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2025 Offseason Thread: Spring Cleaning


I think Giroux often doesn't get talked about a lot as a free agent target because many assume he's definitely returning to Ottawa. But if that's not the case he's definitely fairly high on my wish list.
 
CarltonTheBear said:

I think Giroux often doesn't get talked about a lot as a free agent target because many assume he's definitely returning to Ottawa. But if that's not the case he's definitely fairly high on my wish list.
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Claude Giroux - Scott Laughton - Connor Brown for the redheaded stepchild line?
 
herman said:
Claude Giroux - Scott Laughton - Connor Brown for the redheaded stepchild line?
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I did wonder about something like a Domi/McMann-Laughton-Giroux scrappy/two-way 3rd line yeah. Have a new speedy 2C move Tavares to 2LW (which is maybe the obvious answer to the 'Tavares is too good for 3C but too slow for 2C' problem):

Knies-Matthews-Domi
Tavares-Karlsson/Zibanejad-Nylander
McMann-Laughton-Giroux

I dunno, wouldn't hate it. Obviously 1RW is a massive downgrade but guys could be moved in and out of that spot as needed.
 
My only misgiving is that we will be collecting a lot of 35+ year olds on a team that is already rather plodding.

I think $$ priority should be to a fast 2-way centre (or two). Everything else we can cheap out on or promote internally to cover. We already have some game breaking scoring skill. We already have shutdown defenders. We already have pretty reliable goaltending. With an infusion of speedier and more committed players, we have a structure that doesn't really require that much additional $hooting or pa$$ing $kill.
 
Chris said:
Leafs management (I'm mainly talking about Dubas and Shanahan) overall has been about as timid as the core players in elimination games. Afraid of the big moment, afraid to take a risk. Well, now they have to deal with the consequences. Maybe it works out, maybe it doesn't, which kind of fits with the management approach through this whole era.

Sounds like Shanahan was the main driving force in all of this...Dubas might have tried to move one of the core if he hadn't gotten fired. Wonder where that would have led...
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If there’d been a spring cleaning in any of 2021, 2022, or 2023, I wonder what the Leafs could look like today. How many top-pairing centers or worthwhile 1-2Cs moved over those years? Could any of them been had for either Marner or Nylander?
 
mr grieves said:
If there’d been a spring cleaning in any of 2021, 2022, or 2023, I wonder what the Leafs could look like today. How many top-pairing centers or worthwhile 1-2Cs moved over those years? Could any of them been had for either Marner or Nylander?
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Not many. Those types of players don't move around all that much. If you take away guys who were only willing to go to specific destinations, you're left with guys like Chychrun, Meier, and DeBrincat as the best available options. I wouldn't have moved Nylander or Marner for any of them, and the teams moving them were looking for futures, not current pieces.
 
16 more or less not a Leaf any longer.
34 is teetering on giving up hockey and selling sea shells by the sea shore.
88 is well.....88.
91 probably wants too much money.
44 is not very good

I think azzuri63 is right. This team is hosed.
 
bustaheims said:
Not many. Those types of players don't move around all that much. If you take away guys who were only willing to go to specific destinations, you're left with guys like Chychrun, Meier, and DeBrincat as the best available options. I wouldn't have moved Nylander or Marner for any of them, and the teams moving them were looking for futures, not current pieces.
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I saw a few others as I skimmed the transaction list on Wikipedia... ARI traded OEL and Conor Garland, CBJ traded Seth Jones, BUF traded Sam Reinhart, BUF traded Jack Eichel, VAN traded Bo Horvat, WPG traded Pierre-Luc Dubois... Yeah, most of those are steps back from Nylander or (especially) Marner, but the idea here is a GM is seeing the Core 4 not working, predicting it will likely continue not working, and looking down the barrel of at least one of those players walking as UFAs after NMCs kick in and years of playoff disappointment.
 
mr grieves said:
I saw a few others as I skimmed the transaction list on Wikipedia... ARI traded OEL and Conor Garland, CBJ traded Seth Jones, BUF traded Sam Reinhart, BUF traded Jack Eichel, VAN traded Bo Horvat, WPG traded Pierre-Luc Dubois... Yeah, most of those are steps back from Nylander or (especially) Marner, but the idea here is a GM is seeing the Core 4 not working, predicting it will likely continue not working, and looking down the barrel of at least one of those players walking as UFAs after NMCs kick in and years of playoff disappointment.
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Plus you don't know what options might open up if you go to teams and say "I'm looking to move Marner (or Nylander)." Even if the return is a "step back" in terms of overall talent, it could still make the team better. Or maybe the pieces returned are used in another deal that addresses needs.

Now we have to hope that Treliving is able to find a number of pieces that fit the system Berube wants to play, are good enough to ensure the team actually makes the playoffs in the first place, and then perform at a high level in the playoffs. It's a lot to ask.
 
mr grieves said:
I saw a few others as I skimmed the transaction list on Wikipedia... ARI traded OEL and Conor Garland, CBJ traded Seth Jones, BUF traded Sam Reinhart, BUF traded Jack Eichel, VAN traded Bo Horvat, WPG traded Pierre-Luc Dubois... Yeah, most of those are steps back from Nylander or (especially) Marner, but the idea here is a GM is seeing the Core 4 not working, predicting it will likely continue not working, and looking down the barrel of at least one of those players walking as UFAs after NMCs kick in and years of playoff disappointment.
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OEL was a declining asset at the time, glad the Leafs didn't pursue that one. Doubt Buffalo would have considered a deal with the Leafs for Eichel and, when they moved Reinhart, he was nowhere near what he has become in Florida (he was a 20 goal, 50 point guy for basically his entire stint with the Sabres). Same with Horvat until the season he was dealt. The PLD drama has been well documented. Regardless, other than Jones and Eichel, at the time they were dealt, those guys were in the same tier as the likes of Chychrun, Meier, DeBrincat, etc. They'd all have made for bad trades from the Leafs' perspective and feel like making changes for the sake of making changes. Changes are required, sure, but they have to made to improve the team, not just for the sake of change.
 
bustaheims said:
Not many. Those types of players don't move around all that much. If you take away guys who were only willing to go to specific destinations, you're left with guys like Chychrun, Meier, and DeBrincat as the best available options. I wouldn't have moved Nylander or Marner for any of them, and the teams moving them were looking for futures, not current pieces.
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Although guys like Nylander or Marner don't really hit the market very often either. Who knows what trades would become available if the Leafs were on a mission to move one of those wingers. I liked the idea of the hypothetic Quentin Byfield ++ for Marner kind of trade ideas.
 
bustaheims said:
Some form of Stockholm syndrome? I dunno, but I’m right there with you. See if he’ll sign a big one year deal. He did grow up a Leaf fan.
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I don’t even care at this point if they give him a 6 year deal to keep the aav low.

In my head I have them signing Ekblad, Bennett and Marchand. 2 Ontario kids and the maritime boy. Although I bet you Ekblad grew up a wings fan.

When in reality all 3 will very likely stay in Florida and the leafs will sign the ghost of Corey Perry.
 
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