Unofficial 2013-2014 Armchair GM Thread

[Highlander]

Fraser in and Gunner out, what are you smoking pal, there is no comparison, Fraser was injured thank god or we never would have made it to the 7th game. Gunner is the keeper.  Phaneuf, Gardiner, Franson, Gunner, Blacker, Holzer or Ranger (yes please)
Bozak  and Mac, Maclaren, Orr can go, we keep Colbourne, Frattin, Kessel, Lupul, JVR, Kadri... I thought Kuliman had a terrible game last night but still love his play...Grabbo worth another year..
Would like to see what Scott and D'Amigo up with the big club

 

[sneakyray]

alright, heres my thoughts...only guys over 25 I'd keep are lupul, phaneuf, kessel, mcclement, komarov.

I'd sign clarkson to anything under 4.5mil for up to 4 years otherwise nevermind.

I'd trade kuly, liles and one of our tenders(and whatever it takes within reason) to LA for bernier

buy out grabs and komi

go young on D phaneuf, franson, gardiner, blacker, holzer, reilly...no fraser, no kostka

go young on forwards kadri, colborne, frattin, bozak(for the right price), JVR...

be patient and only swing for the fences on a deal if its a homerun (for a #1 C or #1 D)
ie. shea weber or claude giroux

 

[Corn Flake]

Just playing around:

CAPGEEK.COM USER GENERATED ROSTER
My Custom Lineup
FORWARDS
Joffrey Lupul ($5.250m) / Paul Stastny ($5.940m?10.0%) / Phil Kessel ($5.400m)
James Van Riemsdyk ($4.250m) / Nazem Kadri ($4.000m) / Nathan Horton ($4.100m)
Matt Frattin ($0.925m) / Mikhail Grabovski ($5.500m) / Nikolai Kulemin ($2.800m)
Jamie Devane ($0.701m) / Jay McClement ($1.500m) / Leo Komarov ($1.200m)
Frazer McLaren ($0.696m) /
DEFENSEMEN
Carl Gunnarsson ($2.500m) / Dion Phaneuf ($6.500m)
Jake Gardiner ($1.117m) / Erik Johnson ($3.750m)
Mark Fraser ($0.900m) / Morgan Rielly ($1.775m)
Korbinian Holzer ($0.788m) /
GOALTENDERS
James Reimer ($1.800m)
Ben Scrivens ($0.613m)
OTHER
Buyout: Darcy Tucker ($1.000m)
Buyout: Colby Armstrong ($1.000m)
------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled with the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $64,300,000; CAP PAYROLL: $64,003,528; BONUSES: $1,270,000
CAP SPACE (22-man roster): $1,566,472

I've used Franson as a piece to acquire Johnson/Stastny... assume Stastny is  basically a salary dump for the Avs.  I could be very wrong but for now just playing around.  Stastny gives us a very strong two-way centre who may not be elite offensively but he's very very good in his own end and up against top competitors (going by what I'm told here... haven't seen him at all this year) Johnson again is a big shutdown guy with some offense.

- Adding Horton has the value of a big physical PF. I go with him because of longer track record of success and he's younger than Clarkson.  Clarkson does have a bit more crazy in him but 30-31 is the cutoff for PF's.

- I keep McLaren over Orr. he's actually got a tiny bit of skill in there.  Devane adds more muscle and ability to play a bit. 

 

[nutman]

I hope the whole team gets signed up for face off school, starting tomorrow. Being able to win even half of the face offs last night would have got us the win.

 

[mr grieves]

With subtractions and reshuffling, I hope the team looks something like this on or around July 1st:

JVR / Grabbo / Kessel
Lupul / Kadri / ???
Frattin / ??? / Kulemin
??? / McClement / Komarov

??? / Phaneuf
Gardiner / Gunnarson
Fraser / ???


