UFA d-men

[bustaheims]

I wouldn't move him back up front again but I believe Gardiner was a forward quite recently. I'm sure he'd do well there but he's just fine where he is.

Not only that, but I imagine he'd be much less impressive as a forward than he is as a defenceman. He'd still be pretty good, but, we wouldn't be talking about him with the same level of praise.

[Potvin29]

Kaberle is a natural center.  8)

[Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate]

I wouldn't move him back up front again but I believe Gardiner was a forward quite recently. I'm sure he'd do well there but he's just fine where he is.

Not only that, but I imagine he'd be much less impressive as a forward than he is as a defenceman. He'd still be pretty good, but, we wouldn't be talking about him with the same level of praise.

That's kind of a backhanded criticism, isn't it?  Are we impressed with him just because of his obvious skating skills and potential scoring, or do we think he'll develop into a positionally sound defender too?  He's still a bit of an enigma on that count IMO.

Anyway, and this isn't really right on topic, but seeing Stralman do pretty darn well with NYR reminds me that we should give Gardiner (who's a somewhat similar kind of player, hence this non sequitur thought) plenty of time to develop.  A couple of years ago Stralman looked like he might not stick in the league at all.

[Potvin29]

I think we're impressed at his smooth skating and poise for a defender, which is valuable for starting the breakout.  If he were a forward, say a winger, he'd be tied to the boards up and down the ice, not leading the breakouts, his poise and calm with the puck would be wasted where we could use it most - breaking out.  That's how I see it anyways.

[bustaheims]

I think we're impressed at his smooth skating and poise for a defender, which is valuable for starting the breakout.  If he were a forward, say a winger, he'd be tied to the boards up and down the ice, not leading the breakouts, his poise and calm with the puck would be wasted where we could use it most - breaking out.  That's how I see it anyways.

That's pretty much what I meant. His skillset is much more of an asset to the Leafs as a defenceman than it would be to them as a forward.

[Peter D.]

Add me to the group where it's Suter and Schultz and no one else.

The one outside of them I would have considered was Mitchell but he re-signed in L.A.

[#1PilarFan]

Kaberle is a natural center.  8)

This.

My pet peeve.

[Corn Flake]

Bryan Allen, pls.

[Britishbulldog]

Bryan Allen, pls.

Allen would probably be what Komisarek was supposed to be.