Nonis using depth to go shopping....

[Jalili]

I agree with management not making any moves to improve the roster, simply because the team isn't even worth improving at this point.

And unfortunately, no GM in their right mind wants Lombardi, Armstrong, Komisarek or Connolly unless they're unloading another unsightly contract. The guys that would have been on the table today as means of improving the team would have been guys like Gardiner, Frattin, Colborne etc.

 

[Andy007]

I highly doubt anyone offered a 1st for Kulemin tho despite what Dreger says.

How is that hard to believe? A mid-late 1st rounder in this year's draft is peanuts compared to Kulemin's value, regardless of how poor his season has been this year.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I highly doubt anyone offered a 1st for Kulemin tho despite what Dreger says.

How is that hard to believe? A mid-late 1st rounder in this year's draft is peanuts compared to Kulemin's value, regardless of how poor his season has been this year.

Seriously, Paul Gaustad got a 1st rounder.

 

[hockeyfan1]

Using the label "bubble boys", Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun suggests a few members of the current squad may have to make an exceptional impression in the next four weeks if they want to be part of the scene in 2012-13. Namely, Mike Komisarek, Matthew Lombardi, Joey Crabb, Nikolai Kulemin, Tim Connolly and Jay Rosehill.

Assuming the Maple Leafs intend to re-sign restricted free agents-to-be Kulemin and Matt Frattin, Rosehill will have to go above and beyond in proving he deserves a new deal.

With only a year left on their respective deals, either Connolly or Lombardi could be dealt in the summer or next should the Leafs choose to take that direction.

...both carry enough upside (speed) to attract interest from other NHL squads. Lombardi, in particular, after demonstrating his former concussion issues are behind him...

...there's no way/no how Burke will be able to move Komisarek and his $4.5 million/year deal (until 2014). Carlyle may as well try to get the most out of the 30-year-old defenseman.

And it's highly unlikely the Leafs will re-sign Crabb.

Source: ESPN Rumour Central

 

[Zee]

Using the label "bubble boys", Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun suggests a few members of the current squad may have to make an exceptional impression in the next four weeks if they want to be part of the scene in 2012-13. Namely, Mike Komisarek, Matthew Lombardi, Joey Crabb, Nikolai Kulemin, Tim Connolly and Jay Rosehill.

Assuming the Maple Leafs intend to re-sign restricted free agents-to-be Kulemin and Matt Frattin, Rosehill will have to go above and beyond in proving he deserves a new deal.

With only a year left on their respective deals, either Connolly or Lombardi could be dealt in the summer or next should the Leafs choose to take that direction.

...both carry enough upside (speed) to attract interest from other NHL squads. Lombardi, in particular, after demonstrating his former concussion issues are behind him...

...there's no way/no how Burke will be able to move Komisarek and his $4.5 million/year deal (until 2014). Carlyle may as well try to get the most out of the 30-year-old defenseman.

And it's highly unlikely the Leafs will re-sign Crabb.

Source: ESPN Rumour Central

That's pretty much what Leafs fans expect, maybe with the exception of Kulemin.  Didn't think the Leafs would be ready to move him given his age and what he's shown in the past.  I know it's been a tough season for him.

 

[ZBBM]

Using the label "bubble boys", Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun suggests a few members of the current squad may have to make an exceptional impression in the next four weeks if they want to be part of the scene in 2012-13. Namely, Mike Komisarek, Matthew Lombardi, Joey Crabb, Nikolai Kulemin, Tim Connolly and Jay Rosehill.

Assuming the Maple Leafs intend to re-sign restricted free agents-to-be Kulemin and Matt Frattin, Rosehill will have to go above and beyond in proving he deserves a new deal.

With only a year left on their respective deals, either Connolly or Lombardi could be dealt in the summer or next should the Leafs choose to take that direction.

...both carry enough upside (speed) to attract interest from other NHL squads. Lombardi, in particular, after demonstrating his former concussion issues are behind him...

...there's no way/no how Burke will be able to move Komisarek and his $4.5 million/year deal (until 2014). Carlyle may as well try to get the most out of the 30-year-old defenseman.

And it's highly unlikely the Leafs will re-sign Crabb.

Source: ESPN Rumour Central

That's pretty much what Leafs fans expect, maybe with the exception of Kulemin.  Didn't think the Leafs would be ready to move him given his age and what he's shown in the past.  I know it's been a tough season for him.

I've reluctantly concluded that last season was an aberration.  I know people love his intangibles, but let's be honest, he's had a miserable season.  Let Kadri replace him (with the charge to play defense or die).

The rest can go.  As for Komi, I'd go to him and ask him to waive, or else ride the pine.  It worked with McCabe.

