The Official 2011/2012 Armchair GM thread

[BlueWhiteBlood]

Looks like one of the guys I want for our team is looking for a raise, perhaps a bigger one than expected...

Prust from New York

He might price himself out of Toronto, if he's even an option anyway. It was just one of the players a few of us were mentioning a while back.

He can go elsewhere then. The Leafs absolutely can no longer overpay for mid-to-low end players, no matter how good they are at their job. 

Pass on Prust over $1 mil, and cross your fingers that Brown can stay healthy for once.  Look for other options to provide the sandpaper. 

I agree. He was just a player that me and a few other people mentioned, so it's moot now, since he is not going to fit into our line up. He does want to stay with New York, so even matching or beating their offer probably isn't in our cards anyway.

 

[Corn Flake]

My newly revised KkKKRaaazzzyyy off season plan... Ok I know this is a bit far fetched but I was bored and felt like it, so here goes....

1. Go get Luongo.  Fine just do it. I give.  It SHOULD fill the void for 4-5 years but could blow up in our faces. It will get rid of one bad contract in the process.. I believe Komi would go in this trade.  Will cost the Leafs 1 or 2 average prospects of moderate consequence.

2. Trade Reimer. With Luongo in, Reimer is redundant.  Hand Scrivens the backup job and move Reimer for whatever that "immediately turned down" deal was back at the deadlne.  I'm going with at least a  1st + prospect here.

3.  Mac and a 1st ... pray to the hockey gods that those deadline deals (supposed.. I'm playing here) are still on the table. 

4. Staal for Kulemin, Armstrong and Franson.

5. Trade Connolly.. some people seem to think he has trade value.  Okay. Let's assume nothing or another lesser contract in return that gets used to clog a toilet in the AHL somewhere.

5. Trade Bozak for a pick.. I'm going to guess a 2nd rounder.

6. Trade Schenn for van Reimsdyk

7. Use additional 1st or the 2nd to trade up a few spots to secure

8. Sign Schultz. 

9 Sign veteran d-man to be the 6/7 guy (Using Sean O'Donnell as example) and 4th line centre... Jim Slater was my pick for now)

With me so far?  8)  Recap.

Out: Reimer, Mac, Franson, Kulemin, Army, Connolly, Bozak, Komi, Schenn, 2 mid-level prospects. ($24.9 mil in 2012 contracts)

In:  Luongo, JVR, Staal, Schultz, 1st (Reimer), 1st (Mac), 2nd, ($10.53 mil in coming in 2012 cap hit)

8 bodies out, 4 bodies in. $10m total cap savings total.

CAPGEEK.COM USER GENERATED ROSTER
Kkrazy Leafs lineup
FORWARDS
Joffrey Lupul ($4.250m) / Jordan Staal ($4.000m) / Phil Kessel ($5.400m)
James Van Riemsdyk ($4.250m) / Mikhail Grabovski ($5.500m) / Nazem Kadri ($1.720m)
Matt Frattin ($0.827m) / David Steckel ($1.100m) / Joe Colborne ($1.100m)
Leo Komarov ($1.200m) / Jim Slater ($1.000m) / Mike Brown ($0.737m)
Matthew Lombardi ($3.500m) /

DEFENSEMEN
John-Michael Liles ($3.875m) / Dion Phaneuf ($6.500m)
Jake Gardiner ($1.117m) / N Schultz ($0.900m)
Carl Gunnarsson ($1.325m) / Korbinian Holzer ($0.605m)
Sean O'Donnell ($0.850m) /

GOALTENDERS
Roberto Luongo ($5.333m)
Ben Scrivens ($0.660m)

BUYOUTS
Darcy Tucker ($1.000m)

------
SALARY CAP: $64,300,000; CAP PAYROLL: $56,748,542; BONUSES: $1,875,000
CAP SPACE (22-man roster): $7,551,458


So this leaves $7.5 mil to go chase one of Parise or Suter.  I still have Lombardi on this roster who can be dumped to the AHL if Burke needs more room.  So it's a major overhaul that also leaves room to sign one big fish and if that happens I think this team looks like it's for real.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

CF, I'm pretty hesitant to go with Steckel as the 3rd line centre, but I suppose he did do a decent job in that role with Carlyle late in the season. I'd maybe keep Bozak as the 3rd line centre, he's good insurance in case Staal struggles or gets injured. The rest of your points are pretty much exactly what I would do as well. I'm glad some more are hopping on the Luongo bandwagon. I still can't fathom why some are so strictly against it.

