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The Toronto Maple Leafs reach the NHL All-Star break as a team in tatters. The club has fired their head coach, 1-7-0 under their interim coach, are not even in the same zip code as the teams holding the wild card spots in the Eastern Conference, clearly have chemistry and core problems with their roster and a management team that seems prepared to start the long rebuild that has been needed for almost a decade.
This is a perfect time to take your questions about the Leafs and what the future may hold:
@MikeInBuffalo Who from the #Marlies have a legitimate shot at making the #Leafs next year ?
— Ryan Johnson (@1967beleaf) January 23, 2015A – That question all depends on how extensive the roster purge is before the March 2nd trade deadline and over the summer. If it is extensive, that will open up more opportunity for players currently on the Leafs AHL affiliate.
It does not appear that any of the three goaltenders(Antoine Bibeau, Christopher Gibson or Garret Sparks) are ready to be an NHL backup and the Leafs will likely need one, since Jonathan Bernier’s new contract will likely mean that they cannot afford a $2.3 Million backup in James Reimer. Bibeau is their top prospect of the three and Toronto will probably want the 20-year-old to play another full year in the AHL before challenging for an NHL spot.
Stuart Percy and Petter Granberg are the two most likely to make the jump next season, but both have had up and down AHL seasons due to injury. Viktor Loov and Tom Nilsson also have a chance to make the jump, but they will not rush the pair of Swedes.
Connor Brown leads the Marlies with 31 points and appears to have the skill set to play in the NHL, but Toronto management is taking the same patient approach with the former OHL scoring champion as they are with 2014 top pick William Nylander. Both Brown and Nylander will get good long looks at training camp next September, but they may be splitting time between the Marlies and Leafs in 2015.
Four forwards that have the best chance of earning a legitimate spot with Toronto next season; Sam Carrick, Matt Frattin, Josh Leivo and Brandon Kozun.
From Lucas Neilson(in the comments): It's obvious the Leafs want to go after Babcock, realistically he is going to wait longer so he is offered more by Detroit and stays there unless Brendan Shanahan pulls a rabbit out of a hat. What other coaches would you see fitting for the Leafs next season and who do you think Shanahan has in mind as a backup plan?
A – My opinion is that Babcock is the target of the Leafs as their new head coach, but I agree with your assertion that Toronto will be used as a vehicle to extract a higher price out of Wings owner Mike Ilitch on a new deal in Detroit. Plus, if Shanahan follows through on recent statements that the Leafs will be taking a long-term approach for the future club, would Babcock want to sign on with a team starting a rebuild with cap limitations.
My leading candidate if Babcock does not fly away from the Wings is former Panthers and Devils bench boss Peter DeBoer, who has won a Memorial Cup and reached a Stanley Cup Final with New Jersey in 2012. He has ties to current Leafs assistant coach Steve Spott and is known for emphasizing a defensively responsible game.
@MikeInBuffalo how about admit they are rebuilding and make a bold move like getting Tyler Myers or a 1st pairing dman regardless of cost.
— Mark Rowe (@mw_rowe) January 23, 2015A – The idea of trading for a first pairing defenseman is a good one, but not too many teams that are trading them. That is why the Leafs extended Dion Phaneuf $7 Million last January, because even though Phaneuf is probably not a top pairing blueliner on a contender, there would have been someone desperate enough for defensive help to pay him that amount. It is also the reason why they should be able to trade him this summer if that is the direction the Leafs want to go.
Myers is talented, but there is even some question of whether he is a top pairing guy or not. The former Calder Trophy winner has never played as good as in his rookie season and in spite of his Zdeno Chara-like size, he is not a physical defenseman. It is also unlikely that Sabres GM Tim Murray would trade Myers to one of his club’s most heated rivals.
@MikeInBuffalo #Leafs where do you think franson is march 2nd?
— Scott M Holmes (@scoresscotty) January 23, 2015A – The likelihood of pending free agent Cody Franson being moved before March 2nd has gone up exponentially in the last 24 hours, as TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that the Leafs are not willing to pay him what he will attract as an unrestricted free agent this summer. Vancouver could be one of many teams interested in Franson(a native of British Columbia) with the recent injury to Kevin Bieksa, but Los Angeles, Detroit, Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh are rumored to be pursuing defensive reinforcements before the deadline.
The Leafs are in a good position to extract a good price for Franson, who is having a career offensive year and is a right-handed shot and could get as much as a low first-round pick or a second-rounder and a prospect.
@MikeInBuffalo @mirtle #leafs have 9 players signed at $45M for 2016-2017, not including Kadri, Holland, Bernier, Rielly how much for them ?
— COLDBLUE (@MannyTerrebonne) January 23, 2015A - Peter Holland and Morgan Rielly are under contract for 2015-16. Holland signed a two-year deal last July and will make $775,000 next season, Rielly is in the final year of his three-year entry level deal making just under $900,000.
Nazem Kadri and the Leafs have begun negotiations this week and Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports that Toronto’s opening offer was five years, $22.5 Million($4.5 Million AAV), but Kadri is going to be looking for a deal in excess of $5 Million per season. There has not been any reports of ongoing talks between Toronto and Bernier’s representatives, but he will likely be looking to make in the neighborhood of $5 Million per season.
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The chances of the Leafs moving defenseman Cody Franson before the March 2nd deadline have gone up exponentially based on a report from TSN’s Darren Dreger.
Dreger indicates that after discussions with Franson’s representatives, the Leafs are prepared to offer anything close to what the pending free agent is looking for. Franson makes $3.3 Million this season and is likely looking for a max seven-year deal similar to what defenseman Matt Niskanen signed with Washington last July.
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