A look at which Toronto Maple Leafs players could be staying or going, Cody Franson is struggling with the Nashville Predators, and the Edmonton Oilers could have two draft lottery picks this year.
Playing “Who Stays, Who Goes” in Leaf Land.
SPORTNET: Nick Kypreos and Doug MacLean offered up their take on which players the Toronto Maple Leafs retain and which ones could be dealt or allowed to depart via free agency this summer. Kypreos believes Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak will be traded this summer. He feels Kessel should be dealt to a contending team. He also feels Joffrey Lupul makes too much money for the amount of time spent on the ice and not on IR. MacLean believes David Booth won’t be re-signed and feels Nazem Kadri remains an important part of their future. Kypreos also believes defenseman Dion Phaneuf will be dealt. MacLean doubts Eric Brewer returns, and he also doubts the Leafs can do better in goal than Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Get ready for over two months of this guessing game over who stays or goes in Toronto. Could Kessel, Phaneuf, Bozak and/or Lupul be moved? Sure, but it’s easier said than done, especially given their expensive contracts. Prior to the trade deadline it was rumored two Western Conference clubs had interest in Kessel. Talks with the Detroit Red Wings regarding Phaneuf fell through on deadline day but could be revisited in the offseason. There was speculation last summer the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators had interest in Lupul, but given his injury history and the play of both clubs this season I doubt either team will revisit interest in him. Bozak could be attractive to clubs with cap space seeking depth at center, like Arizona, Edmonton and perhaps Florida.
Cody Franson’s struggles with the Predators could hurt his free-agent value.
Franson struggling in Nashville.
NBC SPORTS: Mike Halford recently wondered what’s wrong with defenseman Cody Franson, who’s been struggling since joining the Nashville Predators in a trade from Toronto in February. After 32 points in 55 games while averaging over 21 minutes of ice time with the Leafs, the 27-year-old Franson is averaging over 16 minutes per game with the Predators and has only four points in 21 games. Halford suggests Franson’s struggles could have an adverse effect upon his value in this summer’s UFA market.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: As Halford suggests, it could give the perception that Franson is only capable of putting up good numbers on a bad team. Franson is on a one-year deal earning $3.3 million. The trade to Nashville could hurt his hopes for a lucrative long-term deal.
Oilers could have two draft lottery picks.
EDMONTON JOURNAL: Jonathan Willis recently observed if the Pittsburgh Penguins should miss the playoffs, their first-round pick will become eligible for the upcoming NHL Draft lottery. Unfortunately for the Penguins, that pick belongs to the Edmonton Oilers, as it was part of the return when they acquired winger David Perron in a mid-season trade with the Oilers.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: As Willis points out, it’s a long shot. Even if the Penguins miss the playoffs, that pick has a 1.0 percent chance of becoming first overall in the draft lottery. The Oilers currently hold the third-worst record in the league. If the pick they received from the Penguins ends up becoming first overall, their own first-round pick will be fourth overall. That means they’ll not only have the opportunity to select Connor McDavid, they’ll also have a shot at drafting McDavid’s Erie Otters teammate Dylan Strome, Boston College defenseman Noah Hanifin or Kingston Frontenacs winger Lawson Crouse.
That Pittsburgh situation could develop into a worse quagmire than the one in TO. Not only do they have some 37% of their cap space tied up to 2020-21 in 3 players (Malkin, Crosby and Letang, it seems Lemieux and the money-bag owner are at odds o9ver the firing of Shero (and the hiring of Rutherford) and Byalsma, and Lemieux wants to re-aquire “full control.” That could be a real interesting summer in Steeltown if they miss the play offs.
