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Imagining the Leafs’ Summer Plans

source : http://thehockeywriters.com

The Leafs have been eliminated from the Playoffs and while the season melts down into yet another controversy I don’t feel like wasting my time caring about (Bernier spoke the truth? For shame!

Kessel and the coach are at odds? I doubt we’ll be seeing much of either of them come June, so who cares?) we can now safely turn our attention to the summer and participate in the one thing that is fun about cheering for a bad team: the future.

The Leafs (barring a late-season winning streak by the Oilers or – God Forbid! – themselves) look firmly entrenched in 27th place, which means that they will (barring their own lottery win, or one by a team below them) likely pick fourth in the upcoming draft.

That means a likely choice between Dylan Strome and Mitch Marner.

If I am the Leafs in this position, I’d be kinda mad.  Eichel or McDavid give us the no-miss #1 C the team has craved since Sundin and potentially the type of generational star that Toronto has never seen.  Noah Hanifin as a partner for Morgan Rielly for the next decade is the next best possible outcome, but a consolation prize of Dylan Strome – who I’d take right now based off what I can read about both players at this time – is nothing to scoff at.

Hey, Nice Jersey! Dylan Strome (Aaron Bell/OHL Images)

Strome is 6’3 centre who’ll be over 200lbs by the time he suits up in the NHL. That’s size almost comparable to Joe Thornton, and his pass first, “not a great skater but supreme vision and passing skills” sound reminiscent of Thornton’s own scouting report (although I get the impression that Strome likes shooting a bit more).

Besides Joe Thornton, I’ve heard Nick Backstrom and John Tavares as NHL comparables, with the “aggressiveness of a Perry or Kessler” thrown in for good measure. Since Marner projects as a winger and I’ve had about my fill of a team built around soft forwards, I’ll be very, very happy to pick-up a brand-new Strome Leafs Jersey the day after the draft.(If that sounds like I’m calling Marner soft, I’m not. I just like how aggressive Strome sounds like he is).

There Is At Least 1 More Pick, But First: Trades

The Leafs currently hold the free-falling Predators’ first pick, but before moving on to that pick, I’d like to indulge our collective fantasies in some good-old-fashioned trade talk.
In my opinion, the Leafs need to reboot this entire roster.  Outside of young players like Panik and old players with no value like Robidas, I would be willing to move anyone and everyone, with the exception of Kadri, Gardiner and – of course – Rielly and Nylander.

(Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Phil Kessel:

While I have written in his defense and have also suggested that we not be so hasty to move him out of town, I think that ship has sailed. When it’s all said and done, watching Hamilton have a Norris Trophy worthy season while Seguin competes for the Art Ross makes me sick to my stomach.

Sorry to everyone I ever tried to convince about Brian Burke’s genius or the merits of that trade.
But, that can’t affect our evaluation of the current asset and Kessel’s potential measured against wasting his prime years as the team rebuilds and the fact that he’s coming off more and more as a petulant baby by the day, makes me think he isn’t worth the headache.  Send him to a team that will love his scoring where he can be a complimentary piece like he should have been here.

To that end, I trade him on the draft floor to the Panthers for their first round pick (11th today) Erik Gudbranson (6’5 former #3 overall pick with a 49% CF and being utilized basically as the Panthers 6th D, with the caveat that he does play some tough shut-down minutes) and Rocco Grimaldi (potential superstar if not for the fact he is 5’6, 160).

I believe this is a realistic package for a player who has 50 goal potential and is (removing this year where he was really unlucky as well as in a horrible situation) in his prime. The Leafs get a pick, a failed pick who might turn out to be really good and a prospect with crazy potential in the Theo Fleury mold.

James Van Riemsdyk:

As the pretend GM of the Leafs, I surprise the hockey world by trading both of my star wingers on the draft floor. The reasoning: if you’re gonna rebuild, do it right.  I send JVR to the Islanders (desperate for a star winger to round out the Tavares/Okposo combo after losing in the Conference Final) in exchange for potential star defenseman Griffin Rienhart, a 6’4 200lbs player with massive potential who the Islanders don’t really have a spot for at this time.



