Last night after meeting with some folks I headed out onto Yonge Street and just happened upon Yonge-Dundas Square, which is Canada's answer to Times Square in NY. It was amazing though as they had set up a big screen, set out a bunch of chairs and hundreds were watching the classic Woody Allen movie Annie Hall. So very cool.
So in honor of being in "The Big Smoke" as my buddy Garth calls it, this morning I will look at the Maple Leafs.
BALANCING THE CAP
Given what I do here, nothing fascinates me more than this topic. You see, I cover all 30 teams and have just two ears and (usually) one functioning brain. The biggest question I face some days is, "Who to call next?" That is the whole key to what I do...knowing who to call next.
There are pillars to building a team I have found. All teams use this, of course due to the rising cap, they all define the pillars by differing figures, but the rest remains the same.
A top tier goalie of course is a must... allow 3-5 million for your starter and 1-2 million for your veteran backup, while your kid plays on the farm and gets ice time...
After that the four groups of players that each team needs in perfect balance:
#1-Superstars (5 Million and Up)
They may not be what you would call "Superstars," but they are paid like one. Now "overpaid" may be wrong in a very few cases, but even some of these stars themselves will tell you that although they should maybe be the highest paid player on the team they really aren't worth being 3-10 times higher paid than other players on the team. The fact is that there is a difference between a 7 million dollar player who has come up in your own system and a 7 million dollar guy you signed in the heat of competition on July 1. Very few players in this range are home grown. Hard to have more than 3 at +5 for most teams...OK to have 4 if they are legit stars.
#2. Top Liners (3M-5M)
These players are more often home grown underpaid or overpaid UFAs that were signed from somewhere else. More than 3 of these players can get you in trouble.
#3. Second Tier (TL) (1.5-3M)
I have found this to be the most interesting category for trade rumours and probably the category where more Cups are won. STs are either home grown young stars on their second deal or solid top six forwards or top four d signed on a UFA deal. These players make or break your team. You need at least four of these. Six is ideal.
#4. Role Players (under 1.5)
Another hugely overlooked yet "can't be over-rated" category. Veteran players who fill specific needs on your fourth line who can step up to third line duty in the case of injury. They can be tough guys, penalty killers, defensive specialists, team mentors, etc...Every Cup champion has a few of these that you will remember ten years after they won it all.
#5. Rookie Contracts (under a million)
This is your trump card. The more of these you can get into you starting three lines makes you golden. For every RC that plays top line minutes you get to add another Second Tier. And that is huge.
THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS:
#1-Superstars: $6M+ (out of balance) rating 4
McCabe-5.75
Kubina-5
Although I believe both players are unfairly maligned for their play on the ice, this is why people are tough on them. They are both absolutely "top 4" D-men, but they aren't superstars. They are paid like them
#2-Top Liners: $3-5 (partially out of balance) rating 6
Kaberle-4.25
Blake-4
Hagman 3
Kaberle IS a real Superstar and he is under paid. Blake and Hagman are both overpaid.
#3- Second Tier: $1.5-3 (in balance) rating 9
Bell 2.17
Ponikarovsky 2.1
Antropov 2
Stajan 1.75
Steen 1.7
I really like this group for their value, and these players are why the Leafs will not be as terrible as some Leaf fans would like them to be. I still hold out hope for Bell to be a real factor.
Really a good group of role players all around. Hard to find a team with better role guys.
#5: Rookie Contracts: (slightly out of balance): 7
White
Tlusty
Grabovski
Stralman
Rogers
White, Tlusty, and Grabo are good rookie contract guys, but only White can probably find his way to the the top 2 lines in my opinion
So the Leafs Cap Balance is 34-50 or a C-
So how does your team fit into this formula?
By Popular Demand: Re-post of Burt...
Finally, as the Sundin Saga enters day 30, our own "Burt the Dog" (The "most famous current hockey predicting dog on the planet," according to HockeyDog.com) puts all the questions to rest.
See it here, TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
Vermette
according to a source the situation, "Got a lot more interesting in the last 24 hours." My source implied that the scope of the deal may now include a d-man going to Vancouver as well, and a prospect returning.
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