mr grieves
Well-known member
I ask because we've long had a shopping list for this team and then always had to conclude "well, they don't have the assets that'd land that"
But now... they do?
But now... they do?
What would it take to move the 1OA pick?
- Thread starter mr grieves
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mr grieves
Well-known member
Ok. I did.
Now I have Gavin McKenna, Auston Matthews (NMC), William Nylander (NMC), John Tavares (NMC), Morgan Rielly (NMC), Easton Cowan, and Matthew Knies.
How do I get a 1D?
Joe S.
Moderator
In my fantasy land, somehow Nylander is traded for a defenceman.
I get the temptation. Turn the pick into a haul. But that same logic (to a different extent) was bandied about when Marner left and the vapspace could be turned into 3-4 good players - and we all saw how that turned out.
But this is a discussion forum. And this is the place to throw these kinds of ideas around. So I didn't mean to shut down the discussion, just my personal opinion is draft with the pick.
bustaheims
Well-known member
If the Islanders are willing to move Schaefer for the pick . . . not going to happen, but that's roughly what it would take to even be a real temptation.
mr grieves
Well-known member
So that'd be a Schaefer, Lane Hutson, Luke Hughes, Thomas Harley, Jake Sanderson, Noah Dobson, Noah Hanifin.
I would also check in to see whether CBJ and NYR are getting serious about their rebuilds.
dappleganger
Well-known member
Darren Raddysh.
I don't know what to think. I don't believe this team can contend, so I kind of hope that Matthews just says he wants out so the path forward is much clearer.
If Matthews stays, draft Mckenna trade Nylander for young grade A dman.
If Matthews wants out, trade everything and everyone for draft picks and prospects.
If Matthews stays, draft Mckenna trade Nylander for young grade A dman.
If Matthews wants out, trade everything and everyone for draft picks and prospects.
As excited as I am for McKenna, it does feel very Leafy to get the 1st overall pick in a year sandwiched between two potential franchise defencemen going (or likely going) 1st overall.
But yeah I think you just keep the pick.
But yeah I think you just keep the pick.
Guilt Trip
Well-known member
You explore swapping the pick with any of the top 5. I they want McKenna bad enough you try to get something good in return for swapping picks. I don't know what the price would be. Probably reaching, but I'd like a 2nd rounder or a good prospect. Have to stay in the top 5. This way you are guaranteed to get a very good player. I have a feeling SJ is taking Reid at 2 so it might be a moot point anyway.
If you don't want to mess around with that pick, you draft McKenna, try and sign UFA Radman and look at trading 88 for a haul. You do not trade the young guys like I've seen mentioned in the socials unless it's for equal value on the D side of things.
If you don't want to mess around with that pick, you draft McKenna, try and sign UFA Radman and look at trading 88 for a haul. You do not trade the young guys like I've seen mentioned in the socials unless it's for equal value on the D side of things.
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mr grieves
Well-known member
To me, this doesn't fundamentally change where the Leafs were when they canned Dubas: a roster with a surfeit of elite forwards, nothing elite on defense. The differences are the age spread of those forwards is now 10 years instead of 4 and 2/3rds of the forwards have complete trade control.
I agree. That's why I wonder the what the 'equivalent value' of McKenna is.
dappleganger
Well-known member
I suggested the following in the 2026 Draft thread:
Adam Fox + 5th overall pick for Brandon Carlo + 1st overall pick.
That might be tempting, you could land a top young defenseman already established in the league and possibly a top d prospect. (1 of the top 3 D in the draft should be available at 5).
But I think you're better off keeping McKenna who could be a generational talent (it wasn't long ago he was in the same stratosphere as Bedard and Celebrini before they made the jump to the NHL, that's the level of talent we're talking here).
I think you can build a championship winning calibre D core without a "top defensemen". McCabe and Tanev graded out among the best D pairs in the NHL in 2024-2025. Bring in some solid defensemen through free agency and possibly trades. Easier said than done but it's probably a more prudent course of action.