Tyler Bozak and Joffrey Lupul: 

I trade Tyler Bozak to whoever wants him for whatever they’ll pay for him and then count myself lucky to be rid of his contract.  The same goes with Joffrey Lupul.  Any 2nd to late round picks these turkeys might bring back are pure gravy.

Jonathan Bernier:

He’s actually better than you think, but the team in front of him is so bad (for example he’s faced 40 shots or more in roughly a quarter of his starts) it’s hard to notice.  I think a team in  need of a goalie would want him and so after the Jets fail to advance past the first round, the Leafs send him west in exchange for Alex Bermistrov.

Bermistrov is a 23 year old former first rounder who couldn’t get a contract done with the Jets and is playing in Russia. He remains an intriguing NHL prospect who is a good skater and above average defensive player, and it would be a coupe for the Leafs to get him.

Dion Phaneuf:

It will make me sad to see the Leafs trade their captain, and who knows – maybe they won’t.  If you move out the rest of the current core group and realize that Dion makes an amazing #3 and a pretty good #2, it’s not the worst idea to keep him.  But, I want to burn this mother to the ground, so I trade him anyway, even though he get’s a bad rap and is a way better player than most Leafs fans are willing to admit.

While Detroit is the obvious destination, they refuse to send me Anthony Mantha and I end up trading Phaneuf to the Stars for the 5’11 defenseman Julius Honka (14th overall last year) and a second round pick.

(Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports)

Back to the Draft

Now that the Leafs have acquired Florida and Nashville’s picks, it behooves us to see who is available at the spots they will potentially pick at.

With Florida’s 11th overall pick, the Leafs take Jakub Zboril.  Zboril is a fast skating defenseman with decent size who can fit the mold of the puck-moving, high possession team the Leafs want to build.  He projects as an above average two-way defenseman with a heavy shot and “high hockey sense” (Craig Button).

With the Predator’s 20th overall pick, the Leafs take Jeremy Roy.  Roy is an offensive defenseman who has an extremely high ceiling, based on everything I can gather about him.  He may be similar to Zboril, but I think hockey teams are built through the blueline, so I take him and hope that one or the other turns into a star puck-mover.

 Final Analysis

Now, I get that it’s easy to be cynical, but this is just a fun activity. Do I overate what teams may pay for the Leafs players? Probably. Are the Leafs likely to make four or five trades leading up to the draft and end up with three first round picks? No.

But who cares? The team has been brutal this year and it’s a fun activity to image what the team might get in return for tearing this thing down. Let us look at what a future Leafs lineup may look like, assuming they could actually pull off anything close to what I’ve proposed here.

Forward:

Bermistrov – Strome – Nylander
Leipsic – Kadri – Grimaldi
Panik –   Holland – Brown
Leivo – Gauthier – Komarov

Defense:

Rielly –  Honka
Reinhart – Gudbranson
Gardiner –  Roy
Zboril

Goalie:  James Reimer

OK, I know it isn’t exactly realistic, but how ecstatic would you be if after this summer, the Leafs rebuild resembled anything close to this?  Phil who?

Thanks for reading.

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Can Sergei Gonchar help the Canadiens?

The primary reason for the trade of Travis Moen for Sergei Gonchar may be cap space in 2015-16, but in the meantime, can Gonchar contribute anything positive to the Habs?

Source : habseyesontheprize.com

Before we start, let's address one key thing, Sergei Gonchar isn't going to fix the Montreal Canadiens' powerplay. Gonchar had 22 points last season, 15 of which were on the powerplay, one fewer point than Ryan Whitney, who is playing in the KHL and can barely skate due to multiple ankle injuries that have destroyed his career. Gonchar played on the first wave of the Stars' powerplay last year, which clocked in at 23rd in the NHL, converting on only 15.9% of their opportunities. At 40 years old, Gonchar is not the elite offensive talent that he once was.

