Latest on Jonathan Bernier, Patrick Marleau, Mike Green, Joffrey Lupul and Andrew Hammond
Latest on Bernier, Marleau and Green.
Does Jonathan Bernier have a future in Toronto?
SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman, in his recent edition of “30 Thoughts”, speculated over Jonathan Bernier’s future with the Toronto Maple Leafs. “Of all the players rumoured to be dealt in Toronto, the one with the biggest financial incentive to ask out is Jonathan Bernier,” writes Friedman. He notes the Leafs goalie’s time to cash in is this summer or next, which explains why management is hesitant to commit long term right now, especially after Bernier’s had a bad year… Friedman also noted the poor production this season of long-time San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau, who has a full no-movement clause…Mike Green’s desire to re-sign with the Washington Capitals could depend upon the cost of re-signing goaltender Braden Holtby…Friedman also believes the Ottawa Senators will re-sign goalie Andrew Hammond and then trade either Craig Anderson or Robin Lehner. It’s possible Lehner could be the odd man out, given his struggles and concerns over his mental game this season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bernier is a restricted free agent this summer. If the Leafs only re-sign him to a one-year deal, he’ll become eligible next summer for UFA status. The Leafs have to decide if Bernier’s their starter or not…Good luck moving Marleau. Like teammate Joe Thornton, he controls his future…Even if Green were to accept a pay cut, the Capitals probably can’t afford to re-sign him. Holtby’s going to get a big raise, plus they must also re-sign fellow RFAs Marcus Johansson and Evgeny Kuznetsov, as well as re-sign or replace UFAs like Joel Ward, Curtis Glencross, Eric Fehr and Jay Beagle…If Hammond carries the Senators into the playoffs he’ll almost certainly be re-signed, likely meaning Lehner hits the trade block.
Some interest in Lupul.
NICHOLS ON HOCKEY: TSN’s Darre Dreger reports there were some teams with interest in Toronto Maple Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul before the trade deadline, though he doubts there’s going to be clubs lining up for Lupul in the offseason. Dreger claims the St. Louis Blues were among those with some interest in the Leafs winger, plus the Ottawa Senators “kicked the tires.” He notes Lupul, when healthy, still has some scoring upside, but the trick is convincing a rival GM his injuries are due simply to bad luck.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lupul also has three years remaining on his contract at an annual cap hit of $5.25 million, though in actual salary he’ll earn $6.75 million next season. That, plus his injury history, won’t make him easy to trade this summer. The Leafs will likely have to pick up part of his salary.
Depending on the direction, they go withsome of the others and how the trade situation shakes out, maybe you keep Lupul. Going need an older guy or 2 to stick around to ice a roster. The guys that you dont jave to hold any salary or at least the least amount of salary go first. If it requires holding a bunch oo Lupuls contract or getting next to nothing as a return, keep him. He is not a personality that Id be worried about having around a young team. At this point I dont think his injury concerns are a big issue next year, if anything it could be helpful to evaluate guy for short periods of time while they fill in. There will be enough turn over that the cap shouldnt be an issue, and with the approach the Leafs are looking at I doubt they will throw a tonne of money on long term deals to UFAs this year.
I dont think its a great idea or smart thinking to hold a tone of salary for 3 players again next year and get nothing back just so you can say “We did it!.. we traded everybody!”
I really like Lupul, despite the ‘heartless’ stretch the entire team has shown since New Years. He always seemed to have chemistry with anyone put on his line, and be an offensive generator.
It is true we will need older players to stick around, lead and create an figment of competition during the rebuild. Assuming Kessel is traded Lupul is the sort of player that could be promoted to the top line and not look out of place, while being extra productive with the extra time on ice.
The way I see it. Next year assuming Kessel is gone Lupul will go to playing 18 minutes 1st line minutes and top PP minutes. This will allow him inflate his stats, and likely make a competing GM weak in the knees for his potential assuming he stays healthy until the trade deadline.
Lupul is NOT the guy I want leading our young, talented players… I’ve heard some talk that he has trouble staying focused off the ice, and he doesn’t exactly take it easy and nurse his injuries when he’s on the IR. I won’t go into detail because I don’t want to get a lawsuit filed against me, but I think we’d be better served having guys with slightly better off-ice tendencies leading our group of youngsters
1 year 4 mill deal for Bernier, or deal him, if he signs the 1 year deal still try and move him next year. Reimer is signed Sparx Gibson and Bibeau have all looked ok for parts of this year, if you are rebuilding use what you can get from Bernier, go back to a tandem situation and see what you have in the young goalies in the system….Time to maximise the number of picks and youth you can get back, so hopefully it turns around faster than a decade.
