Leafs acquire Eric Fehr

[McGarnagle]

I guess while I'm on it, why did we toss Panik?

Martin - Boyle - Fehr/Leivo/Soshnikov
or
Holland/Soshnikov - Boyle/Gauthier - Hyman
with Panik/Griffith winging Matthews/Kadri?

I think Panik played a full season with the leafs, and I don't recall him doing that with any regularity, so lamenting him as "the one that got away" isn't exactly fair to the mgt group. I guess it would make more sense to wish Grabner was still around.

And stop trying to make fetch Griffith happen. 

 

[herman]

I guess while I'm on it, why did we toss Panik?

Martin - Boyle - Fehr/Leivo/Soshnikov
or
Holland/Soshnikov - Boyle/Gauthier - Hyman
with Panik/Griffith winging Matthews/Kadri?

I think Panik played a full season with the leafs, and I don't recall him doing that with any regularity, so lamenting him as "the one that got away" isn't exactly fair to the mgt group. I guess it would make more sense to wish Grabner was still around.

And stop trying to make fetch Griffith happen. 

I remember Panik being inconsistent, but he was reasonably big, fast, and had great hands. No one does stuff like that in the NHL with regularity other than our three kids it seems.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWNF-5B1f40[/youtube]

It's not hard to imagine that someone with those attributes getting some playing time in a solid system would find opportunities to succeed.

The management team shelved him in the AHL for the tank vets, and then traded him for a nothing because he didn't deserve call ups over Froese (fine, centre), or Rich Clune (reward for being a good pro?). Sure Morin's numbers were marginally better but they were both tiny sample sizes, and Panik was worth a longer look.

I think it's pretty wonky to say you want to draft for skill and develop player skills and then deliberately play something like our fourth line and bottom pairing when there are better internal options.

 

[Britishbulldog]

Yeah, I never figured out why the Leafs got rid of Panik.  He was big, he would hit, hand good hands and had no problem fighting if needed.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2C-QXlORwY[/youtube]

 

[L K]

On Panik I don't think I saw enough from him to say that it was a mistake letting him go, but I do think the Leafs prioritized bad players (Clune) because they were feel good stories.  I think Clune was a fine addition to the Marlies.  He was completely inappropriate to be placed on the NHL roster.

 

[mr grieves]

On Panik I don't think I saw enough from him to say that it was a mistake letting him go, but I do think the Leafs prioritized bad players (Clune) because they were feel good stories.  I think Clune was a fine addition to the Marlies.  He was completely inappropriate to be placed on the NHL roster.

On Panik I don't think I saw enough from him to say that it was a mistake letting him go, but I do think the Leafs prioritized bad players (Clune) because they were feel good stories.  I think Clune was a fine addition to the Marlies.  He was completely inappropriate to be placed on the NHL roster.

I don't think I saw either Panik or Holland given a long enough look on a scoring line, with decent players, to see what they could do. It looks like they made the right call with Holland, but Panik looks like a bigger body who can complement more skilled players. Of the similar players we have now: we've had a long enough look at Hyman to know he can't do much there; Leivo looks good in such a role, though we haven't seen enough to know; Rychel looks like the right sort and should get some games so we can see.

If, at some point, the Leafs are going to get a bigger, puck retrieval type who's capable of 20 goals or so per season, they've got to be trying guys like Leivo and Panik out with Matthews, Kadri, and Nylander. They're not going to get that by trading these guys for conditional picks or exposing them to protect Matt Martin...

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Interesting theory being mentioned by Doug MacLean (I know, I know). He speculated that the Leafs and Vegas might already have a deal in place for Vegas to select Eric Fehr in the expansion draft. The Vegas Sin Bin has the details:

However, that didn?t stop the guys over at Hockey Central from speculating that deals were indeed agreed upon. Former Columbus BJ?s general manager Doug MacLean basically guaranteed the Golden Knights agreed to at least a few deals, and even went as so far as to mention one player by name. Eric Fehr.

Eric Fehr, the former Capital (hint, hint), Jet, Penguin, and now Maple Leaf just so happened to play his junior hockey with the Brandon Wheat Kings (hint, hint, hint, hint!). His contract expires at the end of the Golden Knights first season and is a reasonable $2 million for the right winger. He?s been around the league, is considered a good locker room guy, and talent wise he?s certainly going to be good enough to be on Vegas? initial 23 man roster. The point is, the Golden Knights staff has a connection to him, he has a friendly contract, is the type of player they are looking for, and is good enough at hockey.

At this point the idea is instead of trading Fehr directly to them, Vegas takes him in the expansion draft instead of one of their young defencemen/forwards and the Leafs send a mid-round pick back their way as compensation for that.

 

[ZBBM]

You can file that theory under

Thinking, Wishful

 

[herman]

I was going to post this yesterday, but then re-read how everything MacLean said was just speculation.

http://theleafsnation.com/2017/3/5/speculation-flies-as-rumours-have-vegas-selecting-fehr-in-expansion-draft

Good yarn wall material. Being a former Capital and Wheat King are two very solid lines if the LVGK group also values having middling/declining veterans to demonstrate how to last in the NHL.

 

[Kin]

In general I find the "He was on Junior Team X which is also associated with this team via another person so..." stuff pretty weak sauce.

 

[Zee]

That article makes no sense.  Why would the Leafs be clamoring to protect both Marchenko and Marincin?  Are those two guys in the long term plans for the Leafs on the back end?  Given that Zaitsev is exempt, I see Rielly, Gardiner and Carrick protected on the back.  Then you have more spots open to protect forwards.

 

[bustaheims]

Yeah. I don't buy the Fehr to Vegas deal thing, but I do believe that part of the reason the Leafs were willing to pick up Fehr was the expansion draft. Without him, because of their current contract situation, they either would have had to expose two forwards they'd probably rather retain or sign two guys they'd probably rather not retain past this season in order to meet the minimum required games played + contract for exposed forwards. If/when Vegas passes on him, Fehr in the AHL next season provides the Leafs with a vet 4th liner for short-term recalls, and will only cost $975K against the cap while with the Marlies (minimum NHL salary jumps to $650K next season).