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Marleau?..Marleau??..Marleau??? (Ben Stein voice)

BrownRolo

BrownRolo

New member
Ok so if any of you hardcore TML lifers want to delve into my history you will see...I ain't a big Marleau fan.

But seriously, this guy hasn't impressed me. He avoids contact like it's the plague. He doesn't create chances. When his linemates create chances for him he often can't finish.

The only time I notice him in a good way is when the opposition's net is empty and he is working for his empty net goal. 

So what do you other Leafers think about him? He seems to fly under the radar because of the other talent the Leafs have, but for his cap hit he should be doing a lot more out there.

Enlighten me on the Marleau, please.
 
I like him but the salary will hurt next year. Hopefully, he's hanging out with Zetterberg and Hossa next year.
 
He's definitely the least effective guy on that Matthews line, but we've seen him go stretches where he doesn't seem to do much and then pots a goal or 2.  He's still fast so he can keep up but yeah the Leafs need to move on to someone younger and cheaper in that role. Marleau in year 3 will be holding the roster back
 
Arn said:
I think we're all forgetting the intangibles here.
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It's clear the program was to find veterans for every player type to model preparation, fitness & nutrition, game maturity/steadiness, and professionalism for the very young core. Some of them have moved on now as their time was up. Jack Han, formerly of Minute Tactics videos and currently in the Leafs front office for hockey ops, put it most succinctly for me: when you make a tea, you put the tea bag in there for a time, and when it's ready, you take the tea bag out. It's the same thing Dubas did with the Marlies.

Former:
Matt Martin
Roman Polak
Matt Hunwick
Leo Komarov
Curtis McElhinney

Current:
Patrick Marleau
Ron Hainsey
John Tavares

These are players who the Leafs know they play the way they want the team to play, even if their bodies might not be able to do it to the level they once did.

And if we're talking about specifically Marleau's lack-lustre performance in the first 7 games of his 21st season in the NHL, dude's just pacing himself for the playoffs.
 
cabber24 said:
I like him but the salary will hurt next year. Hopefully, he's hanging out with Zetterberg and Hossa next year.
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There getting the beach chair and tropical drinks with umbrella's ready for him on Robidas Island. Boss Boss, dee plane!
 
If we think of salary in terms of "value" in a static sense across all players then 6 million dollars can mean all sorts of things. 6 million dollars was more or less the effective going rate for the sort of second rate wingers that signed a while back(Ladd, Okposo, Backes) but then some guys have signed recently that makes those deals look not great(JVR, Pacioretty)

Thing is with Marleau I don't think this was ever going to be a "good" value deal where we were meant to think of him as a typical 6 million dollar player. If the Leafs had offered him the sort of term/AAV he was likely able to live up to at this stage of his career he probably wouldn't have left San Jose. They had to go above and beyond to lure him out.

Criticize that decision if you want but next year is really the only year where that decision can hurt the team.
 
Nik the Trik said:
If we think of salary in terms of "value" in a static sense across all players then 6 million dollars can mean all sorts of things. 6 million dollars was more or less the effective going rate for the sort of second rate wingers that signed a while back(Ladd, Okposo, Backes) but then some guys have signed recently that makes those deals look not great(JVR, Pacioretty)

Thing is with Marleau I don't think this was ever going to be a "good" value deal where we were meant to think of him as a typical 6 million dollar player. If the Leafs had offered him the sort of term/AAV he was likely able to live up to at this stage of his career he probably wouldn't have left San Jose. They had to go above and beyond to lure him out.

Criticize that decision if you want but next year is really the only year where that decision can hurt the team.
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Yeah, any 'value' issues with Marleau's first two seasons are easily offset (and then some) by Nylander, Marner, Matthews on ELCs. It's not a small deal to lure a top player from his 19 year incumbent team. Plus he scored 27 goals on a matchup checking line, even if some were 'cheapo' empty netters.
 
I personally like what Marleau brings to the team. He has enough speed and skill left to still be effective and a threat. Teams cannot forget about him on the ice. He's definitely overshadowed playing with Matthews but he still adds value to that line.

Add in the fact that he brings leadership experience to a group of young stars that need someone to show the way and I think he's pretty valuable.

Like Nik said, the only year that really hurts is next year.
 
OldTimeHockey said:
I personally like what Marleau brings to the team. He has enough speed and skill left to still be effective and a threat. Teams cannot forget about him on the ice. He's definitely overshadowed playing with Matthews but he still adds value to that line.

Add in the fact that he brings leadership experience to a group of young stars that need someone to show the way and I think he's pretty valuable.

Like Nik said, the only year that really hurts is next year.
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All of this
 
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