= The bottom pairing Dman and 4th line wingers could come from the Marlies or UFA. 
= Would like a real 3rd line center, not an overpaid and miscast one (Grabbo). We need someone defensively responsible who can win faceoffs and grind down other teams along the boards.
= The second-line winger could be MacArthur. He'd be cheaper than Clarkson, about whom I know little but hear a lot of excitement over. And I'd be inclined to keep the salary to re-sign Kessel.
= Need a top pairing defenseman. Not a true #1, but someone who can be rolled out on the PK to keep Phaneuf's minutes down. I don't think Franson wants to be signed as a 3rd pairing PP specialist, believe Gardiner to be a more legit top-4, and so think he's best packaged to find something more suitable to the top 4. On the other hand, watching Franson and Gardiner organize attacks and control the pace at points in the last 3 games was exciting. Still, I think as trade bait he's the best chance they've got at filling the top pairing. 

 

[Britishbulldog]

I honestly don't see a lot of major changes for the team, or a huge amount of roster overhaul either.

I keep both Liles and Grabovski.

[paraphrase] Liles is mobile which is needed with a decent cap hit which Leafs have lots of room for but trade him if good offer comes and he's not a buy out candidate. [/paraphrase]

[paraphrase] Grabovski - one bad season and no offense in the playoffs but has multiple 20+ goal seasons as one of the team's best face-off guys which is a weakness on the Leafs so he gets a mulligan and see what he does next season. [/paraphrase]

AHL dmen need to go - Fraser and Kostka

The team also needs better depth down the middle. Bring in someone like Weiss, but keep Colborne on the roster, even if he plays on the wing most of the year. The team needs 5 or 6 guys who can play down the middle and win draws. That's what every centre needs to be working on this summer. There aren't really any big prizes out there in the UFA market this summer. The best the team can really hope for is minor upgrades to the roster and hope of some of the younger guys keep taking steps forward while others rebound from poor seasons.

I hate to disagree with anything you suggest bustaheims as I usually need your opinion and knowledge with things I am trying to figure out with the team or league but in regards to Fraser he isn't the slowest dman in the league or even on the Leafs but he is one of the best fighters in the NHL that played as a regular roster player.  I can't think of any roster player in the Eastern Conference that he couldn't hold his own against.  That simple fact allows guys like Orr to be sat and replaced with the Komarovs and Frattins.  So I am in cabber24's camp of keeping Fraser as the clear #6 dman.

The rest of your points I can understand although I am still not convinced that I agree with them.

Keep: Franson, McClement, Lupul, JVR, Colborne, Gunnar, Frattin, Kadri, Gardiner, Kessel, Reimer

Cheap (or bail): Mac, Bozak, Fraser

Heap: Everyone else

Kessel -  - Lupul
Frattin - Kadri - JVR
            Colborne
            McClement

Franson - Gardiner
Gunnar -

Pretty huge gaps, 1C sticks out and only 3 d-men.  Sadly I agree with your assessment.

I think you guys are missing a discarding a lot of role players that helped the Leafs get as far as they did.

Similar to louisstamos I like a lot of what CF suggested.

 

[Mack674]

The Leafs panicked when they gave up the 2nd goal. Mistake #1.

I also sensed this, which is why I was bewildered as to why Carlyle didn't call a timeout after that goal. He must have sensed that they were unravelling. Perhaps he was saving it for it later in the game, but I feel like the team would have benefited more from the break and the reminder of what their responsibilities were at that point in time.

I was thinking the same, I could see it happening like a car stuck on a track with a train approaching. Why Carlyle didn't call a timeout I have no idea. Caught up in the moment perhaps.

There definitely should have been one when it was made 4-3, at that point you have to settle down... what's done is done.

 

[Zee]

The Leafs panicked when they gave up the 2nd goal. Mistake #1.

I also sensed this, which is why I was bewildered as to why Carlyle didn't call a timeout after that goal. He must have sensed that they were unravelling. Perhaps he was saving it for it later in the game, but I feel like the team would have benefited more from the break and the reminder of what their responsibilities were at that point in time.

I was thinking the same, I could see it happening like a car stuck on a track with a train approaching. Why Carlyle didn't call a timeout I have no idea. Caught up in the moment perhaps.

There definitely should have been one when it was made 4-3, at that point you have to settle down... what's done is done.

