Maple Leaf Musings
Posted 7:30 PM ET | Comments 5
The Leafs have started there off season retooling with the Johnathon Bernier, they still have some big moves and holes to fill.
Dave Nonis has to decide what to do with James Reimer now that Bernier is in the fold. There are a few teams that may be looking at adding a goalie. Philadelphia, Phoenix and the Islanders are for sure looking for a goalie. With Reports that Kiprusoff will retire Calgary may be looking as well. At 1.6 mil cap hit Reimer has a good cap hit for a potential starter.
The Leafs are also taking calls on Dion Phaneuf. Not everyone in the locker room likes him because he does have an arrogant cocky outlook. Its part of the reason he was traded from Calgary in the first place. He wanted to be Captain and locker room leader and with Iginla entrenched that would never happen in Calgary. He is not worth 6.5 mil a season but he isn't the type of person to want to take a hair cut in pay. This could be a messy ending that may not be resolved til the trade deadline.
Tyler Bozak seems to have priced himself out of Toronto. He is looking for 5.5 mil per season which is too much for the Leafs. He will likely get it in free agency because of the lack of quality centers. Leafs have set there sites on Stephen Weiss to replace him. They may end up making close to the same amount but Weiss is the better player
There is a high likelihood that the Leafs will get David Clarkson which would add toughness and scoring into the top 9. That is something the Leafs have lacked especially on the top 2 lines. Kessel, Bozak, Lupul, JVR, Grabovski, and Kulemin aren't exactly the toughest punch to play against. They are all skilled speed type players and adding sandpaper to that punch would add a lot.
I also have an incline that the leafs are interested in moving up in the draft and have an eye towards Max Domi. That name is very familiar in Toronto as Tie Domi was one of the most popular Leaf players in the last 30 years. The Leafs won't get him at 21 so a trade would have to happen. If they can't move up another former leaf players son may be picked. Kerby Rychel son or Warren Rychel may be around at the 21 for the Leafs.
Dave Nonis has to decide what to do with James Reimer now that Bernier is in the fold. There are a few teams that may be looking at adding a goalie. Philadelphia, Phoenix and the Islanders are for sure looking for a goalie. With Reports that Kiprusoff will retire Calgary may be looking as well. At 1.6 mil cap hit Reimer has a good cap hit for a potential starter.
The Leafs are also taking calls on Dion Phaneuf. Not everyone in the locker room likes him because he does have an arrogant cocky outlook. Its part of the reason he was traded from Calgary in the first place. He wanted to be Captain and locker room leader and with Iginla entrenched that would never happen in Calgary. He is not worth 6.5 mil a season but he isn't the type of person to want to take a hair cut in pay. This could be a messy ending that may not be resolved til the trade deadline.
Tyler Bozak seems to have priced himself out of Toronto. He is looking for 5.5 mil per season which is too much for the Leafs. He will likely get it in free agency because of the lack of quality centers. Leafs have set there sites on Stephen Weiss to replace him. They may end up making close to the same amount but Weiss is the better player
There is a high likelihood that the Leafs will get David Clarkson which would add toughness and scoring into the top 9. That is something the Leafs have lacked especially on the top 2 lines. Kessel, Bozak, Lupul, JVR, Grabovski, and Kulemin aren't exactly the toughest punch to play against. They are all skilled speed type players and adding sandpaper to that punch would add a lot.
I also have an incline that the leafs are interested in moving up in the draft and have an eye towards Max Domi. That name is very familiar in Toronto as Tie Domi was one of the most popular Leaf players in the last 30 years. The Leafs won't get him at 21 so a trade would have to happen. If they can't move up another former leaf players son may be picked. Kerby Rychel son or Warren Rychel may be around at the 21 for the Leafs.
Reimer is staying in Toronto this year. Unless somebody makes a ridiculous offer, but the Leafs fully intend to keep both goalies and find out which one - or both - will become a top notch starter in the NHL.
A good read there, but I do not think speculated issues really counts in saying Dion is likely going anywhere. Fact is unless the players are saying anything, its nothing but unsubstantiated rumour to say there is a problem in the room.Other thing here is we need another top pairing guy, a real one and likely a stay at home guy to play with Dion. Move him and who do we really have? Gunner who is ok as a top pairing guy but is more a 2nd unit pairing. Franson is a 2nd pairing. Fraser is a bottom pairing. Gardiner, assuming Carlyle has a change of heart is more 2nd pair but if there was a vet top guy might replace Gunner there. Dion chews up 20 or more minutes and we have to replace that.ONLY way I can see it happening MIGHT be if we do end up somehow with Letang. For me I think we have to still target another capable top pairing stay at home D, at the very least a 2nd pairing (using Gunner paired with Letang) say Scuderi maybe. I would definitly go grab Ference for a vet presence with Fraser to shore up things and bring some calming experienced vets in.The Lecavallier buyout really has me curious here now though. He said now he would like a longer term deal to finish with a team. I would try and get tampa to swap his rights in a trade and sign here and get the jump. The two teams clearly got open lines given the NHL kiboshing their original trade-buyout-sign talk.The next couple days could really be a very big shakeup of things.
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Hockey Inside Out has reported the MapleLeafs are making a big three team deal with Evgeny Malkinaabout to be traded there .
Doubt that rumour right there. Malkin to the Leafs? For what exactly? If Malkin were in play Leafs would be beat out by Calgary who could offer up 3 first round picks! Every team would be in on that one. Makes utterly no sense at all let alone as a 3 team deal!