Armchair President/GM 2023-2024

[CarltonTheBear]

I have no clue how they get cap-compliant for the start of the season.

Trade candidates: Nylander and Brody

I don't see either of those guys going anywhere at this point. Easiest solution is to just waive Timmins and run a 20-man roster, or waive Timmins and Lafferty to run a 21-man roster. Not ideal and I wouldn't want to lose either player for free (especially Timmins), but I also don't necessarily think either is a guaranteed claim considering the cap situations around the league.

Only trade candidate I see to clear up cap space would be Jarnkrok.

[cabber24]

I have no clue how they get cap-compliant for the start of the season.

Trade candidates: Nylander and Brody

I don't see either of those guys going anywhere at this point. Easiest solution is to just waive Timmins and run a 20-man roster, or waive Timmins and Lafferty to run a 21-man roster. Not ideal and I wouldn't want to lose either player for free (especially Timmins), but I also don't necessarily think either is a guaranteed claim considering the cap situations around the league.

Only trade candidate I see to clear up cap space would be Jarnkrok.

I believe they're still over the cap with Timmins and Lafferty waived.

[CarltonTheBear]

I believe they're still over the cap with Timmins and Lafferty waived.

Timmins waived and a 12F, 6D, 2G roster has them under the salary cap.

Timmins and Lafferty waived with a 12F, 6D, 2G roster gives them about $1mil in cap space. So room for either a 13F, 7D, or keeping Jones up.

[herman]

Someone's going to pull a hammy in the gym, or get pinched awkwardly along the boards in pre-season.

There's enough chaff at the bottom of the roster that I'm not sweating it.

[princedpw]

I believe they're still over the cap with Timmins and Lafferty waived.

Timmins waived and a 12F, 6D, 2G roster has them under the salary cap.

Timmins and Lafferty waived with a 12F, 6D, 2G roster gives them about $1mil in cap space. So room for either a 13F, 7D, or keeping Jones up.

The optimal strategy is clearly to waive Reeves if we need to waive anyone. Would be a disaster to lose him on waivers of course ....

[Frank E]

https://twitter.com/kyle_burger/status/1704486173245092078

[CarltonTheBear]

Leafs likely roster once Timmins is cleared to play:

Bertuzzi-Matthews-Marner
Domi-Tavares-Nylander
Knies-Kampf-Jarnkrok
Gregor-Reaves

Rielly-Brodie
McCabe-Klingberg
Giordano-Liljgren
Timmins

Samsonov
Woll

That leaves the team with only 11 forwards about $670k in cap space, not enough to call-up any other player in the organization. I started to wonder though if a solution to that could be trying to acquire a player with enough retention to fit under the cap.

It could simply be a player at league minimum with 15% retention, or someone with a cap hit as high as $1.3mil with 50% retention. Some sort of sweetener would obviously be required on the Leafs end to make that worth another teams while though.

I thought I found an almost perfect target for this. Kevin Rooney in Calgary, a defensive 4C type player who Treliving signed to a 2-year, $1.3mil AAV deal last summer. Things didn't go great for Rooney in his first year with the Flames. Had just 1 assist in 17 games before being demoted to the AHL. Was likely destined for the AHL again this year so I thought maybe Calgary could be open to moving him and saving some cash. At 50% retained the Leafs could have a 21-man roster that includes Timmins that's roughly $19k under the cap.

Unfortunately Rooney got hurt in the final week of Calgary's training camp. There wasn't much of a status update for him other than that it's not "short-term". If he's back around when Timmins returns though it still feels like something worth exploring.

[cw]

Leafs likely roster once Timmins is cleared to play:

Bertuzzi-Matthews-Marner
Domi-Tavares-Nylander
Knies-Kampf-Jarnkrok
Gregor-Reaves

Rielly-Brodie
McCabe-Klingberg
Giordano-Liljgren
Timmins

Samsonov
Woll

That leaves the team with only 11 forwards about $670k in cap space, not enough to call-up any other player in the organization. I started to wonder though if a solution to that could be trying to acquire a player with enough retention to fit under the cap.

