Nonis using depth to go shopping....

[CarltonTheBear]

When I say "success with", it's not in a talent sense. I'm speaking merely on their willingness to play in this city. I mean, apart from that one, I don't recall any other Russian giving us the "Heisman." Do you?

Maybe not, but in the past 16 years we've really only drafted two who had real NHL potential, Kulemin and Vorobiev. I'm not sure a 50% success rate is anything to brag about. And it's certainly too small of a sample size to make any real generalizations.

It's only a very small sample size if you choose to just go back 16 years. Still, I'm aware that going back 30 years still only gives us a small sample too.

What happened 30 years ago isn't relevant to the issue surrounding Russians today though. Same goes for going back 16 years ago. Since the KHL has become a legitimate threat for young Russians the Leafs have had zero success with them (by avoiding them completely).

 

[Kin]

It's only a very small sample size if you choose to just go back 16 years. Still, I'm aware that going back 30 years still only gives us a small sample too.

But the KHL has only existed as a viable financial alternative for the last few years. What happened immediately post the USSR collapsing is largely irrelevant to the question because there was no real alternative for Russian players.

 

[maplesyrup]

When I say "success with", it's not in a talent sense. I'm speaking merely on their willingness to play in this city. I mean, apart from that one, I don't recall any other Russian giving us the "Heisman." Do you?

Maybe not, but in the past 16 years we've really only drafted two who had real NHL potential, Kulemin and Vorobiev. I'm not sure a 50% success rate is anything to brag about. And it's certainly too small of a sample size to make any real generalizations.

It's only a very small sample size if you choose to just go back 16 years. Still, I'm aware that going back 30 years still only gives us a small sample too.

What happened 30 years ago isn't relevant to the issue surrounding Russians today though. Same goes for going back 16 years ago. Since the KHL has become a legitimate threat for young Russians the Leafs have had zero success with them (by avoiding them completely).

Fair point re. the emergence of the KHL.  I just don't think that if the player (whoever it may be) might be talented enough to play in the NHL and the Leafs are happy with what they heard in the interviews, they should be avoiding them.

 

[maplesyrup]

Put it this way, if Grigorenko is there at 5 and we don't take him, I might be just a little torked. I guess it depends who we ultimately wind up with.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Put it this way, if Grigorenko is there at 5 and we don't take him, I might be just a little torked. I guess it depends who we ultimately wind up with.

Yeah, I think there's very, very few posters here who would disagree with you there. MF is the only person in this thread who has brought up drafting a Russian as a risk, and that's only because the sens were burned by Filatov. Nobody else seems all that concerned about the KHL right now.

But if the Leafs pick him at 5 it won't have anything to do with the teams past history with Russians.

 

[Kin]

Fair point re. the emergence of the KHL.  I just don't think that if the player (whoever it may be) might be talented enough to play in the NHL and the Leafs are happy with what they heard in the interviews, they should be avoiding them.

That may be true but that's not a Leafs-specific outlook. Any team should be interested in a player provided they think they can sign them. I mean, for all of the talk of the KHL's impact, the highest profile draft pick not to sign is probably Blake Wheeler.

 

[Redleaf]

Good news for Leafs?

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=398306

 

[jonlleafs]

Good news for Leafs?

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=398306

After making it to the finals, I have a hard time believing he won't want to resign with the Devils.  The only factor is possibly money and term.

 

[Etiam Vultus]

Good news for Leafs?

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=398306

After making it to the finals, I have a hard time believing he won't want to resign with the Devils.  The only factor is possibly money and term.

Money, term and the ability of the Devils to pay.  There have been rumblings that the league had to loan the Devils money to meet their payroll during the last half of the season while the ownership was restructured and/or obtained outside financing. 

The league, a new partner in the ownership, or a lender, may require that the Devils not spend to the maximum of the cap.  I am not stating this as a fact, but as a possibility.

 

[Tigger]

Good news for Leafs?

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=398306

I'm trying to imagine how much I'll hate it when he signs in L.A......

 

[Kin]

Good news for Leafs?