 

[maplesyrup]

I'd take Luongo if they're throwing him away but I'm having a hard time believing they'd do that.

 

[maplesyrup]

CF, what about Colborne as 3rd line C as opposed to 3rd line RW and Steckel as the 4th line C? Both players are probably better suited there. - Then go out and fine a 3rd line W somewhere (even if it's in-house.)

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

CF, I'm pretty hesitant to go with Steckel as the 3rd line centre, but I suppose he did do a decent job in that role with Carlyle late in the season. I'd maybe keep Bozak as the 3rd line centre, he's good insurance in case Staal struggles or gets injured. The rest of your points are pretty much exactly what I would do as well. I'm glad some more are hopping on the Luongo bandwagon. I still can't fathom why some are so strictly against it.

I agree with your comments. I'm not two feet in on Luongo, but only because of his contract length.
I have my own list here at home and come up with the same moves.

Top Line-> Joffrey Lupul-Jordan Staal-Phil Kessel
Shutdown Line-> Clarke McArthur -Mikhail Grabovski-Nikolai Kulemin
Scoring Line-> Nazem Kadri-Tyler Bozak-Matt Frattin
Energy Line-> Leo Komarov-Dave Steckel-Mike Brown
Need to Trade: Matthew Lombardi, Tim Connolly, Colby Armstrong

1st Pairing: Carl Gunnarsson Dion Phaneuf
2nd Pairing: JM Liles Luke Schenn
3rd Pairing: Jake Gardner Cody Franson
Spare: Korbinian Holzer Justin Schultz
Need to Trade: Mike Komisarek

Vokoun
Reimer
Scrivens

Of Interest: James van Reimsdyk, Jordan Staal, Brandon Prust, Zack Parise, Tomas Vokoun, Ryan Getzlaf,

Trade Bait: Mike Komisarek, Tim Connolly, Matthew Lombardi, Colby Armstrong, Cody Franson, Clarke McArthur,

It's a work in progress.

 

[Corn Flake]

CF, I'm pretty hesitant to go with Steckel as the 3rd line centre, but I suppose he did do a decent job in that role with Carlyle late in the season. I'd maybe keep Bozak as the 3rd line centre, he's good insurance in case Staal struggles or gets injured. The rest of your points are pretty much exactly what I would do as well. I'm glad some more are hopping on the Luongo bandwagon. I still can't fathom why some are so strictly against it.

The thinking on Steckel was that he seemed to be in Carlyle's good books and was being used in a lot of situations at the end of the season, logging a lot of ice time, for better or worse. I think it's his job to lose. He wouldn't be my first choice either but on the defensive end I like him.. I could see he and Colborne interchanging on that line with JC eventually taking over.  With Staal on board I think it also lessens the load on him too.

After thinking about it, I would rather just not go spend silly money on a 3rd line centre at this point, leave it to a Steckel and see if Colborne or another prospect pushes their way into the role.  He would almost be a caretaker of the job until a kid was ready for it.  Note that my 3rd & 4th lines, none of the players make much more than $1 mil.  I think you need it set up like that to remain flexible and max out the cap room for premium players.  It also leaves lots of options for kids to be called up.

I'm scared as hell of that Luongo contract but in the end I think I would bite on it and hold my breath the whole time.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

The thinking on Steckel was that he seemed to be in Carlyle's good books and was being used in a lot of situations at the end of the season, logging a lot of ice time, for better or worse. I think it's his job to lose. He wouldn't be my first choice either but on the defensive end I like him.. I could see he and Colborne interchanging on that line with JC eventually taking over.  With Staal on board I think it also lessens the load on him too.

