise on the order of Phaneuf.
5.  Other than Nylander, which of the Marlies call-ups will make the team and have the biggest impact next year? Hyman looked good, but I like Brown for 'biggest impact.'
6.  How many points will Marner score for the Leafs next season? 36.

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

1. Who was your MVP?

Gardiner - Has taken massive strides under Babcock who has given him the structure and confidence to use his skating to his advantage. I'd rate him as a very good #3 guy and I think he is only going to get better as the skill around him improves. Whenever the game was on the line he seemed to find another gear and he has few equals when it comes to skating.

2. Who was your biggest disappointment and/or biggest pleasant surprise?

Disappointment - Bernier had a truly horrific first four months, truly awful.

Pleasant surprise - Kadri, he did really well playing with not a lot of help against the top units in the league most of the season. If you get him some more skill on his wings I still think he hasn't had his best years.

3.  Who was your pick for most underrated and/or overrated player?

Underrated - Gardiner.

Overrated - Hunwick was a good soldier and probably a fit on a bottom pair, but he dragged Reilly down when facing elite competition.

4.  Which player will surprise us all by being traded this summer?

I don't think it'll be a surprise, Bozak could fetch a decent pick at the draft or a sleeper prospect they like. Good faceoffs, can play in all situations and proved he has some NHL scoring touch without The Cheese.

5. Other than Nylander, which of the Marlies call-ups will make the team and have the biggest impact next year?

Brown will play in the top six and be in Calder contention.

6.  How many points will Marner score for the Leafs next season?

10/25/35

 

[herman]

Cool thread and great questions.

1.  Who was your MVP?
Kadri. Playing the hard minutes, dragging along unhelpful linemates, putting up modest production even with that first half bad-luck, and making everyone around him better.

2.  Who was your biggest disappointment and/or biggest pleasant surprise?
Disappointment: no one performed unexpectedly bad.

Pleasant Surprise: Marincin, acquitted himself well after Hunwick went down and he was pushed into service against top lines. Connor Carrick was a nice addition as well (that Winnik trade!).

3.  Who was your pick for most underrated and/or overrated player?
Underrated: Marincin got a lot of hate from the general online fanbase for some reason.
Overrated: Komarov was playing well above his norm, getting prime minutes with Kadri.

4.  Which player will surprise us all by being traded this summer?
Bernier's abysmal value makes him a surprise trade for me. Lupul's injury history would make him a surprise move too.

5.  Other than Nylander, which of the Marlies call-ups will make the team and have the biggest impact next year?
Brown and Soshnikov.

6.  How many points will Marner score for the Leafs next season?
At least 32 would be great.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

2.  Who was your biggest disappointment and/or biggest pleasant surprise?

Connor Carrick was a nice addition as well (that Winnik trade!).

Ah, yeah, kudos to that trade for sure. Very much looking forward to seeing Carrick play a full season next year. After seeing him play I'd have probably dealt Winnik for him alone or for Laich + 2nd. The fact that we got all 3 assets is pretty great.

 

[herman]

2.  Who was your biggest disappointment and/or biggest pleasant surprise?

Connor Carrick was a nice addition as well (that Winnik trade!).

Ah, yeah, kudos to that trade for sure. Very much looking forward to seeing Carrick play a full season next year. After seeing him play I'd have probably dealt Winnik for him alone or for Laich + 2nd. The fact that we got all 3 assets is pretty great.

Of the D prospects we now have, I think he is my favourite; I've shelved all my JvR for Vatanen+ trade scenarios as a result.

 

[McGarnagle]

OK, now some questions:

1.  Who was your MVP?
- I'd going to be one of those people that annoy everyone by not picking on the intended list, and say Babcock. He's been everything that was advertised, and and I think was the biggest reason the team developed and was watchable.

2.  Who was your biggest disappointment and/or biggest pleasant surprise?
- I'm going to have to say Kadri for both. His offensive numbers are definitely on the low side, and there's a certain element that's crept into his game that is undesirable to me as a fan. On the plus side, he was hard to play against, there was plenty of skill on display, and he's developed his defensive game under babcock substantially.

3.  Who was your pick for most underrated and/or overrated player?
Overrated - Kadri again. One has to be cautious in over-rating a player just because he's the best player on a bad team, and I definitely get the sense that has occurred all season. I'm surprised at all the votes for Komorov - simply because he overachieved, doesn't make him overrated. A 3rd line player making $2.9M going to the all-star game should definitely have been traded at the deadline, but maybe other GMs weren't drinking the koolaid either and a reasonable offer wasn't there. I don't think too many people ever would consider him a legit top 6 player.

And finally, some speculation:
4.  Which player will surprise us all by being traded this summer? - Lupul. Not that I think it'll happen, but that would be a pretty big surprise.
5.  Other than Nylander, which of the Marlies call-ups will make the team and have the biggest impact next year?  - Brown.
6.  How many points will Marner score for the Leafs next season? Uhhh, 35.

 

[Kin]

OK, now some questions:

1.  Who was your MVP?
- I'd going to be one of those people that annoy everyone by not picking on the intended list, and say Babcock. He's been everything that was advertised, and and I think was the biggest reason the team developed and was watchable.