The Habs' powerplay also isn't struggling due to personnel, but due to poor tactics, and a little bit of bad shooting luck. Sergei Gonchar isn't going to have the other four skaters he's on the ice with dump the puck in less, unless he's magic.

What Gonchar can do is provide a little supplemental offense on the powerplay, however at this stage in his career I highly doubt that he will be more effective than Nathan Beaulieu. However the powerplay is a very tiny portion of the game, and at even strength, Gonchar looks like a liability.

Where the trade looks bad

Sergei Gonchar is a familiar face for Michel Therrien. He was the top defenseman on the Penguins when he was the head coach there, and Gonchar being injured in 2008-09 is likely the main reason why Therrien was fired, then replaced by Dan Bylsma en route to a Stanley Cup.

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How does Gonchar impact Beaulieu & Tinordi
Scott Matla

Back then, Gonchar was an elite defenseman, similar to Andrei Markov now, and there's a very real possibility that Therrien will see Gonchar as he was 5 or 6 years ago instead of what he is now. As it stands, last season at age 39 only nice NHL defensemen who played 750 or more even strength minutes were given a higher percentage of offensive zone starts than Gonchar was, and only 15 NHL defensemen took a lower percentage of defensive zone starts.

Keep in mind that Dallas has a very, very weak defense, yet still the veteran Gonchar was very sheltered, and the results he gave in those minutes were underwhelming at best, with his team scoring just 46.1% of the goals while he was on the ice, taking 48.2% of the shots, and 48.8% of the shot attempts. The Stars were just under 2% better at controlling shot attempts when Gonchar was off the ice than when he was on it.

To be clear, Gonchar isn't Douglas Murray-level bad, but he's not someone who is going to make many teams better. If the Canadiens are going to make the mistake of putting Sergei Gonchar in the lineup consistently over Jarred Tinordi and Nathan Beaulieu, the team will be significantly worse in essentially every situation.

Where the trade looks good

Travis Moen has some value on the defensive side of the puck, but he is essentially no longer a useful player outside of shorthanded situations. Clearing his nearly league-low possession rate out of the Habs' lineup should help the fourth line be more effective, and likely produce a little more offense.


Moen was making $1.85M this season, and next season, while Gonchar is an unrestricted free against this summer. The Habs have the cap space to accommodate his $4.6M salary (Dallas is retaining $400K) this year, but next year they have new deals to sign with Brendan Gallagher, Alex Galchenyuk, Nathan Beaulieu, Jarred Tinordi, and Michael Bournival. Couple that with the recent stories of the Canadian dollar sinking and the cap possibly not rising, and you can see why Bergevin moved Moen's contract when he could.

If the Canadiens are smart and only use Gonchar as an injury replacement, or a veteran willing to sit in the press box for most of the season while the kids develop, hopefully providing some leadership and guidance, the move is perfect.

Room for optimism?

Two seasons ago Sergei Gonchar put up an unbelievable season for his age in Ottawa, playing semi-sheltered minutes, Gonchar was one of Ottawa's best defensemen. However that was the lockout shortened year, and the difference between 38 and 40 for athletes is, unfortunately, a lot. There is almost no chance that he can recapture that form now.

Rumor Roundup: Colorado’s struggles could result in shake up for Avalanche core

Source : Hockeynews.com

The Colorado Avalanche are currently struggling to recapture last season’s 52-win, 112-point performance. Entering this week, the Avs have won only four games while their 13 points in 16 games left them near the bottom of the Western Conference standings.

It was a matter of time until their early difficulties sparked some trade speculation. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports it’s believed Avalanche GM Joe Sakic and coach Patrick Roy could shake things up if the club fails to get its act together soon.

Garrioch speculates they might get desperate enough to move some of their young assets for immediate help. He notes the Avalanche and New York Rangers need defensive help and were following each other around lately. One shouldn’t read too much into that, as they’re likely scouting each other ahead of their November 13 game in New York.

It’s clear, however, the Avalanche need defensive help. They’re among the NHL’s worst teams in shots-against and goals-against per game. They struggled defensively last season as well, but goaltender Semyon Varlamov‘s strong performance compensated for those weaknesses. Varlamov’s doing his best again this season, but opponents are doing a better job taking advantage of the Avs poor defensive game.