It's kind of an odd 3rd line though, with Frattin and Colborne on the wings. Could that group really be used like Carlyle used it last season as a shutdown line? I know what you're probably thinking because I keep thinking it too, how in the world are Kadri and Frattin both going to be in the top-9 next season? That's why I'd rather Bozak in that spot or maybe slide Colborne to the centre there and have Frattin and maybe Lombardi (or sign a new player) to take the wings there. That's a 3rd line that can score and Bozak and Lombardi are pretty decent defensive players as well. Roll 4 lines and the Steckel group can still be pretty valuable.

 

[Corn Flake]

CF, what about Colborne as 3rd line C as opposed to 3rd line RW and Steckel as the 4th line C? Both players are probably better suited there. - Then go out and fine a 3rd line W somewhere (even if it's in-house.)

Sure. Just not sold on Colborne winning the job yet. My thought was he starts on the wing and moves over or interchanges with Steckel on faceoffs, etc.  I just don't want to get too bent out of shape on where my bottom six guys slot in because I think with this setup you have tons of flexibility to promote/demote and fill in with veterans where needed.  The <1.5 mil ceiling for those guys prevents you from being too bound to any of them.  Let the chips fall where they may.

Also, f you have Grabbo and Staal as your top two, I think you can play around with the bottom two a lot more.

What could change everything is what Burke could do with that $7.5 mil I saved him... *cough*Parise*cough*  8)

 

[Corn Flake]

The thinking on Steckel was that he seemed to be in Carlyle's good books and was being used in a lot of situations at the end of the season, logging a lot of ice time, for better or worse. I think it's his job to lose. He wouldn't be my first choice either but on the defensive end I like him.. I could see he and Colborne interchanging on that line with JC eventually taking over.  With Staal on board I think it also lessens the load on him too.

It's kind of an odd 3rd line though, with Frattin and Colborne on the wings. Could that group really be used like Carlyle used it last season as a shutdown line? I know what you're probably thinking because I keep thinking it too, how in the world are Kadri and Frattin both going to be in the top-9 next season? That's why I'd rather Bozak in that spot or maybe slide Colborne to the centre there and have Frattin and maybe Lombardi (or sign a new player) to take the wings there. That's a 3rd line that can score and Bozak and Lombardi are pretty decent defensive players as well. Roll 4 lines and the Steckel group can still be pretty valuable.

So you are thinking it would set up like this....

Frattin/Colborne/ UFAvet winger
Komarov/Steckel/Brown

??

So basically instead of going with a Slater, sign a winger equivalent.  Sure I'm down with that, just that it puts a lot of faith in Colborne being ready.  I'm not sure I am sold but would go with it at camp and see how it shakes out. 

 

[Boston Leaf]

Colbourne seems to still be pretty inconsistent for the Marlies. Cant see him being ready next year for full time duty

 

[Corn Flake]

Colbourne seems to still be pretty inconsistent for the Marlies. Cant see him being ready next year for full time duty

Consistent point production has been an issue, yes, but his all-round game has been good and including most of these playoffs until the finger issue took him out of the lineup. 

So the question will be, do they leave him down for a year to get the offense rolling or do they bring him up for a 3rd line role and hope the offense develops in the NHL?

Tough call. 

 

[louisstamos]

Since there's been a few posted in the last few days, I figure I'll post my armchair GM moves for the summer:

Regardless whether there is an amnesty buyout or not, Komisarek is gone.

I would take the risk by trading for an unsigned Jordan Staal since the cost would be lower, and really hope he likes it enough here to extend later on.  I don't think the below is enough to get it done, but that's where I'd start:

Staal for Bozak + (Franson or Blacker) + salary offset (Lombardi or Armstrong) + 2nd round pick (35th overall)

Chris Stewart is still a guy I want, even over JVR, as he is the closest thing to being a Milan Lucic-cancellation that is possibly available, as has shown he's had some decent hands in the past.  I'm just not sure what St.Louis' asking price would be.  Just a guess this might work:

Christ Stewart (unsigned RFA) for Clarke MacArthur (or trade Mac for a 1st, and flip it for Stewart?)

