Trade Deadline

[hobie]

OK, it's over so did TO do enough, too much or too little?

 

Spending a 2nd on Plekanec is the type of move that can prove troublesome. Some pretty good players have been drafted out of the 2nd round like Keith, PK and TO's very own Dermott.

 

The Plekanek trade and not moving out some of TO's expiring contracts suggests TO is very invested in the pursuit of the Cup this year.

 

JVR

Leo

Bozak

Moore

Polak

Plekanek

 

will all be UFAs come July 1 2018. Of this group I expect JVR, Moore and Plekanec to move on, for sure. I expect TO will try to resign Leo, Bozak and Polak.

 

I would think TO had their oars in the water looking for reasons to trade these players, upgrades or positional needs, and I doubt such options existed with these players as TO's currency.

 

Often the best move a team can make is not making any, go to and leave the dance with those that got you there.

[WordsOfWisdom]

On 2/27/2018 at 11:23 PM, hobie said:

OK, it's over so did TO do enough, too much or too little?

 

Given what Boston and Tampa did, I don't think Toronto did enough. The Leafs essentially stood pat. (Plekanec is such a minor addition that it's hardly worth mentioning but I'll call it a small addition to the team, although not what the team needed most.)

 

When you consider all of the players that the Leafs are going to lose this summer, can we really say that they'll be a better team next season than they are now? The reality of the NHL today is that you have to win while you have a strong talent mix under contract -- before the salary cap rips it all apart on you. I think the Leafs have most of the pieces in place right now. We all know what they're lacking.

 

The Leafs may find that they're spending more money this summer to try and replace the loss of JVR and company, and are getting ever closer to the salary cap, while icing an inferior team.

[Podein25]

3 hours ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

 

Given what Boston and Tampa did, I don't think Toronto did enough. The Leafs essentially stood pat. (Plekanec is such a minor addition that it's hardly worth mentioning but I'll call it a small addition to the team, although not what the team needed most.)

 

When you consider all of the players that the Leafs are going to lose this summer, can we really say that they'll be a better team next season than they are now? The reality of the NHL today is that you have to win while you have a strong talent mix under contract -- before the salary cap rips it all apart on you. I think the Leafs have most of the pieces in place right now. We all know what they're lacking.

 

The Leafs may find that they're spending more money this summer to try and replace the loss of JVR and company, and are getting ever closer to the salary cap, while icing an inferior team.

 

I was a bit surprised the Leafs didn't try to improve their D, but maybe their D-men are better than I think, which is possible since I think they're pretty crap.

[OccamsRazor]

21 minutes ago, Podein25 said:

I was a bit surprised the Leafs didn't try to improve their D

 

[hobie]

I think the d is still a work in progress but is fine so long as the team has enough talent/offense to overcome any deficiencies. TO's defensive record to date is middle of the pack and without a massive infusion of capital is suited to do well in the playoffs. Without that infusion, the alternative would be to have the entire team concentrate on d which might be a winning method but I prefer a team that can out score the opposition rather than out defend them. At TO's present pace it looks like TO might end up in the top 10 defensively and top 5 offensively, perfect no but very capable to compete in the playoffs.

 

4 hours ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

 

The Leafs may find that they're spending more money this summer to try and replace the loss of JVR and company, and are getting ever closer to the salary cap, while icing an inferior team.

 

For me I wonder can a 15 to 20 goal scorer who willingly participates in defense actually be more valuable than a potential 30 goal scorer who's attention to d responsibilities is questionable at best. TO has such a 15 to 20 scorer now, Brown, so who's more valuable, Brown or JVR. Brown is never going to be viewed as $6.5 to $8 mil. player but might actually be more suited to a Babsian Leaf team. TO also has Johnsson who with 51 pts. in 50 games is top 4 in the AHL scoring race. So TO might have an in house replacement for JVR and Johnnson is defensively responsible, reputably.

 

 

[WordsOfWisdom]

16 hours ago, hobie said:

For me I wonder can a 15 to 20 goal scorer who willingly participates in defense actually be more valuable than a potential 30 goal scorer who's attention to d responsibilities is questionable at best. TO has such a 15 to 20 scorer now, Brown, so who's more valuable, Brown or JVR. Brown is never going to be viewed as $6.5 to $8 mil. player but might actually be more suited to a Babsian Leaf team. TO also has Johnsson who with 51 pts. in 50 games is top 4 in the AHL scoring race. So TO might have an in house replacement for JVR and Johnnson is defensively responsible, reputably.

 

Certainly. The problem in hockey has always been finding a reliable way to measure defence. Since it's so difficult to quantify, it's easy to see why players would rather pile up points, especially knowing the big contract they can get for doing so. 

 

That would be an ideal situation for Toronto if they could replace JVR with someone who scores nearly as many goals but has much better defence. Even more important is if they can actually save money by doing so! 

 

[WordsOfWisdom]

17 hours ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

 

If only women looked at me that way!