Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029 Report post Posted May 24, 2010 An offseason situation that really interests me is Toronto's situation.With Kaberle on the trade block,and pending free agents such as Garnet Exelby,Wayne Primeau,Fredrik Sjostrom,Jonas Frogren,Mike Van Ryn,and Rickard Wallin,the Leafs could look a lot different next year.Burke seems to have his top 4 defensemen set with Mike Komisarek,Dion Phaneuf,Francois Bauchemin,and Luke Schenn.Tyler Bozak looks like he'll be there next year.He seems to like Giguere and Gustavsson between the pipes.He's mentioned the bottom 6 will be bigger and meaner(or else it wouldn't be Burkie).Thoughts? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drake_Marcus 890 Report post Posted May 24, 2010 I'd be patient and move all the old s*** out the back doors of the rink. Keep throwing kids out on the ice and forget the veteran line-up-- the Leafs actually looked better last season when they iced a rookie-heavy line-up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Datsyerberger 279 Report post Posted May 24, 2010 Well, here's basically what the lines look like after the UFAs are gone (and Kaberle is assumedly traded): - Bozak - Kessel Kulemin - Grabovski - Caputi - Mitchell - Stalberg? Sjostrom - Hanson - Orr Obviously, while the players themselves aren't bad, that's a pretty pitiful group of forwards Phaneuf - Komisarek Beauchemin - Schenn Gunnarsson - Finger That's a pretty serviceable group of defensemen with several potent young players. 3-4 of them have the potential to be question marks, Finger is overpaid but serviceable Giguere Gustavsson Goaltending is better than what a lot of teams have, though not great either. Worst thing is both have health issues Anyhow, the obvious major problem is at the forward position. Ideally, they need a top 6, preferably top line winger, a center in the #1-2 range, and preferably a 2nd line winger or at least a 2nd/3rd tweener. Also, Burke wants more meat in the bottom 6, cause he's, well, Burke. On the other hand, there's no reason to change the D except to pick up a #7 and 8 (one of which could possibly come from within the org?). I don't think they should touch any of the expiring UFAs if they can manage it. Ideally, here's what the roster looks like post signings/callups: 1st line LW - Bozak/Tweener - Kessel Kulemin - Tweener/Bozak - Grabovski Caputi - Mitchell - 2nd/3rd RW (Burke-type) Sjostrom - Hanson - Orr/Burke-type Burke-type/Orr Phaneuf - Komisarek Beauchemin - Schenn Gunnarsson - Finger/7/8 #7 #8 Giguere Gustavsson While not spectacular, that would certainly look serviceable and at least competitive enough to give their plethora of young players a decent chance to develop. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drake_Marcus 890 Report post Posted May 24, 2010 Yeah - kinda funny how the fresh faces from US colleges seem to be doing well in T.O. I think Burke will be doing something big at the draft in LA; trading Kaberle, and possibly a few others just might be on the menu. 1 guy on the Leafs D that really needs to mature fast is Komisarek...He'll get the same treatment as McCabe if he doesn't play smarter in his own end, stop pinching in at bad times, and cut back a bit on trying to knock guys thru the glass on every shift since he tends to get himself injured. EDIT - the "I'd be patient and move all the old s*** out the back doors of the rink." made me , and my co-worker is thinking I'm nutz 'cause I'm giggling at the computer screen. It's too bad that Komisarek hasn't caught on... he's one of those guys everyone wanted on their team when he was a UFA... Funny how a season on the Leafs changes your stock. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Off the Post 11 Report post Posted May 24, 2010 What about Kadri? Im pretty sure he'll crack the lineup this year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eva unit zero 271 Report post Posted May 24, 2010 Mike Komisarek,Dion Phaneuf,Francois Bauchemin,and Luke Schenn. Thoughts? Hmm... Two second-pairing defensemen, a third-pairing guy and a kid with strong potential who is probably the second best if not best defenseman in the entire group, and in two-three years will easily outpace the other three. Sounds like a standard Toronto unit. Drop your bona-fide star defenseman in favor of a bunch of overpaid chumps. Maybe Burke's highly physical team style will win out in the less physical East and provide playoff success as it has for Philly. Wait... that would require making the playoffs. Never mind. 2 Finnish Wing and Drake_Marcus reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029 Report post Posted May 24, 2010 Is Caputi a pending free agent?Burke is going to try to dump off Jeff Finger,but at his salary,it's not gonna be easy.Maybe he'll package Finger in with Kaberle in a deal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Lidstromboli Report post Posted May 24, 2010 their defense has played a lot better since acquiring Phaneuf. better than it ever did with Kaberle (if only he had a D in his name i could leave out)as the clear number one Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Puckpossession 3 Report post Posted May 24, 2010 You guys forgot Nazem Kadri, he'll be useful for that team for sure, he has great shootout skill and great lateral movement. Definately 2nd liner in his career, maybe 1st one day if he really impresses, But a 2nd line foward for sure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