Sign Schultz, but he might have to start in the minors and work his way to the big club.

Kessel - Staal - Lupul
Kulemin - Grabovski - Frattin
Kadri - Connolly - Stewart
Brown - Steckel - Lombardi/Armstrong (whoever isn't taken in the Staal trade)
extras: Zigomannis, Crabb?

Gardiner - Phaneuf
Gunnarsson - Schenn
Liles - Holzer
Lashoff/vet UFA dman?

Reimer, Scrivens and/or UFA goalie (Vokoun?)

 

[CarltonTheBear]

The thinking on Steckel was that he seemed to be in Carlyle's good books and was being used in a lot of situations at the end of the season, logging a lot of ice time, for better or worse. I think it's his job to lose. He wouldn't be my first choice either but on the defensive end I like him.. I could see he and Colborne interchanging on that line with JC eventually taking over.  With Staal on board I think it also lessens the load on him too.

It's kind of an odd 3rd line though, with Frattin and Colborne on the wings. Could that group really be used like Carlyle used it last season as a shutdown line? I know what you're probably thinking because I keep thinking it too, how in the world are Kadri and Frattin both going to be in the top-9 next season? That's why I'd rather Bozak in that spot or maybe slide Colborne to the centre there and have Frattin and maybe Lombardi (or sign a new player) to take the wings there. That's a 3rd line that can score and Bozak and Lombardi are pretty decent defensive players as well. Roll 4 lines and the Steckel group can still be pretty valuable.

So you are thinking it would set up like this....

Frattin/Colborne/ UFAvet winger
Komarov/Steckel/Brown

??

So basically instead of going with a Slater, sign a winger equivalent.  Sure I'm down with that, just that it puts a lot of faith in Colborne being ready.  I'm not sure I am sold but would go with it at camp and see how it shakes out.

Well my preference would be to keep Bozak and have him on the 3rd line and Colborne on the farm. Moving Bozak seriously hurts our centre depth. If he's traded and somebody gets hurt we're in trouble. Bozak can play on any line and any situation and be somewhat effective. I know he doesn't have the size that we'd be looking for on the 3rd line, but I think his value to the team is still worth more than a second.

 

[Jalili]

Since there's been a few posted in the last few days, I figure I'll post my armchair GM moves for the summer:

Regardless whether there is an amnesty buyout or not, Komisarek is gone.

I would take the risk by trading for an unsigned Jordan Staal since the cost would be lower, and really hope he likes it enough here to extend later on. I don't think the below is enough to get it done, but that's where I'd start:

Staal for Bozak + (Franson or Blacker) + salary offset (Lombardi or Armstrong) + 2nd round pick (35th overall)

Chris Stewart is still a guy I want, even over JVR, as he is the closest thing to being a Milan Lucic-cancellation that is possibly available, as has shown he's had some decent hands in the past.  I'm just not sure what St.Louis' asking price would be.  Just a guess this might work:

Christ Stewart (unsigned RFA) for Clarke MacArthur (or trade Mac for a 1st, and flip it for Stewart?)

Sign Schultz, but he might have to start in the minors and work his way to the big club.

Kessel - Staal - Lupul
Kulemin - Grabovski - Frattin
Kadri - Connolly - Stewart
Brown - Steckel - Lombardi/Armstrong (whoever isn't taken in the Staal trade)
extras: Zigomannis, Crabb?

Gardiner - Phaneuf
Gunnarsson - Schenn
Liles - Holzer
Lashoff/vet UFA dman?

Reimer, Scrivens and/or UFA goalie (Vokoun?)

That's an understatement

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Looks like one of the guys I want for our team is looking for a raise, perhaps a bigger one than expected...

