Unofficial 2012/2013 Armchair GM

[Tigger]

I'm not sure where you're getting your conclusion about McClement from?

 

[Rebel_1812]

I know the CBA uncertainty is a factor but looking at a few of the top cap payroll teams I have to wonder if something might be available out of Minnesota? I'm not sure what or how it would go but it seems like Clutterbuck is a guy they could use coming back, Setoguchi is another though less likely.

I'm not sure about Minny and those two signings forcing them to make other moves, but listening to the interviews posted on the Leafs site from Poulin, they seem insistent that some things are going to happen after a few of the bigger pending trades start to drop. 

I wonder if the Nash deal might be the start of it.  May not be directly with Columbus or NYR but other teams who were in on Nash may make alternate moves now that he's off the market.  Tough to really say how this impacts the Leafs but it was interesting how he seemed quite confident they weren't done and some big stuff was coming.

Clutterbuck would be great but I doubt he's going anywhere.

There are rumblings that Philly will go hard after Ryan now that Nash has moved to NY. I'd like to see Ryan in a Leaf uni, but looks like that is unlikely.

I'd love to see Ryan in Blue and White as well, just don't know about how to do it though.

If anaheim wants a similar package that Nash got then we can get Bobby Ryan.

 

[Britishbulldog]

I'm not sure where you're getting your conclusion about McClement from?

I guess it is from the concept that the Leafs have $1.1 MIL Steckel at a 58% FO rate (which is almost insane), scoring 8 goals on limited ice time and brutal talent on the wings, $1.5 MIL Bozak scoring 18 goals and almost a 53% FO rate against some of the best centers in the game lining up against him on the 1st line.

What does McClement add for the money and roster space??

 

[Corn Flake]

If anaheim wants a similar package that Nash got then we can get Bobby Ryan.

I think they would want more.  Quite a bit more.  Ryan is younger, better contract and IMO has more upside with his best hears ahead of him.  I think he is a much more dynamic player than Nash.

He would cost more but it would probably be worth it.  Not sure Anaheim moves him though. They could very well see Getzlaf and Perry walk next summer and they will be left with nothing but whatever they get if any of those 3 are traded. 

 

[Corn Flake]

I'm not sure where you're getting your conclusion about McClement from?

I guess it is from the concept that the Leafs have $1.1 MIL Steckel at a 58% FO rate (which is almost insane), scoring 8 goals on limited ice time and brutal talent on the wings, $1.5 MIL Bozak scoring 18 goals and almost a 53% FO rate against some of the best centers in the game lining up against him on the 1st line.

What does McClement add for the money and roster space??

Penalty kill skillz. Plus, in a defensive situation you don't want Bozak out there.  To have Steckel and McClement available and on the ice in case one gets thrown out of the circle is pretty valuable.  This also assumes both are healthy.  If one goes down for a while you aren't left without a backup plan.  He should be a good utility guy.

 

[Omallley]

I'm not sure where you're getting your conclusion about McClement from?

I guess it is from the concept that the Leafs have $1.1 MIL Steckel at a 58% FO rate (which is almost insane), scoring 8 goals on limited ice time and brutal talent on the wings, $1.5 MIL Bozak scoring 18 goals and almost a 53% FO rate against some of the best centers in the game lining up against him on the 1st line.

What does McClement add for the money and roster space??

Penalty kill skillz. Plus, in a defensive situation you don't want Bozak out there.  To have Steckel and McClement available and on the ice in case one gets thrown out of the circle is pretty valuable.  This also assumes both are healthy.  If one goes down for a while you aren't left without a backup plan.  He should be a good utility guy.

...and god knows the Leafs need some PK help. Maybe some of that is helped by Carlyle, although I think McClement is going to be a big help...

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

...and god knows the Leafs need some PK help. Maybe some of that is helped by Carlyle, although I think McClement is going to be a big help...

No doubt, I think the Leafs defensive play in all areas is going to be the biggest focus for change this upcoming season, and for good reason.

I agree that Carlyle will also help in that regard, but having guys like McClement will be a big boost in a number of ways.

 

[Corn Flake]

...and god knows the Leafs need some PK help. Maybe some of that is helped by Carlyle, although I think McClement is going to be a big help...

No doubt, I think the Leafs defensive play in all areas is going to be the biggest focus for change this upcoming season, and for good reason.

I agree that Carlyle will also help in that regard, but having guys like McClement will be a big boost in a number of ways.

A top 15 PK would change everything.

 

[Champ Kind]

...and god knows the Leafs need some PK help. Maybe some of that is helped by Carlyle, although I think McClement is going to be a big help...

No doubt, I think the Leafs defensive play in all areas is going to be the biggest focus for change this upcoming season, and for good reason.