 

[Mikhail Bloodnovsky]

Using the label "bubble boys", Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun suggests a few members of the current squad may have to make an exceptional impression in the next four weeks if they want to be part of the scene in 2012-13. Namely, Mike Komisarek, Matthew Lombardi, Joey Crabb, Nikolai Kulemin, Tim Connolly and Jay Rosehill.

Assuming the Maple Leafs intend to re-sign restricted free agents-to-be Kulemin and Matt Frattin, Rosehill will have to go above and beyond in proving he deserves a new deal.

With only a year left on their respective deals, either Connolly or Lombardi could be dealt in the summer or next should the Leafs choose to take that direction.

...both carry enough upside (speed) to attract interest from other NHL squads. Lombardi, in particular, after demonstrating his former concussion issues are behind him...

...there's no way/no how Burke will be able to move Komisarek and his $4.5 million/year deal (until 2014). Carlyle may as well try to get the most out of the 30-year-old defenseman.

And it's highly unlikely the Leafs will re-sign Crabb.

Source: ESPN Rumour Central

That's pretty much what Leafs fans expect, maybe with the exception of Kulemin.  Didn't think the Leafs would be ready to move him given his age and what he's shown in the past.  I know it's been a tough season for him.

I've reluctantly concluded that last season was an aberration.  I know people love his intangibles, but let's be honest, he's had a miserable season.  Let Kadri replace him (with the charge to play defense or die).

The rest can go.  As for Komi, I'd go to him and ask him to waive, or else ride the pine.  It worked with McCabe.

I still like what Kuli brings. He is a good two way forward that can score you 15 goals.

 

[bustaheims]

I've reluctantly concluded that last season was an aberration.  I know people love his intangibles, but let's be honest, he's had a miserable season.  Let Kadri replace him (with the charge to play defense or die).

I think you've come to the wrong conclusion. This season is much more of an aberration. His shooting percentage right now is more than 4% lower than his previous career low. He may never hit 30 goals again, but, I imagine next season for him will be closer to last season than it will be to this season. He over-achieved a little last year and expectations were obviously raised, but, I still strongly believe he'll be a ~20 goal, ~50 point guy going forward - not the ~10 goal, ~35 point we've seen this season.

 

[jonlleafs]

If I want a hot dog and the vendor tells me it costs $20 i will go hungry.

That's all well and good if you're fat and happy like the Rangers. If you're dying for something to sink your teeth into all that means is that you'll die with 20 bucks in your pocket.

Ya sure, but you'd be one of the first ones to be critical of a deal if we unloaded 4 or 5 assets in which most of them were young and up and coming.  This impatience to add some top end talent is what cost us in the long term.  While it's a bitter pill to take, I'm glad Burke stuck to his guns and refused to mortgage our future for something now which may or may not have even helped us this season and most definitely wouldn't have won us the Cup.  It's hard to do, but we have to remain patient and allow Burke to move this team in the right direction.  Yes, it's been 7yrs and yes Burke has been here 3yrs, but he's not done and I will still give him leeway to continue to move this team in the right direction.  I want a team like Detroit where they compete every year and not like the Edmonton Oilers who made it to the final one year while remaining in the basement the rest of the time (in the last decade I mean).

 

[Corn Flake]

I still like what Kuli brings. He is a good two way forward that can score you 15 goals.

I think so too but going into next year, drop him down the depth chart 1 line and go from there.  I think he bounces back but can't be considered legit top six until he regains his form. 

 

[Corn Flake]

The Leafs need to pay for the $20 hot dog this summer.  I think its time.  The Rangers and Flyers are the example and with the prospect build-up the Leafs have they should be able to take the risk.  This isn't like 3-4 years ago where all they had to trade were a precious few.  Now there is a good stack of young assets at all levels they can work with.

I'm all about using this 1st pick to draft high, but if you consider Burke's 3-year rule to generally apply then waiting that long for some output from this pick is going to be just way way too long for the talent boost this team needs next season.

$20 hot dog time Hopefully it's one of those Kobe Beef ones and not mystery meat.

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

I've reluctantly concluded that last season was an aberration.  I know people love his intangibles, but let's be honest, he's had a miserable season.  Let Kadri replace him (with the charge to play defense or die).

I think you've come to the wrong conclusion. This season is much more of an aberration. His shooting percentage right now is more than 4% lower than his previous career low. He may never hit 30 goals again, but, I imagine next season for him will be closer to last season than it will be to this season. He over-achieved a little last year and expectations were obviously raised, but, I still strongly believe he'll be a ~20 goal, ~50 point guy going forward - not the ~10 goal, ~35 point we've seen this season.

I agree with this assessment, he's a much better goal scorer, than 10 per season. It will be a good deal if Burke can knock down the salary closer to a 35 point player on a two year deal though. We'll save, but maybe not that much though.

