At the end of a weekend in which the Maple Leafs lose both ends of a home-and-home series to the division rival Detroit Red Wings, GM Dave Nonis is spotted scouting the Oilers-Canucks game in Edmonton and speculation regarding the future of Mike Babcock reaches a fever pitch, it felt like a good time to answer questions from Leafs Nation via Twitter and the comments section of my column about the state of the club.
A – Simply, it will take having players that Randy Carlyle trusts for the fourth line to get the ice time most people thought they would get this season. The excuse of having Colton Orr, Frazer McLaren and Jerred Smithson is gone, but clearly Carlyle has to be convinced that the likes of Richard Panik, Peter Holland and Matt Frattin can handle more than five minutes per night, let alone double-figures.
Leafs fourth line players have averaged between six to eight minutes through the first six games and do not have a point. Frattin and Panik totaled just over six minutes in Saturday’s 1-0 overtime loss to the Wings and Holland played almost seven minutes replacing the injured Brandon Kozun on the penalty-killing unit. Until someone steps up and does something positive in a limited role, expect this to continue.
PinkSock(from the comments) asks : Who is more likely to be moved for an upgrade up the middle? Kadri or Bozak?
A - Kadri without question. Bozak is in year two of a five-year deal and is an effective playmaker, he is just miscast as a #1 center and would be a much better fit as a second line center. Kadri continues to have problems in the defensive zone and has not been consistent enough offensively to forgive those shortcomings. With Kadri's two-year bridge deal ending this season, he will likely be looking for a long-term deal for big money next summer.
A - If the rumors of GM Dave Nonis out scouting two weeks into the season are indicative of anything, trades will happen before a move is made on Carlyle. If the Leafs fall way behind in the Eastern Conference standings or go through a long and drawn out losing streak comparable to last March, Carlyle will take the fall, but Team President Brendan Shanahan and Nonis know that significant roster changes will have to be made after staying the course following last season's collapse.
A - The Leafs could be looking for a top six forward, which is something they were unable to add over the summer. A top center is at the top of their wish list, but the Oilers are unlikely to trade Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Wingers Nail Yakupov and Jordan Eberle could be available at the right price. The 2012 top pick has struggled in Edmonton and is a restricted free agent at the end of this season, which could be a difficult negotiation with threats of bolting to the KHL used as leverage. Eberle has four years left at $6 Million per season, but because the Oilers have plenty of skill up front, they might be willing to part with him if they can add a top pairing defenseman.
Jake Gardiner would make sense as a trade target for Edmonton, as they have had difficulty in attracting free agents without overpaying them in recent years. The swift-skating blueliner signed a five-year, $20.25 Million contract with the Leafs this summer, played under Edmonton coach Dallas Eakins with the Toronto Marlies and partnered with current Oiler Justin Schultz at the University of Wisconsin. Gardiner's deal is cap friendly and has no limitations to block a trade.
A - Franson's fate is contingent to what happens with Gardiner, as well as his status as a pending UFA. Toronto is unlikely to move two offensive defensemen in the same year, so a Gardiner trade would likely coincide with an effort to extend Franson. Past contract negotiations with the 27-year-old blueliner have not gone smoothly, so getting him to sign for under $5 Million per season(what he is likely to get in free agency next July) will be difficult. Best guess, Franson will be traded for a relatively high draft pick at the trade deadline.
A - Shanahan & Co. did not acquire or sign any of the current Toronto core players and thus have the freedom to move them if they think that they can improve the club going forward. It is not an impossibility to trade Phil Kessel or Dion Phaneuf and get a significant return for them, in spite of their big contracts. The question is whether the Leafs hierarchy thinks a new coach and new approach will change their fortunes. That is what Brian Burke did more than two years ago when he fired Ron Wilson in favor of Randy Carlyle.
Even if Shanahan is successful in bringing in a big name like Mike Babcock next season, another year of mediocrity with the current core may be enough to convince the Leafs Team President that changes on the ice are just as necessary as those off the ice.
Thanks for your questions.
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