Wow...its July 6th and I can't believe how many naysayers are out on the Leafs:

JVR-Bozak-Kessel
Lupul-Kadri-Clarkson
Kulemin-McClement-Bolland
Orr-Colbourne-McLaren

Phaneuf-Gunner
Gardiner-Liles
Franson-Blacker
Holzer...Reilly...Fraser...

Reimer-Bernier

Super elite...NO...damn solid lineup...YES!
- bullrx

Agree with this..would not be surprised if Colbourne is replaced and McClement is centering the 4th line with Bolland and Kulemin. I see the D a lil different too

my lineup as of today would be

JVR-Bozak-Kessel
Lupul-Kadri-Clarkson
Kulemin-Bolland-Carter
Orr-McClement-McLaren

Phaneuf-Gunner
Gardiner-Franson
Liles--Holzer
Blacker...Reilly...Fraser...

Bernier to start about 65% and Reimer 35% and as the season wore down play the hot hand

I just feel like better options were out there, we didn't upgrade significantly over what we had, in my opinion. Other teams did.
- ThePresident

Nonis said he wasn't done! We have the entire summer to add a needed D. Relax

I just feel like better options were out there, we didn't upgrade significantly over what we had, in my opinion. Other teams did.
- ThePresident

How? Mac is gone...my mom could do what he does most nights.

Bolland / Clarkson > Mac/Grabo IMO

Grabo is a very good player but loves to carry the puck and most times ends up losing it...if Kuleman plays well Grabo plays well...so we keep Kuleman and axe the big contract..I say the leafs will be fine this year. If not we can always cheer for the habs right?

Agree with this..would not be surprised if Colbourne is replaced and McClement is centering the 4th line with Bolland and Kulemin. I see the D a lil different too

my lineup as of today would be

JVR-Bozak-Kessel
Lupul-Kadri-Clarkson
Kulemin-Bolland-Carter
Orr-McClement-McLaren

Phaneuf-Gunner
Gardiner-Franson
Liles--Holzer
Blacker...Reilly...Fraser...

Bernier to start about 65% and Reimer 35% and as the season wore down play the hot hand
- CBH17

Wait, Jeff Carter?

I don't think Ottawa is significantly better than Toronto. You can't compare Clarkson to Ryan just because they changed teams on the same day. You can compare Ryan to JVR or Kessel as a 1st line winger, and you'd have to try pretty hard to convince me that Ryan is a vast improvement on either of them.
- BetterCallSaul

I can compare it when other GM's are making bold moves that are significantly upgrading their roster. Alfredson was on the decline bigtime, the Sens are better off with Ryan than Alfredson at this stage in his career. Boston with Iggy, and Erikkson, better than Jagr and Horton....we didn't do much except get a guy that is going to constantly have us on the PK defending these players the other teams just signed, we better hope we have the PK unit up to par

"Leafs better up front"

Not sure about this.

Out:
-grabo- one of our best forwards, a 20G 50P player if used properly by the coach...
-macarthur- a 20G player who is 3rd in leaf scoring over the past 3 seasons (I'm not saying we shoulda resigned him, I'm just sayin...there goes 20 goals)
-frattin- a promising young forward who can score and hit
-Komarov- sparkplug, would've liked to see him stay

In:
Bolland- oft-injured, hasn't played particularly well since 2011, Hawks fans glad to see him go. Yes, he's strong defensively and has championship pedigree
Clarkson- will probably score a few and make Dmen look over their shoulders
prospects ready for promotion? none that are likely to have an impact

The crippling Clarkson contract and draft picks for bolland would be easier to stomach if it greatly improved the team. I hope I'm wrong on this, but I'm not seeing it.

One or both would be nice. Would it make sense to grab both though?

What are they going to do with Liles?
- daeth

I think they have to trade Liles whether they bring anyone else in or not. I just don't think he fits into their plans anymore. I'd rather have Paul Ranger on the team.

How? Mac is gone...my mom could do what he does most nights.

Bolland / Clarkson > Mac/Grabo IMO

Grabo is a very good player but loves to carry the puck and most times ends up losing it...if Kuleman plays well Grabo plays well...so we keep Kuleman and axe the big contract..I say the leafs will be fine this year. If not we can always cheer for the habs right?
- Garnie

I can compare it when other GM's are making bold moves that are significantly upgrading their roster. Alfredson was on the decline bigtime, the Sens are better off with Ryan than Alfredson at this stage in his career. Boston with Iggy, and Erikkson, better than Jagr and Horton....we didn't do much except get a guy that is going to constantly have us on the PK defending these players the other teams just signed, we better hope we have the PK unit up to par
- ThePresident

Good thing our PK was top 3 then. I was unaware the season started tomorrow and there's no time to further upgrade our team..

if we got hainsey and signed out RFAs i would be really happy with where were at
- DarcyTucker16

I think they have to trade Liles whether they bring anyone else in or not. I just don't think he fits into their plans anymore. I'd rather have Paul Ranger on the team.
- TML60

I hope he's dealt with his poop and ready to take the next step...love to have him at least try

Good thing our PK was top 3 then. I was unaware the season started tomorrow and there's no time to further upgrade our team..
- BetterCallSaul

Can clarkson do PK? Because we lost a good one in Komarov.