I agree that Carlyle will also help in that regard, but having guys like McClement will be a big boost in a number of ways.

A top 15 PK would change everything.

Well, maybe not everything, but it would sure help. 

I agree with the Bulldog.  McClement must, in the eyes of the Leafs brass, bring something to the team that the seemingly redundant Lombardi, Connoly, and (to some degree) Bozak don't.  I know Burke says lots of things that don't necessarily pan out, but he clearly said McClement would be centring the third line.

 

[Tigger]

I'm not sure where you're getting your conclusion about McClement from?

I guess it is from the concept that the Leafs have $1.1 MIL Steckel at a 58% FO rate (which is almost insane), scoring 8 goals on limited ice time and brutal talent on the wings, $1.5 MIL Bozak scoring 18 goals and almost a 53% FO rate against some of the best centers in the game lining up against him on the 1st line.

What does McClement add for the money and roster space??

Ah, ok, it's been expressed here but his niche is his pk ability, which would be ahead of the other two but Bozak is far and away a superior offensive centre. Tyler will likely be paid a lot more per year than either of the other two when his current contract runs out, barring some real catastrophe in his development/health.

I just wasn't sure what you were getting at when you said his contract term meant he was better.

 

[Britishbulldog]

The hopelessness the fans have in Burke this year seems to have really stalled this thread for dreamers like myself.

Seeing Randy Carlyle's previous teams I don't see the right chemistry on the Leafs at all.  Both the defense and forwards are not physically aggressive so I don't understand Burke's plan.  Does Burke not want any toughness on the Leafs?  Looking at Boston, NYR, NYI, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and even Montreal now I can really see the Leafs getting pushed around.

I am hoping that JVR can play 1st line center and that atleast Connolly gets moved.  If Burke does get Luongo for Komisarek, a good prospect and a pick then the Leafs will probably look like this:

Lupul / JVR / Kessel
MacArthur / Grabovski / Kulemin
Frattin / Bozak / Lombardi
McClement / Steckel / Brown

Gunnarsson / Phaneuf
Liles / Franson
Gardiner / Holzer

Luongo
Reimer​

BUYOUTS
Darcy Tucker ($1.000m) / Colby Armstrong ($1.000m)
------

CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $70,200,000; CAP PAYROLL: $58,561,667; BONUSES: $212,500
CAP SPACE (20-man roster): $11,638,333 (take off another $2 MIL for the Press Box Boys)

Yup, pretty soft.  I know I am a bit of a broken record but there are players out there that are tough and can play that might be available and they could handle Carlyle's style.  If even just the 2nd and 3rd forward lines each get 1 player changed and only one dman gets replaced with a defensive defenseman that is tough the team will be OK.

 

[Tigger]

For me, if I had to say what was 'stalling' any interest in a thread like this, it wouldn't be due to Burke. The uncertainty with the CBA and a real piss poor free agent year are having some impact, that's probably having an influence on the trade market as well.

I doubt JVR is the answer at centre and I don't think Luongo will be a Leaf. It would be refreshing if JVR was that guy, fwiw, but I think he'll be back at his normal spot before too long.

It is interesting to see the pressure being applied to the centre position though, bringing in McClement, touting him as the 3C and intimating JVR as a 1C sure puts the spotlight on Bozak and Connolly... Lombardi too for that matter.

Komarov could be a little bit physical/pest-ish if he can translate his game, by all accounts he can skate so he might be a fit. Ashton looks like might be a willing bottom six physical player. Kadri, while not a physical guy, seems to be appreciated by Carlyle too. I don't think you can completely overhaul your team to suit a new coach so quickly, it'll take a bit of time.

Some of the answers to the roster questions should be internal and external solutions are going to be dicey to achieve given the state of negotiations currently.

 

[Champ Kind]

For me, if I had to say what was 'stalling' any interest in a thread like this, it wouldn't be due to Burke. The uncertainty with the CBA and a real piss poor free agent year are having some impact, that's probably having an influence on the trade market as well.

I doubt JVR is the answer at centre and I don't think Luongo will be a Leaf. It would be refreshing if JVR was that guy, fwiw, but I think he'll be back at his normal spot before too long.

It is interesting to see the pressure being applied to the centre position though, bringing in McClement, touting him as the 3C and intimating JVR as a 1C sure puts the spotlight on Bozak and Connolly... Lombardi too for that matter.

Komarov could be a little bit physical/pest-ish if he can translate his game, by all accounts he can skate so he might be a fit. Ashton looks like might be a willing bottom six physical player. Kadri, while not a physical guy, seems to be appreciated by Carlyle too. I don't think you can completely overhaul your team to suit a new coach so quickly, it'll take a bit of time.

