Bozak's Future
- Thread starter WhatIfGodWasALeaf
- Start date
L K
Active member
moon111 said:
I'd need to see massive improvement in the faceoff circle from Kadri first. The Leafs team defense isn't good enough to play catch-up without the puck as much as they did against the Bruins.
I think Boyd Gordon would be a great acquisition to help out on faceoffs and defensive play in the bottom 6. I think you probably need to add one or two strong defensive wingers under that situation though if you are going to play that weak up the middle.
Rebel_1812
New member
some of you have responded that letting bozak walk and having kadri and grabbo as the top 2 centers is paper thin. How did bozak improve our center situation? He doesn't put up many points despite playing with our best player. Nor is he defensively, or physically dominant. By all accounts he is a mediocre player playing with great wingers. We already overpaid grabbo, why not put him in that spot and see what he can do. Kadri was basically the 2nd center this year anyway. This way we will also have some money available if a really good center does become available.
L K said:
I dont think we should try to optimize our lineup to improve our faceoff percentage -- it just isnt important enough. A good faceoff guy wins 55%. An average one 50% and a bad one 45%. If each guy takes 20 per game, they will win 11, 10 or 9 and lose 9, 10 or 11. So the good faceoff guy has some advantage on 1-2 faceoffs per game. I prefer the guy who is worse at faceoffs but better at general hockey play -- he'll have an advantage on 18 of the 20 faceoffs over the guy who is good at faceoffs and less good at everything else (eg, Tyler Bozak).
bustaheims
Active member
JVReemer21: Hey @Bozie42 , can we get one on you around July 5th?? #chaching
I guess Bozak signed an extension.
I guess Bozak signed an extension.
bustaheims said:
Here's their full exchange:
Tyler Bozak @Bozie42 19m
Would love if they always had a hidden camera on the powerball winners when they checked their tickets for the first time. #richierich
James van Riemsdyk @JVReemer21 17m
Hey @Bozie42 , can we get one on you around July 5th?? #chaching
It doesn't sound like they just pulled a Wilson. JVR is just joking that Bozak is going to get a big payday on July 5th, regardless of where he signs.
Heroic Shrimp
Active member
Nik the Trik said:
6 or 1063, I fail to see the difference.
bustaheims
Active member
moon111 said:
He's won barely more than 40% of the faceoffs he's taken in his career. So, ummm, no. There's a very good reason he's only taken 33 faceoffs in his 3 seasons as a Leaf.
Speaking of moving somebody to centre though, I do wonder if a full training camp and season will mean JVR will get that look at centre that Carlyle once spoke about. It would depend on what the Leafs do in the offseason, but if they let Bozak go and bring in a winger instead of a centre, maybe it'll happen.
Leafaholic99
New member
CarltonTheBear said:
Bozak out, Clarkson in. JVR to center.
Nik the Trik said:
While his face-off stats are of course very limited, they did look good. Winning 55% of 43 taken. He's also a lot more defensive responsible then I was expecting, as shown by the amount of PK time Carlyle gave him. And I thought he was pretty good at carrying the puck up the ice and entering the offenzive zone, something that Bozak wasn't very strong at.
He may not be the ideal candidate, but I think if Bozak leaves and nobody is brought in, JVR will get as much of a look as Kadri or Grabovski to fill his position.
bustaheims
Active member
Leafaholic99 said:
If Clarkson is willing to sign a deal in the $3M-$3.5M range, then maybe. If he wants much more than that, pass.
Chev-boyar-sky
New member
bustaheims said:
I wouldn't have a huge issue with 4-4.5M depending on the term. If it was more than 5 years it would be a problem, but the guy can actually score.
Scored 30 last year and was on pace for 26 this year. He'll break down eventually (though he's a fair bit bigger than say Tucker was), but he provides hitting/fighting and can play the game quite well. It would also be nice to have a guy who can draw the attention of the other team a la Tucker to open up more space for Lupul/Kessel/JVR/Kadri.
I really hope we sign him to a good contract and we get to enjoy his brand of hockey.