Dion's a guy who was tied 9th in scoring for Dmen in the league while also registering the highest Corsi RelQofC rating of ANYONE in the league. Essentially, he was top 10 scoring for Dmen while having a harder overall assignment than anyone else AND was also playing with Kostka and Holzer.

Call him whatever the hell you want, but try to give that assignment to anybody else and see how they handle it. Maybe only a handful of guys in the league could have managed that.
- lumlums

Exactly. I can't believe we have to keep repeating this.
This whole thread scares me.

Why on earth would Pittsburgh even consider this crap? I'm not sure which Shero would do first - laugh, throw up or hang up?

Letang by far is the best in this deal. Sutter is better than Kulemin. Kulemin can't score anymore. We have a three-center setup so trading Sutter for Kulemin helps that how exactly?

I think you need to go back to the drawing board and start with Letang for Gardiner, your first pick and some good forward prospect not named Joe Colbourne.
- Oneonta Penguin

Sorry, I'm already bored of the letang rumors...... Personally could care less if we get him or not.

Back to the more pressing issue which is at center.

This is all a bunch of malarkey
Letang's not going anywhere.

Dump him... Leafs are better off without him and his lack of leadership. The guy has no heart and the reason Leafs lost game 7. Rumour has it he lost the players in the dressing room. Thats a cancer, he needs to go! Ps... why would you want Stastny and his $6.5 mill for minimal points, I dont think he is much better than Bozak and smaller too! We need a big man on the #1 line!
- spliffster33

YES... Go get Vinny from TBay....

Letang's another Whitney imo. Crosby and Malkin can make a superstar d-man out of anyone.....example Paul Martin.
- mykokes

wow...how did I miss that one? This guy is clueless. Martin would be a 1st pairing in his team.
- Orpik44

You're both wrong. Letang is far better than Whitney and Martin would not be on our first pair.

Gagner <-> Phaneuf + Reimer

???
- mventres

Dear (frank)ing Christ.....

The Pens fans are delusional, if they think that we're going to gut our team for Letang. We already have two similar type defencemen, that are younger and cheaper. We need more sandpaper on the back end, not more smaller mobile defencemen. Keep Letang....we'll be fine without him.

The only way that I see Dion gone, is for a true first line center. In doing so, Nonis will have to have another top 2 defenceman in his back pocket, to do this deal.

I saw the same thing. It would either mean they plan to move O'reilly or Stastny to the wing(unlikely)

Or they already have a deal for Stastny in place.
- Meeqsb

Phaneuf, makes sense for both teams.

But Nonis better have a back up plan to eat those minutes cause that is a gigantic hole on the back end and to be honest I don't think letang alone fills Phaneufs footsteps.

As much as I hate his game sometimes, he is still far better defensively than letang.

Letang's another Whitney imo. Crosby and Malkin can make a superstar d-man out of anyone.....example Paul Martin.
- mykokes

wow...how did I miss that one? This guy is clueless. Martin would be a 1st pairing in his team.
- Orpik44

On the Leafs? Seriously? Dammit, I wonder how NJ fans feel about losing such a legend to you guys.

That sounds a lot like a certain someone from the pens that is involved in a lot of rumors right now....
- Genev21

See. We are not the only ones with problems Even Chara is getting bashed by the bostonians

The Pens fans are delusional, if they think that we're going to gut our team for Letang. We already have two similar type defencemen, that are younger and cheaper. We need more sandpaper on the back end, not more smaller mobile defencemen. Keep Letang....we'll be fine without him.

The only way that I see Dion gone, is for a true first line center. In doing so, Nonis will have to have another top 2 defenceman in his back pocket, to do this deal.
- PrinceLH

So Dion goes for Letang + Crosby? That is what you're saying right now? Right?

You're both wrong. Letang is far better than Whitney and Martin would not be on our first pair.
- westcoastleaf

He is better than Whitney, but he wouldn't put up the numbers he does without two of the best centres on the planet on his team.

Dear (frank)ing Christ.....
- lumlums

Yes. You called

Sorry, I'm already bored of the letang rumors...... Personally could care less if we get him or not.

Back to the more pressing issue which is at center.
- Sheppy99

What's up with Bozak? Is he that bad?

Gardiner Kulemin 1st for Letang.

Exactly. I can't believe we have to keep repeating this.
This whole thread scares me.
- UsernameUnknown

It's mind numbing. For anybody who missed it, here's a Coles notes version of what we have learned (despite some trying hard not to!)


Phaneuf > Gagner

Phaneuf > Statsny

Letang =/= everybody in the Leafs system

Anybody who is looking for depth at center is not going to want to spend over 6 million a year. Only team willing to pay that is a team considering him as a #1 centerman and that list is pretty short.
- Sheppy99

Once again, in the new CBA the Avs can keep 50% of Stasny's remaining contract and they have no reason not too if they want to get the most for him as possible as the cap isn't an issue for us.

Also because cap hit is based off of AAV, if you traded for him at the trade deadline you could have him only count for around 2Mil~ caphit, which is the same way the Pens stayed under Cap this year while technically being 7mil over.

How many teams have a top 6 center for 2mil cap hit?

Hes done alright at it he flopped when he needed to be strongest most for us and what about Letang he plays in all situation for the Pens and logs alot of ice time.
- jake24242

And Letang got chewed up as badly as anyone vs. Boston.

He's not physical, he's injury prone, he plays behind one of the best offenses in the game, and he's probably going to get around 7 mil on his next deal.

I'd take him for sure to play with Dion. A straight flip is probably a lateral move. I'd be more afraid of Letang getting hurt than anything.

Nice to have a novel problem, eh bud???
- lumlums

One of these days lumlums, one of these days...

What's up with Bozak? Is he that bad?
- Orpik44

For the price tag he thinks he has: yup

Yes. You called
- Yeti1181

Not for you

Hows it going bud?

What's up with Bozak? Is he that bad?
- Orpik44

He's the new dominic moore 2.0. He's overvaluing himself because Toronto is utilizing his services to a greater degree than any other team in the league would.

He's a good 2B 3A centerman. But he's asking for money of a 1B 2A centerman of which he isn't worth.

if you can only muster 50 points in 82 games playing with the likes of lupul and kessel? You aren't that offensively gifted.

On the Leafs? Seriously? Dammit, I wonder how NJ fans feel about losing such a legend to you guys.
- mykokes

They wanted to keep him but.... LA wanted him for $5.5M per but....he chose Pittsburgh. (don't come up with the "he chose poorly" joke)

So Dion goes for Letang + Crosby? That is what you're saying right now? Right?
- Leafland

Not at all. I'm saying Dion gets traded for someone like Duchene, or Landiskog. We then make another deal for a defenceman elsewhere, that eats up minutes on the back end.

Gardiner Kulemin 1st for Letang.
- ThePresident

This is a deal Shero might consider.