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=398306

After making it to the finals, I have a hard time believing he won't want to resign with the Devils.  The only factor is possibly money and term.

In addition to the Devils possible financial woes there's also the reality that, post lockout, streaky runs to the finals aren't going to necessarily be seen as signs of things to come. I mean, yeah, the Devils made it to the finals. They also came within one goal of being knocked out in the first round by a pretty underwhelming team. Post lockout the only two teams to make it to the finals and then repeat that the next year were the two years of Pittsburgh vs. Detroit.

Considering that Brodeur has, at best, one or two years left in him it would make perfect sense if Parise thought his best long term prospects were elsewhere.

 

[jonlleafs]

Good news for Leafs?

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=398306

After making it to the finals, I have a hard time believing he won't want to resign with the Devils.  The only factor is possibly money and term.

In addition to the Devils possible financial woes there's also the reality that, post lockout, streaky runs to the finals aren't going to necessarily be seen as signs of things to come. I mean, yeah, the Devils made it to the finals. They also came within one goal of being knocked out in the first round by a pretty underwhelming team. Post lockout the only two teams to make it to the finals and then repeat that the next year were the two years of Pittsburgh vs. Detroit.

Considering that Brodeur has, at best, one or two years left in him it would make perfect sense if Parise thought his best long term prospects were elsewhere.

Agreed on Brodeur but Lou is smart enough to pursue a netminder in the meantime either through FA or prospects.  Can Lou convince Parise on that front?  Who knows, but they still have a good core moving forward even with Elias' retirement coming soon.

 

[Redleaf]

That sounds about right. It could be one of the busiest summers ever for the Leafs. Hopefully we haven't built up our expectations too much as to what Burke can pull off. But I'm pretty pumped nonetheless.

I don't think the Leafs will be as busy as some people want/expect them to be. My guess is a couple depth signings and maybe one major trade (likely for a goalie) and that'll be about it. Prices for UFAs and in trades are likely to be weird this summer with the uncertainty around the new CBA. Every June we hear about there being a lot of trade talk and how it's going to be the most exciting trade season ever and so on, and pretty much every year, there are a couple notable deals (mostly within a week of the draft) and everything else is business as usual.

I don't know how busy they will be, but I do know that Burke must be feeling the pressure to upgrade his current roster. He can't keep his job with the kinds of results he's had so far and Leafs nation is nothing if not impatient. I think Burke will be hard-pressed to sell his usual "I'm happy with this team/I believe in these guys/etc" this year.

Agreed, and I must admit I will be pretty disappointed if Burke doesn't land at least ONE (or possibly two) of these players this summer...(I realize some are real long shots)

- Justin Schultz
- Roberto Luongo
- Jordon Staal
- Zach Parise
- Rick Nash
- Ryan Suter
- Nail Yakupov
- Bobby Ryan

 

[Madferret]

That sounds about right. It could be one of the busiest summers ever for the Leafs. Hopefully we haven't built up our expectations too much as to what Burke can pull off. But I'm pretty pumped nonetheless.

I don't think the Leafs will be as busy as some people want/expect them to be. My guess is a couple depth signings and maybe one major trade (likely for a goalie) and that'll be about it. Prices for UFAs and in trades are likely to be weird this summer with the uncertainty around the new CBA. Every June we hear about there being a lot of trade talk and how it's going to be the most exciting trade season ever and so on, and pretty much every year, there are a couple notable deals (mostly within a week of the draft) and everything else is business as usual.

I don't know how busy they will be, but I do know that Burke must be feeling the pressure to upgrade his current roster. He can't keep his job with the kinds of results he's had so far and Leafs nation is nothing if not impatient. I think Burke will be hard-pressed to sell his usual "I'm happy with this team/I believe in these guys/etc" this year.

Agreed, and I must admit I will be pretty disappointed if Burke doesn't land at least ONE (or possibly two) of these players this summer...(I realize some are real long shots)

- Justin Schultz
- Roberto Luongo
- Jordon Staal
- Zach Parise
- Rick Nash
- Ryan Suter
- Nail Yakupov

With respect Red I think you're setting yourself up for a disappointment - those aren't the most realistic expectations.

