Summer mid-point review!
Posted 3:06 PM ET | Comments 7
As with any team in a rebuilding mode, taking baby steps is required.
The Leafs under the tutelage of Brian Burke have done an excellent job of re-tooling an empty prospect cuboard and a team largely devoid of any real toughness.
Beginning with deadline deals for Antropov and Moore, Burke parlayed 2 pending UFAs which he did not intend to retain into two 2nd round draft picks. The Tampa trade worked out in that it paid our looming debt for signing Frogren.
As the season wound toward a close winning the Bozak and Hanson lotteries was another win for Burkie in developing a stronger prospect base.
An excellent 09' draft with a high end skill prospect like Nazem Kadri and a fast, tough remaining draft class was also a success in developing some organizational depth and toughness.
The Kubina trade was an excellent salary dump (no player makes $5 million or more on the Leafs now) and Leaf fans will enjoy Exelby's ferocious open ice hitting ability.
Colin Stuart was later parlayed with a 7th rounder and Stralman for Primeau and a 2nd rounder, again building up our draft pick reserves. A decent trade...Primeau for Stuart and a seventh and Stralman for a 2nd.
The free agent acquisitions of Beauchemin, Komisarek, and Gustavsson have all been heralded and are very real tangible improvement to the Leafs back end and in goal.
Now, here we are in the Kaberle for a top 6 forward meltdown.
But really, is that the smartest move???
Burke's agenda for the first 6 months of his tenure was:
Restock the prospect and draft picks cupboard...CHECK!
Improve Organizational Toughness...CHECK!
Develop a stronger Defense core..CHECK!
Get a Backup goalie that pressures Toskala...CHECK!
Create competition for jobs at all positions...CHECK!
He's done a pretty impressive job thus far. Kaberle with 2 years at $4.25M is still our best player and an offensive presence on the PP and 5 on 5.
Perhaps now let's just continue a little more of the above and address this top 6 question next year, with a year under all the prospects belt (Stefanovich, DiDomenico, Stalberg, Mitchell, Hanson, Bozak, Tlutsy, Kadri, etc.). Maybe we find out that there's some top 6's within the organization ready in 2010?
Next year with contracts and buyouts coming off the books and all the other above questions answered we can parlay a top 6 forward free agent or two and start competing seriously for playoff spots and beyond.
It is a process and turning 2 or 3 of these excess Dmen into draft picks would be just as valuable at this stage as adding a top 6 forward.
Kaberle is still tradeable at the deadline or next summer (I know it might be limited based on his NTC and the Leafs performance)...but we'll see. He might not be a bad guy to keep.
This team as it stands is a 7-10 team in the East. After some more refurbishing over another season with Burke, next year we might be a 5-7 team...and so on...
The line-up below illustrates that obviously there are excess players at both forward and defense. Guys like Stajan,Ponikarovsky,Stempniak, Mayers, Pogge, VanRyn, and Frogren could all be packaged different places to meet different teams needs and return for them is likely picks/prospects. Give up on Finger we’re stuck with him and White is beloved and has value so the right deal would need to come up. Let’s see what Burke does and let’s see what the players do now in this new environment.
Kulemin-Grabovski-Ponikarovsky
Blake-Bozak-Tlusty
Stempniak-Stajan-Hagman
Wallin-Mitchell-Primeau/Orr/Mayers
Kaberle-Komisarek
Beauchemin-Schenn
Exelby/Finger-White/VanRyn
Frogren
Toskala
Gustavsson
Pogge
The Leafs under the tutelage of Brian Burke have done an excellent job of re-tooling an empty prospect cuboard and a team largely devoid of any real toughness.
Beginning with deadline deals for Antropov and Moore, Burke parlayed 2 pending UFAs which he did not intend to retain into two 2nd round draft picks. The Tampa trade worked out in that it paid our looming debt for signing Frogren.
As the season wound toward a close winning the Bozak and Hanson lotteries was another win for Burkie in developing a stronger prospect base.
An excellent 09' draft with a high end skill prospect like Nazem Kadri and a fast, tough remaining draft class was also a success in developing some organizational depth and toughness.
