The Toronto Maple Leafs enter the second month of the 2015-16 regular season tied for last place in the NHL standings, a prospect not completely unwelcome to a fan base looking towards the future with prospects William Nylander, Mitch Marner and a top pick in the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo, NY next June.
The interest is less about wins and losses and more towards what the club will do with players who have been a part of the club’s struggles the past few seasons.
Time to take some questions from followers on Twitter and the comments section of Hockeybuzz.
@MikeInBuffalo does jvr make it past the deadline and are you sold on kadri as a long term option?
— Tom (@ThunderTomOlsen) November 9, 2015A – Whether to move James van Riemsdyk or not probably is one of the more difficult questions in front of Brendan Shanahan, since the 26-year-old is the club’s best forward and is under control for another two seasons.
The question is whether the Leafs will be good enough to benefit from van Riemsdyk’s talents before the end of his contract in 2017-18 or to deal the winger and an economical $4.25 Million cap hit for a younger, controllable NHLer or a high draft pick.
A decision before the February trade deadline is unlikely, but if Toronto decides to venture into free agency next summer with names like Steven Stamkos and Anze Kopitar potentially available, a part of the Leafs being an attractive destination will be someone like JVR to play alongside.
@MikeInBuffalo is "Soonâ„¢" tied to how fast they can call up @snizzbone?
— xilodon (@xilodon) November 9, 2015A – Soon in this instance means the next couple years, as Toronto will be transitioning their roster dramatically, but Nylander will not be a part of those changes until next season. A full year in the AHL, another World Junior appearance and the Calder Cup Playoffs are likely on the agenda for the 19-year-old.
Nylander leads the Toronto Marlies with 14 points in 12 games, but in spite of his success so far the Leafs are not going to promote the young center for more than one or two games as a reward at some point during the season.
@MikeInBuffalo I do not think we want them to play well this year...But the Marlies are the team to watch....The kids are doing fine
— Joe Giorgio13 (@JoeGiorgio1) November 9, 2015A – Toronto is playing well under Mike Babcock, but the club does not have enough offense to win games on a consistent basis and will not get better in that respect as the season progresses and short-term veterans like P-A Parenteau, Brad Boyes and Shawn Matthias are traded off.
The Marlies are more than just “the Nylander Show… thus far. A 10-3 record has Toronto atop the AHL’s North Division with TJ Brennan, Josh Leivo and Mark Arcobello providing veteran experience and rookies Nikita Soshnikov, Fredrik Gauthier, Casey Bailey and Kasperi Kapanen adding secondary scoring.
In the near future, trips to Ricoh Coliseum will be more entertaining than to Air Canada Center.
@MikeInBuffalo what's the odds of bozak getting dealt, where and when?
— Mike Van Wagoner (@mikevw424) November 9, 2015A – With two years remaining at $4.2 Million per season and Bozak not playing with scoring wingers to boost his offensive numbers, the task of trading the 29-year-old will be more difficult, but not impossible.
Centers that can win faceoffs and provide secondary offense are attractive commodities at the deadline and if a playoff bound team needs a second/third line center for depth, Lamoriello may be able to move Bozak. It will likely entail taking a contract back to balance out a deal financially, but getting a draft choice or NHL prospect is within reason.
@MikeInBuffalo Could Piccinich be a legitimate prospect or is it just the Marner effect?
— steve clay (@steveclay) November 9, 2015A – It is tough to say whether JJ Piccinich is the real thing, but it is encouraging that Leafs 2014 fourth round pick who had one goal in 25 games for Boston University last season is second in goals for the London Knights.
The 19-year-old has not played the entire season with Mitch Marner, so it is not accurate to say his totals are a byproduct of playing with the Leafs top pick.
Toronto will have to make a decision quickly on the New Jersey native, since leaving the NCAA for the OHL has reduced the time to sign the winger to a pro contract. If Piccinich remains unsigned through next June, he would be eligible for re-entry into the NHL Draft.
@MikeInBuffalo anyone worth trading that Babs may want to pull from Detroit? Looks like they need a little shakeup too.
— athockeyblog (@athockeyblog) November 9, 2015A – The Red Wings are currently in the mix for a Eastern Conference wild card spot, which is where many experts thought they would end up. Rookie coach Jeff Blashill knows most or all of the players in the organization and veteran Pavel Datsyuk is just about to return from injury, so it will be awhile before GM Ken Holland presses the panic button.
Surely there are a number of players that Babcock would like to get from his former team, but the odds are not great that the Wings will trade anyone of impact to a team inside their own division.
@MikeInBuffalo do you think Kadri will earn himself a long-term extension or will he become an attractive asset come deadline day?
— Jordan MacKenzie (@jordanmack66) November 9, 2015A – Kadri has been the subject of many favorable comments made by his head coach since the beginning of the season, in spite of his low offensive output (1 goal, 5 assists) for leading the club’s forwards in average ice time (18:38) and shots-on-goal (60).
It is unknown whether Babcock is doing this to fill the young center with confidence or publicly pumping tires to increase his trade value.
At this point, Kadri has not accounted himself well enough to earn a long-term deal and it is unlikely that the Leafs would want to sign 25-year-old to another short-term deal which would bring him closer to unrestricted free agency, so the trade scenario could be pulling into the lead.
Question from “markmark… in the comments: Do you think any struggling prospects, a la R. Strome/Grigorenko for example, could be potential trade targets for the Leafs or would those teams rather bide their time and hope struggling prospects come out of it?
A – Toronto will be looking for situations such as these in hopes of obtaining an undervalued prospect and providing them a second chance.
Strome has been healthy scratched and sent for a conditioning stint by the Islanders, but it would be hard to imagine GM Garth Snow giving up on the 22-year-old after a 50 point sophomore season unless it was part of a deal bringing back a Kadri or van Riemsdyk, who New York could retain for at least a couple years.
Grigorenko still has not made any impact in the NHL after the disastrous decision by former Sabres GM Darcy Regier to keep him in Buffalo as an 18-year-old. Even playing for former junior coach Patrick Roy has not helped bring about the promise that the big Russian had when selected 12th overall in 2012.
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Listen to my weekly appearance with CTV London’s Norman James as we discuss Dion Phaneuf, the Leafs goaltending duo and Mitch Marner’s five assist game last weekend.
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