Garrioch didn’t specify which young assets the Avalanche might move. The obvious assumption is someone from their core group of forwards, which includes Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly.

O’Reilly’s contentious contract negotiations history with the Avalanche could prompt some trade speculation. Like his teammates, the 23-year-old winger is having a tough start, with 9 points in 16 games and a plus/minus of minus-11. However, he’s also the Avs best two-way forward and trading him won’t address their needs.

While the Avalanche’s performance last season dazzled many observers, their young core will go through some growing pains as they develop. The same can be said for Sakic and Roy, who are still relatively new to management at the NHL level. They could seemingly do no wrong last season, but they’re now experiencing their first real test of adversity.

For now, they’ll likely remain patient and try to resolve their defensive issues internally. If they do go shopping for help, don’t expect them to part with anyone from their young core.

TEAMS ON HUNT FOR BLUELINE HELP

The Avalanche apparently aren’t the only club in need of blueline help. Garrioch claims the Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks have all made calls for defensemen.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman claims the Montreal Canadiens were also seeing what’s available. He also notes the New York Rangers extended a tryout invitation to veteran blueliner Tomas Kaberle, who last played in the NHL in 2013. The Providence Journal’s Mark Divver cites an NHL source claiming the Boston Bruins sought help for their injury-depleted defense.


Friedman spoke with an NHL GM who said he’d been in touch with an NHL team that had eight defensemen on one-way contract, but they apparently wish to retain them all. Given how defensemen are currently at a premium, it’s not surprising those clubs well stocked with defensive depth are reluctant to make any moves right now. The longer they maintain that depth, the greater the trade value.

SHARKS: THORNTON REMAINS FIRM, HE'S STAYING

Source : thefourthperiod.com

Veteran center Joe Thornton reiterated his feelings about playing for the San Jose Sharks, telling the Toronto Sun he has no intention of waiving his no-trade clause. Rumors popped up all summer over the Sharks fielding calls for Thornton and teammate Patrick Marleau, who also has a no-trade clause.
Thornton, 35, wants to stay in San Jose and believes the Sharks have what it takes to compete for the Stanley Cup. <"I think we have a really good team that has a legitimate chance of doing something," Thornton told the Sun. "If I didn't think that, I don't think I'd still be here. But I still think we have a good group of guys and we can do something.
"You always hear the talk about teams inquiring and stuff, and the trade rumors. You hear your name in trade rumors. But I've never really thought about leaving at all. I always considered coming back.
"I know (Sharks GM Doug Wilson) always said we were going younger. But I always thought we still have some young guys, and that I can still help the young guys as much as I can. I think we have a really good team."
TFP reported numerous times during the off-season that while the Sharks were receiving calls, they never approached Thornton about the possibility of a move, something he confirmed to the Sun.
"(Wilson) never asked me to waive my no-trade (clause)," he said.
Thornton reaffirmed his plan to "finish my career as a Shark," even if other teams try to pluck him away from California.
"It's flattering, sure, that other teams would want to trade assets to acquire me, for sure," he said. "It's just like any employee who works for Ford and GM wants you. It's flattering. That's the way I look at it."

Hockey card of the day : 2004-05 ITG Heroes and Prospects #119 Alexander Ovechkin

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Source : Beckett.com

Item Details

• Set: 2004-05 ITG Heroes and Prospects
• Player: Ovechkin, Alexander (Alex)
• Sport: Hockey
• Card Number: #119
• Manufacturer: In the Game
• Brand: ITG Heroes and Prospects

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Hockey card of the day - 1990-91 Upper Deck #526 Pavel Bure RC

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Source : Beckett.com

      Item Details

• Set: 1990-91 Upper Deck
• Player: Bure, Pavel
• Sport: Hockey
• Team: Vancouver Canucks
• Attributes: RC
• Card Number: #526
• Manufacturer: Upper Deck Co.
• Brand: Upper Deck

