Leafs Q & A – March 14th Edition (maple leafs)

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Leafs Q & A – March 14th Edition

By Mike Augello

Mar 15, 2016 • 12:13 am

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are 14 games away from the end of a season that has seen them trade their team captain, starting goaltender and a plethora of veterans. The Leafs have fulfilled the “pain… prophecy predicted by head coach Mike Babcock, with the worst goal differential and least amount of wins in the NHL, but the club has a tenuous hold on 30th place with less than a month to go.

It’s time once again to answer some of your questions from the comments section and from Twitter about what Toronto may do after at the NHL Draft and over the summer.

A – It depends on which rookies you are talking about. Nikita Soshnikov(22 yrs old) and Zach Hyman(23 yrs old) had an advantage over younger prospects after playing in the KHL or NCAA. William Nylander has played against older pros since the age of 16 and looks to be ready for the challenge of the NHL. Josh Leivo, Connor Brown, Stuart Percy, Brendan Leipsic and Garret Sparks have two or more years in the AHL, so they may be ready to fight for a job.

Younger prospects such as Kasperi Kapanen and Rinat Valiev have less than a year of pro experience, which means they will have to really impress to crack the Leafs opening night lineup, but that does not rule out the possibility of them being called up at points during the season if they perform well.

From .HOHO.(in the comments) : Which team winning the Draft Lottery will make you slit your throat the most?

A – The most annoying lottery winner would be Edmonton, who have had four top picks in the last six seasons, but what might drive Leafs fans over the edge is a team barely missing the playoffs with a 1% chance (Colorado or Philadelphia) or a team inside their division (Buffalo, Montreal or Ottawa) getting Auston Matthews.

A – It has been speculated that the Oilers should trade the #1 overall pick to Arizona to get All-Star blueliner Oliver Ekman-Larsson to immediately upgrade their blueline, but a deal to bring Scottsdale, AZ native Auston Matthews home would likely cost more than OEL and at some point would be counterproductive to the struggling Coyotes.

The more likely course for Edmonton would be to keep the pick and trade former #1 pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or Nail Yakupov for defensive help. RNH is making $6 Million per season and moving him would help the Oilers salary cap, as Matthews would be on an entry-level contract for his first three years.

A deal involving Toronto would probably have to include their top pick and Morgan Rielly to start and that is not something the Leafs are likely to do at this stage of their rebuild, especially with Jesse Puljujarvi, Patrik Laine and Matthew Tkachuk as very good consolation prizes.

From DarcyTucker16(in the comments) : Who starts in net for the leafs next year?

A – My belief is that the primary starting goaltender for the Maple Leafs next season is not on their roster. Garret Sparks is getting an audition to see if he is capable of being in the mix, but it may be more beneficial for the 22-year-old to get more experience in the AHL. Jonathan Bernier has done nothing this season to solidify his hold on the Leafs starting goaltending position. A buyout of the final year of his two-year deal is unlikely and trading him with a cap hit of $4.15 Million next season will be tough, which may mean that he will be the backup and get traded at the deadline as James Reimer did last month.

A – Winning the lottery and getting Auston Matthews should not have any effect on the Maple Leafs interest in Steven Stamkos this summer. The common trait of many NHL top contenders is strength up the middle. Matthews as the top pick would be under considerable pressure to be an impact player right away, which in some ways would make the addition of Stamkos as a veteran leader more of a necessity.

The effect that getting both would give the Leafs the luxury of starting William Nylander on the wing instead of center and the opportunity to trade Tyler Bozak and/or Nazem Kadri to fill other holes on the club.

From FruitCakeNipple(in the comments) : Do you think the Leafs will trade Kadri this summer?

A – It is interesting that Mike Babcock’s critique of Kadri’s performance has changed from mostly positive tire pumping before the trade deadline to more critical analysis after February 29th. The 25-year-old’s status as a restricted free agent and contract demands this summer is at the core of why Kadri is likely to be dealt this summer.

Kadri’s representatives will probably be looking for a long-term contract extension, buying two or three seasons of unrestricted free agency. That could potentially escalate salary demands over $5 Million per season and with Tyler Bozak being capable of playing second line center at $4.2 Million for another two seasons and William Nylander ready to step into an offensive role next year, using Kadri as an asset to acquire defensive help may be the direction the Leafs go.

A – It does not make a lot of sense to waste a year of Nylander’s entry-level contract by playing ten games this season. The 19-year-old has been given a three-week trial in the NHL and will play his ninth game on Tuesday against Tampa Bay. The Toronto Marlies have not been the juggernaut they were with Nylander on their top line, going 1-1-1 last weekend.

GM Lou Lamoriello indicated when he called up the group of youngsters after the deadline that some would not finish the season or play all the games with the Leafs. It is quite possible that the 2014 top pick will be loaned back to the Marlies on Wednesday, especially if Tyler Bozak is ready to return from concussion issues.

A – The situation in Tampa with a potential salary cap crunch, a group of pending RFA’s and UFA’s the next two seasons and some underlying discontent about not playing center add up to Stamkos testing the free agent market to see what other teams might offer. There is no indication that Tavares has any interest in leaving the Islanders and they will be willing to open up the checkbook to keep the 2009 top pick in Brooklyn.

A – Probably not, if Mark Hunter likes Tkachuk over Patrik Laine, the Leafs would take Tkachuk at #3.

A – Every draft list has four forwards at the top, Matthews, Puljujarvi, Laine and Tkachuk. Unless the Leafs trade down, they will be taking a forward with their top pick. If that occurs, you could see them take a defenseman with the Penguins first rounder.

A – Stamkos is not signing anywhere for less than seven years and may want the eight-year max, which would mean that Toronto would have to trade for his negotiating rights to give him the extra year. This is the time for the Markham, ON native to get long-term security after signing a five-year deal with Tampa as a 21-year-old.

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Listen to the latest podcast with myself and CTV’s Norman James as we discuss William Nylander and the Leafs future in goal.

Note : Continue to check back to my column on Hockeybuzz throughout the day for the latest Leafs updates or on Twitter

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