It could simply be a player at league minimum with 15% retention, or someone with a cap hit as high as $1.3mil with 50% retention. Some sort of sweetener would obviously be required on the Leafs end to make that worth another teams while though.

I thought I found an almost perfect target for this. Kevin Rooney in Calgary, a defensive 4C type player who Treliving signed to a 2-year, $1.3mil AAV deal last summer. Things didn't go great for Rooney in his first year with the Flames. Had just 1 assist in 17 games before being demoted to the AHL. Was likely destined for the AHL again this year so I thought maybe Calgary could be open to moving him and saving some cash. At 50% retained the Leafs could have a 21-man roster that includes Timmins that's roughly $19k under the cap.

Unfortunately Rooney got hurt in the final week of Calgary's training camp. There wasn't much of a status update for him other than that it's not "short-term". If he's back around when Timmins returns though it still feels like something worth exploring.

Good creative thinking there. I would not have thought of that as an option.

Alleged by the hockey media during the summer, Treliving is reputed to like strong, physical Dmen. Calgary D is supposedly an example of that.
Then he goes out and signs Klingberg ...

A 3rd scoring/defensive center is identified as a need in preseason.
Nylander is floated.
Minten has a great preseason with the odds against him remaining in the NHL.

Maybe Timmins timing for recovery coincides close enough with Minten's 1st 9 games ... ?

Regardless, I do not see this D being the one Leafs go into the playoff wars with.
Something is going to change. It seems highly likely that it needs one more physical dman who can help the PK (kind of like Minten - we'll see how the PK does in the first 10 games ..).

Timmins or someone else (Brodie?) might be following Lafferty out of town to make cap space.
Liljegren's $1.4 mil could make room for Timmins who beefed up this summer. I like Liljegren so that might not be my choice.
Brodie is interesting because they might land help for a physical dman and a 3rd line center with his $5 mil off the roster (if they can find a taker for a reasonable price).
Reflecting on Lyubushkin or Schenn of years gone by,  it wouldn't be the first time someone thought that type of dman (probably not Timmins) could help Rielly ...

I think this roster is a work in progress. They're clearly not done. I don't think they're going to wait to the March deadline to make some adjustments.

[RedLeaf]

After last night loss, there's never been a better time to approach Edmonton with a trade proposal for Connor McDavid. Just sayin. Lol

[cabber24]

Let's hear your Zadorov trade offers.

Considering cap hits have to be moved as well I would be okay to subtract from this list to get Zadorov on the roster : Domi, Klingberg, Bertuzzi, Kampf, Jankrok, Brodie, Samsonov.

Basically reallocate Trev's allocation from this past summer. Picks and prospects will likely need to be included.

[CarltonTheBear]

Jarnkrok and Domi shouldn't be on that list. Jarnkrok is one of the very few top-9 forwards who can be trusted defensively and Domi is quite literally the only player in the organization capable of centering the 3rd line (assuming Keefe will never commit to trying Nylander there, which is likely won't).

[cabber24]

Jarnkrok and Domi shouldn't be on that list. Jarnkrok is one of the very few top-9 forwards who can be trusted defensively and Domi is quite literally the only player in the organization capable of centering the 3rd line (assuming Keefe will never commit to trying Nylander there, which is likely won't).

Our D is terrible, you have to offer something of value and need to consider allocating from strength to weakness.

[CarltonTheBear]

Our D is terrible, you have to offer something of value and need to consider allocating from strength to weakness.

That's not what moving Jarnkrok or Domi would do though. Those aren't positions of strength. It's just creating new weaknesses.

Besides Calgary would presumably be looking for futures in return anyway and a 32-year old Jarnkrok or UFA to be Domi don't qualify for that.

[Bill_Berg_is_pissed_off]

Klingberg and a prospect I will be mad to see leave, maybe a pick too.

[dekedastardly]

If they can get him and dump Klownberg without giving up Knies, Robertson or Minten & Cowan, it should be considered a win.