OK. I'll frame it another way. Do we think Tavares puts up 36 goals playing with Jarnkrok and whomever else is going to be on the 3rd line? Do we think Nylander puts up 40 with similar talent on his wings?

I get that Tavares is slowing and it may be time to have him on the wing. I'm not really fond of splitting them though.

I think it's worth pointing out that Tavares and Nylander weren't exactly that great together at 5-on-5 last season. Only 4 of Tavares' 36 goals came with Nylander on the ice at 5-on-5, and only 7 of Nylander's 40 goals came with Tavares as his C at 5-on-5. The majority of each of their individual success last season came either on the powerplay or when Nylander played with Matthews and Tavares with Marner. So splitting them up this season shouldn't really play a role in whether or not they repeat last season numbers because that's not why they did well to begin with.

In about 420 5-on-5 minutes last season the Leafs were actually outscored 18-23 with Nylander and Tavares on the ice. That's a per 60 goals rate of just 2.57. For comparison:

Tavares/Nylander: GF% of 43.90 and GF/60 of 2.57
Matthews/Marner: GF% of 62.26 and GF/60 of 3.67   
Matthews/Nylander: GF% of 73.08 and GF/60 of 4.52
Tavares/Marner: GF% of 65.96 and GF/60 if 3.38

These stats would suggest a) Matthews and Nylander should probably play together more and b) if they aren't going to play together then Nylander playing with Tavares probably shouldn't automatically be the next option.

I'll zip it now :)

Do we really want Tavares or Nylander and their combined 76 goals playing 3rd line minutes?

Last season Tavares, who played strictly on the 2nd line, averaged 13:16 in ice-time at 5-on-5. Engvall, who played strictly 3rd line, averaged 11:27 at 5-on-5. So the gap there isn't exactly enormous. And it would likely be even smaller if Nylander was at "3C" (or 2bC) since Keefe would almost certainly still give him extra minutes say after successful penalty kills or late in periods/games.

OK. I'll frame it another way. Do we think Tavares puts up 36 goals playing with Jarnkrok and whomever else is going to be on the 3rd line? Do we think Nylander puts up 40 with similar talent on his wings?

I get that Tavares is slowing and it may be time to have him on the wing. I'm not really fond of splitting them though.

Do we really want Tavares or Nylander and their combined 76 goals playing 3rd line minutes?

I think if we're hoping that a guy that got punched in the face for living, on a podcast named Spittin' Chicklets is going to have some sort of morals, we're hooped.

That said, buffoons like Dreger should shut their yaps.

This might be a bit of a hot take but goalie coaches are probably the most overrated (or maybe just overanalyzed) part of a hockey staff. At least from a fan perspective.

I don't know that there's a big difference between the "#1 goalie coach" and the "#10 goalie coach" but I think a good goalie coach can make a difference. Especially when a goalie is struggling.

Trying being a Leafs fan and a Bills fan...barf

Worst would be a Leafs fan and a Lions fan.  In 97 years, the Detroit Lions have 7 playoff wins total.
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/det/playoffs.htm

My memory is very short and the only thing I'm thinking of regarding the NFL is Josh Allen's 4 turnovers on Monday

Trying being a Leafs fan and a Bills fan...barf

Morgan Rielly's flaws aside, it's crazy to think that Sanderson is making more than him after one NHL season.

Nail biter last night.  Romano had to come in to get the last out of the 8th!

The team seems to let their foot off the gas once they go 3 or 4 runs up.

That's a crazy contract for a guy with one year of NHL experience

How is Dumba, a defensemen, an upgrade over two forwards?

SDA leaving is a tough break for the Marlies but I think his NHL odds were still fairly low. He's probably 2 years away at best anyway so maybe playing in the KHL would be good for his development and the Leafs can revisit him when he's 24.

Is 2 years in the KHL better or even good at all for him, a lot of prospects(Leafs and others) play a very small amount of TOI in the KHL mostly because KHL teams don't feel they need to develop potential NHLers over their own/undrafted and even less talented players.

I wonder if the KHL is even as good as the A, the KHL will have 2 or 3 name players that are usually beyond their prime then the quality of the players might not even match AHL quality.