Admittedly we odn't need to be a stickler for the rules here but Babcock can't really be the MVP on account of him not being a P.

I'm surprised at all the votes for Komorov - simply because he overachieved, doesn't make him overrated. A 3rd line player making $2.9M going to the all-star game should definitely have been traded at the deadline, but maybe other GMs weren't drinking the koolaid either and a reasonable offer wasn't there. I don't think too many people ever would consider him a legit top 6 player. 

I can link you to the thread talking about trading Komarov. There were lots of people saying that even the idea of it was a terrible one because of how important he was to the team going forward. 

 

[Tigger]

MVP, Kadri. I think he took a pretty solid step forward this year, tough minutes and challenges, especially with the start he had.

Disappointment, I'd say goaltending in general.

Pleasant surprise, Marincin, especially in the second half.

Underrated, Marincin again.

Overrated, don't really have one here, though I understand why some are saying Komarov.

Surprise trade, Kadri.

Marlies to make the team, probably Hyman, Soshnikov and Brown, I'll say Brown will end up having the biggest impact but that's a toss up.

Marner, 25 pts. Limited/protected role, unlikely to play more than 40 games.

 

[hockeyfan1]

1.  Who was your MVP?
Kadri.  Nazem grabbed the bull by the horns and effectively shook it, so to speak.  Feisty, dogged, smart, (sometimes not so smart-- but then no one's perfect), determined, eager to please, good offensive output...seems as though under Babcock (whom he's had praise for), Kadri improved himself in being a team leader.


2.  Who was your biggest disappointment and/or biggest pleasant surprise?
Disappointment?  Gardiner.  While he has shown flashes of brilliance with his point shot and skating, there are times when one wonders just how long it will take this fellow to mature and improve his defence.  Gardiner's stray passes or his errant defensive manner -- and he's been with the team for quite some time -- leave one scratching their heads, so to speak.  He improved under Babcock but still...

Surprise?  Definitely has to be Marincin.  Not many expected him to be at the forefront of the Leafs defence, but there he was, and performed decently.

Close second nod goes to Reilly for the simple fact that he matured in his role on the defence under Babcock.  Though not perfect by any means, and needing further improvement, Reilly showed that he can emerge as one of the team's leaders and (hopefully) blossom, in the time that he's been with the team, into a bona fide NHL-caliber star d-man.  Way to go, Morgan!


3.  Who was your pick for most underrated and/or overrated player?
Underrated?  Parenteau.  Why?  No one expected him to provide the numbers on a team as bad as the Leafs were, yet there he was, among the top talent in terms of his output.  Foot soldier? Filler material?  Trade bait?
None of that.  Parenteau was solid.  Better than expected.

Overrated?  On a team as the Leafs were, none.


4.  Which player will surprise us all by being traded this summer?
Lupul, JVR.


5.  Other than Nylander, which of the Marlies call-ups will make the team and have the biggest impact next year?
Brown, Kapanen, Soshnikov, Hyman.


6.  How many points will Marner score for the Leafs next season?
30 pts. 
Don't see him being thrown the wolves, so to speak.  Will play a smattering of games here and there, but will be eased into the lineup and will be made available to play in the 2018 WJHC for Team Canada.

 

[ZBBM]

1.  Who was your MVP?
Kadri.  Nazem grabbed the bull by the horns and effectively shook it, so to speak.  Feisty, dogged, smart, (sometimes not so smart-- but then no one's perfect), determined, eager to please, good offensive output...seems as though under Babcock (whom he's had praise for), Kadri improved himself in being a team leader.


2.  Who was your biggest disappointment and/or biggest pleasant surprise?
Disappointment?  Gardiner.  While he has shown flashes of brilliance with his point shot and skating, there are times when one wonders just how long it will take this fellow to mature and improve his defence.  Gardiner's stray passes or his errant defensive manner -- and he's been with the team for quite some time -- leave one scratching their heads, so to speak.  He improved under Babcock but still...

Surprise?  Definitely has to be Marincin.  Not many expected him to be at the forefront of the Leafs defence, but there he was, and performed decently.

Close second nod goes to Reilly for the simple fact that he matured in his role on the defence under Babcock.  Though not perfect by any means, and needing further improvement, Reilly showed that he can emerge as one of the team's leaders and (hopefully) blossom, in the time that he's been with the team, into a bona fide NHL-caliber star d-man.  Way to go, Morgan!


3.  Who was your pick for most underrated and/or overrated player?
Underrated?  Parenteau.  Why?  No one expected him to provide the numbers on a team as bad as the Leafs were, yet there he was, among the top talent in terms of his output.  Foot soldier? Filler material?  Trade bait?
None of that.  Parenteau was solid.  Better than expected.

Overrated?  On a team as the Leafs were, none.


4.  Which player will surprise us all by being traded this summer?
Lupul, JVR.


5.  Other than Nylander, which of the Marlies call-ups will make the team and have the biggest impact next year?
Brown, Kapanen, Soshnikov, Hyman.


6.  How many points will Marner score for the Leafs next season?
30 pts. 
Don't see him being thrown the wolves, so to speak.  Will play a smattering of games here and there, but will be eased into the lineup and will be made available to play in the 2018 WJHC for Team Canada.

Nice post, HF1.  I agree re Parenteau.