The Penguins have a 94.3% chance if making the playoffs at this point. And their last game is against Buffalo. All this speculation is pure stupidity. They are losing because they are missing their 3 best defencemen and the other injuries, which would have turned most teams into bottom feeders, have created a general lack of chemistry throughout the team. Add to that a terrible trade on dealing day bringing a pretty useless Ben Lovejoy into the mix, who is at best a bottom pairing defensemen who is playing 25 minutes a game and a completely useless Rob Scuderi playing 24 minutes a game right now. There’s not a team in the league that could withstand that low quality of talent playing those big minutes. I don’t get why the penguins are getting so much $hit right now and teams like the Kings and the Bruins, who won the Stanley cup and the presidents trophy last test respectively, get nothing at all even though both have a very real chance, much higher than the penguins at this point, of not making the playoffs. Where are the calls to trade Kopitar or Doughty? Kopitar is up for a new contract this year they will likely be 11+, for a guy who can’t even get his team in the playoffs? It’s the same dumby logic as the trade Crosby and Malkin logic. Crosby is leading the league in scoring with 5 less games played than anyone else at the top but he’s in decline?!? Scoring is at a league wide low but only Crosby gets $hit for it? It’s just all the jealous fans of other teams that would take Crosby or Malkin in an instant and trade most OT their team to do it, kicking the Penguins when they are down. But no Patch for the Canadians, out with a concussion, and the Penguins having no salary cap in the playoffs means they can take out the Canadians in the first round and build some momentum and maybe get healthy.
The Winnipeg Jets stayed in the race without their top 5 D for a lengthy stretch. The inability to fill in for injuries is perhaps indicative of a weak farm system.
This is a completely ignorant comment. Most top teams have a large percentage on payrol1 tied up in their core players. The Pens have 25 million in the top three. Next year the Hawks will have 21 million in just the top two and 27 million in the top three. Boston is a mess and even lousy teams like the Flyers are in a far worse position. At least the Pens money is going into three of the top players in league. The Pens also have a lot of payroll coming off the books this season.
The notion that Burkle and Lemieux are at odds is nonsense and that Lemieux wants full control is absurd. If anything Lemieux has always should a complete lack of interest in day-to-day operation.
I guess you prove the old adage, “anything is possible when you don’t know what you are talking about.”
Well said gents. This is all nothing more than ramblings and musings of someone who doesn’t have anything better to talk about. The Penguins are certainly in a rough patch, but this season, they’ve also been hit with critical injuries which has made it hard to develop chemistry.
The one thing I will add about the salary situation that hasn’t been missed is that we’re all seeing 2020-21 cap issues with the view of a 2015 world. In the next 5 years, who’s to say that Letang and his $7M salary isn’t moved? Or Martin’s money is off the books? Or with the quality goaltending on the farm/draft system (Murray’s play this season especially), who expect Fleury to be around by 2020? And what about all the prospects and picks that would be moved up with entry level deals?
Too many people love to kick the Pens but forget that in today’s league you need to lock up money in your top end stars and fill a mix of old/young/middle aged complimentary players around them.
Leafs really spread the suck around this year…Franson struggling santorelli healthy scratch, Preds struggle a tiny bt thanks for the first and the prospect, Winnik goes to the Pens and that train goes off off the tracks….Clarkson out for the year suddenly the jackets start beating on the rest of the league. As much as I hate Nonis but credit where credit is due he did a pretty good job ripping this team apart so far since Jan. I’m more excited for the offseason than I was for the start of the leafs regular season…see how long that lasts.
except for the injuries we all are bearing witness to the over evaluation of Leaf players as they move on and struggle on other teams, better teams. Hmmmm…guess the leaf haters are actually right.
Agree with @Jeff Noel with the overstatement of leaf talent. Even the most “untouchable” Morgan Reilly, although young with potential has not played well th elast half, and on most teams would be regarded as a project.
Not sure how many Leaf games you have watched if you think Rielly hasnt played well the last half of the season…he has been great for a 20 year old D man
I have watched a quite a few-but I am relying on some unbiased experts. On the Leaf Post Game Stellick and Osborne have discussed how his play has regressed the last half of the year. Often on the replays of goals against you can see him standing around lost or missing his man. Even Don Cherry had him highlited for a lazy rub out/hip check along the boards.