Prust from New York

He might price himself out of Toronto, if he's even an option anyway. It was just one of the players a few of us were mentioning a while back.

He can go elsewhere then. The Leafs absolutely can no longer overpay for mid-to-low end players, no matter how good they are at their job.  Contracts for 3rd liners or 3rd pairing d-men shouldn't run in the $2+ mil range, and we right now have a bunch of them.  the 3rd and 4th line should be filled with experienced guys on deals <$1 mil and players on rookie deals.  Only exception would be a centre for the 3rd line with the defensive specialist thing going on. 

Save the money for the top two lines, starting goalie and top defense.

Pass on Prust over $1 mil, and cross your fingers that Brown can stay healthy for once.  Look for other options to provide the sandpaper.

I'd rather go with Komarov.

 

[Chev-boyar-sky]

CF, what about Colborne as 3rd line C as opposed to 3rd line RW and Steckel as the 4th line C? Both players are probably better suited there. - Then go out and fine a 3rd line W somewhere (even if it's in-house.)

Sure. Just not sold on Colborne winning the job yet. My thought was he starts on the wing and moves over or interchanges with Steckel on faceoffs, etc.  I just don't want to get too bent out of shape on where my bottom six guys slot in because I think with this setup you have tons of flexibility to promote/demote and fill in with veterans where needed.  The <1.5 mil ceiling for those guys prevents you from being too bound to any of them.  Let the chips fall where they may.

Also, f you have Grabbo and Staal as your top two, I think you can play around with the bottom two a lot more.

What could change everything is what Burke could do with that $7.5 mil I saved him... *cough*Parise*cough*  8)

From what I've seen of Colborne in the playoffs he's not ready to have any kind of NHL role next year. That could be because he's playing with lesser skilled players or because he's dogging it a bit, I don't know. I was hoping for a lot more from him (although he did do pretty well in his time up this year).

I hope he has a great camp but I'm not counting on it is all.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

He's apparently had a nagging injury (wrist I think) for a good part of the season.  He said in a recent interview that after the season we'd know more about it.

 

[Corn Flake]

He's apparently had a nagging injury (wrist I think) for a good part of the season.  He said in a recent interview that after the season we'd know more about it.

Lacerated finger from game 2 of the first round.  He played through it until the 4th game of the 2nd round when he was forced to sit out due to infection risk because it kept opening up on him.  He couldn't take faceoffs, among other things.  Looked good on the defensive side until he came out. 

 

[Britishbulldog]

My newly revised KkKKRaaazzzyyy off season plan... Ok I know this is a bit far fetched but I was bored and felt like it, so here goes....

1. Go get Luongo. ....for Komi + 1 or 2 average prospects of moderate consequence.  I like it

2. Trade Reimer. With Luongo in, Reimer is redundant.  Hand Scrivens the backup job and move Reimer for whatever that "immediately turned down" deal was back at the deadlne.  I'm going with at least a  1st + prospect here.

3.  Mac and a 1st ... for Stewart. 

4. Staal for Kulemin, Armstrong and Franson.  I like it although I will miss Kulemin

5. Trade Connolly..  I like it...NYI for a pick???

5. Trade Bozak for a pick.. I'm going to guess a 2nd rounder. Might be in the Luongo trade

6. Trade Schenn for van Reimsdyk

7. Use additional 1st or the 2nd to trade up a few spots to secure

8. Sign Schultz. 

9 Sign veteran d-man to be the 6/7 guy (Using Sean O'Donnell as example) and 4th line centre... Jim Slater was my pick for now)

With me so far?  8)  Recap.

Out: Reimer, Mac, Franson, Kulemin, Army, Connolly, Bozak, Komi, Schenn, 2 mid-level prospects. ($22.9 mil in 2012 contracts)

In:  Luongo, Stewart, Staal, Schultz, 1st (Reimer),  ($14.53 mil in coming in 2012 cap hit)

8 bodies out, 4 bodies in. $8.5m total cap savings total.

I will pull my line up together in Capgeek another time.