Devin Setoguchi reportedly close to signing with Leafs
- Thread starter GhostofPotvin29
- Start date
Captain Canuck
New member
Eric Francis was on the Fan this morning and said that Setoguchi would never play in the NHL again. He also mentioned that Setoguchi had just clued in when he turned 27 that he would actually have to put in the off-season work to remain in the league. This guy is training camp fodder and nothing more.
bustaheims
Active member
Frank E said:
Extra body for the first few exhibition games. If he impresses, they'll figure something out, but it feels unlikely.
Frank E said:
Rough forward line-ups so far:
Matthias-Kadri-Lupul
JVR-Bozak-Parenteau
Winnik-Holland-Panik
Komarov-Spaling-Arcobello
Beck-Frattin
Leipsic-Nylander-Brown
Kapanen-Froese-Bailey
Leivo-Gauthier-Hyman
Rupert-Carrick-Soshnikov
Extra: Verhaeghe, Clune, another 6-8 guys signed to AHL deals
Maybe, maybe Setoguchi wins the spot for the 14th forward (if the Leafs even carry one) over guys like Frattin/Bailey/Hyman, but yeah like you said another body to the Marlies isn't really a good thing right now. It's gonna be interesting to see how Keefe handles the minutes down there. I'm pretty sure a guy like Soshnikov didn't come here to play 4th line minutes in the AHL. And apparently a big reason Hyman didn't want to sign with Florida was because they couldn't give him an NHL opportunity right away. Well that probably isn't happening here either.
herman
Well-known member
CarltonTheBear said:
I can see there being room post Trade Deadline exodus, if Hyman/Soshnikov/Bailey can be patient.
JVR-Bozak-
Komarov-
Beck-
The strikeouts would be the obvious selloffs (2nd/3rd rd picks/prospects). The bolds would yield 1st rders returns if they get moved. The italics would be harder sells or packaged as salary dumps to even out a bigger salary dump coming back. The 24 and under group will likely take a good deal more prying with pot sweeteners, as Holland, Beck, and Panik are RFAs next year (not that they are not completely nailed down).
Leipsic-Nylander-Brown
Kapanen-Froese-Bailey
Leivo-Gauthier-Hyman
Rupert-Carrick-Soshnikov
I've bolded the ones I think would get called up to fill out the ranks in the NHL after the dust settles to play alongside the remnant + salary dumps.
On Defense I can see us aiming to keep Rielly, Marincin, and maybe Gardiner unless the price is right. Phaneuf probably sticks around due to salary cap inertia, but Polak is gone for sure, and Robidas should be offered for a song.
Kin
New member
Frank E said:
I mean, I guess a reasonable "upside" is that if the Leafs roughly have this idea where they're not going to give any NHL forward spots to young players then if a couple of the Parenteau/Matthias/Arcobello group suffer bad injuries between now and the start of the season then you can slide Setoguchi in there without disrupting that.
Frank E
Active member
Nik the Trik said:
Sure. I guess I figured the Frattin and Becks of the team would fill in there.
But with them being so close to the contract # limit, I'm hoping for them to keep some options open for opportunities this coming season...like taking on some lousy contract for draft picks, etc..
bustaheims
Active member
Nik the Trik said:
I'm not sure I agree. These are guys with little to no North American professional experience. Having them in the AHL for 3/4 of the season is probably the best thing for their development. Honestly, I have more issue with the idea that they can't/shouldn't be patient about breaking into the NHL than I do with them having to spend a good chunk of the season in the AHL. I don't see it as being unreasonable in any way, nor do I think it hampers their development in the slightest. They need to prove they're too good to be stuck in the AHL. They haven't come close to that yet.
herman
Well-known member
L K said:
I see it a little bit differently. The reclamation projects are trade fodder and missile chaff. Management is daring the younger crop to supplant any of the reclamation projects at the top. It's not like they've clogging the Leafs with anyone Management truly wants to keep in the long run. If the Hymans/Baileys can't beat Arcobello/Spaling, then they know they've got more work to do.
Kin
New member
bustaheims said:
I think you misinterpreted what I said there. It's not about someone like Hyman being handed a job with the Leafs(although if they signed him on the basis of giving him a legit shot at earning a NHL job I think it's best if they give him that shot) but it's more in reference to CtB's comment that someone like Soshnikov shouldn't be on the Marlies 4th line for most of the season and the forward glut throughout the organization.
herman said:
I don't think it's really that simple though. Arcobello and Spaling will likely be on the teams 4th line to start the season. Even if Hyman and Bailey look better than those two at camp management likely won't want them playing a 4th line role. They're going to have to beat the Panik's and Paranteau's and that isn't likely to happen right off the bat.
bustaheims
Active member
Nik the Trik said:
Sure, but that's ultimately up to the coaching staff of the Marlies, and on the players to again prove they're better than the options current ahead of them on the depth chart - which, again, I don't see as unreasonable or as bad for their development. Maybe the Marlies decide they don't run with a traditional 4 line setup in terms of ice time distribution, or maybe they don't stick to line combinations particularly rigidly throughout the season - which is likely the reality, as their roster will likely undergo fairly frequent adjustments. Spending some time on the 4th line with the Marlies isn't a bad thing for their development, either, as long as it's not a long-term, 6-8 minute a night thing. If they're still getting 12-14 minutes of ice time, it's beneficial for them to learn to play in different roles.
Kin
New member
bustaheims said:
Except I don't think the motivation for that should be "We've got to get Matt Arcobello in the lineup". I think the Marlies should be run as close to a real club as you can. If a line is firing, keep them together. Give the guys you figure to be potential top 6 players in the league top 6 minutes with the Marlies. The impoetus for this shouldn't be "Well, because we've got a ton of tradebait in the NHL, we've got to shuffle things to make sure all of our young guys get a regular shift".
Like you say, there's got to be room to reward performance but I don't think that should go hand in hand with burying a young guy in his first pro year because he's not showing the immediate results you want.
herman
Well-known member
CarltonTheBear said:
This is a more accurate take on my poorly chosen example. Either way, I do think spots are up for grabs if they can hold it. There won't be yo-yoing for the sake of optics like with Kadri. So if some of these guys do make the cut? Management wants players to push them into making those tough decisions.
The only people I see the management team actually holding back this year are Nylander, Marner, Kapanen to ensure they hit the NHL level in full flight.