The Kubina trade was an excellent salary dump (no player makes $5 million or more on the Leafs now) and Leaf fans will enjoy Exelby's ferocious open ice hitting ability.
Colin Stuart was later parlayed with a 7th rounder and Stralman for Primeau and a 2nd rounder, again building up our draft pick reserves. A decent trade...Primeau for Stuart and a seventh and Stralman for a 2nd.
The free agent acquisitions of Beauchemin, Komisarek, and Gustavsson have all been heralded and are very real tangible improvement to the Leafs back end and in goal.
Now, here we are in the Kaberle for a top 6 forward meltdown.
But really, is that the smartest move???
Burke's agenda for the first 6 months of his tenure was:
Restock the prospect and draft picks cupboard...CHECK!
Improve Organizational Toughness...CHECK!
Develop a stronger Defense core..CHECK!
Get a Backup goalie that pressures Toskala...CHECK!
Create competition for jobs at all positions...CHECK!
He's done a pretty impressive job thus far. Kaberle with 2 years at $4.25M is still our best player and an offensive presence on the PP and 5 on 5.
Perhaps now let's just continue a little more of the above and address this top 6 question next year, with a year under all the prospects belt (Stefanovich, DiDomenico, Stalberg, Mitchell, Hanson, Bozak, Tlutsy, Kadri, etc.). Maybe we find out that there's some top 6's within the organization ready in 2010?
Next year with contracts and buyouts coming off the books and all the other above questions answered we can parlay a top 6 forward free agent or two and start competing seriously for playoff spots and beyond.
It is a process and turning 2 or 3 of these excess Dmen into draft picks would be just as valuable at this stage as adding a top 6 forward.
Kaberle is still tradeable at the deadline or next summer (I know it might be limited based on his NTC and the Leafs performance)...but we'll see. He might not be a bad guy to keep.
This team as it stands is a 7-10 team in the East. After some more refurbishing over another season with Burke, next year we might be a 5-7 team...and so on...
The line-up below illustrates that obviously there are excess players at both forward and defense. Guys like Stajan,Ponikarovsky,Stempniak, Mayers, Pogge, VanRyn, and Frogren could all be packaged different places to meet different teams needs and return for them is likely picks/prospects. Give up on Finger we’re stuck with him and White is beloved and has value so the right deal would need to come up. Let’s see what Burke does and let’s see what the players do now in this new environment.
Kulemin-Grabovski-Ponikarovsky
Blake-Bozak-Tlusty
Stempniak-Stajan-Hagman
Wallin-Mitchell-Primeau/Orr/Mayers
Kaberle-Komisarek
Beauchemin-Schenn
Exelby/Finger-White/VanRyn
Frogren
Toskala
Gustavsson
Pogge
Not to pee on cornflakes but Bozak and Hanson but I really don't feel like Bozak or Hanson have a great deal of upside... there's a reason these guys were UNDRAFTED College Free Agents. I doubt either one makes the team out of camp.
In regards to Kaberle: I feel like there is a need to move him unless the Leafs are going to realistically compete for the Cup in the next two years. If they will not realistically compete than it only stands to reason to move their most valuable asset to jumpstart the move to perennial contender status.
Agreed for the most part. If Kaberle can fetch Hodgson , Filatov , Kessel then he needs to be moved but I have a feeling those offers aren't on the table. Hanson has very limited upside (3rd line) but Bozak was a high scoring junior, high scoring NCAA, he may have 2nd line potential so we'll see.
Sorry, but I've been a little touchy about Hanson and Bozak since reading one guy's projections of 40 pts a piece this year... Yeah, Bozak has the higher upside of the two and could well fit in on a scoring line with enough development time. So to pencil him in as the second line centre right now above Wallin and Stajan who likely both have higher immediate offensive potential is a little off from my perspective...
True but the only thing I think anyone can agree on is who's the fourth line...lines 1,2,3 are really all a wash for the most part given the lack of any one true star. Stajan, Poni, and Blake had the highest point totals last year and I have all 3 on different lines.
leafs rule