hf101 Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Not making any moves to improve their team prior to the deadline.... was it the right decision? At the moment Toronto is in 3rd position in the Atlantic followed by Tampa Bay. The other teams made moves to improve their teams. Boston added some depth at D. The Canadiens added Vanek. Tampa got tougher to play against with Callahan even tough they traded away MSL. Detroit added depth up the middle while awating the return of Datsyuk and Zetterburg. In addition teams such as the Blue Jackets, Capitals and Devils are going to be in play for the 2 Wild Card positions. It is going to be tight race right to the end, but was it the right move to make no trades the right one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 @hf101 I think Nonis is a tool, but I have to respect the fact that he did nothing. To me, it means he refused to overpay, which is never a bad thing. They have a lot of talent on the way, being patient, not blowing future cap hits on ancient over the hill guys who will be ineffective in a few short years (hello Homer...ie VLC). They could have added their Vinny, maybe over pay for a Verbata etc....but staying the course, letting Bernier, JVR, Morgan Riley develop and letting the team sink or swim of their own violation, it looks like a smart play. I know Nonis's predecessors (Burke and John Ferguson Jr) would have forced something, and overpaid to do it........OR perhaps Nonis is just gun shy from the HORRIBLE Clarkson deal, which will haunt them for years and years. What the hell happened to that guy, he was never great, but at least he was cometitive, not this version.....going through the motions, never thought I'd see that from him!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 I agree with what jammer is saying. But if what hf is asking is did they do enough (if nothing is enough) to improve their team for the playoffs, no they didn't. The Leafs came out of the gate on fire. I think they had almost a 20 point lead on us at one point. Philly has turned their game around, but we haven't lit the world on fire. Yet here we sit 2 points back of those Leafs with a game in hand. The Leafs get outplayed 4 out of 5 games they play. I'm pretty sure they allow one of the worst shots against in the entire league. That isn't playoff hockey. They still have Bernier and Reimer to bail them out of a lot of situations, with Kessel/Bozak/JVR scoring goals when they need them. But there's little secondary scoring, and in a 7 game series you can slow that top line down on the scoresheet. I don't see them making much damage come April. But again, going forward with a young team it was probaby wise not doing anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 @flyercanuck My TO fan buddies were happy to see so many goalies (11 I believe) transacting at the deadline. The theory being it will make Riemer cheaper to re-sign, with a lot of teams having fulfilled their goalie situation for next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander Clueless Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 (edited) I obviously have no insight into what Nonis' prospective deals would have been on deadline day (according to him he made more phone calls than he ever had trying to make something happen), but doing nothing may have been the right call. The problem with the Leafs right now is that they don't really need a "depth" type player. They need a high end defenseman, and (to a lesser extent) a #1 center. They have decent depth at all positions, but their needs are bigger pieces. Those types of pieces weren't really available from the looks of things. Maybe draft time we'll see Mr. Nonis make some moves. I mean, adding depth never hurts, but they don't really have a) much cap space, or b) much in the way of picks/prospects to move at this point. The only thing I could have seen them realistically go for given what happened on deadline day was a 3rd line center, but with Bolland hopefully returning soon and Holland playing decent in a stop-gap role (and the aforementioned cap issues), I don't blame Nonis for standing pat. @jammer2 Ugh...the Clarkson deal may handcuff Nonis this offseason. I didn't like the deal when it was signed, but I thought to myself "self, you are darn good looking. But enough of that....at least Clarkson can bring a needed element of "go to the net-edness" to the Leafs". But no, sadly he has been not only not worth his contract, but completely invisible. Not even grinder-level aggressiveness and energy. He's practically begging for a buyout at this point. Awful, awful signing. Right when the Leafs FINALLY got rid of their bad contracts and buyout hits, Nonis does this. Go figure. @flyercanuck The Leafs came out of the gate flying, and then crashed hard for awhile there which is when Philly caught up. The Leafs made a big surge before the Olympic break that has continued. I don't have the stats handy, but their last 20-30 games have been really good. Leafs always seem to be up and down. Hopefully that stabilizes. Edited March 11, 2014 by Commander Clueless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Ugh...the Clarkson deal may handcuff Nonis this offseason. I didn't like the deal when it was signed, but I thought to myself "self, you are darn good looking. But enough of that....at least Clarkson can bring a needed element of "go to the net-edness" to the Leafs". But no, sadly he has been not only not worth his contract, but completely invisible. Not even grinder-level aggressiveness and energy. He's practically begging for a buyout at this point. Awful, awful signing. I had forgotten that the Leafs had a buy out left, you HAVE to figure Clarkson is a goner, unless he suddenly starts filling the net...and even then you gotta figure they just want out. Seeing Clarkson as a direct division rival for many years in New Jersey, this player looks nothing like the hard nosed warrior I used to watch....this is a wishy washy welfare version of Clarkson. They have never used him on the top pp, which was the only way to get a respectable bang for the buck out of Clarkson. JVR has that role, screening in front of the net and causing havoc, and is pretty good at it, so don't see that changing anytime soon. I could see a third line of Clarkson, Kuleimin and Bolland, that trio *should* be very tough to play against in the post season, and they would make an excellent shut down line also.....but Clarkson may bring them down a bit due to lack of speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander Clueless Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 I had forgotten that the Leafs had a buy out left, you HAVE to figure Clarkson is a goner, unless he suddenly starts filling the net...and even then you gotta figure they just want out. Seeing Clarkson as a direct division rival for many years in New Jersey, this player looks nothing like the hard nosed warrior I used to watch....this is a wishy washy welfare version of Clarkson. They have never used him on the top pp, which was the only