Kris Versteeg

[Nik]

This thread isn't meant as a shot at the team for dealing him, just that I was always in his corner and am interested to see what he makes of his career.

Coincidentally, I decided to start this thread after seeing he got a hat-trick tonight.

Versteeg Verever!

 

[Bender]

Steeger Fever!

 

[Champ Kind]

This thread isn't meant as a shot at the team for dealing him, just that I was always in his corner and am interested to see what he makes of his career.

Coincidentally, I decided to start this thread after seeing he got a hat-trick tonight.

Versteeg Verever!

He's sure making the most of his opportunity in Florida, where he's getting first line minutes and - coincidentally? - playing like a first line player.

 

[Bender]

This thread isn't meant as a shot at the team for dealing him, just that I was always in his corner and am interested to see what he makes of his career.

Coincidentally, I decided to start this thread after seeing he got a hat-trick tonight.

Versteeg Verever!

He's sure making the most of his opportunity in Florida, where he's getting first line minutes and - coincidentally? - playing like a first line player.

Well TBH looking at the goals I feel like he's getting into the dirty areas and banking home the goals. I think maybe he's simply a better fit in Florida.

 

[Seymore Pucks]

He still going great and the only ex Leaf to do so at the moment.  Right up the with the point leaders.  I actually thought he was going ok on the third line with Armstrong before he got traded.  Good on him I say. 

 

[Corn Flake]

This thread isn't meant as a shot at the team for dealing him, just that I was always in his corner and am interested to see what he makes of his career.

Coincidentally, I decided to start this thread after seeing he got a hat-trick tonight.

Versteeg Verever!

He's sure making the most of his opportunity in Florida, where he's getting first line minutes and - coincidentally? - playing like a first line player.

Well TBH looking at the goals I feel like he's getting into the dirty areas and banking home the goals. I think maybe he's simply a better fit in Florida.

I wonder if being traded 3 times in about 1 calendar year kind of humbled him to the point where he can now deliver on hard work + talent and not just the latter.  He was always a very talented player but seemed waaay too cocky for his own good when he arrived in Toronto.

 

[Nik]

I actually thought he was going ok on the third line with Armstrong before he got traded.

I don't think the issue with him was ever his play. He was always a talented player who got good results. As mentioned there was kind of an issue with his fit here as there was a lot of similarity between him and Kessel that made him kind of a bad fit for the top line and, with the 2nd line as successful as it was, the only spot for him was on the 3rd while getting a lot of special teams play.

I don't think it'll go down as a terrible trade because the Leafs got a fairly decent return for him but I do think it was a situation where the Leafs kind of bailed on a really talented player a little too soon.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

I predict he will be traded twice this season and become the first player ever to win the Hart and Art Ross trophies while playing for three teams.

 

[crazyperfectdevil]

I actually thought he was going ok on the third line with Armstrong before he got traded.

I don't think the issue with him was ever his play. He was always a talented player who got good results. As mentioned there was kind of an issue with his fit here as there was a lot of similarity between him and Kessel that made him kind of a bad fit for the top line and, with the 2nd line as successful as it was, the only spot for him was on the 3rd while getting a lot of special teams play.

I don't think it'll go down as a terrible trade because the Leafs got a fairly decent return for him but I do think it was a situation where the Leafs kind of bailed on a really talented player a little too soon.

Perhaps...but philly didn't exactly seem thrilled with him either

 

[maplesyrup]

Wasn't there some kind of incident where his car got screwed with here and Versteeg had a hissy-fit? I seem to recall a story to that effect and shortly after, he was traded away.

 

[Nik]

Perhaps...but philly didn't exactly seem thrilled with him either

Well, A) that really has no bearing on what the Leafs did and B) even if it were true, you could say the same about Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. Philly decided to totally revamp their team and that doesn't really reflect on who they dealt.

 

[bustaheims]

Perhaps...but philly didn't exactly seem thrilled with him either

I'm not so sure you can really tell Philly's impression of him when he was moved in what was a mainly cap related deal.

 

[Corn Flake]

*cough* contract year *cough*

 

[Tigger]

Perhaps...but philly didn't exactly seem thrilled with him either

I'm not so sure you can really tell Philly's impression of him when he was moved in what was a mainly cap related deal.

If you can say it was a cap related deal with complete certainty I think you can say something was up with their impression of him overall with what they got for him to make that decision, young talented skaters don't normally get turned over so quickly for less than the purchase price.

 

[L K]

*cough* contract year *cough*

that's a little unfair to just automatically label every single player who has a god year in a contract year as it being related to that.  He's 25 and in his 4th NHL season (all three previous years with 20+ goals and 53, 44, 46 points) getting an opportunity to play on the top line for a team.

 

[bustaheims]

If you can say it was a cap related deal with complete certainty I think you can say something was up with their impression of him overall with what they got for him to make that decision, young talented skaters don't normally get turned over so quickly for less than the purchase price.

Well, it's not like they traded him for a ton less than they gave up for him. He was acquired for a 1st & a 3rd and traded for a 2nd & a 3rd in what is supposed to be a deeper draft. Considering there was less time on his contract when the 2nd deal was made, they probably received roughly equal value to what they surrendered.

 

[Nik]

If you can say it was a cap related deal with complete certainty I think you can say something was up with their impression of him overall with what they got for him to make that decision, young talented skaters don't normally get turned over so quickly for less than the purchase price.

It's not much less than the purchase price though. They traded the #25 and #86 picks for him. At the time it looked like a pretty good bet that Florida's 2nd and 3rd would mean a pick in the low 30's and low 60's.

 

[Corn Flake]

*cough* contract year *cough*

that's a little unfair to just automatically label every single player who has a god year in a contract year as it being related to that.  He's 25 and in his 4th NHL season (all three previous years with 20+ goals and 53, 44, 46 points) getting an opportunity to play on the top line for a team.

Just an observation.

 

[Tigger]

If you can say it was a cap related deal with complete certainty I think you can say something was up with their impression of him overall with what they got for him to make that decision, young talented skaters don't normally get turned over so quickly for less than the purchase price.

Well, it's not like they traded him for a ton less than they gave up for him. He was acquired for a 1st & a 3rd and traded for a 2nd & a 3rd in what is supposed to be a deeper draft. Considering there was less time on his contract when the 2nd deal was made, they probably received roughly equal value to what they surrendered.

Picks aside that still doesn't explain why they decided to take a risk on a roster spot and similar cap hit with Jagr and turn over a young talent so quickly that could likely net more in a deadline deal this year if that was the plan.

I haven't read a satisfactory explanation from Holmgren so it's pretty speculative no matter but accepting less in this situation seems weird to me.

 

[Nik]

Picks aside that still doesn't explain why they decided to take a risk on a roster spot and similar cap hit with Jagr and turn over a young talent so quickly that could likely net more in a deadline deal this year if that was the plan.

I haven't read a satisfactory explanation from Holmgren so it's pretty speculative no matter but accepting less in this situation seems weird to me.

I still don't get the central point though. If Kris Versteeg right now is proving that he's a very capable first line player then what does it matter even if Philadelphia came to the same bad conclusion that the Leafs did? Is it better to be wrong in a crowd than right by yourself?

Even if we want to say that Versteeg played really poorly last year, which he didn't, then the Leafs were still in more of a situation to be patient with him and see how it played out than Philly who went into this season looking to compete immediately.