Some of the answers to the roster questions should be internal and external solutions are going to be dicey to achieve given the state of negotiations currently.

Agree with you here, Tig, and I think you've captured the reality of the current market and Leafs' situation really well.  For me, I think the Leafs shopuld ensure some roster spots are open for some young guys to step in, as I see this team in an evolutionary / development mode.  If you're Vancouver, you try and add Shane Doan for your third line.  While I love Doan, I think the Leafs need to clear a spot for Jerry D'Amigo or Brad Ross (or others...).

 

[rdowdall]

For me, if I had to say what was 'stalling' any interest in a thread like this, it wouldn't be due to Burke. The uncertainty with the CBA and a real piss poor free agent year are having some impact, that's probably having an influence on the trade market as well.

I doubt JVR is the answer at centre and I don't think Luongo will be a Leaf. It would be refreshing if JVR was that guy, fwiw, but I think he'll be back at his normal spot before too long.

It is interesting to see the pressure being applied to the centre position though, bringing in McClement, touting him as the 3C and intimating JVR as a 1C sure puts the spotlight on Bozak and Connolly... Lombardi too for that matter.

Komarov could be a little bit physical/pest-ish if he can translate his game, by all accounts he can skate so he might be a fit. Ashton looks like might be a willing bottom six physical player. Kadri, while not a physical guy, seems to be appreciated by Carlyle too. I don't think you can completely overhaul your team to suit a new coach so quickly, it'll take a bit of time.

Some of the answers to the roster questions should be internal and external solutions are going to be dicey to achieve given the state of negotiations currently.

Agree with you here, Tig, and I think you've captured the reality of the current market and Leafs' situation really well.  For me, I think the Leafs shopuld ensure some roster spots are open for some young guys to step in, as I see this team in an evolutionary / development mode.  If you're Vancouver, you try and add Shane Doan for your third line.  While I love Doan, I think the Leafs need to clear a spot for Jerry D'Amigo or Brad Ross (or others...).

While I might agree with someone like D'Amigo, or Ashton, I think guys like Ross and Biggs are a couple of years away.

This is the year where Kadri, Colborne and Frattin need to make the jump.  They are old enough, and they need to stick.

 

[Redleaf]

For me, if I had to say what was 'stalling' any interest in a thread like this, it wouldn't be due to Burke. The uncertainty with the CBA and a real piss poor free agent year are having some impact, that's probably having an influence on the trade market as well.

I doubt JVR is the answer at centre and I don't think Luongo will be a Leaf. It would be refreshing if JVR was that guy, fwiw, but I think he'll be back at his normal spot before too long.

It is interesting to see the pressure being applied to the centre position though, bringing in McClement, touting him as the 3C and intimating JVR as a 1C sure puts the spotlight on Bozak and Connolly... Lombardi too for that matter.

Komarov could be a little bit physical/pest-ish if he can translate his game, by all accounts he can skate so he might be a fit. Ashton looks like might be a willing bottom six physical player. Kadri, while not a physical guy, seems to be appreciated by Carlyle too. I don't think you can completely overhaul your team to suit a new coach so quickly, it'll take a bit of time.

Some of the answers to the roster questions should be internal and external solutions are going to be dicey to achieve given the state of negotiations currently.

Agree with you here, Tig, and I think you've captured the reality of the current market and Leafs' situation really well.  For me, I think the Leafs shopuld ensure some roster spots are open for some young guys to step in, as I see this team in an evolutionary / development mode.  If you're Vancouver, you try and add Shane Doan for your third line.  While I love Doan, I think the Leafs need to clear a spot for Jerry D'Amigo or Brad Ross (or others...).

While I might agree with someone like D'Amigo, or Ashton, I think guys like Ross and Biggs are a couple of years away.

This is the year where Kadri, Colborne and Frattin need to make the jump.  They are old enough, and they need to stick.

Adding more rookies to the lineup may help in the years to come but I don't think it helps the immediate future and success of this Team.

If they remove three veterans and add three rookies and don't get any veteran help on D or in goal, I see this team taking a step backwards next year, point wise.

 

[Corn Flake]

While I might agree with someone like D'Amigo, or Ashton, I think guys like Ross and Biggs are a couple of years away.

This is the year where Kadri, Colborne and Frattin need to make the jump.  They are old enough, and they need to stick.

Adding more rookies to the lineup may help in the years to come but I don't think it helps the immediate future and success of this Team.

If they remove three veterans and add three rookies and don't get any veteran help on D or in goal, I see this team taking a step backwards next year, point wise.

