A Weekend at Bernier's said:
Bearing these issues in mind, here are a few of near-term moves that I think need to be made:
1) Trade Phaneuf before the deadline: for me, this isn't as much about the player himself as it is the committment that needs to be made to him relative to the runway this team has. Dion will be 29 when next season starts and while I like him at the $7M he'll command for the next few seasons, I'm sceptical at the prospect of committing 7 or 8 years. A late first round pick + a good prospect, maybe a decent backup goalie ala Ben Scrivens, would be a good return.
That prospect better be more than just a good prospect, otherwise, that's a terrible return. If that's the best offer the Leafs get for Phaneuf at the deadline, they're signing him to an extension, not trading him.
A Weekend at Bernier's said:
2) Trade James Reimer and Nazem Kadri in the offseason for either a top pairing defenseman or someone to centre the top line.
At this point, I wouldn't be looking to trade either of the team's goalies, as neither has really stepped up and claimed the starting job. On top of that, I doubt the team gets full value trading both of these guys together, so, I'd also prefer not to do that, but, if Kadri is going, another top 6 centre has to either have been brought in already or has to be coming back in the deal.
A Weekend at Bernier's said:
3) Sign Dave Bolland to a 5 year deal: I see Bolland as a very important part of this team. He has the ability to provide options, move up or down the lineup, play responsible defense, and give real value on the third line. Kulemin gets resigned as well.
I like Bolland, but, right now, if he's healthy and the Leafs are out of a playoff spot, I think moving him at the deadline might be the best value proposition for the Leafs. Probably the same thing with Kulemin, unfortunately. I would, however, look very strongly at bringing them back into the fold in the summer.
A Weekend at Bernier's said:
4) Tread carefully but explore whether Paul Stastney and Dan Girardi can be obtained on a reasonable deal. Sign Brian Boyle or resign McClement.
I agree with you here. Looking at the more successful teams in the league, most of them have not brought in many big dollar UFAs from other teams, and those that they have largely been of the "no-brainer" variety or on 1 year deals. The best teams in the league build through the draft and through trades, while using UFAs more for depth roles. I'd prefer to see the Leafs employ the same strategy (and, right now, that's sort of where they are, as Clarkson is the only big money player brought into the organization as a NHL UFA). While I'd prefer to move on from McClement as well (though, that may be in part due to the way Carlyle overuses him), if he can be signed for a contract similar to the one he's already on, that wouldn't be the end of the world.
A Weekend at Bernier's said:
Like I said, I think that this team still needs to develop and evolve, but some of the basic pieces are there. I really like what Peter Holland and Jonathan Bernier are doing, which makes Reimer and Kadri expendable.
I touched on the Reimer/Bernier thing earlier, so, I'm not going to rehash that here, but, as much as I've enjoyed watching Holland play, he does not at all make Kadri expendable. This whole concept of one player making another player expendable is largely asinine. It really only applies to when you have two starting goalies or when you have a situation where two guys are looking for big money to fill the same role. Neither is the case here. There's room on this team for both Holland and Kadri,and, quite frankly, the team will almost certainly need both of them going forward.
A Weekend at Bernier's said:
The team builds around Kessel, JVR, and Lupul in the top 6, Bolland and Clarkson in the bottom 6, and Reilly, Gardiner, and Franson on defense.
Franson is probably the one player on the team I trade before next season, regardless of how the Leafs fare. When he's at his best, he's a 3rd pairing guy getting a lot of PP time. When he's used more than that, he's struggled. If history is any indication, negotiations with him this summer are going to be difficult, and, my guess is there are strong odds that he'll opt for arbitration. The odds are he's either going to end up with a contract that pays him more than what the Leafs should be giving him for the role he's best suited for or he'll end up on another one year deal - only, this time it won't be as reasonable and he'll be a UFA at the end of it. The Leafs should be seriously looking to move him while his value is high.