Leafs set to sign Petri Kontiola
- Thread starter bustaheims
- Start date
Frank E said:
Since you asked so nicely:
It's still hard to say really because we don't know what Gardiner, Franson, and Reimer's salaries will be (or if the last 2 will even be on the team), but I think I made somewhat fair estimates.
So there's about $5mil to bring in a bottom-6 forward to bump Orr to the 13th F spot, a 7th defenceman, and another skater who can give those two company in the pressbox.
Frank E said:
Yup, it's a little closer than I thought. If you the team ends up trading Franson and replacing him with a Marlie making less than $1mil that frees up some room. You could waive Orr too and replace him with somebody making closer to the league minimum to free up $200-300k. Maybe Nonis uses his patented "oops we used all our cap space" technique to get Gardiner and Reimer to sign deals for less than what I put down.
Guilt Trip
Active member
I don't see Gardiner making 3.5...Under 3 for him and maybe 2 for James....but what do i know?CarltonTheBear said:
And I like this signing....not a fan of Legwand at this stage of his career.
GhostofPotvin29
New member
CarltonTheBear said:
Dreger says Gardiner is likely to file for arbitration. Think that impacts his leverage in contract negotiations with the team?
Highlander
Active member
Watch the highlite real, this guy has wheels and a lot of finishing skill. Looking at the footage I can agree he may have more talent than any of our existing centres.
http://mapleleafshotstove.com/2014/07/03/petri-kontiola-signs-with-leafs/
http://mapleleafshotstove.com/2014/07/03/petri-kontiola-signs-with-leafs/
GhostofPotvin29
New member
Another opinion, from Steven Ellis, TV Host of The Hockey House on TVCogeco (which doesn't mean much to me, but presumably he watched him at the WC whereas I didn't):
WhatIfGodWasALeaf
Active member
Komarov-Kontiola-Hartikainen as a 3rd line is intriguing.
bustaheims
Active member
Patrick said:
If they can get Hartikainen to come over . . . though, he's probably more a 4th liner.
Hartikainen might be a useful 13th forward, but I don't see room for him in the top-12.
bustaheims
Active member
CarltonTheBear said:
I imagine he'd be fighting with Ashton for the last spot on the 4th line. Not a huge difference between them in terms of age or AHL production. I think Ashton has more upside and is more likely to be able to move up in the lineup, but, on the 4th line, not a huge difference between the two. That being said, I'm not sure Hartikainen is going to leave the KHL. He's probably earning a lot more there than he would here.
hockeyfan1
New member
Mr. Leaf said:
Same here.
Actually, considering his niftiness, he'll provide some highlight reel goals for us fans. Right Petri? Welcome to Toronto!
L K
Active member
bustaheims said:
The only think I could see him doing is the Komarov thing where he signs a 1-year deal to show what he can do with the intention of making more money if the year works out. I don't think he would work out in the same way, although I'm not against bringing in bottom 6 guys who have complete level (NOTE: I am only using that line in the hopes that if it starts to get over used that Nonis/Shanahan will stop).
I like this move. Low risk (cheap 1 year contract) and moderate potential for reward. He clearly has some skill and if he's as good a playmaker as some of the hype on the internet implies, that isn't a bad thing to have. Good passes was another one of the Leafs weaknesses last year with far too many guys who just push the puck in the direction of their teammate rather than finessing it. Hard passes are great if you are trying to just get the puck out, but guys who can actually move the puck in traffic are extremely valuable.
A finnish leaf fan
Member
Thought I'd chime in as a Finn who has seen quite a lot of Kontiola. He's a very skilled playmaker and a good skater too. Based on talent alone he could be - like others have already said - the best center on the Leafs. I think his linemate at this year's worlds, soon-to-be-Blue Jori Lehter?, managed to miss almost 10 empty nets from Kontiola's passes. There are reasons why his previous visit to the NHL wasn't successful though. First of all he is often trying to make the fancy play at any cost, leading to bad giveaways (this was especially evident at this year's World Champs where Kontiola almost single-handedly gave the go-ahead goal to Canada in the quarter final - fortunately for us Finns Scrivens gave two back and we won 
). He has a decent shot but his tendency to go for the pretty play leads to him not using it enough. Also, typically for a skilled player he is not overly physical though he doesn't shy away from puck battles in the corners.
