Comedy Platinum out of Toronto - "Canada's Team" quest for the Cup

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Maybe Dan Cleary is available?

 

[BGDave]

Maybe Dan Cleary is available?

Interesting idea.

Does Molsons own the team? No, wait, I am thinking of the Habs.

/cheap shot

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

The last 4 games of the season look pretty scary, especially with those 3 teams vying for top spot in the Metro and likely doing so until the last week, but the schedule between now and then gives me hope and the fact they just took 5 of 6 points up for grabs against the Bolts, Hawks and B’s is something to celebrate. Here's hoping they get an OT win vs. Columbus tomorrow to help them to first place in the event we can't leapfrog the Bruins in the division.


Also, Morgan Rielly has been a totally different player since we put him on notice here last week. He's also been playing with Roman Polak, who, uh, hasn't been awful? Weird right?

 

[BGDave]

Also, Morgan Rielly has been a totally different player since we put him on notice here last week. He's also been playing with Roman Polak, who, uh, hasn't been awful? Weird right?

There are powers at work here that mere mortals cannot understand.

 

[Darth Dawkins]

Thinking they will fall just short, all those OT losses....
It's been fun paying attention though.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Taken from PPP, here are some club records under threat (or already broken) at the moment:

Goals by a rookie:
Wendel Clark: 34
Auston Matthews: 33

Assists by a rookie:
Gus Bodnar: 40
Mitchell Marner: 39
William Nylander: 34

Assists by a rookie defenseman:
Borje Salming: 34
Nikita Zaitsev: 28

Points by a rookie defenseman:
Borje Salming: 39
Nikita Zaitsev: 31

Points by a rookie:
Peter Inhacak: 66
Auston Matthews: 58
Mitch Marner: 56
William Nylander: 52

Even strength goals:
Wendel Clark: 30
Auston Matthews 28

Power Play goals:
Tied at 9: William Nylander, Dan Daoust, Alex Steen, Walt Poddubny

Short Handed goals:
Zach Hyman: 3 - New record holder over Jimmy Jones & Russ Courtnall

Game Winning Goals:
Auston Matthews: 6 - New record holder over Steve Thomas
Mitch Marner: 5
Connor Brown: 3

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Also, Nazem Kadri is now a 30 goal scorer (despite getting only 37% O-Zone starts!!!) and excusing the current crop, for once the Leafs finally drafted someone with promise, stuck with them and now get to reap the rewards. Everything is such a nice breath of fresh air from what it used to be.

 

[dash]

Hey, you guys still looking to trade that Nylander kid?

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Hey, you guys still looking to trade that Nylander kid?

Sadly, some people are.

I just pray that Shanny and Lou aren't among them.

 

[BGDave]

Sadly, some people are.

I just pray that Shanny and Lou aren't among them.

Would you trade him straight up for Doughty?

Which leads to the punch line for the old joke ". . . now we are just haggling over the price".

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Would you trade him straight up for Doughty?

Which leads to the punch line for the old joke ". . . now we are just haggling over the price".

Yes, although he'll cost a lot to re-sign in the same off-season the Leafs will have to re-sign both Matthews and Marner.

The exact issue is, though, that Taylor Hall got Edmonton Adam Larsson. How much more on top of Willie would it take to get Doughty? Is that really worth it? Or should we maybe just trust the regime that drafted and/or developed these players to find good outside D help from either the current prospect pool, the UFA market, the trade market or via the draft while keeping the three incredibly talented young forwards we have?

 

[dash]

I would consider trading TJ Brodie for William Nylander.

 

[KennyBanyeah]

I would consider trading TJ Brodie for William Nylander.

I would say that's a whole lot more likely than Drew Doughty. Although I think Brodie is better than he's been this year, he doesn't hold the value of Doughty.

 

[forty_three]

I would consider trading TJ Brodie for William Nylander.

What they need is grit, veteran presence and leadership.

I will trade Dubinsky for him.

 

[puckhead]

I would trade Virtanen for Nylander.

 

[KennyBanyeah]

What they need is grit, veteran presence and leadership.

I will trade Borowiecki for him.

Nice of you to speak on our behalf!!

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

The last Leafs your teams, respectively, traded for are Matt Stajan, Dion Phaneuf, David Clarkson and
(boy I had to go a long way back for this one) Jeff Farkas.

Are we done here?

 

[BGDave]

Or should we maybe just trust the regime that drafted and/or developed these players to find good outside D help from either the current prospect pool, the UFA market, the trade market or via the draft while keeping the three incredibly talented young forwards we have?

Personally, I favo(u)r this approach. The list of recent Cup winners contains names like Oduya, Hjalmarsson, Timmonen, Maata, Daley, etc as Dmen who substantially contributed. Totally agree, you can build a Cup-worthy defense corps with names like Rielly, Gardiner (and even Hunwick, and Polak). We will need one stud though, and that's where I am concerned for the Leafs. That is probably the toughest nut to crack for Lou.

 

[dash]

The last Leafs your teams, respectively, traded for are Matt Stajan, Dion Phaneuf, David Clarkson and
(boy I had to go a long way back for this one) Jeff Farkas.

Are we done here?

Did somebody say Farkas?

 

[KennyBanyeah]

Personally, I favo(u)r this approach. The list of recent Cup winners contains names like Oduya, Hjalmarsson, Timmonen, Maata, Daley, etc as Dmen who substantially contributed. Totally agree, you can build a Cup-worthy defense corps with names like Rielly, Gardiner (and even Hunwick, and Polak). We will need one stud though, and that's where I am concerned for the Leafs. That is probably the toughest nut to crack for Lou.

For sure. That (along with a TRUE #1 C) are the toughest pieces of the puzzle to find.

There are maybe a dozen true elite #1 D in the league right now. It's really hard to find one and you pretty much have to draft them because no one gives them up once they get them.

Same goes for elite #1 Cs. About a dozen or so in the league. Sadly it looks like the Leafs have found one of those moving forward (as soon as next year).