Quoting: GMBL
Yeah, that's why GMs don't make that many moves in a single go.
You're saying the Leafs need a top 4D, okay, sure you added Larsson, but why would you trade a top 4D in Brodie who has been one of the best defensive Ds? Even if you think he's slipping and can't handle the same minutes as he used to, that's why you brought in Larsson, Brodie is still better than Borgen who is a 3rd pairing defenseman even in SEA. The reason why you're moving Brodie is for the cap space, but that's why you shouldn't bring in Tanev's 3.5M for what he does, simply isn't worth it as the Leafs don't have the luxury to pay a bottom-6 player 3.5M this year and probably not the next either.
You said they are also looking for a 3C that brings grit, well that's what Domi was advertised as and you're not satisfied, why would Gourde be any different? You talk about improving the bottom 6 scoring, yet you want to remove Jarnkrok who has is great defensively, produced slightly more than Gourde between last year and this year, and makes less than Gourde at 50%. All, you can say is that Gourde is more physical maybe but that's pretty much a lateral move that could be for the better but also for the worse. Worth noting though that Domi has been much better down the middle than on the wing and the 3rd line of Robertson-Domi-Jarnkrok is providing that secondary scoring that the team needs, chemistry does exist. You're also ignoring that the Leafs brought in Bertuzzi who was advertised for his grit as well.
Robertson is sticking with the team now, he's a young prospect so that's only normal, he wasn't able to stick in the past because he wasn't producing enough and he was also getting injured, not because of defensive deficiencies. He was decent away from the puck but decent isn't good enough for a team like the Leafs. Liljegren played a few games to in the playoffs in the second round, he's not a superstar, so it's no surprise if he wasn't effective. There's no reason to think that Borgen would have dressed for the Leafs in the playoffs last year had he been in Liljegren's place, in the last 3-years he's been averaging about a minute less in ice time than Liljegren. Jarnkrok has had a long history of disappearing in the post-season? Really? Tell me more about it.
The 4.48M cap increase from going from Jarnkrok, Liljegren, and Robertson to Gourde, Borgen, and Tanev is not worth it, you're getting little to no upgrade and at the cost of Brodie. You're essentially negating the improvement, if any, that Larsson brings if there isn't a clear overall improvement and wasting your assets in the process. The simple solution is to just try bringing in Larsson alone, then look to add a physical 3rd pairing to replace GIO if you're not satisfied with Benoit.
Interesting way to start...
Do you not remember the leafs adding 6 new roster players just last year? Or all the TDL moves from years past? The reason that needed to be done is because of all the holes that have remained on this team, and still remain due to Dubas' penchant for cycling through short term rentals that have failed to become long term solutions.
You're all over the place here. Larsson is an upgrade on Brodie, is cheaper, younger and signed for an additional year beyond this. At this point in their careers there is almost nothing he doesn't do better than Brodie. We know what type of player pairs best with Rielly and Borgen fits that mold. He's also signed for an additional year beyond this and critically is paid 2.3 mil less than Brodie, who is not the type of player who best compliments Rielly's game come playoff time, as proven by the fact they've been split up for the last several postseasons. If he was the TJ Brodie that he once was, which is the player you're referencing, then this might be more sensible, but he has clearly taken a step back.
Borgen is a top 4D for Seattle and was in the playoffs as well. Again, he brings balance to a pair with Rielly because each player's strengths compliments the other weaknesses. He needs to be a responsible, prototypical DFD who is competent at moving the puck and has enough mobility to play within our system, which he is. What exactly is it about Liljegren that you think makes him so irreplaceable? He has ONE assist in 10 games this year and 6 shots over that span. He has ZERO points and ZERO shots through 7 playoff games. This for a guy whose strength was supposed to be offense..
Robertson was not able to stick with the Leafs for exactly the reason we're now watching play out again. He starts hot, sputters out, and when he's not scoring his questionable reads and hockey IQ aren't enough to compensate for his lack of production. His biggest strength is supposed to be goal scoring and he has 0 goals and 3 assists in his last 12 games. That 3rd line has not been providing the secondary scoring we need at all, and with Domi's defensive issues playing him at center has meant that's not a line you're going to be putting out there in defensive situations either.
"Jarnkrok has had a long history of disappearing in the post-season? Really? Tell me more about it."
Uhh... this might have been a good one to research yourself before making a smarmy comment like this. Yes, really. In NINE postseasons Jarnkrok has scored more than ONE goal ONCE, that was SIX years ago when he scored TWO goals in TWENTY-ONE games. He has scored more than FOUR points once as well, SIX years ago when he scored SEVEN points in TWENTY-ONE games. In 5 of those 9 postseasons he scored ZERO goals, which means he's played more postseasons where he hasn't scored at all than when he has. He has 5 goals and 22 points in EIGHTY-SIX playoff games, going -12 over that span. Was there some argument you were going to make that my statement was incorrect? Would be fun to hear it if so.