Hockey card of the day : 1994-95 Select #165 Jarome Iginla RC #card #hockey #trade #nhl

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Source : Beckett.com

      Item Details

• Set: 1994-95 Select
• Player: Iginla, Jarome
• Sport: Hockey
• Attributes: RC
• Card Number: #165
• Manufacturer: Pinnacle/Score
• Brand: Select

Hockey card of the day : 1997 Bowman CHL #32 Joe Thornton #card #hockey #trade #nhl

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• Set: 1997 Bowman CHL
• Player: Thornton, Joe
• Sport: Hockey
• Card Number: #32
• Manufacturer: Topps Co.
• Brand: Bowman CHL

Hockey card of the day : 1980-81 O-Pee-Chee #289 Mark Messier UER RC #card #hockey #trade #nhl

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Source : Beckett.com

      Item Details

• Set: 1980-81 O-Pee-Chee
• Player: Messier, Mark
• Sport: Hockey
• Team: Edmonton Oilers
• Attributes: RC
• Card Number: #289
• Manufacturer: O-Pee-Chee
• Brand: O-Pee-Chee

Hockey card of the day : 1984-85 O-Pee-Chee #385 Steve Yzerman LL #card #hockey #trade #nhl

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Source : Beckett.com

      

      Item Details

• Set: 1984-85 O-Pee-Chee
• Player: Yzerman, Steve
• Sport: Hockey
• Team: Detroit Red Wings
• Card Number: #385
• Manufacturer: O-Pee-Chee
• Brand: O-Pee-Chee

Hockey card of the day : 1990-91 Bowman #169 Joe Sakic #card #hockey #trade

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      Item Details

• Set: 1990-91 Bowman
• Player: Sakic, Joe
• Sport: Hockey
• Team: Quebec Nordiques
• Card Number: #169
• Manufacturer: Topps Co.
• Brand: Bowman

Hockey card of the day : 1986-87 O-Pee-Chee #53 Patrick Roy RC #card #hockey #trade

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 Source : Beckett.com

Item Details

• Set: 1986-87 O-Pee-Chee
• Player: Roy, Patrick
• Sport: Hockey
• Team: Montreal Canadiens
• Attributes: RC
• Card Number: #53
• Manufacturer: O-Pee-Chee
• Brand: O-Pee-Chee

Hockey card of the day : 1985-86 O-Pee-Chee #262 Mario Lemieux LL #card #hockey #trade

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      Item Details

• Set: 1985-86 O-Pee-Chee
• Player: Lemieux, Mario
• Sport: Hockey
• Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
• Card Number: #262
• Manufacturer: O-Pee-Chee
• Brand: O-Pee-Chee

Hockey card of the day : 1990-91 Score #439 Martin Brodeur RC #card #hockey #trade

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 Source : Beckett.com   

     Item Details

• Set: 1990-91 Score
• Player: Brodeur, Martin
• Sport: Hockey
• Team: New Jersey Devils
• Attributes: RC
• Card Number: #439
• Manufacturer: Pinnacle/Score
• Brand: Score

Hockey card of the day : Joe Sakic (Rookie Card) 1989-1990 OPC #card #hockey #trade

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 Source: Beckett.com

 

Item Details

• Set: 1989-90 O-Pee-Chee
• Player: Sakic, Joe
• Sport: Hockey
• Team: Quebec Nordiques
• Attributes: RC
• Card Number: #113
• Manufacturer: O-Pee-Chee
• Brand: O-Pee-Chee

Hockey card of the day : Jaromir Jagr (Rookie Card) 1990-1991 OPC #card #hockey #trade

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Source : Beckett.com

Item Details

• Set: 1990-91 OPC Premier
• Player: Jagr, Jaromir
• Sport: Hockey
• Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
• Attributes: RC
• Card Number: #50
• Manufacturer: O-Pee-Chee
• Brand: OPC Premier

Hockey card of the day : Wayne Greztky (Rookie Card) 1979-80 TOPPS #card #hockey #trade

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   Source : Beckett.com                                                 

       Item Details

• Set: 1979-80 Topps
• Player: Gretzky, Wayne
• Sport: Hockey
• Attributes: RC
• Card Number: #18
• Manufacturer: Topps Co.
• Brand: Topps

Habs : The ten most impactful Habs trades of the 90's: Corson for Damphousse

Source : habseyesontheprize

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While the 90's were a particularly bad decade for the Habs in terms of trades, not every trade was a complete failure. In the 1992 off-season, the Habs acquired eventual captain Vincent Damphousse from the Edmonton Oilers.

