Unofficial 2013-2014 Armchair GM Thread

[Bullfrog]

Even aside from the elusive #1C, there's issues with defense and maybe even a winger since it isn't certain that Phil Kessel will be with the team after 2014. Either way, unless Bernier is the second coming of Roy or even Brodeur or Rask (gulp), the goalie situation is the last thing that should be tampered with after Reimer proved himself the way he did this year. He has a groove going and the perfect attitude to go along with it. To mess with the best thing going for the Leafs right now for someone unproven when there are a number of more important things to address is pointless.

And if Reimer goes down with injury or retires to start a militia?

I'm on board with acquiring another goalie and I don't think Frattin is really all that big of an asset cost. I love Frattin's game, but have doubts about how important he's going to be going forward. Depends a bit on what happens with MacArthur.

 

[Kin]

Even aside from the elusive #1C, there's issues with defense and maybe even a winger since it isn't certain that Phil Kessel will be with the team after 2014. Either way, unless Bernier is the second coming of Roy or even Brodeur or Rask (gulp), the goalie situation is the last thing that should be tampered with after Reimer proved himself the way he did this year. He has a groove going and the perfect attitude to go along with it. To mess with the best thing going for the Leafs right now for someone unproven when there are a number of more important things to address is pointless.

1. Again, I think you're completely misrepresenting the capabilities of a front office. Dave Nonis is a very capable guy and MLSE has spent a lot of money to surround him with a pretty big staff. He doesn't have to choose between negotiating with LA for Bernier and anything else because he's capable of getting it all done. Negotiating with the team's RFA's, looking at free agents, scouting for the draft, investigating other trades...all of these things are getting done concurrently.

2. There are lots of goalies in the NHL over the last 8 years who have "proven themselves" who then took steps backwards. Look at Steve Mason or Carey Price or Cam Ward or MA Fleury or Roberto Luongo or Ryan Miller or Ilya Bryzgalov or any one of a list that's just about endless. Tuuka Rask, who you cite as an example of a best case scenario, is a guy who won Boston's #1 job with stellar play, lost it, and then re-asserted himself this year. Again, even if Reimer had just completed a season where he established himself as the next Roy or Brodeur, which he didn't, having competition for the starting spot, having the best possible plan B and improving the team in any capacity is never pointless. Like you say, Reimer's proven to have a pretty good attitude so I'm not worried about him crumpling up and folding if the team takes the entirely reasonable position that he has to earn his job every year.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

Even aside from the elusive #1C, there's issues with defense and maybe even a winger since it isn't certain that Phil Kessel will be with the team after 2014. Either way, unless Bernier is the second coming of Roy or even Brodeur or Rask (gulp), the goalie situation is the last thing that should be tampered with after Reimer proved himself the way he did this year. He has a groove going and the perfect attitude to go along with it. To mess with the best thing going for the Leafs right now for someone unproven when there are a number of more important things to address is pointless.

1. Again, I think you're completely misrepresenting the capabilities of a front office. Dave Nonis is a very capable guy and MLSE has spent a lot of money to surround him with a pretty big staff. He doesn't have to choose between negotiating with LA for Bernier and anything else because he's capable of getting it all done. Negotiating with the team's RFA's, looking at free agents, scouting for the draft, investigating other trades...all of these things are getting done concurrently.

Exactly. If the GM has tunnel vision, the Leafs are hooped!

Just because Kypreos mentions that the Leafs may be discussing a Bernier deal, doesn't mean they twiddle their thumbs for the other 99% of the day.

 

[bustaheims]

Negotiating with the team's RFA's, looking at free agents, scouting for the draft, investigating other trades...all of these things are getting done concurrently.

It boggles my mind that some people don't understand this. Not only can one person take care of many of these things over the same period of time, there are multiple people in the Leafs front office handling these things.

 

[Champ Kind]

Negotiating with the team's RFA's, looking at free agents, scouting for the draft, investigating other trades...all of these things are getting done concurrently.

It boggles my mind that some people don't understand this. Not only can one person take care of many of these things over the same period of time, there are multiple people in the Leafs front office handling these things.

All true, Busta.  But I will also tell you that, in my experience working in corporate / head office environments, executives do have limited ability and resources to juggle multiple high priority projects.  Like, for instance, if an organization is implementing a new financial system, routine work and transactions continue.  However, other major projects - a revised financial analysis model, for instance - would be delayed because it wouldn't receive the attention it deserves.

I'm not suggesting that's the case here.  I'm just saying that there needs to be some prioritization at the executive level.

 

[bustaheims]

I'm not suggesting that's the case here.  I'm just saying that there needs to be some prioritization at the executive level.

