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Hammerwise

Member Since
Aug. 7, 2018
Favourite Team
Toronto Maple Leafs
2nd Favourite Team
Philadelphia Flyers
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Forum: Armchair-GM16 hours ago
Thread: REALISTIC Flames fixes
CGY fans will want the moon for Tkachuk and I don't blame them.

However, I think its important to remember that you cant agree an extension first and its a trade of RFA rights.

You'll never trade a tkachuk for tkachuk or a marner for a marner, but you can address other (multiple) problems/areas.

I think something like a Koneckny, Sanheim AND a 2nd or 3rd for Tkachuk's rights alone is probably not far off. (TK put up 50pts without a 1C all season, and a 2C, 2LW, 3LW and Giroux all out for 20 or more games, on a malfunctioning/poorly coached team, which I think is pretty good production, so I think its wrong to not see him as a top 6 winger.) Sanheim, while a pending UFA, is coming off a career year and CGY is still close now, and his salary/resign wouldnt upset balance of team moving forward. So I dont think the offer above is out of whack. (But I'd keep Dube and not make the Boyd acquisition, still leaving 2-3mil for an upgrade somewhere)

I'd have:
Gaudreau-Lindholm-Mangiapane
Toffoli-Backlund-Koneckny
Pelletier-Larsson-Coleman
?-Rucizcka-Dube

Yesterday I put a Couturier/Sanheim/prospect Desnoyes and pick offer for Tkachuk.
Forum: Armchair-GM16 hours ago
Forum: Armchair-GM16 hours ago
Thread: Next Year
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Dmh1055</b></div><div>From what I am looking at rather than buying out JVR he could still be shipped off for Zaitsev. I'm not sure Ottawa would include a pick with Zaitsev though. The Flyers prize is some cap relief this year and still having a player they could use. Zaitsev would be a bit of an insurance policy on Ellis helping keep the team afloat if he gets injured again or ends up not even being healthy since that is still in question. I like that idea.

I also still like using the additional cap space to help acquire Holl and a 1st round pick. We all like Fedotov but it is possible he's not ready and Mrazek ends up being a nice backup option.

As far as LW goes, Lindblom is a possible buyout option so I'm not sure I'm ready to consider him the 2nd best LW on the team. Noah Cates proved in my opinion that he's a responsible 3rd line LW that can likely score 15 to 20 goals next season. Desnoyers would be a very young player but he would be the playmaking winger you're thinking of so I'd like to see him have the opportunity to make it. The other LW that is not being mentioned is Scott Laughton. He can fill any hole on that side rather than being the 4th line center. Ratcliffe also looked good as a 4th line LW in his short stint so I'd be fine with him getting a look there. If Laughton moves to LW that opens the 4th line center spot to a veteran like Patrick Brown or to Zayde Wisdom or Tanner Lacynski.

Fletcher looks bad because of the injuries. You are right. He was aggressive last offseason and it should have been good. But now, he needs to be patient and see if Ellis can be healthy. Any other big UFA signing will have minimal effect on the team's fortunes if Ellis can't be healthy at all. This is what makes Zaitsev a worthwhile risky addition for the team.</div></div>

Agree on the Zaitsev, something I'ver posted on here many times before.

I think alot of posters think that we'll retain 50% on JVR for nothing back, when it cost similar amount to put him in the minors. He has some value, but I expect, like you, he'll be dealt for an equally bad spare part (Zaitsev from OTT, Hoffman from MTL, Kassian from EDM, etc...)
Forum: Armchair-GMWed. at 11:24 a.m.
Thread: TML 22-23 Championship Recipe
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Ritzy</b></div><div>I didn't realize he had 27 points. In thinking about it, I'm kind of impressed. He went through a few stretches of missing multiple games, hard to get back into a rhythm when you are constantly missing time. Plus he was moved around the lineup, making it harder to develop chemistry with your linemates. But missing that time also takes away some of his value.

I'd take a gamble on him again for another one year deal. No point in dealing his rights if they aren't worth anything. He was fantastic early on in the season when on a line with Kampf and Engvall, two guys who will be back.</div></div>

Exactly, and I agree he might get a 1 year deal, I just dont know if its worth the RFA raise to see if he can stay healthy. About 1.75 would be my limit, but he/arbitrator may want more for a 1 yr deal
Forum: Armchair-GMWed. at 9:48 a.m.
Thread: Next Year
While PHI for Holl for a 4th sounds about right, it works for both teams and is a good fit/price

I'd have to say Mrazek at 3.8mil (and a NTC) will cost more than a 3rd (approx 70th overall). After the year hes had with 2 more yrs at 3.8mil, thats alot for a unreliable backup, and ARZ would be better off just overpaying somebody in UFA, or hitting the salary floor elsewhere.