So, the last article in this series was not so upbeat. But, unlike the Chelios for Savard trade, this one worked out quite nicely, and immediately for the Canadiens. In the 1992 off-season, the Habs shipped the ever-dependable Shayne Corson to Edmonton and received Vincent Damphousse in return. The Quebec native would go on to win a Stanley Cup with Montreal and captain the team.

Vincent Damphousse was originally drafted by the Leafs, sixth overall in the 1986 draft. He spent five seasons with them, and was quite successful in the stats department, but the leafs sent him to Edmonton anyways in 1991. Oilers GM Glen Sather once said of him that the only French-Canadian player with more skill was Mario Lemieux. Pretty high praise, and deservedly so. In his first season with the Oilers, he racked up 89 points and helped them to the Conference Finals before being swept by Chicago. In spite of a great season, and Glen Sather's praise of the French-Canadian forward, he would be shipped to Montreal after that year.

Shayne Corson was the big name coming the other way for the Oilers in the deal. Corson joined the Habs full-time in 1986 after playing only a few games in the 85-86 cup-winning season. He was an excellent player with the Canadiens, consistently good for 50-plus points in nearly all of his seven (original) seasons with the club. While Corson was productive, I'm not sure what the thinking was in Edmonton at the time. Damphousse had put up 94, 73, and 89 points in his last three seasons with the Leafs and Oilers, whereas Corson's best season to that point was a 75 point effort. I feel comfortable saying that at one-for-one this trade would be entirely unfair for Edmonton.

But contrary to what the title of this article may suggest, Corson and Damphousse were not the only players involved in the deal. The Canadiens also shipped Brent Gilchrist and Vladmir Vujtek to Edmonton, and received a fourth-round pick in 1993 along with Damphousse. The Habs used the pick to select Adam Wiesel, who never wound up playing for the team. Brent Gilchrist only played one season in Edmonton, and was not much of a difference maker, while Vladmir Vujtek spent most of his career overseas, and only appeared in 70 games over two seasons in Edmonton. So, while it was not a straight up trade at the time, in hindsight it kinda was.

If you evaluate this trade on a one-for-one basis, which I'm inclined to do, it is a pretty clear win. The Habs managed to get a major difference maker whereas the Oilers got one dependable top-six player and two depth players. Now, if that sacrifice of depth hurt the team, I'd be pissed. But, Damphousse went on to put up 97 points his first season in Montreal, added 23 points in the playoffs and had a drink from Lord Stanley's mug. Clearly the loss of the other two players had no effect on the success of the Canadiens, rather it gave them the piece they needed to bring home a championship.

I'm not knocking Corson, but this was a heck of a deal for the Canadiens during a time period where almost every other trade went very badly. Even if you're a big Corson fan, he came back to the team in 1996 anyways, so he wasn't really gone that long. When I think about this trade I wonder if Oilers fans felt like they got a good deal at the time. They got three players in return for one player and a fourth-rounder, which I bet seemed like a sweet deal considering that Corson was a very good player. In hindsight, clearly the benefactors of this trade were us Habs fans.

In a decade where the once-dominant franchise was decimated by a number of terrible trades, this one is a diamond in the rough. After the lockout finished this year, and the Habs finally had their "raise the torch" season opener, I was like a little schoolgirl when Damphousse was passed the torch. He is the only Habs captain of my 23 year lifetime that I've loved nearly as much as Saku Koivu. And, in my opinion, this was probably the best trade made by the Habs in the 1990's.


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