 

[Redleaf]

That sounds about right. It could be one of the busiest summers ever for the Leafs. Hopefully we haven't built up our expectations too much as to what Burke can pull off. But I'm pretty pumped nonetheless.

I don't think the Leafs will be as busy as some people want/expect them to be. My guess is a couple depth signings and maybe one major trade (likely for a goalie) and that'll be about it. Prices for UFAs and in trades are likely to be weird this summer with the uncertainty around the new CBA. Every June we hear about there being a lot of trade talk and how it's going to be the most exciting trade season ever and so on, and pretty much every year, there are a couple notable deals (mostly within a week of the draft) and everything else is business as usual.

I don't know how busy they will be, but I do know that Burke must be feeling the pressure to upgrade his current roster. He can't keep his job with the kinds of results he's had so far and Leafs nation is nothing if not impatient. I think Burke will be hard-pressed to sell his usual "I'm happy with this team/I believe in these guys/etc" this year.

Agreed, and I must admit I will be pretty disappointed if Burke doesn't land at least ONE (or possibly two) of these players this summer...(I realize some are real long shots)

- Justin Schultz
- Roberto Luongo
- Jordon Staal
- Zach Parise
- Rick Nash
- Ryan Suter
- Nail Yakupov

With respect Red I think you're setting yourself up for a disappointment - those aren't the most realistic expectations.

You don't think it's even remotely possible that Burke can land ONE of these names? You may be setting yourself up for a surprise, which I suppose is better than a disappointment.

 

[Madferret]

That sounds about right. It could be one of the busiest summers ever for the Leafs. Hopefully we haven't built up our expectations too much as to what Burke can pull off. But I'm pretty pumped nonetheless.

I don't think the Leafs will be as busy as some people want/expect them to be. My guess is a couple depth signings and maybe one major trade (likely for a goalie) and that'll be about it. Prices for UFAs and in trades are likely to be weird this summer with the uncertainty around the new CBA. Every June we hear about there being a lot of trade talk and how it's going to be the most exciting trade season ever and so on, and pretty much every year, there are a couple notable deals (mostly within a week of the draft) and everything else is business as usual.

I don't know how busy they will be, but I do know that Burke must be feeling the pressure to upgrade his current  roster. He can't keep his job with the kinds of results he's had so far and Leafs nation is nothing if not impatient. I think Burke will be hard-pressed to sell his usual "I'm happy with this team/I believe in these guys/etc" this year.

Agreed, and I must admit I will be pretty disappointed if Burke doesn't land at least ONE (or possibly two) of these players this summer...(I realize some are real long shots)

- Justin Schultz
- Roberto Luongo
- Jordon Staal
- Zach Parise
- Rick Nash
- Ryan Suter
- Nail Yakupov

With respect Red I think you're setting yourself up for a disappointment - those aren't the most realistic expectations.

You don't think it's even remotely possible that Burke can land ONE of these names? You may be setting yourself up for a surprise, which I suppose is better than a disappointment.

Care to explain to me how you think Burke is going to go about doing this?

 

[dappleganger]

I think Luongo and Schultz are total possibilities.

The others not so much.

 

[Redleaf]

That sounds about right. It could be one of the busiest summers ever for the Leafs. Hopefully we haven't built up our expectations too much as to what Burke can pull off. But I'm pretty pumped nonetheless.

I don't think the Leafs will be as busy as some people want/expect them to be. My guess is a couple depth signings and maybe one major trade (likely for a goalie) and that'll be about it. Prices for UFAs and in trades are likely to be weird this summer with the uncertainty around the new CBA. Every June we hear about there being a lot of trade talk and how it's going to be the most exciting trade season ever and so on, and pretty much every year, there are a couple notable deals (mostly within a week of the draft) and everything else is business as usual.

I don't know how busy they will be, but I do know that Burke must be feeling the pressure to upgrade his current  roster. He can't keep his job with the kinds of results he's had so far and Leafs nation is nothing if not impatient. I think Burke will be hard-pressed to sell his usual "I'm happy with this team/I believe in these guys/etc" this year.