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

The Leafs need to pay for the $20 hot dog this summer.  I think its time.  The Rangers and Flyers are the example and with the prospect build-up the Leafs have they should be able to take the risk.  This isn't like 3-4 years ago where all they had to trade were a precious few.  Now there is a good stack of young assets at all levels they can work with.

I'm all about using this 1st pick to draft high, but if you consider Burke's 3-year rule to generally apply then waiting that long for some output from this pick is going to be just way way too long for the talent boost this team needs next season.

$20 hot dog time Hopefully it's one of those Kobe Beef ones and not mystery meat.

I think it will have to be a can't miss pick and there aren't too many in this draft. Burke seemed to indicate that he wasn't too fond of this draft.

I think he goes out and gets JVR this summer.

 

[bustaheims]

If that $20 hot dog came with a glass of champagne, that would one thing, but the reality of the situation is that buying the $20 hot dog more than likely leads to an extended period of surviving off of KD and ramen noodles. Better to use that $20 to stock the fridge, so that the team prepare a variety of delicious meals to feast on.

 

[Kin]

There's a point at which this analogy loses steam.

 

[Tigger]

I still like what Kuli brings. He is a good two way forward that can score you 15 goals.

I think so too but going into next year, drop him down the depth chart 1 line and go from there.  I think he bounces back but can't be considered legit top six until he regains his form.

I'm bored... I've been playing around with the capgeek calculator, it's tough for the Leafs to do any meaningful trades without a lot of salary going the other way/bought out ( if they can get any freebies ) or demoted.

...or even just replaced by ufa's and/or internally... so I stuck with that avenue as I can't really fathom the trade possibilities, at least some of these guys could be available at no talent cost and maybe having a reverse look could give some thought to who they might want/need to trade for.

Just looking at Army, Lombardi, Komi, Connolly... ugh.

Not the be all end all by far but here's one of the variations I had that I didn't hate ( and would have to be balanced by a roll back should all the other contract issues magically be taken care of )

FORWARDS
Joffrey Lupul ($4.250m) / Tyler Bozak ($1.500m) / Phil Kessel ($5.400m)
Nazem Kadri ($1.720m) / Mikhail Grabovski ($5.500m) / Clarke MacArthur ($3.250m)
Nik Kulemin ($2.750m) / David Steckel ($1.100m) / Matt Frattin ($1.200m)
Travis Moen ($1.700m) / Jay  McClement ($1.750m) / Brendon Prust ($1.200m)
/ / Mike Brown ($0.736m)

DEFENSEMEN
Ryan  Suter ($6.500m) / Dion Phaneuf ($6.500m)
Jake Gardiner ($1.116m) / Luke Schenn ($3.600m)
Carl Gunnarsson ($1.325m) / Cody Franson ($1.500m)
John-Michael Liles ($3.875m) / Korbinian Holzer ($0.900m)

GOALTENDERS
James Reimer ($1.800m) / Tomas Vokoun ($3.500m)

BUYOUTS: Darcy Tucker ($1.000m)

CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $64,300,000; CAP PAYROLL: $63,673,334; BONUSES: $1,062,500
CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $626,666

That's mostly a 'wish it could end up like that' roster of sorts, lots of questions and all ufa acquisitions ( in theory ) I mean just starting with the unlikely notion of getting Suter...

Anywho, it's pretty chaotic to get a read, if that sort of situation was even possible I still have to wonder who they could really trade for.

 

[jonlleafs]

I still like what Kuli brings. He is a good two way forward that can score you 15 goals.

I think so too but going into next year, drop him down the depth chart 1 line and go from there.  I think he bounces back but can't be considered legit top six until he regains his form.

I'm bored... I've been playing around with the capgeek calculator, it's tough for the Leafs to do any meaningful trades without a lot of salary going the other way/bought out ( if they can get any freebies ) or demoted.

...or even just replaced by ufa's and/or internally... so I stuck with that avenue as I can't really fathom the trade possibilities, at least some of these guys could be available at no talent cost and maybe having a reverse look could give some thought to who they might want/need to trade for.

Just looking at Army, Lombardi, Komi, Connolly... ugh.

Not the be all end all by far but here's one of the variations I had that I didn't hate ( and would have to be balanced by a roll back should all the other contract issues magically be taken care of )

FORWARDS
Joffrey Lupul ($4.250m) / Tyler Bozak ($1.500m) / Phil Kessel ($5.400m)
Nazem Kadri ($1.720m) / Mikhail Grabovski ($5.500m) / Clarke MacArthur ($3.250m)
Nik Kulemin ($2.750m) / David Steckel ($1.100m) / Matt Frattin ($1.200m)
Travis Moen ($1.700m) / Jay  McClement ($1.750m) / Brendon Prust ($1.200m)
/ / Mike Brown ($0.736m)

DEFENSEMEN
Ryan  Suter ($6.500m) / Dion Phaneuf ($6.500m)
Jake Gardiner ($1.116m) / Luke Schenn ($3.600m)
Carl Gunnarsson ($1.325m) / Cody Franson ($1.500m)
John-Michael Liles ($3.875m) / Korbinian Holzer ($0.900m)

GOALTENDERS
James Reimer ($1.800m) / Tomas Vokoun ($3.500m)

BUYOUTS: Darcy Tucker ($1.000m)

CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $64,300,000; CAP PAYROLL: $63,673,334; BONUSES: $1,062,500
CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $626,666

That's mostly a 'wish it could end up like that' roster of sorts, lots of questions and all ufa acquisitions ( in theory ) I mean just starting with the unlikely notion of getting Suter...