Un biased experts eh?…hmm ok then
I forgot the media (stellick and Osborne) are leaf haters as well. So I will correct myself-all of the leafs have first rate talent. The only reason why they have had the worst record since Jan is the media picks on them.
20 years old of course he makes mistakes…also leads the team in points sinceJan and plays 20 mins a night, he is in the top 50 in scoring for d men, and is 1 of 8 guys in the league that are under 22 that play 20 mins a night…. ask a Sens fan if Karlsson dosent miss an assignment or 2 or how good defensively Subban was at 20? Cherry thinks the Leafs should be made up of guys from Toronto like Clarkson and Stellick was one of the worst
gms in Torontos history who got fired and never worked again…but they are unbiased
ok, the team sucks because they are built
wrong the team as a whole is one
dimensional not just 1 or 2 guys the whole thing, no veteran talent surrounding a few
guys they have been badly managed and
coached for years, and the circus that
surrounds them doesnt help. There are lots of reasons they are a bad team as a whole, it doesnt mean that every player on the team is bad,
shticky do you honestly think you know more about hockey than stellick or cherry?? geezus
Sorry Cherry has proved over and over again he knows very little about todays hockey, he just likes to huff and puff, he is comedy, entertainment that is all. Sorry to say anything other than Reilly and his development has been the lone brightspot for the leafs is wrong.
I said a early in the season fransons stats were a bit padded playing on a bad team! I like how leaf fans were saying how good these players were when on the leafs now the tune has changed to how good of a trade it was for the leafs lmao
“Talks with the Detroit Red Wings regarding Phaneuf fell through on deadline day but could be revisited in the offseason.”
I just find it hard to believe Holland would take on a $7 mil per year cap hit to 2020-21 for a D with a history of glaring on-ice gaffs when he also has a host of young RFAs and UFAs he has to deal with this year and next. I mean, surely there are other possible deals this summer who could fill their immediate needs and cost a lot less in terms of valuable cap space?
Sure because there is no shortage of teams willing to give up affordable top 4 type D capable of playing 20 plus mins a night…those guys grow on tress, or Holland could just walk down to the D man thrift store and pick up a used one for pennies on the dollar.
If he’s THAT good why is TO so anxious to deal him? Don’t they need someone like that to “mentor” the young D?
If Nash was so good why was he traded if Messier was such a leader why was he traded….on and on this could go George, team needs to be rebuilt thats why Dion will be traded.
Think George was being sarcastic.
Putting Phaneuf in the same boat as Nash and Messier ? Really ? Kool-aid ?
Phaneuf is an asset to teams , its just that his contract is ludicrous for the skill and perceived attitude issues he brings to a team.
If his salary was maybe 1/2 of what it is , there would be more interest, but as it stands , a lot of teams are thinking no damn way.
Not saying its to the Wings but if Dion was a UFA you think no one would be interested in him? The salary isnt all that far off and if a team is sending back a contract (say Weiss) or the Leafs held a bit of money it helps balance out the deal pretty well.
Come on guys isn’t obvious. Phaneuf is being traded to Boston for Savard. Haha
Wouldnt that further illustrate the point Mongo? If those other guys were so much above the rest why would the teams they played for ever dream of trading them away?
I wasnt for a moment “drinking the kool” and suggesting Dion was hat type of player, just the whole absurdity of the “if he is that good why would you trade him?” arguement.Now to your final point that maybe if Dion was paid half thing…Orpik letang Scuderri Nikitin…look at some other contract for D men and whats available this year ufa wise and what some of the guy like Franson Sekera and other are likely to make…and you think Phaneuf is only worth 3.5 mill? NVM the kool aid you went straight for the gin and are drunk before noon.