I think we can all agree that Bernier hasn’t shown that he is a bonified #1 goalie in this league. Coupled with the fact that the Leafs are going to go through a rebuild, I think it would be smart to package Bernier and something else to a team that’s looking for a young goaltender(Edm/SJ) and get draft picks and prospects in return.
According to Doug Mclean on Hockey Central At Noon today, the muttering around the league is that clubs are looking more and more for the goalie who is huge – like Bishop – and who make scoring sights a lot more difficult for the shooter.
With all the Leaf bashing yesterday, I’m surprised no one pointed it out that Kessel’s slump coincided with the change in coaching and style of play.
Why does management fire a coach who is in a playoff spot for an assistant coach with virtually no experience??
Why does this same team all of a sudden decide it’s time to play defensive hockey, when your team has been built to run and gun?
Why isn’t the fan base noticing that Phil’s possession numbers are way up under the new system, but goal totals are way down.
Why do you take one of the most dangerous lines in hockey and split them up?
Because you are trying to tank. Fans blame the Oil and Sabres for tanking, but refuse to acknowledge the obvious fact that Toronto is throwing away the season for a chance to get a game changer.
Leaf fans and haters alike are more than happy to throw Phil under the bus and make him the scapegoat. IMHO, the reality is ownership is doing everything it can to throw the season in order to get a shot at a game changer and make their revenues soar even higher. They pointed the finger at the team to turn the heat off of the real problem in Toronto.
I think parts of this are true…not the coaching change that was overdue, Randys system failed miserably in Anaheim aswell once Pronger and Niedermyer left, was a fluke in a shortened season proved unsustainable last year and in all likelyhood would have failed the same this year, but yes management has alot to do with how this team is performing and yes alot of people are looking at the wrong culprits.
I dont believe at all it is intentionally (way too many moving pieces, like what if when they fired Randy and let Horachek take over they improved? They would not have fired 2 coaches in a season, and as you pointed out some things have actually improved possession is better, Gardiner and Rielly look better…) tanking but if thats the results that spring from these changes all the better.
I said at the beginning of the year this is not a playoff team, the changes have showed its worse than expected.. I think this group of guys 1 isnt as cohesive as they thought they were, goaltending is a big issue still and a possession type game relies so heavily on centers and D and the Leafs only really have 1 decent center and they have no top pairing D and only 3 NHL level D (at this point) the season was doomed from the beginning, there is no tank here.
The only guy you really have to convince if you want to tank is Bernier … He had a bad season yes, but might be for a reason. I’m sure Bernier would succeed just like Halak if you give him a real shot with a real team
At what point are the Sabres TRYING to tank? They’ve been steadily getting worse and it was all but known going into this season that they would be one of, if not THE worst team in the league. This was mentioned by ownership two years ago, that they needed to rebuild their team as they dealt away guys like Miller and Vanek.
The trade giving away their goalie Michal Neuvrith leaving them with Anders Lindback and Chad Johnson was obviously designed to lower their ability to win games. Neither of those goalies are playing well and neither of them have any long term appeal. They had a young starting goalie with a reasonable contract and solid potential and threw him away for a backup goalie and mid pick. Neuvrith was winning them games they didn’t deserve to win and they couldn’t have that with Edmonton, Carolina, and Toronto falling worse in the standings.
Neuvirth is a UFA, why wouldn’t they trade him? They received Johnson and a draft pick in return. He can sign with Buffalo in the offseason if that is what both parties want. We all know that Buffalo wants the #1 pick as do all the other teams in the running, but faulting them for trading UFA’s, makes no sense…they are not taking a run at the playoffs.
Neuvirth was a ufa, its called asset management so not trading him at the deadline for other assets is just plain dumb.
Ummm…the Sabers started to tank the moment they dropped the puck in the exhibition games in september.
About the same time the Leafs shoulda started dealing.
I think the Sabres’ rebuild started when McDavid was in PeeWee. Buffalo had core of complacent players that hadn’t won anything since Drury and Briere left town in 2007. They were due a total rebuild. And once the rebuild became common knowledge, several players approached Sabre management and informed them they did not want to start over. Buffalo accomodated these players and traded them for assets.
What’s going on in WNY is not news, it didn’t start with the 2014-2015 season.
Love it The Man_Oss, I have been spouting that for some time but when I do it all I hear is counter arguments from the trolls on this sight.
I could not agree more with you. Even after it is obvious that this new system does not work for this team and they do nothing to change it and try and make it work. They are teaching a bunch of players a system that fails then are going to trade those players. The system in place won’t be the same come next season. They want to tank this season and Phil is taking the brunt of it.
