No way Leafs are taking Gudbranson for a pick

honestly after thinking about that. It makes perfect sense. Toronto lacks physicality it's why they get gooned out the playoffs every year. They lack a player who can put an end to it.
But the penguins won't trade him unless they bring in another player who can fill that role.

The Leafs don't have the cap to take on that contract for nothing

I don't think you get it. It's not a cap dump.
It's filling a need. It's why Kadri gets suspended every year against boston. It's why boston runs rugshot on you every year. Knee on knee, putting a player into the side wall...etc....
They have no one to do anything about it. Hockey is a dirty game, it's suppose to "police itself".
Who on toronto can do that. People like you think Gudbranson is a cap dump just don't get hockey. Toronto fills a need because if they don't, it's the same crap again next year.

You don't get it.... it is literally impossible for the leafs to handle that contract

Its a cap dump if you can fill the need for practicially league min or by bringing up your own player in say Andreas Borgman. The leafs aren't about to strap themselves with that contract.

if the leafs had anyone to fill that role, they would have. And you can't just throw anyone in there. They have to actually play at the NHL level. That's the real key to those players in todays NHL.



I wouldn't say it's impossible, nor am I saying the penguins would trade him. I don't think the penguins trade him to be honest. What he brings is hard to find. What I said is the trade makes sense as far as why they would want him etc... because the truth is, if they don't do something, they will get gooned up every year in the playoffs. That's not changing.

There's a pretty clear reason they decided to not bring back Polak. Gustafsson ain't all that much better, especially not at his caphit. ANd yeah you can throw people on the 3rd pairing...that is kind of how you develop your prospects, you bring them up to the NHL level. And when the alternative is a $4M #6 Dman the choice is pretty clear for a team not looking to devote money to depth pieces like the 3rd pairing.

great, you bring in a prospect to stop getting gooned up, that will end well. Honestly I don't think you get it. And it's Gudbranson don't know who the hell Gustafsson is.
It's not just a body to play hockey. In case you missed it, the most skilled teams aren't exactly playing for the cup this year. And if it wasn't Boston roughing toronto up it would have been CBJ and if not CBJ it would have been carolina and if not carolina it would have been the Blues. Toronto has no answer for it. People knew they had no answer for it last year and were looking for "pushback" and they never got it. No one was surprised when the dirty play started and no one for Toronto did anything about it so it continued. Which is a general pattern in the NHL. When teams know they can push you around they will. And don't act like it doesn't effect play because you are watching the cup finals at home.
Like I said. Toronto has no answer for it. If you want to get further than the first round you better start finding it. Because the NHL has been clear they prefer the "drama"

Your entire argument is based on the faulty premise that Toronto got gooned up when they literally outhit the Bruins, and that is when gooning it up isn't their style. And sorry for the slip of the fingers there, happens on occasion, Gustafsson/Gudbransson, Murray/Murphy, there's a bunch of dmen with similar names, you occasionally mix them up, especially when up until this season one was barely an NHLer and the other is still barely an NHLer.

And yeah, the Blues and Bruins totally aren't highly skilled /s. Neither were the Capitals, Penguins, Haws, Kings, etc. Yeah they may not be the purest high skill team but they aren't goontown either. The Bruins probably come closest to being more goony than skilled, but even that is discrediting the skill that those players have.



Gave me a bit of a laugh there at Carolina roughing a team up, but I guess there would be weirder things to happen.



*Stares at video of Kadri almost chopping a guys head off with his stick and the absolute clustercluck that was that entire 3rd period*. I'm not sure if you recall but the games following that absolute mess were referied much more tightly. Not to mention those refs were literally given an early vacation for their poor officiating.

i stopped reading this when you assumed hitting is gooning. It's not. When you intentionally knee on knee players, slam them into the side wall, board players. You keep living in fantasy land. That crap does not happen consistently on teams that have people to clean it up. Toronto didn't so it did.