newfy 695 Report post Posted May 24, 2010 Hmm... Two second-pairing defensemen, a third-pairing guy and a kid with strong potential who is probably the second best if not best defenseman in the entire group, and in two-three years will easily outpace the other three. Sounds like a standard Toronto unit. Drop your bona-fide star defenseman in favor of a bunch of overpaid chumps. Maybe Burke's highly physical team style will win out in the less physical East and provide playoff success as it has for Philly. Wait... that would require making the playoffs. Never mind. Beachamin was a beats in Anaheim he's definitely a second defenseman in this league. Phaneuf is how old and he already has a norris nomination? Yeah he hasnt played great lately but hes still like 24. Hes for sure a top 3 defenseman and Komisarek is for sure a top 4 defenseman as well. The only thing TO really has going for them is they have strong D, to say theyre a bunch of chumps is stupid Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029 Report post Posted May 24, 2010 Beachamin was a beats in Anaheim he's definitely a second defenseman in this league. Phaneuf is how old and he already has a norris nomination? Yeah he hasnt played great lately but hes still like 24. Hes for sure a top 3 defenseman and Komisarek is for sure a top 4 defenseman as well. The only thing TO really has going for them is they have strong D, to say theyre a bunch of chumps is stupid Burke is doing what every NHL GM should do:build from the net out.Goaltending wins championships.He seems content with the tandem of Giguere and Gustafsson between the pipes. As for defense,he has really set up a solid top 4.I suspect he's gonna sign a couple bruisers for his 3rd defensive pairing,trade Finger away,and leave Gunnarsson as the 7th defenseman. Burkie will beefen up his bottom 6 as well.Colton Orr will be surrounded by other hard-hitters i suspect,next year.As far as the top 6 go,I think Nathan Horton will be a prime target for Burke.He can light the lamp and throw the weight around. Toronto is gonna be a very competitive in the years to come.I really see the pieces of the puzzle being put together. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Doc Holliday 1,888 Report post Posted May 24, 2010 I don't see how the Leafs can be optomistic. They have no picks, for starters. Secondly they are basically betting the farm on fringe top players in Kessel (young but never going to be a superstar), Giguere (past his prime), and Phaneuf (relatively solid on offense but weak defensively), among a few others. Burke is likely going to make some smoke and mirrors moves in the offseason to make Leafs fans super giddy, but the team will likely be in the bottom 6 in the East again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Broken 16 381 Report post Posted May 24, 2010 (edited) Burke is doing what every NHL GM should do:build from the net out.Goaltending wins championships.He seems content with the tandem of Giguere and Gustafsson between the pipes. As for defense,he has really set up a solid top 4.I suspect he's gonna sign a couple bruisers for his 3rd defensive pairing,trade Finger away,and leave Gunnarsson as the 7th defenseman. Burkie will beefen up his bottom 6 as well.Colton Orr will be surrounded by other hard-hitters i suspect,next year.As far as the top 6 go,I think Nathan Horton will be a prime target for Burke.He can light the lamp and throw the weight around. Toronto is gonna be a very competitive in the years to come.I really see the pieces of the puzzle being put together. Right... how many top tier goalies are left in the playoffs? Wasting a ton of money on a goaltender is becoming more and more a suicide mission as parity sets in. How is Huet's, Luongo's and Fluery's salary looking right about now? Edited May 24, 2010 by Broken 16 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
newfy 695 Report post Posted May 24, 2010 Right... how many top tier goalies are left in the playoffs? Wasting a ton of money on a goaltender is becoming more and more a suicide mission as parity sets in. How is Huet's, Luongo's and Fluery's salary looking right about now? The monster is barely making any money and Giguere's salary doesn't really affect the leafs because of how much cap space they have. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Broken 16 381 Report post Posted May 24, 2010 (edited) The monster is barely making any money and Giguere's salary doesn't really affect the leafs because of how much cap space they have. Oh, I'm not saying the Leafs are screwed or that they should dump Jiggy any time soon. I'm just speaking in general. I think the way of paying huge goalie salaries is slowly going out the window in the NHL. The Wings have proven that you can win without a 5 mil goalie two seasons ago... and everyone left is proving it this year. That's kinda how I'm seeing it anyway. Edited May 24, 2010 by Broken 16 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Puckpossession 3 Report post Posted May 25, 2010 O yea and next year toronto maple leafs are going to put any player that outplays anyone on there team. They will not care if your a veteran or not like last year (some rookies outplayed the veterans in camp but still got cut), wilson even said that he regrets doing that. So torontos gonna be a good young team Bozak-Kessel-Kulimen Kadri-Lundmark-sjostrom hanson-grabovski-primeau caputi-mitchell orr Kaberle-Phaneuf Beauchemin-Schen Komisarek-Garnett exelby O yea and dont be surprised if somehow they aquire : Ilya kovalchuk O yea and next year toronto maple leafs are going to put any