They weren't completed unraveled at the 4-2 goal -- Frattin had a breakaway soon after and could have made the score 5-2.  It was the 3rd goal that killed them -- the one Reimer should have frozen as it hit his glove.  That came with something like 1:22 left.  Had he frozen the puck there by simply catching it, you get a faceoff and a chance to regroup/change players.

 

[Peter D.]

I was never enamoured with the idea of Clarkson based on the type of salary he's likely going to command for his ilk of player, but I am warming up to the idea.

One thing the series against Boston showed was that the Leafs could use another hard-nosed player willing to get dirty and take punishment who has the ability to score some goals.  Someone to complement and alleviate the burden off JvR in that category.  Plug him in where MacArthur was on the 3rd line (thus, letting MacArthur walk), with the option of flipping him with Kulemin on the 2nd line.

I mentioned not long ago in another thread that I'd be fine with Weiss as a de facto #1 centre in replacement of Bozak as finding a true #1 centre will be near impossible to find and obtain. 

Team could use another d-man with sandpaper.  Maybe a vet presence like Regehr?

 

[L K]

Players I'm interested in as UFAs:

Boyd Gordon - Defensive play in the bottom 6.  Wins his faceoffs.  Strong penalty killer.  He would be a clone of Jay McLement essentially and being able to play both of them would almost guarantee a strong faceoff presence in the defensive zone at critical times.

David Clarkson - He's going to be overpaid, but he's probably the closest thing to a Lucic that the team will find on the market and I think that was a big element missing in their game.  A guy who will drive the net and fight for his goals.  Again, this one massively hangs on his salary however as he's probably more of a 20-ish goal scorer rather than a guy who can pot 30.

Nathan Horton - Two birds.  One, it makes Boston weaker.  Two, he's one of those guys who can add secondary scoring.  This one would probably be more of an option in a scenario where Grabovski is traded/bought out AND MacArthur doesn't come back.

Stephen Weiss - Probably going to be horribly overpaid and is injury prone but could be one of, if not the best free agent pickup all the same.

On Defense I honestly only see a guy like Douglas Murray as a guy worth poking around.  Maybe a guy like Regehr.  Certainly Rob Scuderi would be kind of an awesome stay-at-home guy who can actually clear the puck, but I don't see LA letting him get anywhere near the free agent market.

Kessel - Weiss - JVR
Lupul - Kadri - Clarkson
Kulemin - Grabovski - Frattin
McLement - Gordon - McLement

Phaneuf - Murray/Scuderi
Gardiner - Franson
Liles - Gunnarson

 

[pnjunction]

Speaking of GM'ing is anybody else a bit concerned that MLSE jettisoned Burke over what might have been attitude or personality conflicts while he was right in the middle of building this team?

I mean I was a critic of some of his moves as well, but he did put the team on this trajectory overall.  However we still need some big pieces, can Nonis do as good a job putting together the rest of the puzzle as Burke could have?  The concern is that he can't and then we're looking back at another big 'what if' down the road.

 

[Jalili]

I'd rather go the cheaper route and target players on the rise rather than those who've plateaued and will cost a lot.

Horton was a ghost all season til the first round, plus him and Phaneuf hate each other.
Weiss may not over the next 5 years be any better than Bozak.
Regehr would provide a solid veteran presence as a #4 D-man... but he's not the player he once was, and him and Phaneuf apparently don't like each other either.

Ottawa traded Foligno for Methot, which has been a great success for them. That's the sort of trade I'm hoping the Leafs can pull off.

 

[sampson]

I liked the team they iced last night. I think they only need one or two changes. It would be ridiculous to make too many changes. I like that the team is young. Let them grow up together.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

This is such a terrible free agent market. I wouldn't try to sign anybody, really.

I've said what I think about Clarkson already, he's going to get overpaid and we'll regret that contract within the first season. Ditto for Horton. If we're going to dip into the market to sign a centre for the first line I'd rather just stick with the guy we know in Bozak. If not, see what Kadri can do for a season and keep looking. Don't sign throw money and years at somebody just for the sake of doing so. As for the defencemen, we need a top pairing guy or top-4 guy. Not a Murray or Regehr.

