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Armchair GM Thread 2025/26

I still have a really hard time seeing this team taking a better step forward in play style if this is the blueline we move forward with. There aren't enough players on it who can make an offensive play. I like how they play in the defensive zone (generally) but puck movement is a big problem. That can be patched over a bit when Stolarz is in the crease playing the puck but Florida abused how mediocre our blueline was at getting the puck back up the ice quickly and accurately.
 
Quick question, if you sign a free agent today on a 1-year deal, can you sign that player to an extension the next day?

For example, could you sign a player to a $1m contract for this season and then sign an extension of 1-year at $5m for the following season?

Essentially being a 2-year contract of $6m with a very low cap hit in year 1.
 
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dappleganger said:
Quick question, if you sing a free agent today on a 1-year deal, can you sign that player to an extension the next day?

For example, could you sign a player to a $1m contract for this season and then sign an extension of 1-year at $5m for the following season?

Essentially being a 2-year contract of $6m with a very low cap hit in year 1.
Click to expand...

I think it has to wait until Jan 1
 
OldTimeHockey said:
I actually think OEL is one of the better contracts on the team at 3.5
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I thought OEL looked fantastic early on but became less impactful as the season went on. Somewhat similar to Rielly though he played with a ton of different partners throughout the year (Rielly, Tanev, McCabe, Benoit, and Timmins all spent 100+ 5-on-5 minutes with him) so maybe that played a role in that. Barring injuries of course the D pairs should be significantly more stable this season, but then $3.5mil isn't exactly terrific value for a bottom pair defenceman.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
I thought OEL looked fantastic early on but became less impactful as the season went on. Somewhat similar to Rielly though he played with a ton of different partners throughout the year (Rielly, Tanev, McCabe, Benoit, and Timmins all spent 100+ 5-on-5 minutes with him) so maybe that played a role in that. Barring injuries of course the D pairs should be significantly more stable this season, but then $3.5mil isn't exactly terrific value for a bottom pair defenceman.
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I don't really consider him a number 5 or 6 D.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
I thought OEL looked fantastic early on but became less impactful as the season went on. Somewhat similar to Rielly though he played with a ton of different partners throughout the year (Rielly, Tanev, McCabe, Benoit, and Timmins all spent 100+ 5-on-5 minutes with him) so maybe that played a role in that. Barring injuries of course the D pairs should be significantly more stable this season, but then $3.5mil isn't exactly terrific value for a bottom pair defenceman.
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OEL switched over to his weak side at the end of the season. Maybe that had something to do with it too.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
That very possibly attributed to it but he's also likely expected to play on his weak side this season a lot too with Benoit on the left.
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Yeah, been looking at that. I love the guy but the Leafs should be looking at upgrading Benoit on the bottom pair. He was the weakest link.

Erik Karlsson on a $2m retention? Karlsson at $8m still gives the Leafs $16m to throw at McDavid next offseason. :D
 
I've been poking around the player lists for an RW with size and speed and seems to be underutilized.

I've landed on Hudson Fasching, currently unsigned, who is coming off a depth role with the Islanders.
6'3" 205lbs 29 year old RW with speed, and net drive, but depth forward puck skills.

He is a former teammate of Dakota Mermis and Vinni Lettieri back in the junior days. Scored a key goal off a turnover (one of those classic Timothy Liljegren flubbed passes that rolled off the heel of his stick) on Ilya Samsonov in March 2023 en route to routing the Leafs 7-2.
https://twitter.com/x/status/1638344824997789697
Haha found it
 
herman said:
I've been poking around the player lists for an RW with size and speed and seems to be underutilized.

I've landed on Hudson Fasching, currently unsigned, who is coming off a depth role with the Islanders.
6'3" 205lbs 29 year old RW with speed, and net drive, but depth forward puck skills.
Click to expand...
I still like Luke Kunin, who typically has had the opposite problem of being overutilized, for the 4RW spot but by the sounds of it Fasching wouldn't be bad too.

In a perfect world you could acquire a 3RW guy by packaging McMann and Robertson for a righty, but scanning through a lot of teams that doesn't seem very likely as most if not all of the league is in a similar situation as the Leafs having too many lefties and not enough righties. Unless they play Laughton at 3C and have Roy on the wing (an option but probably unlikely) someone will have to just play their off wing.
 
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