Leafs Off-Season discussion

First, there's the talk that Dion Phaneuf will be named the latest captain, and first since the departure of Mats Sundin. Good or Bad for Leaf Nation?

The Kessel for Hall/Seguin +++ trade? Burke still stands by it, but was it the right decision for a team that should be rebuilding? What do the fans still think?

Cap issues. Burke has some mess to clean up from JFJ/Fletcher. Burke has said he will send players to the minors and have the team eat their grossly overpaid salaries. Will Finger be riding the bus in the AHL? Or is he worth his $3+M salary?

Who will be their #1? Giguere or Gustavsson?

Will they land Bobby Ryan? Kovalchuk?

What rookies will make the team F/T? Bozak? Mitchell? Kadri?

Kadri and Bozak for sure will make it. Finger gets bought out or buried in the AHL, Phaneuf in all likelihood becomes captain and Gustavvson and Giguere split duties a la Price/Halak

They'll sign a Colby Armstrong/Matt Cooke type, fail miserably at trying to land a TRUE number one center, and call it a summer. Also, will receive less than what most Leaf fans are expecting for Kaberle.

Burke will offer Boston the same package he did for Kessel - two 1sts and a 2nd (2012 and 2013).

I think J-S and the Monster will split, makes sense - Gus has health issues, and Giggy is old.

MAPLE LEAFS THE BEST IN CLASS FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS

Leafs are finally #1 in the NHL for something

It's official: Leafs are NHL's biggest losers," read the front page of Thursday's Toronto Sun.

admitting it is the first part of getting over it.
now let's just bask in that for a moment....

Kaberle to the Devils?

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=324324

If it happens, still no 1st rounder this year...maybe rights to Kovalchuk come to Toronto

I have a hard time believing the Leafs could afford Kovalchuk at $8M+

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=324333 - Phaneuf expected to be name Captain next week, as anticipated.

- Kulemin wants to stay in Toronto but is apparently seeking a $3.5M contract.

Who names a captain in the off-season? Isn't that what training camp is for?

It's also to coincide with their jersey release.

Rumours that Leafs will go hard after Marleau.

Would be a major move on the leafs part, and a good move at that. I'll lose respect for marleau though because he keeps giving the indication he wants to stay out west. That, and he doesn't wanna win so he goes to the leafs

Will they have space for marleau? Their offence would do well with Kessel, Kadri, and Marleau but they got zero defence and no puck movement if they trade Kaberle.

I think the Leafs land their major UFA next season.

They have approx $26 million locked up on their D (including Finger who may be bought out (what a stupid signing)) and Giguere at $6 million (who is a UFA next summer). That's $32 million for their defense and goalie. Add in Kessell at $5.4 million at you're at approximately $37.5 million for 8 players. I know the Leafs have a lot of younger guys expected to make the team next year, but adding a Marleau-sized contract (let's say it's $6 million times 5 years) handicaps them a lot moving forward when their younger guys are all due for raises. I think they'd try to surround Kessell with more than one guy this year and sign a big name the year after when Giguere is off the books (Thornton, Semin, B. Richards, etc).

There really isn't much available outside of a trade this year, but the Leafs don't have much left in terms of picks and likely won't give up their prospects for roster players again (see Rask, Boyes, etc). I guess Kaberle is the key for the Leafs getting a legit top-six forward but he is the biggest piece of their blueline. Would a blueline of Schenn (over-rated), Komisarek (over-rated), Phaneuf, Finger (uch) and Beauchemin (old) really scare that many people? Maybe physically but definitely not offensively.

Marleau will likely go to LA or Anaheim to stay in California.

Burke would want him for less than $6.25M.

Dash wrote:Burke would want him for less than $6.25M.

If he had the choice it will likely be LA. They have the cap space and he'll take them to the next level