I’m supremely confidant in saying one thing – IF Phaneuf was a UFA there would likely be interested teams, but in that scenario he could forget about ever seeing the sunnyside of a $5 mil per year cap hit. As for even putting him in the same sentence as Nash and especially Messier is ludicrous.
George you said if he is sooo good why trade him…I was pointing out that good players get traded, the ludicrous thing is that you dont realize how dumb of a statement you made in the first place…there was no comparison of the players. And again I think if you actually looked at contract of players who signed contracts to play top 2 pairing in the nhl over the past couple years you would see
that not many of them that are ufa make less than 5 mill but keep going why dont you tell us what a loaf a bread cost in 1936, or how you walked thru 8 feet of snow barefoot 10 miles to school uphill both ways…
LOL. The more some of us attack the idiotic contracts signed by the likes of Nonis and argue against any notion that trading them is going to be anything but easy – if possible at all – the more the sycophants crawl out of the woodwork and accuse us being “ignorant” and “too old” to comprehend. But carry on in your illusions. It’s like water off a duck’s ass.
@ George
The reason they trade Dion is quite simple. They are looking to take the team in a different direction, that includes a new Captain. The only way to do that is to trade or buyout your present captain. Keeping Dion and taking the C off would create a Sharks type situation. (4 former Captains equals no playoffs)
or the wings will reach into there cupboards and pull a dman from there that will do an acceptable job paying him 6mil less than dion!!
The guy had problems in Calgary, now has problems in Tronna. You believe Detroit, or any other team would take on his contract if the player is in question? $7mil is alot to pay for a questionable leader; everyone keeps leaning on how much he plays, like Tronna has alotta other options?
Honestly I wouldn’t mind Phaneuf, but I don’t want to pay him 7 mill per year for that long. Sure the Wings would move Weiss and maybe Kindl/Smith, but I would expect that Toronto absorb about 2-3 mill of that contract.
No matter what, do not expect the Wings to move Larkin or Mantha in any deal for Phaneuf.
There aren’t many players I would like to keep on the Leafs at this point, but Brewer has been great imo. So smart without the puck, I’ve really enjoyed having him in his short time here. It would be great to see him re-signed to mentor the younger guys coming up…if he wanted to. Great cap hit, and not really due for a raise at this point in his career.
LOL.
I’m not with the haters on this one. Playing in a better system and not being on the ice for 20+ minutes a night would make Dion much more effective. Not to mention giving him a solid line mate and a defined role. 7M a year is a bit of a sticking point for some people, but i’m pretty sure some GM would have paid him that if he hit free agency.
Durt,
I totally agree. Polak, Robidas and Brewer would be great mentors and veteran D to the younger D. If they are rebuilding for the next 3 or more years, keep them and Reilly, Gardner Brennan and Erixxon. Let Percy, Grannberg, Loov and Finn further develop like Detroit does, in the AHL. No rush! I would even name Robidas or Polak Captain (once Phaneuf has left town) and in a few years pass it on to Reilly or a forward worthy of it (though I cannot think of one who is in the current line up). I would be willing to keep Phaneuf as a player but not as a number one D or Captain. And since that will never happen, Dion must be traded.
Agreed murph but I doubt they will strip phaneuf of the c and still keep him. He is as good as gone….I hope along with almost everyone else
Ya, bang on Murph. If they’re going to name a captain then the emphasis should be on character and work ethic, something this team has clearly lacked for some time.
The leafs have a toxic locker room. As other teams have pride in their play down the stretch ie)Columbus and Philly-TO has mailed it in the last 3 months. Only those inside the locker room truly know the problem players-but I wouldn’t assume JVR and Kadri are going to be moved. IMO Through all of this Phaneuf has increased his status the way he is competing and standing up and taking it from the media.