Darren Raddysh, John Carlson, Rasmus Andersson, Jacob Trouba, Ben Hutton, Radko Gudas, Jamie Oleksiak, Mike Reilly, Jeremy Lauzon, Jake Bean, Connor Clifton, Vincent Desharnais, are all free agents this year. Sign, possibly 4 of them, and revamp the Leafs D core. Get out the laptop Chayka and figure which would be the best fit. Have a solid pair 1 through 3. I think we all know where the Leafs struggled last season.
Adam Fox + 5th overall pick for Brandon Carlo + 1st overall pick.
That might be tempting, you could land a top young defenseman already established in the league and possibly a top d prospect. (1 of the top 3 D in the draft should be available at 5).
But I think you're better off keeping McKenna who could be a generational talent (it wasn't long ago he was in the same stratosphere as Bedard and Celebrini before they made the jump to the NHL, that's the level of talent we're talking here).
I think you can build a championship winning calibre D core without a "top defensemen". McCabe and Tanev graded out among the best D pairs in the NHL in 2024-2025. Bring in some solid defensemen through free agency and possibly trades. Easier said than done but it's probably a more prudent course of action.
Darren Raddysh, John Carlson, Rasmus Andersson, Jacob Trouba, Ben Hutton, Radko Gudas, Jamie Oleksiak, Mike Reilly, Jeremy Lauzon, Jake Bean, Connor Clifton, Vincent Desharnais, are all free agents this year. Sign, possibly 4 of them, and revamp the Leafs D core. Get out the laptop Chayka and figure which would be the best fit. Have a solid pair 1 through 3. I think we all know where the Leafs struggled last season.
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Peter D.
Moderator
Keep the pick and draft McKenna.
Nylander and Matthews will be 30 and 29, respectively, at the start of next season. At this point I'm more considering moving one or both of them for a defenceman and/or a haul of prospects and picks.
It's a dawn of a new era and McKenna is going to be the one who carries this franchise forward now.
Nylander and Matthews will be 30 and 29, respectively, at the start of next season. At this point I'm more considering moving one or both of them for a defenceman and/or a haul of prospects and picks.
It's a dawn of a new era and McKenna is going to be the one who carries this franchise forward now.
dappleganger
Well-known member
I don't think you have to move out anyone. It's legacy building. You ride Tavares, Matthews, and Nylander until they call it quits and you transition to a core of McKenna, Knies, and Cowan after that. Hopefully Danford can be a solid piece in the future. I'd say they are set in goal with Woll in Hildeby for the foreseeable future.
Start drafting and developing. Stop trading draft picks. Bring players up internally. Let Mark Leach cook. This should be the utmost focus.
WHY????? Recoup and accelerate the rebuild.
dappleganger
Well-known member
Because the Leafs are going to be good. Adding McKenna changes everything.
The Leafs don't have their 1st round pick for the next 2 years. What are you rebuilding with? Why tank going forward, at least in the next 2 years?
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Arn
Well-known member
The two I’d look at moving would be Rielly and Nylander. Obviously you’re hampered by their no movement clauses.
I keep the number 1 pick, bring in what I can for those 2 and as other have said use cap,space to go big on the likes of Raddysh and other FA defence who are better at moving the puck.
I actually think keeping the number 1 Pick and adding a McKenna (or even the Swedish guy Stenberg) helps you to convince some of those FAs to sign as now you have a window of extended competitiveness that wasn’t there without that pick.
I keep the number 1 pick, bring in what I can for those 2 and as other have said use cap,space to go big on the likes of Raddysh and other FA defence who are better at moving the puck.
I actually think keeping the number 1 Pick and adding a McKenna (or even the Swedish guy Stenberg) helps you to convince some of those FAs to sign as now you have a window of extended competitiveness that wasn’t there without that pick.
Barf! This team and core have won jack squat. Time to move on.
mr grieves
Well-known member
How are you going to get a "haul" out of guys with NMCs? I guess I could see an accelerated rebuild if Matthews to SJS gets you a Quinn Hughes-ish return... and Boston or Philly gives us back the 2027 first for like Nylander.
I don't think the long-term chances of rebuild working out are much better than using McKenna's trade value to jamb open into that closing window of contention of this core, so we get another 3-4 runs at it. Also, I don't sense that MLSE is going to let them rebuild.