2015-16 Prospects Thread

[Tigger]

If the Leafs were to secure Goloshev, Zaitsev and say Vesey, they'd be pretty cramped for ice time, something would have to give in a trade.

 

[herman]

If the Leafs were to secure Goloshev, Zaitsev and say Vesey, they'd be pretty cramped for ice time, something would have to give in a trade.

I'd say that's a problem you want to have.

 

[Tigger]

If the Leafs were to secure Goloshev, Zaitsev and say Vesey, they'd be pretty cramped for ice time, something would have to give in a trade.

I'd say that's a problem you want to have.

No doubt, also they'd be a pretty young team, another good problem.

 

[Highlander]

In the next couple of years some very good players are going to have problems making the Leafs.

 

[Tigger]

Just for illustration, they'd probably carry an extra D instead of 3 forwards, yadda, but with signing those three and dropping all ufa's ( and buying out Cowen ) they'd have around 5 mil in cap space without engaging LTIR coverage. The Leafs could really wheel and deal with that kind of flex, maybe a bit more if the cap doesn't remain static. I figure 10 mil between Kadri and Rielly is fair. Carrick, Corrado and Sparks probably get a little more, I didn't adjust for them, also that's with Brown, Leivo, Leipsic and Marincin in the minors and I traded Holland etc. for magic beans.

J. Van Riemsdyk ($ 4,250,000) --- N. Kadri ($ 5,000,000) --- M. Michalek ($ 4,000,000)
N. Soshnikov ($ 736,666) --- W. Nylander ($ 894,166) --- L. Komarov ($ 2,950,000)
J. Lupul ($ 5,250,000) --- T. Bozak ($ 4,200,000) --- Z. Hyman ($ 900,000)
J. Vesey ($ 925,000) --- B. Laich ($ 4,500,000) --- C. Greening ($ 2,650,000)

M. Hunwick ($ 1,200,000) --- M. Rielly ($ 5,000,000)
J. Gardiner ($ 4,050,000) --- F. Corrado ($ 632,500)
C. Carrick ($ 636,667) --- N. Zaitsev ($ 925,000)

J. Bernier ($ 4,150,000) --- G. Sparks ($ 670,000)

M. Marner ($ 925,000) --- K. Kapanen ($ 894,166) --- A. Goloshev ($ 925,000)

2015 NHL Cap Limit: $ 71,400,000
23 Player Roster Cap Used: $ 64,564,165
Cap Buried in the Minors: + $ 0
Cap Hit from Buyout(s): + $ 1,333,333
Cap Retained in Trades : + $ 1,200,000
Cap Credit : - $ 650,000
Cap Space Available : $ 5,302,502

Also, that's without draft considerations or Stamkos, making it even funner.

 

[herman]

For comparison, Bob McKenzie's projected lineup:

One additional thing to note in this team building exercise, is that Lou prefers his teams to be built in thirds: one third veterans, one third in their prime, one third youth.

 

[Highlander]

I would suggest that Lupul is going to go to Robidas Island, where he can lounge around with Horton and Robi!

 

[rjd]

For comparison, Bob McKenzie's projected lineup:

One additional thing to note in this team building exercise, is that Lou prefers his teams to be built in thirds: one third veterans, one third in their prime, one third youth.

So Marner goes back to the OHL?

 

[CarltonTheBear]

So Marner goes back to the OHL?

He mentioned that Marner would be the 13th forward and that the Leafs would need to find room for him if he needs more playing time. Also said they'd likely keep him until at least the World Juniors and then potentially make a decision about sending him back afterward, like the Oilers did with Draisaitl. All speculative at this point though of course.

 

[Redleaf]

For comparison, Bob McKenzie's projected lineup:

One additional thing to note in this team building exercise, is that Lou prefers his teams to be built in thirds: one third veterans, one third in their prime, one third youth.

So Marner goes back to the OHL?

Yep. And Stamkos slots in as part of the group of players in their prime, along with JVR, Komorov, Kadri and Bozak. Still need a veteran defenseman.

 

[herman]

Some trades at the draft or packages including our existing UFA vets would open up spots for Marner, Brown.

I personally wouldn't mind running even 10 kids next year if we can cleanly clear out the vets we don't need. The benefit of pulling in Nylander, Carrick, and Sparks for the final stretch is that they wouldn't really be rookies going into next year. Soshnikov and Hyman will have that benefit as well seeing as how Lupul and JvR are done for the year, and Froese and PAP are still out.

Running Leivo, Leipsic and maybe Sam Carrick means we don't really need to sign any UFAs up front.

I'm also not worried about the Edmonton rebuild issue of having too many kids in the lineup; that situation was very different in its lack of structure and support systems on and off the team for the kids. Here, even vets are getting skating lessons.