Meant to say I wouldn’t assume jvr and kadri won’t be moved
Agreed with you but I do believe they will trade jvr. His contract is so perfect in this salary cap era that it doesn’t make sense to keep him. He is a good player. There is no doubt but if you can get a lot back for him they are nuts not to do it. A first and a good prospect will do it. It is these type of players/contracts that all teams look for. Have to believe teams will aggressively pursue him in the offseason. Due to his contract I think almost every team will be after him. Kessel may be a better scorer etc but his contract limits the teams he can go to, jvr doesn’t have that problem.
Toronto is simply not in the position to have a guy like that on their team. They can keep a guy like robidas on the team and eat his salary because they are rebuilding and don’t have to worry about moving out a contract like that. Jvrs contract is so appealing that a lot of teams could bite
You know people tell me that players don’t tank. I am inclined to believe that but things make me wonder. Like looking at the standings last night I saw the Leafs were two points behind Carolina. I said to myself there is not way the Leafs are showing up, Columbus is a good team and this will be a blow out. I wake up this morning and surprise surprise. If only pro line required just one game.
I’ve seen the Leafs play well. Notably against the Sens. But they were in no worry of moving up the standings and couldn’t go further down and it was against their hated provincial/divisional/regional rival.
The optics around this team are not good.
what i would like to see is george and jeff noel go in the ring and have a hissy fight
Being a fan of literally any other team in league and not constantly have your team’s thread hijacked by a bunch of haters must feel pretty amazing. I bet it’s just aces.
Are you seriously suggesting that, when the Leafs pop up as a daily subject (which they do repeatedly by the way) that no one should comment if they disagree with the wishful-thinking suggestions that seem to appear on an equally-regular basis? if so, excuse us for “intruding!”
Good Post! Reading the above posts alone make your case.
It’s one thing to be a fan of a team – and quite something else to turn a blind eye to bad signings. Some of the responses calling me “ignorant” clearly come from that clique. A quote by Thomas Hobbes a few centuries ago still applies in these cases: :They that approve a private opinion,call it opinion; but they that mislike it,heresy: and yet heresy signifies no more than private opinion.”
Some react to having raw nerves probed by tossing out insults. I just consider the source and move on.
George, I used to think commenting on a daily basis was mandatory too. Until one day there was a post about a team I didn’t like and I was all “nope, not today.” And amazingly the world didn’t implode. Lyle even allowed me to view another article the very next day! It changed my life.
Wait a second…if George didnt post for a day how are we supposed to know what other great intellectuals like Hobbes have said thru history? And how can we expect to expand our vocabulary with out his elegant use of words no one has used since the 40’s?
and if shticky didn’t we wouldn’t know that his vast knowledge of hockey is far superior too everyone else!!(sarcasim)
Pardon me for having an education. And I wouldn’t go on too much about the frequent posting of others without practising what you preach. But one thing I have never done is toss out gratuitous personal insults – something you and alphabet are incapable of avoiding.
lol Sycophant and blubber butt are terms of endearment? Oh no you would never stoop so low…give it a rest George you come here daily and insult others and their intelligence…hell you do it to entire fanbases and there are more than a few of us here I am sure that were lucky enough to get some form of higher education, yet some how no one manages to or feels the need to be as pretentious as you do. Get over your self.
George, I’ll try to remember how much of a victim you are next time you unprovokedly trash talk a team on their thread lol
“Blubberbutt” was aimed at Phat Phil Kessel – not anyone in this forum. And do you even know the meaning of “sycophant?” Look it up and then tell me how anyone who responds to a post by calling the poster “ignorant” or alludes that it’s somehow a detriment to have grown “old” – and figures no one else is entitled to an opinion – is anything else BUT a sycophant. LOL that one.
Durtmchurtt, perhaps you’d care to explain to everyone – especially Lyle – how voicing an opinion on a site that – last time I looked was not the property of the Toronto Maple Leafs Is “unprovokedly trash talking a team on their thread!!” Again I ask you, are the only opinions allowed those that agree with everything YOU say?