Sure, but the stuff we tend to talk about here is basically the day to day routine work for people at the management level of a sports franchise. They're not things that take up exceptional amounts of management's resources. Talking to agents and other teams' GMs and assistant GMs is what fills up a good chunk of a GM's and an assistant GM's day on every working day of the year. Some days are more intense than others, obviously, but, negotiating trades and contracts is pretty much business as usual.

 

[Corn Flake]

I'm not suggesting that's the case here.  I'm just saying that there needs to be some prioritization at the executive level.

Sure, but the stuff we tend to talk about here is basically the day to day routine work for people at the management level of a sports franchise. They're not things that take up exceptional amounts of management's resources. Talking to agents and other teams' GMs and assistant GMs is what fills up a good chunk of a GM's and an assistant GM's day on every working day of the year. Some days are more intense than others, obviously, but, negotiating trades and contracts is pretty much business as usual.

And let's be honest here.. the Orr contract probably took a half day to come to an agreement on, likely between someone not named Nonis in the front office.  Nonis & pals would have determined weeks ago who whether they wanted him to stay or not, what they were willing to pay and for how long, and had someone carry out negotiations with Orr's agent.  Nonis might have made the first call to the agent, at the most.

lots going on and lots of people to do it, working on various priorities.

 

[bustaheims]

And let's be honest here.. the Orr contract probably took a half day to come to an agreement on, likely between someone not named Nonis in the front office.  Nonis & pals would have determined weeks ago who whether they wanted him to stay or not, what they were willing to pay and for how long, and had someone carry out negotiations with Orr's agent.  Nonis might have made the first call to the agent, at the most.

lots going on and lots of people to do it, working on various priorities.

Even if Nonis did do the Orr negotiations himself, I doubt they were particularly intense, detailed or extensive. A few short phone calls, a few proposals back and forth, and so on. That's sort of how trade negotiations are working right now, too. There's a little more urgency, in that some trade proposals are time sensitive because of the draft, but, it's not like they're spending hours and hours on the phone with each other. It's shorter conversations, emails, etc until they actually get to the point where they feel there's actually a deal to be made - and similar types of interactions are going on with the agents for the team's various UFAs and RFAs.

 

[Redleaf]

Maybe there is some truth to the Bernier rumors?

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Toronto/2013/06/19/20913241.html

 

[lamajama]

Even aside from the elusive #1C, there's issues with defense and maybe even a winger since it isn't certain that Phil Kessel will be with the team after 2014. Either way, unless Bernier is the second coming of Roy or even Brodeur or Rask (gulp), the goalie situation is the last thing that should be tampered with after Reimer proved himself the way he did this year. He has a groove going and the perfect attitude to go along with it. To mess with the best thing going for the Leafs right now for someone unproven when there are a number of more important things to address is pointless.

1. Again, I think you're completely misrepresenting the capabilities of a front office. Dave Nonis is a very capable guy and MLSE has spent a lot of money to surround him with a pretty big staff. He doesn't have to choose between negotiating with LA for Bernier and anything else because he's capable of getting it all done. Negotiating with the team's RFA's, looking at free agents, scouting for the draft, investigating other trades...all of these things are getting done concurrently.

Exactly. If the GM has tunnel vision, the Leafs are hooped!

Just because Kypreos mentions that the Leafs may be discussing a Bernier deal, doesn't mean they twiddle their thumbs for the other 99% of the day.

You mean a day like this?

7 am to 7:15 am - speak to Lombardi about Bernier
7:15 am to 3:30 pm - nap
3:30 pm to 3:15 pm - speak to Lombardi about Bernier
3:15 pm to 7 pm - NY Times crossword puzzle
7 pm to 7:15 pm - wonder if should call Lombardi again
7:15 pm to 10 pm - read twitter acounts
10 PM - turn off phone and go home

 

[Bonsixx]

From RotoWorld, which if you're not familiar, compiles news from other sites and offers an opinion, usually fantasy-related. The source is listed as CSN Philadelphia.

The Toronto Maple Leafs appear to be the frontrunners in the Jonathan Bernier sweepstakes.
They might have even pushed the Philadelphia Flyers out of the bidding in the process. Meanwhile, Minnesota Wild, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, and Florida Panthers are being listed as other potential destinations for Bernier. If the Leafs get Bernier then he'll probably compete with James Reimer for the team's number one gig.

 

[princedpw]

From RotoWorld, which if you're not familiar, compiles news from other sites and offers an opinion, usually fantasy-related. The source is listed as CSN Philadelphia.

The Toronto Maple Leafs appear to be the frontrunners in the Jonathan Bernier sweepstakes.
They might have even pushed the Philadelphia Flyers out of the bidding in the process. Meanwhile, Minnesota Wild, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, and Florida Panthers are being listed as other potential destinations for Bernier. If the Leafs get Bernier then he'll probably compete with James Reimer for the team's number one gig.