Its also about need, ARZ doesn;t need Mrazek as much as TOR needs to move him.

I'm not saying it cost tons, but with the leafs so close to the cap, they really dont want to buy him out (Dubas would look far worse with that buyout penalty, than he does now), but that is a better option than having to add another 3rd. I think a higher midlevel prospect thrown in might do it. Or some kind of package like Mrazek, Sandin's rights and TOR 1st for Crouse kind of thing.
Forum: Armchair-GMWed. at 7:46 a.m.
Thread: Trading kadri destroyed this team
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>JaredOfLondon</b></div><div>amazing, you are literally trying to spin getting free cheap players who might develop into something or who are marlies as a bad thing. Just incredible. The Korskov part is my favourite, he was drafted by Hunter under Lou</div></div>

You;'re right I had some other player in mind.

Ultimately my point is that its wasting time, resources and losing development time, and many Leaf fans get distracted and think they've found the next undiscovered gem. Its not so much taking a chance, as it really just wastes time and distracts.

I guess my question to you, what do you think they need to do?

I dont think its as simple as saying, we got close against a team on a roll. Do you think the Leafs stay the course and that they'll just get better/face a weaker opponent? That they might see a second round as the youngest 3 of the big 4 start to hit UFA.

To me making the 2nd round isnt a victory, but not making the 2nd round and seemingly having a different reason why each year, is symptomatic of a problem. To think that Matthews and Marner might hit UFA without really making hay in the playoffs is shocking.
Did this year look good for progression, one of the teams best chances? It did, (as did the collapse versus BOS). But really just expecting other teams to be weaker and for the Leafs to get better doesn;t sound right either, when the Leaf options to do so are limited.
Forum: Armchair-GMWed. at 7:26 a.m.
Thread: Trading kadri destroyed this team
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>DirtyDangle</b></div><div>amirov was just bad luck. can't really blame dubas for that. however the rest is valid. id add the muzzin trade, and overpaying star players to that list too.</div></div>

Agree, Amirov was a great pick that unfortunately isn;t going to provide the much needed player.

I would add to the weak GMing with the annual "shots in the dark" across the ocean like Lehtonen, Barbanov, Petan, Korshov, Malgin, the Russian center we signed this year, with hardly any working out. Or the usually meaningless and sometimes costly ANNUAL trades to address team toughness/physicality like Foligno, or even the multiple ridiculous moves in 21-22 to address the same problem we had in 20-21: Kurtis Gabriel, Ritchie, Simmonds, Clifford, Giordano and now Curtis Douglas.

And again after a valiant first round exit, we sit with one real KEY bluechip prospect in Robertson, just a 1st and 3rd in next 2 drafts, and no 4th, 5th, 6th this year (and lacking a 3rd in 2024). So we dont even have quality ELC to fill holes in the lineup. We have through the years developed some great depth players on mid level salaries that we cant afford. And yet most Leaf fans want to deal one of the big 4 that makes the least money.

That one decision to acquire Tavares, has limited or changed most decisions since then, and the team has not progressed.
Forum: Armchair-GMWed. at 7:01 a.m.
Thread: Trading kadri destroyed this team
Put it this way, the quickest way to compare is think if the team is better with 11mil Tavares OR Kadri, and TWO of Conor Brown, Kapanen and AJohnsson for 11.1mil.

Thats a pretty deep forward corps.

You'd have to make a bunch of other changes and what ifs to go back in time, but ultimately its really simple to think of the three players you could have kept from that time for the same price/cap hit.

Ultimately it was a very poor decision to make that move, with Matthews/Marner/Nylander all coming into big paydays, which has since that point limited what the club could do financially. Many teams, including cap winners have had huge salaries tied up in 4-5 players, PIT had Crosby, Malkin, Letang, and MAF, LA had Quick, Doughty, Kopitar, CHI had Kane, Toews, Keith, Crawford, but the difference is that no one had 4 huge salaries all at forward.

It hasn;t worked.

Kadri was the whipping boy for Leaf losses, then Andersen, it goes on and on, without ever actually fixing the team, and yet Shanahan continues to march out the same flawed model.
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