Yes and no... if you look at it as Frattin replacing Armstrong, it's an upgrade in nearly every possible way.  If Colborne sticks, he moves in as the 3rd line centre, pushing McClement down a line and brings more size and presence than Bozak or Connolly.  While you sacrifice some experience in both cases, you gain in a lot of other areas.  Kadri could steal the 2nd line job from a Kulemin, pushing him down a line as well.. so the team gets better by having some high end skill added to the top six while Kulemin can do his thing from the 3rd line instead of the 2nd. 

IMO the key is really that your best players are among the best in the game at what they do, and the kids fill in around them.  The top end of this team is where the concern is, with the goaltending and #1 centre jobs of the highest concern.  If those roles can't be filled in other ways, the kid's contributions won't make up for it, that is for sure.

 

[Tigger]

A third line of Kulemin Colborne Frattin wouldn't hurt my feelings ( presuming Colborne's ready and his wrist was the main culprit in his drop in production in the second half of his season last year ) but it would really magnify the spotlight on Connolly and Bozak, something would have to give at that point.

Something else, should JVR bump back down to 2LW, that'd put MacArthur in some kind of jeopardy as well.

 

[Corn Flake]

A third line of Kulemin Colborne Frattin wouldn't hurt my feelings ( presuming Colborne's ready and his wrist was the main culprit in his drop in production in the second half of his season last year ) but it would really magnify the spotlight on Connolly and Bozak, something would have to give at that point.

Something else, should JVR bump back down to 2LW, that'd put MacArthur in some kind of jeopardy as well.

I don`t see the JVR at C experiment lasting very long, just based on how these things usually pan out, which would put Bozak back on the top line and Mac or Kadri in jeopardy of being pushed down or out.  Short term, it`s  a pain but with injuries and such it likely won`t be an issue.

As for Connolly, more than likely I see him as a victim of the new CBA based on how things are shaping up.  We were talking about options to dispose of excess cap hit in the other thread and I think he`s 2nd in line to get the boot after Komi. 

 

[Tigger]

A third line of Kulemin Colborne Frattin wouldn't hurt my feelings ( presuming Colborne's ready and his wrist was the main culprit in his drop in production in the second half of his season last year ) but it would really magnify the spotlight on Connolly and Bozak, something would have to give at that point.

Something else, should JVR bump back down to 2LW, that'd put MacArthur in some kind of jeopardy as well.

I don`t see the JVR at C experiment lasting very long, just based on how these things usually pan out, which would put Bozak back on the top line and Mac or Kadri in jeopardy of being pushed down or out.  Short term, it`s  a pain but with injuries and such it likely won`t be an issue.

As for Connolly, more than likely I see him as a victim of the new CBA based on how things are shaping up.  We were talking about options to dispose of excess cap hit in the other thread and I think he`s 2nd in line to get the boot after Komi.

Using the 58 mil cap I tried to see how it would go without Komi and Connolly...

FORWARDS
Joffrey Lupul ($4.250m) / Tyler Bozak ($1.500m) / Phil Kessel ($5.400m)
James Van Riemsdyk ($4.250m) / Mikhail Grabovski ($5.500m) / Nikolai Kulemin ($2.800m)
Clarke MacArthur ($3.250m) / Joe Colborne ($1.100m) / Matt Frattin ($0.925m)
David Steckel ($1.100m) / Jay McClement ($1.500m) / Mike Brown ($0.737m)
Leo Komarov ($1.200m) / Matthew Lombardi ($3.500m) / Nazem Kadri ($1.720m)
DEFENSEMEN
Carl Gunnarsson ($1.325m) / Dion Phaneuf ($6.500m)
Jake Gardiner ($1.117m) / Cody Franson ($1.500m)
John-Michael Liles ($3.875m) / Korbinian Holzer ($0.575m)
Mark Fraser ($0.600m) /
GOALTENDERS
James Reimer ($1.800m)
Ben Scrivens ($0.900m)
BUYOUTS
Darcy Tucker ($1.000m) / Colby Armstrong ($1.000m)
------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $58,000,000; CAP PAYROLL: $58,923,333; BONUSES: $1,875,000
CAP SPACE (24-man roster):- $923,333

That minus number would be mitigated by one contract among the forwards and the bonus cushion ( presuming that's in effect ), bringing the Leafs under that cap.

Not bad, of course a trade or two could really make that lineup more palatable.

 

[Corn Flake]

Not bad, of course a trade or two could really make that lineup more palatable.

Maybe if the right mix of options are available to Burke, he can move out the players he wants to move and make a trade or two to bring in a few difference makers. 

Those recent deals the Dodgers did got me thinking of what is possible when your team can throw around money like that.  Burke really needs to start using his financial muscle and find a way to bring in immediate impactful help on the ice.