It's becoming clear that you really don't know what you're talking about. If the extent of your Gourde to Domi comparison is that they're the same player because they're both 3Cs with grit, then I can't start to explain how over-simplistic and dense that is. First off, Domi was never the plan at the center position and we knew that was a hole going into the season, one that has existed for years now. By comparison, Gourde led all Krakken forwards in TOI and points in last year's playoffs, posting 13 points in 14 games as their de facto 1C, while also being great defensively, something Domi is not.
Gourde, Borgen and Tanev is absolutely a massive upgrade on Jarnkrok, Liljegren and Robertson, just as Larsson is a massive upgrade on Brodie. Claiming otherwise is not a matter of opinion, it's a matter of ignorance; something you've shown an abundance of here. If it gives you peace of mind we can take 1 mil off the retention to Gourde and apply it to Tanev - now we have Gourde at 3.583 and Tanev at 2.5, incredible value all of a sudden!
As for the point about not having the luxury for these guys in the bottom 6, I've shown here that the cap would work this year, and you could return essentially the same team next year as well. The cap rising by 4 mil would roughly cover Matthews' and Nylanders' raises. Domi could realistically sign for the same AAV with a bit of term. At the very least, we could replace Sammy with a slightly less expensive goaltender which would give us more than enough to cover any potential raises for Benoit, Domi and Gregor. That would leave us with close to 6 mil to replace Bertuzzi, who we could probably fit in or find a cheaper option on the FA market, keeping in mind Domi, Tanev and Gourde can all play higher up the lineup and that there's still the potential for some of our younger guys (Minten, Cowan Hildeby) to grab a spot.
This roster would give us much more balance and compensate for the areas we're lacking in. You could even run a lineup of:
Knies - Matthews - Domi
Bertuzzi - Tavares - Nylander
Tanev - Gourde - Marner
Gregor - Kampf - McMann/Perry
McCabe - Larsson
Rielly - Borgen
Benoit - Timmins
Gio - Lagesson
Woll
Sammy
Every forward line in the top 9 has a power forward down the left side who can retrieve pucks on the forecheck, create space to open up lanes for their linemates, help with the cycle game when teams neutralize the rush and clog up the neutral zone, and win critical battles around the net in order to create screens and deflections, while having the hands to finish in tight. All 3 lines have solid defensive centers who can finish and win physical battles when space becomes more limited. Matthews is a top 3 center in the world, Tavares is a high end 1C and Gourde is a solid 2C/ elite 3C. All 3 lines have high end playmakers at RW, with Marner and Nylander both being top 10 in the league at the position and Domi being a more than capable top 6 option. All 3 lines would have an agitator in Domi/ Bertuzzi / Tanev / Gourde / Perry who can affect the game in different ways, as we've seen in years past with guys like Bennet, Tkachuk, Gudas, Perry, Maroon, etc.
That 3rd line would be elite defensively and one that you could match up against any line in the league, while still having the ability to produce offense at a high level. This would free up the 2 elite offensive lines in the top 6 from harder matchups. The 4th line is great defensively and another line you can match against high end offensive lines, while bringing speed, physicality, size and forechecking to suffocate the other team. When that 4th line isn't on the ice, you're always guaranteed to have one of Marner, Matthews, Nylander or Tavares out there, a matchup nightmare for the other team.
McCabe and Larsson would give us a legit shutdown pairing, what Dubas hoped Brodie and McCabe would be. Larsson can play more minutes than any other player in the league come playoff time. He is big, physical, a great puck mover with great mobility, and has poise with and without the puck while even being capable of chipping in offense here and there. Borgen would be the successor of guys like Schenn and Bush, filling a similar role while also being more mobile and even slightly better offensively. Benoit would provide the in zone defense every pair needs with his ability to kill the cycle, box players out at the net front, block shots and win 1 on 1 battles. Timmins would compliment him with his puck moving ability and offensive capability, something that can become more crucial when teams collapse around the net and leave more room at the point come playoff time. Overall the backend would be bigger, more mobile, more physical and likely an improvement offensively. We'd be much less likely to get eaten alive by Tampa's forecheck, or get pushed aside any time the opposing team wants to get to our net, as we saw Tkachuk/Bennet etc. do so successfully against us,
Woll would be an upgrade over last year's playoff starter in Sammy, while still having Sammy and Jones behind him.
In short, at this point in time:
Larsson > Brodie
Gourde > Jarnkrok
Tanev > Robertson
Borgen > Liljegren
With all those players brining a style of game that has proven success come playoff time, whether you want to acknowledge the abundance of evidence that supports this claim or not. This team could easily be cup favourites, both this year and next.