In a nutshell he should definitely be tried on the PP where he truly shines. During even-strength play he'd be best paired with defensively responsible wingers who are good at finding their way close to the net - I'm thinking Komarov and Santorelli would be good linemates for him. For a Finn it's gonna be interesting to see two countrymen on the Leafs for the first time since Niklas Hagman and Vesa Toskala five years ago.
). He has a decent shot but his tendency to go for the pretty play leads to him not using it enough. Also, typically for a skilled player he is not overly physical though he doesn't shy away from puck battles in the corners.In a nutshell he should definitely be tried on the PP where he truly shines. During even-strength play he'd be best paired with defensively responsible wingers who are good at finding their way close to the net - I'm thinking Komarov and Santorelli would be good linemates for him. For a Finn it's gonna be interesting to see two countrymen on the Leafs for the first time since Niklas Hagman and Vesa Toskala five years ago.
ZBBM
Active member
A finnish leaf fan said:Thought I'd chime in as a Finn who has seen quite a lot of Kontiola. He's a very skilled playmaker and a good skater too. Based on talent alone he could be - like others have already said - the best center on the Leafs. I think his linemate at this year's worlds, soon-to-be-Blue Jori Lehter?, managed to miss almost 10 empty nets from Kontiola's passes. There are reasons why his previous visit to the NHL wasn't successful though. First of all he is often trying to make the fancy play at any cost, leading to bad giveaways (this was especially evident at this year's World Champs where Kontiola almost single-handedly gave the go-ahead goal to Canada in the quarter final - fortunately for us Finns Scrivens gave two back and we won
In a nutshell he should definitely be tried on the PP where he truly shines. During even-strength play he'd be best paired with defensively responsible wingers who are good at finding their way close to the net - I'm thinking Komarov and Santorelli would be good linemates for him. For a Finn it's gonna be interesting to see two countrymen on the Leafs for the first time since Niklas Hagman and Vesa Toskala five years ago.
Thanks a lot for this assessment. We always get excited when an unknown player suddenly pops up as a FA so it's good to hear from someone who actually knows Kantiola's pros and cons.
I also agree it will be cool to have a couple of Finns on the roster. Suomi kutsuu!
leafplasma
New member
A finnish leaf fan said:Thought I'd chime in as a Finn who has seen quite a lot of Kontiola. He's a very skilled playmaker and a good skater too. Based on talent alone he could be - like others have already said - the best center on the Leafs. I think his linemate at this year's worlds, soon-to-be-Blue Jori Lehter?, managed to miss almost 10 empty nets from Kontiola's passes. There are reasons why his previous visit to the NHL wasn't successful though. First of all he is often trying to make the fancy play at any cost, leading to bad giveaways (this was especially evident at this year's World Champs where Kontiola almost single-handedly gave the go-ahead goal to Canada in the quarter final - fortunately for us Finns Scrivens gave two back and we won
In a nutshell he should definitely be tried on the PP where he truly shines. During even-strength play he'd be best paired with defensively responsible wingers who are good at finding their way close to the net - I'm thinking Komarov and Santorelli would be good linemates for him. For a Finn it's gonna be interesting to see two countrymen on the Leafs for the first time since Niklas Hagman and Vesa Toskala five years ago.
Thanks for the evaluation, he seems to be a Kadri type player, so maybe just like we have seen with Kadri some NHL tutelage could reel in some of his defensive shortcomings. How Kontiola responds to that as he turns 30 to open the season will be the key. I am not so sure I want him on the third line shutdown group with Komarov and Santorelli though, however he may need some defensive guys to shelter him so perhaps you're right. The thought of him on the wing with Lupul and Kadri could lead to the defensive apocalypse, although that line could provide lights out offence.