player that outplays anyone on there team. They will not care if your a veteran or not like last year (some rookies outplayed the veterans in camp but still got cut), wilson even said that he regrets doing that. So torontos gonna be a good young team Bozak-Kessel-Kulimen Kadri-Lundmark-sjostrom hanson-grabovski-primeau caputi-mitchell orr Kaberle-Phaneuf Beauchemin-Schen Komisarek-Garnett exelby O yea and dont be surprised if somehow they aquire : Ilya kovalchuk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Barrie 900 Report post Posted May 25, 2010 (edited) I don't see how the Leafs can be optomistic. They have no picks, for starters. Secondly they are basically betting the farm on fringe top players in Kessel (young but never going to be a superstar), Giguere (past his prime), and Phaneuf (relatively solid on offense but weak defensively), among a few others. Burke is likely going to make some smoke and mirrors moves in the offseason to make Leafs fans super giddy, but the team will likely be in the bottom 6 in the East again. Agreed, the Leafs are a mess. The Kessel trade has set the organization back another 5 years. Now I'm hearing rumors here that Burke is interested in adding Marleau and Thornton? Two of the biggest choke artists in sports history? What a joke! After watching the Flyers-Canadiens series, the 7th and 8th seeds, you can see how far away the Leafs are from even making the playoffs. It completely boggles my mind Burke traded all those picks to Boston, after seeing how quickly teams can become contenders (Pittsburgh and Chicago) in a Salary Cap era. Burke doesn't have a clue here, and he's in way over his head! Edit: I guess to answer the question, I have no idea what I'd do if I was Burke, now. First of all I wouldn't have traded for Kessel. I would have completely bottomed out, drafted Taylor Hall, and gone from there. Edited May 25, 2010 by Barrie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Puckpossession 3 Report post Posted May 25, 2010 Marleau is worse than thorton yet no one puts blame on that *****, he has no heart at all and doesnt block shots, wimpy mcwilliams Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029 Report post Posted May 25, 2010 Shawn Thornton will most likely be a Leaf next year.Burke had him on the Ducks Championship team in 2007. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MacK_Attack 108 Report post Posted May 25, 2010 (edited) *Big Deep Breath* Here's a bit of what I expect to go down: - Kaberle dealt at the draft - Kadri makes team, plays in a second-line role - Grabovski traded for something, anything - Finger will be one rich Marlie - No major UFA signings. No Marleau or anything like that. - Sign guys like Raffi Torres to cheaper deals. Kaberle is the one that I'm sure will be gone. He was dropped down the depth chart with the arrival of Phaneuf, playing less than 20 minutes a night quite often. I really like Carl Gunnarsson, another one of those Swedes with unlimited panic threshold and just does the little things right. Good top-four potential there. But it's clear that Kaberle's time is up and he knew it with how disinterested he played after the Olympics. I don't want to put any line combos out there because I have no idea what will be coming back in some of the trades. I hate hypothetical scenarios like some wannabe-GM's love to throw out there. Edited May 25, 2010 by MacK_Attack Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
clutchngrab 12 Report post Posted May 25, 2010 Right... how many top tier goalies are left in the playoffs? Wasting a ton of money on a goaltender is becoming more and more a suicide mission as parity sets in. How is Huet's, Luongo's and Fluery's salary looking right about now? EggZactly - I've been saying that forever. That's one thing Kenny has gotten right. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NeverForgetMac25 483 Report post Posted May 25, 2010 ...I'd put a bullet in my head. Sorry, I didn't read past the title of the thread. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MacK_Attack 108 Report post Posted May 25, 2010 I agree Burke will be shopping Kaberle at the draft next month, but I'm not so sure he'll deal Grabovski since he signed him for an additional 3 years (although if the price is right). If Lids does retire I could see Holland, and Burke doing business. The word is that Grabovski is on the outs because he refuses to play any semblance of defense and they're tired of his constant Lone Ranger rushes. A report came out around the end of the season stating that the Leafs were looking to move him for anything they could get. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Doc Holliday 1,888 Report post Posted May 25, 2010 The word is that Grabovski is on the outs because he refuses to play any semblance of defense and they're tired of his constant Lone Ranger rushes. A report came out around the end of the season stating that the Leafs were looking to move him for anything they could get. That must be really disheartening as a Leafs fan, considering how highly he was considered as a prospect. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MacK_Attack 108 Report post Posted May 25, 2010 That must be really disheartening as a Leafs fan, considering how highly he was considered as a prospect. He's got all kinds of talent, but since he refuses to use his linemates most of the time, his rushes end by the 2nd or 3rd guy he tries to deke out. What that leads to is mediocre offensive results. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
