Slow down on Romanov. Has the Sandin Romanov comparison really changed? No. Sandin is 20. Many players do not make the nhl full time until well past age 20.

Nah, I am going to continue to say what I believe is going to happen with Romanov (because it is what happens on other teams when they develop D properly, and is what would happen with the Leafs' if they actually did the same).

I don't doubt that due to the rapid increase in size and strength, along with the change in continents, changes in ice, scheduling, teammates, speed of the game etc, that Romanov will probably have a bit of an adjustment period, but I have little doubt that (even with the shortened season) he will be in the top-4 by the end of the season and will be an extremely good D going forward. (Sandin won't be unless he is lucky enough to get traded soon). No different then the countless other D who are brought in properly.

This is not just a Sandin thing either. The Leafs' have been incredibly unsuccessful developing D with the Marlies since Dubas was put in charge there. Percy (25 OA), Finn (35 OA), Valiev (68 OA), Nielsen (65 OA) etc. Now we have Liljegren without a hope of making the team in his D+4, Sandin buried by the team after they burned an ELC year, and Dermott fighting for a 3rd pairing spot after having played 176 NHL games, despite everyone expecting him to have been a top-4 before now. Why are none of these players meeting expectations? Because the team does a bad job of developing them in the minors, and an even worse job with them in the NHL.

In part because, much like Detroit did under Holland, the team relies on trades, UFA signings and free wallets instead of actually developing their own D. Despite the widely believed complete myth about Detroit over-cooking their prospects in the AHL until they were ready to step into a major role, the reality is that if you were drafted in the first 3 rounds you either made the team very quickly (Lidstrom, Dandenault - 4 AHL games, Fischer - 25 AHL games, Kronwall - 102 AHL games but only because of lockout season of 2004/05 otherwise it would have been maybe 40) or you wasted away in the minors until you either were picked up on waivers (Quincey, Boughner), quit, or possibly eventually found a #6/7 role with Detroit for 50 or 100 games (and then hopefully found some success elsewhere) after 200 games or so in the AHL (Golubovsky, Wallin, Sproul, Gillam, Kindl, Pushor, Ouellet, Kuznetsov, Smith, Coleman, Saarijarvi, Eriksson - half of those guys were higher draft picks than Sandin). (the odd later draft pick had success in the NHL after a long period in the minors with Detroit, but that is no different than every other NHL team, and those late draft picks need time if they are ever going to make it).

Nope. As I have said just wait until the end of this season.



To fans that don't know is going on, no. In reality big time. A year ago they were roughly equal. Over the last year one team has done everything right with their prospect and the other has done everything wrong. And this coming season one team will do everything right and other everything wrong. Unfortunately, Toronto is the "wrong" for both.

There is a reason why Montreal coaching staff and management are so high on Romanov (see The Athletic piece from early December: "Alexander Romanov appears to be the best prospect the Canadiens have ever seen")

In a situation that has probably never happened before they were given the opportunity to completely transform their top defensive prospect over the last 9 months and Montreal did so. Because of that they specifically brought in Edmundson as a LHD who could start on 2nd pairing and then drop to the third pair as soon as Romanov is ready to overtake him (allowing Romanov to then get mentored by a world class D partner - either Weber or Petry). Toronto had the same opportunity and did the opposite, while at the same burying him on the depth chart to ensure that the player knew that there was zero chance he was going to make the team, even if through some miracle he developed on his own.



Sandin will never succeed on the Leafs because the team does not care at all about his development. And their quixotic belief that they are a cup contender (when they are not) will ensure that at no time over the next 4 years will they be comfortable bringing a D prospect into the lineup for a real role (whereas actual contenders can do so with ease - because they are actual contenders). Maybe he becomes a third pairing D at some point in time. Maybe he is lucky and gets traded while he still has the potential to be more.

Actually, they are a cup contending team. Whether they will win it or not is not my point. They are trying to win now. In a win now, you don't give your young guys a spot if there is a better veteran that is there to take his place. Dubas is balancing having a win now team with keeping prospects for the future.

Regardless if the team is a contending team or not (personally I would never consider a team a contender that has not managed to win a single playoff series), the team feels that they are. They will not develop D prospects. Neither this year, nor in the subsequent 3 years. Sandin will gain nothing from playing in the minors. Being injury call up will just further hurt his development. The main things he needs are: gaining strength and mass which the team robbed him of that opportunity this summer, and playing in the NHL in a stable position with a good vet partner to aid his long-term development. People are dreaming if they think that is ever going to happen with the Leafs. And they are dreaming if they think he is ever going to turn out on the Leafs.

If Dermott finds himself on the outside looking in come January 13th, I would be asking for a trade immediately. If I was Sandin I would be asking for a trade by the end of the month. This is their lives and their careers. They shouldn't just be fodder for a delusional team that has chosen to screw over their development and a fanbase who supports it. The team, of course, has every right to not trade them, but all they will be doing is lowering their trade value as time goes by. In no way do I expect the team to do the right thing because this team has shown that they don't care at all about the long-term interests of their prospects, just what those prospects can do for the team today. When they don't win over the next 4 years the team will be left with very little, but that will the problem for the next GM to deal with. Which is sad because good teams have shown that they can easily bring D prospects into their lineup while being contenders and do so all the time. However, the Leafs are not a good team.

Whatever you say.

Just remember when he doesn't come close to reaching his potential that you supported it.

Ok, I will. But that might not happen.