Mike... you should have wrote:

- Tee-Dot Leafs Looking Lovely, but Defense Dilly-Dallies as it's Deemed it's still Detrimental.

Nicely done, Tee-Dot.

Can clarkson do PK? Because we lost a good one in Komarov.
- UsernameUnknown

He'll be the one in the box.

Can clarkson do PK? Because we lost a good one in Komarov.
- UsernameUnknown

For 5.25m per year he should be able to do (frank)ing backflips on skates

For 5.25m per year he should be able to do (frank)ing backflips on skates
- lumlums

2 months training with barb and he will

2 months training with barb and he will
- JIMI-JAMES

If nothing else, he'll be faster

"Leafs better up front"

Not sure about this.

Out:
-grabo- one of our best forwards, a 20G 50P player if used properly by the coach...
-macarthur- a 20G player who is 3rd in leaf scoring over the past 3 seasons (I'm not saying we shoulda resigned him, I'm just sayin...there goes 20 goals)
-frattin- a promising young forward who can score and hit
-Komarov- sparkplug, would've liked to see him stay

In:
Bolland- oft-injured, hasn't played particularly well since 2011, Hawks fans glad to see him go. Yes, he's strong defensively and has championship pedigree
Clarkson- will probably score a few and make Dmen look over their shoulders
prospects ready for promotion? none that are likely to have an impact

The crippling Clarkson contract and draft picks for bolland would be easier to stomach if it greatly improved the team. I hope I'm wrong on this, but I'm not seeing it.
- BestRapperAlive

Exactly, nothing has been that significant of an improvement based on who's in and who's out. Meanwhile the other teams we worry about became much better.

Superstar Gardiner! Oh wait Kostka's stats were better in both leagues.
- honesthockey

Am I alone on this one...

1) would you rather have Kostka and his issues at 1MCAP hit
or
2) would you rather have JM Liles and his hissue at 3.8CAP hit

?

I honestly don't get this stuff at times. Using the compliance buyout on Crapasarek was short sighted. Should have used them on Grabovski and Liles.

Can't make the case for trading Liles without likely having eat some or a bunch of his CAP hit... so it would have been better to conventionally take the 1.5M per year hit for two years with Crapasarek and compliance Liles. Would have saved 2.2M against the CAP, and simultaneously cleared the log jam on the D side.

Gardiner is OR SHOULD be playing ahead of Liles period.

Gunnarson and Fraser as the two other left side D. Phaneuf and Franson top 2 right side, and let Kostka, Blacker and Holzer battle for the 5-6 position on the right side.

"TSN’s Bob MacKenzie indicated on Friday that the Leafs will not re-sign free agent Mike Kostka"

Damn, how will we replace his minutes on the top pairing?


- daeth

Thank god, he was terrible.

Good thing our PK was top 3 then. I was unaware the season started tomorrow and there's no time to further upgrade our team..
- BetterCallSaul

Love posts like this ^^^

For 5.25m per year he should be able to do (frank)ing backflips on skates
- lumlums

"Oh, there goes Clarkson headed to the net, followed by Kadri and OH MY GOODNESS a triple sow-cow executed perfectly by clarkson to elude the smurfs defence."

"I don't know about you Glen, but I havnt seen skating like that since the olympics."

Thank god, he was terrible.
- Juice

I can imagine the exit interview... "I'm sorry Burt, I mean Mike... There's only room for one terrible flow on this team, and we really have to resign Tyler..."

I can compare it when other GM's are making bold moves that are significantly upgrading their roster. Alfredson was on the decline bigtime, the Sens are better off with Ryan than Alfredson at this stage in his career. Boston with Iggy, and Erikkson, better than Jagr and Horton....we didn't do much except get a guy that is going to constantly have us on the PK defending these players the other teams just signed, we better hope we have the PK unit up to par
- ThePresident

I'm not so sure that Boston is better with Erikkson, Iginla and ? versus Jagr, Horton, Seguin and Peverly.

Agree that Ottawa is better off with Ryan than Alfredsson, but the question is probably more accurately would Ottawa be better with Ryan and Alfredsson or just Ryan?

oh i play him in preseason and send him back to jr

i already know it would be a huge mistake for him to be played in nhl

for every guy that was a success at such a young age there are 5 who got messed up because of being rushed

it would be a mistake.
- Dozzer

I didn't know you were a fortune teller... How do you know he isn't more like the majority of this list. Here are all the defenseman picked in the top 5 over the past ten years that started the season in the nhl as 19 year olds. The only one considered a bust would be Johnson and that is because he was a #1.

2011 Larsson #4 19
2010 Fowler #5 18 Gundbranson #3 19
2009 Ekman-Larsson #6 19 Hedman #2 19
2008 Doughty 2 Bagosian 3 Pieterangelo 5 Schenn all 19
2006 Erik Johnson 1 19