way to get a respectable bang for the buck out of Clarkson. JVR has that role, screening in front of the net and causing havoc, and is pretty good at it, so don't see that changing anytime soon. I could see a third line of Clarkson, Kuleimin and Bolland, that trio *should* be very tough to play against in the post season, and they would make an excellent shut down line also.....but Clarkson may bring them down a bit due to lack of speed. Actually I'm pretty sure the Leafs don't have a compliance buyout left. I believe they used theirs on Grabovski and Komisarek (I think). I was referring to the normal, "makes you pay for 12 years" type of buyout. But they'll likely give him at least one more year and explore trades with retained salary before exploring that avenue. To be fair to Clarkson, he had a bad start with injury and suspension (still a stupid, stupid move by him), but he has looked nothing like I remember him from New Jersey (minus the falling down at least once a shift). I actually like Kulemin with Kadri and Lupul much better. Clarkson was tried there, but he doesn't have the speed to keep up with the other two. Raymond does but he lacks the needed "go get the puck"-itude. Kulemin's combination of speed and grit makes him perfect for that spot. Hopefully Clarkson can at least re-establish himself as a 3rd liner, because as it is he's playing like a 5 million dollar 4th liner. Heck, one could argue that Troy Bodie has been better than Clarkson so far this year. Be nice if he at least saw more PP time. I mean, lately the Leafs PP has been garbage after a hot start, so it couldn't hurt...right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I actually like Kulemin with Kadri and Lupul much better. Clarkson was tried there, but he doesn't have the speed to keep up with the other two. Raymond does but he lacks the needed "go get the puck"-itude. Kulemin's combination of speed and grit makes him perfect for that spot. It's your team, you would know a lot better than I do, I defer to your first hand knowledge in this matter....lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Franson has been wretched for the past month or more, on both ends of the ice. Not getting a solid NHL blueliner at the deadline was a huge mistake. Bernier is going to die from overwork around the end of the first round at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 @yave1964 Maybe they are counting on Ranger for depth on defense. He does not dress most nights, but he is a pretty dependable dude on most nights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander Clueless Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 (edited) It's your team, you would know a lot better than I do, I defer to your first hand knowledge in this matter....lol. You would think that, but then again I am Clueless. @yave1964 Maybe they are counting on Ranger for depth on defense. He does not dress most nights, but he is a pretty dependable dude on most nights. Ranger is definitely in the plans. They've been using him as a #7 D instead of a 12th forward on occasion as of late. Could also be they are counting on Franson stepping up his game like he did in the playoffs last year. Sad to think that some Leafs fans considered Franson our 2nd best defenseman last year (and to be honest, he probably was), and this year he has been hot garbage except on the powerplay. Lately, he's been awful on the powerplay too.Franson's only positive attribute in recent games has been his physicality. At this point I'd easily play Ranger over Franson, given their recent play. Of course, that would leave Toronto with a grand total of 0 right-handed shots on the blueline. @yave1964 I was hoping for a solid defenseman at the deadline on the cheap. I still think beating the offer for Robidas would have been a good idea, even if he is getting up there in age and couldn't play for a bit yet. I mean, he ended up going for what, a 4th rounder or something? Then again, as I mentioned earlier, the Leafs are so tight against the cap they would have to shed salary first I think. Or they could have just kept Robidas on IR until the playoffs, I suppose. Edited March 13, 2014 by Commander Clueless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 @Commander Clueless Yes, it appears Franson's role on this team is to fill the right handed shot scenario, huh? They have been lacking in that dept for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 The problem with the Leafs right now is that they don't really need a "depth" type player. They need a high end defenseman, and (to a lesser extent) a #1 center. They have decent depth at all positions, but their needs are bigger pieces. A fair comment. I wouldn't necessarily agree that their D has any depth. It needs general improvement not just one guy. Bernier owner here, so I need them to get better defensively as a team as well so his GAA can come down to match up with his stellar SV%. Bolland's injury really hurt the team especially in building and sustaining a team culture that cares about defense night in and night out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander Clueless Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 (edited) A fair comment. I wouldn't necessarily agree that their D has any depth. It needs general improvement not just one guy. Bernier owner here, so I need them to get better defensively as a team as well so his GAA can come down to match up with his stellar SV%. Bolland's injury really hurt the team especially in building and sustaining a team culture that cares about defense night in and night out Well, when I say they have depth, I mean they have an abundance of the type of guys you typically see moved at the deadline as "depth defensemen". They are definitely lacking on the top end. One high end guy and some time to let guys like Gardiner and Rielly develop would go a long way I think. Also, better two-way play from their forward group would help. Like, a lot. Please. Edited March 13, 2014 by Commander Clueless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Well, when I say they have depth, I mean they have an abundance of the type of guys you typically see moved at the deadline as "depth defensemen". I guess one man's depth is another man's scrap heap, lol. Anyway, I guess the plan is to develop through the draft and build from within. Who else do they have in the pipe in that regard. Percy is the only name that comes to mind and I'm too lazy to look. Plus I'd like your take on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 @Podein25 Pretty sure the Leafs are fairly high on this Petter Granburg kid, a swedish d-man who plays a nice all round game. Matt Finn is a defense first type who could make the jump, and Percy, that kid is a star and should not be held back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 @jammer2 Ah, I forgot about Finn. Was not aware of the Swede. Can`t go wrong with the all-round Swedish d-man generally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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