Agreed, and I must admit I will be pretty disappointed if Burke doesn't land at least ONE (or possibly two) of these players this summer...(I realize some are real long shots)

- Justin Schultz
- Roberto Luongo
- Jordon Staal
- Zach Parise
- Rick Nash
- Ryan Suter
- Nail Yakupov

With respect Red I think you're setting yourself up for a disappointment - those aren't the most realistic expectations.

You don't think it's even remotely possible that Burke can land ONE of these names? You may be setting yourself up for a surprise, which I suppose is better than a disappointment.

Care to explain to me how you think Burke is going to go about doing this?

There is a genuine opportunity this off season for each and every one of the players listed. I figure out of the seven, Burke should be able to reel at least one of them in. His motivation to upgrade the team, both short term and long term, should be at its peak considering his record as GM the past 5 years in Toronto. I think he realizes it may be now or never to doing something big and land one or two these guys.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

That sounds about right. It could be one of the busiest summers ever for the Leafs. Hopefully we haven't built up our expectations too much as to what Burke can pull off. But I'm pretty pumped nonetheless.

I don't think the Leafs will be as busy as some people want/expect them to be. My guess is a couple depth signings and maybe one major trade (likely for a goalie) and that'll be about it. Prices for UFAs and in trades are likely to be weird this summer with the uncertainty around the new CBA. Every June we hear about there being a lot of trade talk and how it's going to be the most exciting trade season ever and so on, and pretty much every year, there are a couple notable deals (mostly within a week of the draft) and everything else is business as usual.

I don't know how busy they will be, but I do know that Burke must be feeling the pressure to upgrade his current  roster. He can't keep his job with the kinds of results he's had so far and Leafs nation is nothing if not impatient. I think Burke will be hard-pressed to sell his usual "I'm happy with this team/I believe in these guys/etc" this year.

Agreed, and I must admit I will be pretty disappointed if Burke doesn't land at least ONE (or possibly two) of these players this summer...(I realize some are real long shots)

- Justin Schultz
- Roberto Luongo
- Jordon Staal
- Zach Parise
- Rick Nash
- Ryan Suter
- Nail Yakupov

With respect Red I think you're setting yourself up for a disappointment - those aren't the most realistic expectations.

You don't think it's even remotely possible that Burke can land ONE of these names? You may be setting yourself up for a surprise, which I suppose is better than a disappointment.

Care to explain to me how you think Burke is going to go about doing this?

Offer Schultz a contract and have him accept it.

 

[Redleaf]

That sounds about right. It could be one of the busiest summers ever for the Leafs. Hopefully we haven't built up our expectations too much as to what Burke can pull off. But I'm pretty pumped nonetheless.

I don't think the Leafs will be as busy as some people want/expect them to be. My guess is a couple depth signings and maybe one major trade (likely for a goalie) and that'll be about it. Prices for UFAs and in trades are likely to be weird this summer with the uncertainty around the new CBA. Every June we hear about there being a lot of trade talk and how it's going to be the most exciting trade season ever and so on, and pretty much every year, there are a couple notable deals (mostly within a week of the draft) and everything else is business as usual.

I don't know how busy they will be, but I do know that Burke must be feeling the pressure to upgrade his current  roster. He can't keep his job with the kinds of results he's had so far and Leafs nation is nothing if not impatient. I think Burke will be hard-pressed to sell his usual "I'm happy with this team/I believe in these guys/etc" this year.

Agreed, and I must admit I will be pretty disappointed if Burke doesn't land at least ONE (or possibly two) of these players this summer...(I realize some are real long shots)

- Justin Schultz
- Roberto Luongo
- Jordon Staal
- Zach Parise
- Rick Nash
- Ryan Suter
- Nail Yakupov

With respect Red I think you're setting yourself up for a disappointment - those aren't the most realistic expectations.

You don't think it's even remotely possible that Burke can land ONE of these names? You may be setting yourself up for a surprise, which I suppose is better than a disappointment.

Care to explain to me how you think Burke is going to go about doing this?

Offer Schultz a contract and have him accept it.

That could work.