Anywho, it's pretty chaotic to get a read, if that sort of situation was even possible I still have to wonder who they could really trade for.

That's very backend heavy.  We need more up front IMO.  We need that elusive top 3 center and/or Rick Nash.  You'd have to dump one or more d to slot Suter into the picture.

 

[Bender]

I still like what Kuli brings. He is a good two way forward that can score you 15 goals.

I think so too but going into next year, drop him down the depth chart 1 line and go from there.  I think he bounces back but can't be considered legit top six until he regains his form.

I'm bored... I've been playing around with the capgeek calculator, it's tough for the Leafs to do any meaningful trades without a lot of salary going the other way/bought out ( if they can get any freebies ) or demoted.

...or even just replaced by ufa's and/or internally... so I stuck with that avenue as I can't really fathom the trade possibilities, at least some of these guys could be available at no talent cost and maybe having a reverse look could give some thought to who they might want/need to trade for.

Just looking at Army, Lombardi, Komi, Connolly... ugh.

Not the be all end all by far but here's one of the variations I had that I didn't hate ( and would have to be balanced by a roll back should all the other contract issues magically be taken care of )

FORWARDS
Joffrey Lupul ($4.250m) / Tyler Bozak ($1.500m) / Phil Kessel ($5.400m)
Nazem Kadri ($1.720m) / Mikhail Grabovski ($5.500m) / Clarke MacArthur ($3.250m)
Nik Kulemin ($2.750m) / David Steckel ($1.100m) / Matt Frattin ($1.200m)
Travis Moen ($1.700m) / Jay  McClement ($1.750m) / Brendon Prust ($1.200m)
/ / Mike Brown ($0.736m)

DEFENSEMEN
Ryan  Suter ($6.500m) / Dion Phaneuf ($6.500m)
Jake Gardiner ($1.116m) / Luke Schenn ($3.600m)
Carl Gunnarsson ($1.325m) / Cody Franson ($1.500m)
John-Michael Liles ($3.875m) / Korbinian Holzer ($0.900m)

GOALTENDERS
James Reimer ($1.800m) / Tomas Vokoun ($3.500m)

BUYOUTS: Darcy Tucker ($1.000m)

CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $64,300,000; CAP PAYROLL: $63,673,334; BONUSES: $1,062,500
CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $626,666

That's mostly a 'wish it could end up like that' roster of sorts, lots of questions and all ufa acquisitions ( in theory ) I mean just starting with the unlikely notion of getting Suter...

Anywho, it's pretty chaotic to get a read, if that sort of situation was even possible I still have to wonder who they could really trade for.

I read that too. There definitely needs to be a few trades but that respective bunch are having such bad seasons that it'll be hard to trade for anything other than lesser quality players. This is going to be a tough offseason, I hope some of our prospects are ready for regular play.

 

[Tigger]

That's very backend heavy.  We need more up front IMO.  We need that elusive top 3 center and/or Rick Nash.  You'd have to dump one or more d to slot Suter into the picture.

Yes it is, I think that was part of the picture that shows where the trades would come from on the Leafs end. In particular a right side d as they also have Blacker coming up ( though that could also open up a left side d as he can play both sides even though his strong side is on the right ). Schenn stands out to me as one of the young d who could be part of a deal for a top 3 forward, maybe Bozak and Kadri too.

Fwiw at this point I think the Leafs could probably use Suter ( well, and a starting goaltender ) more than most any forward but it could have the benefit of making a couple dmen available to that end too.

Also, this kind of idea is with the Burke retool plan, not so much a rebuild notion.

 

[Tigger]

This is going to be a tough offseason, I hope some of our prospects are ready for regular play.

Tough, full of opportunities and pitfalls... Burke has his work cut out for him.

I think Frattin will be there next year, I honestly thought Kadri would be there by now but he got some pretty no nonsense criticism from Burke on Saturday with Ron MacLean so not sure what to make out of that. Colborne is one that is hard to figure in too. Ashton?

On the back end, Holzer has been touted to make the leap, Blacker and Gysbers are making pretty good progress according to their coaches too.

It's a riddle but to me they have to look to successfully removing some of the over priced stopgaps to start with.