The only position I would be looking to upgrade would be the 4th line, but that's really only possible if the Leafs let Orr walk and I don't know if Carlyle would let that happen. Somebody mentioned Boyd Gordon, that would work. Matt Hendricks is somebody that can drop the gloves and play an alright game. Even there though the list gets pretty short after that. I'd still like to maybe get an experienced goalie as well. Especially for an 82-game season and given Riemer's injury history.

If Nonis wants to make changes it's going to have to be through trade. The Leafs have a pretty decent amount of cap space, especially compared to some other teams, so they could take advantage of that.

I really did like the look of the line-up come playoff time. I know I won't shut up about this, but it really is too bad it took Carlyle 48+ games for him to finally put together our best line-up. And some injuries forced his hand there too.

JVR-Kadri-Kessel
Lupul-Colborne-Frattin
x-Grabovski-Kulemin
x-McClement-Komarov
McLaren

Gunnarsson-Phaneuf
Gardiner-x
x-Franson
Fraser

Riemer
x

Not sure who becomes trade bait though. We'd have to dip into our prospect pool or use picks.

 

[dappleganger]

If Nashville wants out from under Weber's contract I'm sending a brinks truck to David Poile's door.

It'd be nice to have that rock back there on defense. It seems like all the good teams do.

They need a lot of help in Nashville. Maybe we can oblige.

 

[Bonsixx]

I'm impressed with the bounce-back ability of some of you. I can't even think about this stuff yet. I'm still sick to my stomach.

 

[sampson]

We are Leafs fans. We have many years experience of losing. 

 

[Mack674]

If Nashville wants out from under Weber's contract I'm sending a brinks truck to David Poile's door.

It'd be nice to have that rock back there on defense. It seems like all the good teams do.

They need a lot of help in Nashville. Maybe we can oblige.

Thats exactly the guy I would argue this team needs. I was about to say, if only we had Shea Weber. Somebody to partner with Phaneuf and really , I mean really put the fear into other teams. Anybody that fits that mold. That, and a decent center to win faceoffs but who knows how well Colbourne will turn out.

 

[bustaheims]

I hate to disagree with anything you suggest bustaheims as I usually need your opinion and knowledge with things I am trying to figure out with the team or league but in regards to Fraser he isn't the slowest dman in the league or even on the Leafs but he is one of the best fighters in the NHL that played as a regular roster player.  I can't think of any roster player in the Eastern Conference that he couldn't hold his own against.  That simple fact allows guys like Orr to be sat and replaced with the Komarovs and Frattins.  So I am in cabber24's camp of keeping Fraser as the clear #6 dman.

Fraser's slowness is more between his ears than on the ice. He doesn't make great decisions out there - with or without the puck. He started the season well, but, as it went on, it became pretty clear that he's not good enough to be a regular on the type of team we want the Leafs to be. As for his fighting abilities - not only should that be pretty much at the bottom of the list of reasons to consider keeping a player on the roster, the last place I want the team's designated tough guy to be in on the blueline. I don't want one of the team's 6 defencemen in the box for 5 minutes on a regular basis. If the Leafs feel the need to carry a heavy, that player should be a forward. It's much easier to manage being down a forward than it is to do so down a defenceman. Unless the team plans on dressing 7 defencemen every night, Fraser's fighting ability is nowhere close to enough to keep him in the lineup, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[cabber24]

Fraser in and Gunner out, what are you smoking pal, there is no comparison, Fraser was injured thank god or we never would have made it to the 7th game. Gunner is the keeper.  Phaneuf, Gardiner, Franson, Gunner, Blacker, Holzer or Ranger (yes please)
Bozak  and Mac, Maclaren, Orr can go, we keep Colbourne, Frattin, Kessel, Lupul, JVR, Kadri... I thought Kuliman had a terrible game last night but still love his play...Grabbo worth another year..
Would like to see what Scott and D'Amigo up with the big club

Why dont we just get 15 puck moving offensive dman and forget about defense all together? The team your suggesting would be quite small and un-intimidating. The team needs stay at home minute crunchers responsible in their own end... Frasor's +/-. You cannot have to many guys filling the same role.

I believe the Leafs were a lot better team this year because RC was not afraid to play his role players even when player to player comparison looked like the guy sitting should of been in. The team needs balance.