 

[McGarnagle]

I personally wouldn't mind running even 10 kids next year if we can cleanly clear out the vets we don't need.

I dunno. I love the idea of just throwing the Marlies out there next season, but I think it's good to have a bit of a veteran presence, and it would likely be more beneficial for some of the kids to be playing top minutes at the AHL level than 3rd or 4th line duty in the NHL. There also has to be some form of internal competition for icetime throughout the season to keep players working hard - there has to be some sort of structure there.

 

[herman]

I personally wouldn't mind running even 10 kids next year if we can cleanly clear out the vets we don't need.

I dunno. I love the idea of just throwing the Marlies out there next season, but I think it's good to have a bit of a veteran presence, and it would likely be more beneficial for some of the kids to be playing top minutes at the AHL level than 3rd or 4th line duty in the NHL. There also has to be some form of internal competition for icetime throughout the season to keep players working hard - there has to be some sort of structure there.

On the whole, I agree with you. Guys like Kapanen, Lindberg, and Bibeau could use time as the #1s of their respective positions next season in the AHL.

I'm thinking more along the lines of players who a) have nothing left to prove in the AHL: Nylander, Hyman, Soshnikov, C. Carrick, Leipsic; and b) are at the point in their development curve that it is make or break: Leivo, S. Carrick, Percy.

If we pick top 3, that guy (Matthew/Laine/Puljujarvi) is almost a shoo-in for the NHL having all played (and excelled) against men in their respective leagues. Add Marner, who really can't go anywhere else. That's already 10 before you fill in gaps with guys like Loov, Valiev, Sparks, or pickups like Zaitsev. Fortunately, in that list of 10-12ish players, most have had, or will have had a good look in the NHL, with only a small handful of true rookies to shepherd.

How many character veterans does a team that's not expected to reach the playoffs really need when there is also Babcock (and Lou) at the helm, and super-skilled prime time players like Kadri and Rielly toeing the company line? I'm thinking 4-5 would be sufficient: Laich, Lupul, Hunwick, and Robidas.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I don't know if I'd call Laine and Puljujarvi shoo-ins for the NHL next season, at least not with the Leafs. The fact that they're being drafted out of Europe means they can play in the AHL immediately (Matthews can too, but obviously won't). So if they're being developed by the Leafs I wouldn't be surprised if they at least start with the Marlies.

 

[herman]

I don't know if I'd call Laine and Puljujarvi shoo-ins for the NHL next season, at least not with the Leafs. The fact that they're being drafted out of Europe means they can play in the AHL immediately (Matthews can too, but obviously won't). So if they're being developed by the Leafs I wouldn't be surprised if they at least start with the Marlies.

That crossed my mind too (and it would be nice for Kapanen and whoever centres that line). It's still 9 players who probably should get NHL looks in a year that doesn't matter.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

The Marlies are also looking at another pretty big injection of youth next season. I mentioned potentially Laine and Puljujarvi, but there's also: Timashov, Dermott, Nielsen, and Johnson. I believe Bracco would be eligible to play in the AHL too but he'll probably be sent back to the OHL for another season.

 

[bustaheims]

There will be a lot of young players/kids in the lineup next year, but some of the guys people are penciling in to the roster might not quite be ready to be full-time NHLers yet. There's no reason to just push kids into the lineup to jsut have them there. The guys that are ready need to be there. The guys that aren't need to be somewhere else - and that probably includes guys like Brown, Kapanen, etc., who might be ready, but aren't quite as advanced as Nylander, Shoshnikov, etc.

 

[herman]

I hope we can spin off some packages at the draft of vets or prime players on the older side (JvR, primarily) with tweeners who need a change of scenery for prospects with upside and futures.

 

[Nik]

I dunno. I love the idea of just throwing the Marlies out there next season, but I think it's good to have a bit of a veteran presence, and it would likely be more beneficial for some of the kids to be playing top minutes at the AHL level than 3rd or 4th line duty in the NHL. There also has to be some form of internal competition for icetime throughout the season to keep players working hard - there has to be some sort of structure there.

I really only think that's true if the players aren't yet capable of playing a 3rd or 4th line role with the Leafs. Otherwise it's tough to argue that players wouldn't learn more with the big club getting coached by Babcock.

Keep in mind that we're not talking about old time 4th lines here. Against Buffalo the 4th line got nearly 12 minutes of ice time. That's a pretty regular shift. So long as players are capable of contributing while here and there's room to reward good play with advancement(and "what will we do with all of these players who are clearly first liners?" is not a problem the Leafs are likely to have next year) then I really think the NHL is the best place to develop talented young players.   

 

[LuncheonMeat]

So where does Vesey slot into this whole mess? Humor me here.