I would always think that if a team sees true potential they should do their best to get those players to play in the A for proper development, players that are allowed to leave are probably already written off by the NHL teams that drafted them. Eemeli Rasanen is a prime example, he signed in the K and TO didn't looked to disappointed even tho he was a 2nd rounder. The Leaf sites like PPP and Leaf Nation thought that his further exposure to better quality opposition should be a good thing for the Leafs but I doubt TO wasted any or very little time or energy on him after he signed in the K.
 

I don't think the NHL teams are just letting their top prospects walk.
You can't really blame a player who's making 70k in the AHL for walking to the KHL for 400k

Not sure where AHL salaries are published but TO like most teams will pay marginal NHL/AHL players a minimum NHL salary then park them in the A for injury insurance, I would think that if a prospect is a true prospect TO would offer them enough money to stay in North America. A true prospect should be properly groomed, allowing them to sign in the K isn't any kind of guarantee they will be properly groomed for a possible NHL future. I assume that TO allowing prospects to go to the K basically means that TO no longer considers them true prospects.
 

According to Cap Friendly, SDA's estimated salary over the 5 years since being drafted is $487k. That includes $240k in signing bonuses and $210k in minors salary(70k per year). I can't find the exact numbers for his contract in the KHL, but it was rumoured to be a 3 year deal worth 1.5m USD.

If he felt he was a sure fire NHLer, I'm sure he'd still be here. But, he sees the writing on the wall, and he may as well make good money while he's able to. And who would the Leafs be to deny him that? If he's not happy here, how would you expect to get the best development out of a middle of the road forward prospect with a very small chance of being a contributing member of your NHL team(now or in the future)?

[heart]

Hagel's signing should definitely drive down Nylander's ask. Hagel has similar numbers to Nylander at that age and brings more heart to the game.

Why? They're not in the same performance tier. Similar role though.

23yr old Nylander put up 59pts
24yr old Hagel put up 64pts

Equals = Same tier

If only the Leafs were negotiating with a 23 year old Nylander and not one who's been a point a game player for the last two seasons.

Also, at 23, Nylander put up those 59 points in 68 games. Hagel put up 64 in 81.

I think we have to also take into account the heart the player brings to the rink

Nylander also has a perfectly functioning heart. So, that's moot.

Good point. I take back everything I said.

SDA leaving is a tough break for the Marlies but I think his NHL odds were still fairly low. He's probably 2 years away at best anyway so maybe playing in the KHL would be good for his development and the Leafs can revisit him when he's 24.

Is 2 years in the KHL better or even good at all for him, a lot of prospects(Leafs and others) play a very small amount of TOI in the KHL mostly because KHL teams don't feel they need to develop potential NHLers over their own/undrafted and even less talented players.

I wonder if the KHL is even as good as the A, the KHL will have 2 or 3 name players that are usually beyond their prime then the quality of the players might not even match AHL quality.

I would always think that if a team sees true potential they should do their best to get those players to play in the A for proper development, players that are allowed to leave are probably already written off by the NHL teams that drafted them. Eemeli Rasanen is a prime example, he signed in the K and TO didn't looked to disappointed even tho he was a 2nd rounder. The Leaf sites like PPP and Leaf Nation thought that his further exposure to better quality opposition should be a good thing for the Leafs but I doubt TO wasted any or very little time or energy on him after he signed in the K.
 

I don't think the NHL teams are just letting their top prospects walk.
You can't really blame a player who's making 70k in the AHL for walking to the KHL for 400k

[heart]

Hagel's signing should definitely drive down Nylander's ask. Hagel has similar numbers to Nylander at that age and brings more heart to the game.

Why? They're not in the same performance tier. Similar role though.

23yr old Nylander put up 59pts
24yr old Hagel put up 64pts

Equals = Same tier

If only the Leafs were negotiating with a 23 year old Nylander and not one who's been a point a game player for the last two seasons.

Also, at 23, Nylander put up those 59 points in 68 games. Hagel put up 64 in 81.

I think we have to also take into account the heart the player brings to the rink