Sycophant adjective bootlicker, ass kisser, flunky…yep I know what it means and you asking if I know what it means goes right back to what I was saying about you i sulting peoples intelligence daily, and sorry I didnt realize that aslong as someone wasnt here it was ok to be insulting….funny you mention ignorant, the exact word you use when Jeff and others have called Melnyk cheap in the past….
” … .funny you mention ignorant, the exact word you use when Jeff and others have called Melnyk cheap in the past….”
That is a flat out lie! Point to one post where I said that. It’s easy to pop in here and make unsubstantiated charges like that and doing so just reduces you to the level of a “cheap-shot” artist.
But having said all that – you and anyone else who posts in here with unlikely trades involving the Leafs may as well resign yourselves that there will be those whose OPINIONS will differ greatly. You and others can call this “hating” or the rantings of a “cantankerous old man” until you’re blue in the face, but it isn’t going to change.
I cheer all the Canadian teams. Myself Durtmchurtt, but I’d toss them all under the bus for My Sens to win.
Here is my reasoning though. They are Canadian like me.
My Farther is a Montreal fan so it is fun to cheer along with him an rib him a bit when the Sens win.
My Twin brother cheers for the Oilers and that is where my Oiler following comes from. I take most of what I know of them from my discussion with my bro and what I seen. He also lives in Vancouver and as such we come to cheer on that team as well.
Most of my friends where I grew up with are Leaf Fans but they were the rivals of the Sens and thus I tend to enjoy a leaf loss from time to time. The other Canadian teams don’t have a big history agianst the Sens as the leafs do.
Calgary’s farm team was in the City I grew up in back in the early to mid 90’s. The Saint John Flames. I cheered them to a championship at 16 and watched them move on to the flames so I have a small connection there.
My mother also grew up in Alberta so I have an alberta with family in both Calgary and edmonton
I am living in Manitoba now so of coarse with the excitement around here of the Jets possibly getting in I will join the ride till my Sens met them. If even possible.
Finally I became a Sens fan at the tender age of 12 when they came into the league as I always cheeered with my friends and family whoever of the Canadian teams were playing and they were cheering for. I found a team to call my own.
So yes it is fun
OMG I spelt father with an r. Haha. The spelling police will have a field day with that and the rest.
that explains a lot so are 13 now
Durt with the post of the day. Totally agreed, god forbid someone brings up the Leafs any otherday.
shticky… going in to the playoffs why is anyone talking about the leafs??? they are a terrible team next to know prospects of any significant calibre but go on trolling about the leafs when they have been really a bad team for 10 yrs made the playoffs once when a shortened season eliminated the chance of a late season collapse! but go on tell us how good the players on the team are and that the coaches and management should be gone cause its there fault
This is the only time I am going to respond to your creepy strange infactuation with me jello…but lets say youre right (cant really understand your comment above but …) lets say its all the players fault and thats why the team sucks…who put all these terrible players together???…and if they have no prospects would it not be the managements fault? Should they keep they keep the management who hasnt been able to get any prospects for 10 years and thought this group of bad
players would win?
keep twisting everything around shticky seems to be your thing along with thinking you know more about hockey than don cherry or gord stellick lol for once why don’t you just admit that it is the players fault! and as far as responding too your comments you are wrong about everything and put other ppl down like its your opinion or nothing you really don’t know much about hockey shticky the only upside is it makes everyone else on here feel good because of how less you know
Halford suggests Franson’s struggles could have an adverse effect upon his value in this summer’s UFA market.
Well Duh, Ya think
Everyone should go see what sbisa just got signed for by Vancouver.
Dmen are paid a premium in this league. Phaneuf at 5 would be EXCELLENT value in the NHL marketplace.
Phaneuf would be very good in Detroit and if he had a coach and system like Detroit from day one, he might have reached that norris potential that he had.
really, though, who cares about the leafs. They have won one road game in 2015.
no one talks this much about the Raiders in the NFL. Why do we do it up here?
Fire the front office and be done already. See you at draft day toronto.