Which is why yesterday when I came to Phil’s defense. I said he has nothing to play for. Management is trying to tank. Yeah professional Pride is going to kick in alright. When you come to work everyday and your boss is expecting you to fail. If you perform well he is hoping to trade you for assets.
Could not agree with you more. There’s one person in particular that comments on EVERY post with his annoying pontificating way like he is the hockey messiah when in reality he’s typing from his cubical at the call centre that he works at, when his boss is looking the other way. He’s right maybe 30% of the time but proclaimates every word like he’s an NHL Svengali. You all know who I mean
Lol yes we do!!
I think the whiney Pens fan (must get it from watching the Pens bench so much) is refering to me. lol
I really don’t know how it is you come to dislike me so much NYR4life. I am simply given my thoughts, however that last post of yours is an excellent example of trolling. It a provocative comment intending to cause maximum distribution and posted on a news forum or message board. Well done and thanks for proving me right.
I said the same thing about Carlyle earlier this week. Keep firing coaches and not changing the culture, trying to move guys like Lupul, Kessel and Pylon.
FYI – most people aren’t “Leaf bashing” they are just telling it like it is. I like the Leafs, but it’s a sad situation with no direction or goal.
Thats more whys then a Jadakiss song ….
Anyone else think Kessel misses Wilson haha. The good ol days lol.
I am not a leaf fan but do follow closely with the TO talk shows. I agree that a re-build is necessary. But does anyone know if Shanahan is capable of doing this. He has 0 track record and no experience. If I was a Leaf fan I would be nervous.
Tank mode was activated when Carlyle was canned.
Farm system has nothin.
Ship out Bernier yesterday.
Put Phil on diet/training regiment n keep him cuz unless a fair hockey trade happens keeping him is best.
Dion is maligned n had no supporting cast. His albatross contract has unfairly cast him as an elite D man when he suits bein #2 or prolly 3. Stuck with Lupul but thats fine. I say trade who is most wanted n nobody is untouchable outside of Reilly. Draft D n C in that order. Play Reimer til he drops, i think he bleeds blue n white. As for UFA’s depends on how the draft goes.
Amother Jello arguement deleted?
I see no reason why Ottawa would trade Lehner. Hammond seems to have come down to earth. The Sens are scoring in bunches and Hammond the last few games has let in soft wristers from beyond the two circles.
I’m not saying Hammond won’t be a regular tender in the League. I’m not saying that of Lehner either. Yet Lehner is younger than Hammond. I would trade Anderson who is nearer to the end of his career in regards to age limits and let Hammond and Lehner duke it out.
Unless of coarse an offer comes for Lehner that knocks our socks off.
Yet I am not convinced any of the three will be traded this summer.
I agree with a lot of your points Noel.
For me, they should have moved Anderson atleast at the deadline, if not last summer – then picked up an affordable, veteran backup and let Lehner sink or swim. He’s a decent goalie that could help many teams (cough, Edmonton, cough), but likely isn’t the longterm solution. Besides, they could use a couple of more prospects/picks for the rebuild. I’ll be on the record that I am not overly high on Lehner. I think he has the talent, but he is a bit like Markstrom in Van in that he doesn’t seem to be able to show it consistently enough to be a starter.
Hammond has been a fantastic story and one which I hope doesn’t end up like Lalime, but needs to be treated as found money. It also doesn’t erase the fact that after him, there is virtually no goaltending depth in the organization – something that should be addressed as a priority in the offseason.
Maybe it’s just me, but from where I sit it looks like the Sens’ turnaround coincided with management’s coming to terms with under appreciated defenseman Marc Methot. You can’t place a value on the impact and veteran influence he no doubt wields on that young club. Not to take anything away from the play of Hammond, but I think the signing of Methot instilled a sense of stability and security into the suddenly play-off bound Sens.
They also have come to terms with Cowen. They wanted him to be a top 4 guy but it turns out they demoted him to the bottom two and moved Weircioch up to the top 4. Now Teams are wishing they traded for Weircioch and Ottawa is perhaps wishing they moved Cowen. Hopefully Cowen picks it up next year.
Why do they have to “come to terms with Cowen?” He doesn’t become an RFA until 2017-18. Plenty of time to keep bringing him along as the 7th D, and they can trade him at any time if they wish to take that route.
Well said Bowman.
Karlsson’s game is much better since paired with Methot. I think Cameron should get more credit, I like the fact that he plays whoever is working hard on a given night. Players figured it our quick if I bust my ass I’ll get ice time. Pageau and Condra are two good examples.
@ Jeff , Cowan and Chiasson will be shipped out unless they learn to play a consistent physical game, they need to use their size to their advantage.