Unofficial 2013-2014 Armchair GM Thread
- Thread starter Champ Kind
- Start date
Kin
Active member
Tigger said:
I think pre-draft evaluations of the overall strength of the draft are largely immaterial to what I'm saying though. Even in years without clear-cut, hands-down #1 picks like '04 or '05 or where the overall crop is seen as not having a lot of depth, players that are better than or comparable to Kessel are available essentially every year and usually in the top 10 or 15 picks. There's no way to be sure who that player is, sure, but even in bad drafts the players at the top of the draft have a ton of potential.
So even in a draft where the #1 pick has, say, a 20% chance of being that sort of player as opposed to a Crosby who probably had a 99% chance the teams with a #1 pick are still probably going to favour rolling the dice otherwise they're basically just importing Toronto's larger problem of not having guys like Toews or Tavares while at the same time being too good to be in a position to draft them.
If you look at the last 10-15 years of the draft it's pretty unavoidable that whoever is picking #1 at the very least has the opportunity to pick someone with the potential to be a Kessel but who would be 8 years younger and have 7 more years of team control. I could maybe see someone trading that if they were either desperate to win right away, already had the major building blocks in place and/or money was no object to them but I don't think any of those applies to Florida.
Tallon has an owner that has given him the go ahead to spend now and I'd guess he's also a little desperate to win, so there's that. Also, getting Kessel would eliminate any guess work, he'll be a bonafide top 10 scorer at a position his team really needs.
I'd agree Tallon seems too savvy for that, and he's also said he's looking at adding heavily through free agency but I don't think something like that is out of the question on his end, in fact I'd say it's the Leafs management that are probably the biggest stumbling block.
I'd agree Tallon seems too savvy for that, and he's also said he's looking at adding heavily through free agency but I don't think something like that is out of the question on his end, in fact I'd say it's the Leafs management that are probably the biggest stumbling block.
Corn Flake
New member
Nik the Trik said:
If this owner has any brains, he will take a look at what Buffalo did when the new guy gave them all that money and they basically screwed themselves up in one summer.
L K
Well-known member
Nik the Trik said:
And the Luongo thing, while a decent chunk of money, comes with very little long-term risk from the retirement standpoint and Luongo is really loved in Florida so it had a lot of good will with the small fanbase. Just taking on money for the sake of taking on money still seems out of sorts with Florida.
OldTimeHockey
Active member
Nik the Trik said:
It is compared to the $400 I'm so upset about spending on a lawnmower. Hopefully I get 8 years outta this one.
Highlander
Active member
thats why I call it my take home pay. Cause I am to embarrassed to take it anywhere else!
Champ Kind
New member
OldTimeHockey said:
Did you say 8 years because that's the term left on Luongo's contract or because that's how long your last mower lasted. If it's the latter, man alive, you must have been pretty hard on that poor machine.
hockeyfan1
New member
From THN ( Fantasy Hockey):
Looking to add ? The Leafs need size up the middle and more physicality on defense. Many Leafs fans (or non-fans, for that matter) will opine that the team also needs a No. 1 center, but really ? most teams need that. If Toronto were to target Brian Boyle to replace McClement, they would have a 6-foot-7 centerman coming off a Stanley Cup final appearance.
Nothing against McClement, who has been great, but with Boyle having similar success at the faceoff dot (52.9 percent) the upgrade in size would be worthwhile. Boyle only offers fantasy value in hits and faceoff wins, but unless Toronto makes a trade, you probably won?t see an impact fantasy
player coming aboard.
Brooks Orpik is another player who could be targeted, as he offers bone-crushing hits and a ?scare factor? on the blueline that the team currently lacks.
Granted, the Leafs could (and should) take a good hard look
at skilled pivot Paul Stastny. A move like that would drop Tyler Bozak to the third line where he would offer tremendous two-way play and 40-point offense. But most
teams will be targeting Stastny, who is the top center available. The cost will
probably shock us. Would Toronto pay it? Adding Stastny would either
necessitate trading Nazem Kadri, or it would keep Peter Holland out of the
NHL (which would be a shame).
Looking to add ? The Leafs need size up the middle and more physicality on defense. Many Leafs fans (or non-fans, for that matter) will opine that the team also needs a No. 1 center, but really ? most teams need that. If Toronto were to target Brian Boyle to replace McClement, they would have a 6-foot-7 centerman coming off a Stanley Cup final appearance.
Nothing against McClement, who has been great, but with Boyle having similar success at the faceoff dot (52.9 percent) the upgrade in size would be worthwhile. Boyle only offers fantasy value in hits and faceoff wins, but unless Toronto makes a trade, you probably won?t see an impact fantasy
player coming aboard.
Brooks Orpik is another player who could be targeted, as he offers bone-crushing hits and a ?scare factor? on the blueline that the team currently lacks.
Granted, the Leafs could (and should) take a good hard look
at skilled pivot Paul Stastny. A move like that would drop Tyler Bozak to the third line where he would offer tremendous two-way play and 40-point offense. But most
teams will be targeting Stastny, who is the top center available. The cost will
probably shock us. Would Toronto pay it? Adding Stastny would either
necessitate trading Nazem Kadri, or it would keep Peter Holland out of the
NHL (which would be a shame).
GhostofPotvin29
New member
Lost credibility suggesting Brooks Orpik too.
bustaheims
Well-known member
Potvin29 said:
Especially by citing "scare factor" as a reason to add him.
bustaheims said:
He definitely scares the crap outta me.
GhostofPotvin29
New member
CarltonTheBear said:
Other players are so scared of him they often skate right around him.
dappleganger
Active member
Potvin29 said:
Burn!