I don't particularly like the idea of spending significant assets to acquire unproven goalies, which is what a bidding war with other teams would suggest.  Recent experience with Raycroft and Toskala have really soured me on this process.  The experience of other teams (eg: Bryzgalov) suggest that even experienced goalies with long track records may be challenging to assess.  Goalies are simply too unpredictable.

 

[Deebo]

Goalies are simply too unpredictable.

I think this is why Nonis and co. want another option in case Reimer gets injured or doesn't perform well enough.

 

[Redleaf]

Goalies are simply too unpredictable.

I think this is why Nonis and co. want another option in case Reimer gets injured or doesn't perform well enough.

Agreed. Its a hedge on the aforementioned 'predictablitiy' factor.

 

[Deebo]

Renaud Lavoie ‏@RenLavoieRDS 1m
3 teams are in the running for Jonathan Bernier. Kings are going to take the best offer from Maple Leafs, Flyers or Wild. #RDS

 

[OldTimeHockey]

Even aside from the elusive #1C, there's issues with defense and maybe even a winger since it isn't certain that Phil Kessel will be with the team after 2014. Either way, unless Bernier is the second coming of Roy or even Brodeur or Rask (gulp), the goalie situation is the last thing that should be tampered with after Reimer proved himself the way he did this year. He has a groove going and the perfect attitude to go along with it. To mess with the best thing going for the Leafs right now for someone unproven when there are a number of more important things to address is pointless.

1. Again, I think you're completely misrepresenting the capabilities of a front office. Dave Nonis is a very capable guy and MLSE has spent a lot of money to surround him with a pretty big staff. He doesn't have to choose between negotiating with LA for Bernier and anything else because he's capable of getting it all done. Negotiating with the team's RFA's, looking at free agents, scouting for the draft, investigating other trades...all of these things are getting done concurrently.

Exactly. If the GM has tunnel vision, the Leafs are hooped!

Just because Kypreos mentions that the Leafs may be discussing a Bernier deal, doesn't mean they twiddle their thumbs for the other 99% of the day.

You mean a day like this?

7 am to 7:15 am - speak to Lombardi about Bernier
7:15 am to 3:30 pm - nap
3:30 pm to 3:15 pm - speak to Lombardi about Bernier
3:15 pm to 7 pm - NY Times crossword puzzle
7 pm to 7:15 pm - wonder if should call Lombardi again
7:15 pm to 10 pm - read twitter acounts
10 PM - turn off phone and go home

That sounds like a day in the life of Scaredy Squirrel!

 

[caver]

So does this mean the Leafs have no love for Scrivens ?

 

[Champ Kind]

So does this mean the Leafs have no love for Scrivens ?

That's exactly what this means

 

[Corn Flake]

Sooo with this Bernier thing coming true, does this mean we can't make fun of Kypreos anymore?

 

[princedpw]

Apologies for a very stream-of-consciousness post:

I'd like to ask one of the other not-so-lazy members of the board:  Could you do a realistic cap-space analysis for me to see where we stand?  Estimate new salaries for our many RFAs like Kadri, Franson, Gunnar, Bernier, Fraser,  etc. 

If we were to lose Bozak, MacAthur, Frattin, Komorov, that is a lot of wingers/forwards out the door.  How can we replace them?

Given that we've lost Frattin and Komorov for sure, we need some help up front. 

Could we bring back Mac (Do you think he wants more than $3.5?) and fit Weiss ($5.5?) under the cap?

I must say I'm also wondering about Stastny.  Apparently, Colorado isn't taking Jones with their top pick, meaning they may well be taking McKinnon (or at the very least, another forward):

http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/ci_23520384/joe-sakic-isnt-bluffing-about-colorado-avalanches-draft

With Duchene, O'Reilly and McKinnon on board, Stastny seems like an expensive 4th? line center.  Of course, they could play a couple of those guys at wing.

Unlike most years, there aren't too many of the big spenders (Philly, Rangers, Boston, LA, Chicago) who have the cap space to take on a 6.6 million forward.  Toronto's cap space is somewhat tight too but we could manage somehow, I believe (though, again, my laziness dictates that someone else do the legwork).  The time might be right to take advantage like we did with the Phaneuf deal.  Do we have the assets to make the trade though?  Colorado needs defense.  Of course, I'd love to give them Liles + one of our minor league D prospects like Matt Finn or Stuart Percy.  Would that suffice?  (Then sign Kaberle at $600k as a 6-7th depth D man in place of Liles.  May be he can pick it back up in Toronto... He's only 35 and he's not one of those big lugs who can't skate.)