Quoting: gregb569
I personally think if you get marginally better, you dont do it by trading a 2nd + 3rd, but thats just me. Package those picks along w/ a 1st + better roster player to ACTUALLY make an impact on this roster. I don't think marginally better gets them to the playoffs/make a run.
Then it's simply disagreeing over personal opinions, not facts. Which is fine, welcome and healthy on these boards.
I'd have to look it back up, but the odds of a draft pick making the NHL between the 20th-31st overall pick is something like 50-50....and drops off dramatically from there. So the probabilities show that those mid round draft picks are more likely to never make the NHL then they are to make it. That's why I refer to them as marginal assets because it's unlikely (certainly not impossible) that the guys drafted with those picks will ever register in my brain...ever.
Moore is a young, small, skilled forward with decent speed and a willingness to go to the net. The Kings are an old, slow team that desperately needs to get younger and faster. I hope Moore does well for them there.
The leafs are the opposite. They are a young, fast, skilled team that lacks veteran grit and leadership (Keefe has recently mentioned 'maturity' as an issue). If I'm starting a team today, I'd rather have Moore than Clifford. But the leafs are deep on the depth chart with skilled wingers and Moore is very easily replaced in the lineup with someone similar. We could use a guy like Clifford who can play 10min on the 4th line, or maybe more because his skill set isn't found elsewhere in this lineup. But he's a component they didn't have, kind of wanted, but probably didn't want to give up a lot to acquire.
Would someone like Tom Wilson, Ryan Reaves, Matt Tkachuk be better? Sure. Were they available? No. So you're automatically picking from depth guys to address that need.
As for Goalie, the leafs have their starter in Andersen. IMO, it would be a terrible move to give up a 1st in order to land a backup that is better than Campbell.
So, for me, Dubas made the team a bit better, without giving up a major asset or any cap space this year. The 1st rounder you're talking about to get an impact player? That should be used (if necessary), on a 20min defenceman...not someone to improve the bottom six or backup goalie.
This is a minor move (it seems more dramatic given the goaltending situation), with hopefully a bigger one to come