Kanukfanatic Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 Craig Button TSN Director of Scouting The Toronto Maple Leafs are a serious Stanley Cup contender - we can all agree on that. But each season brings different opportunities. The key question for the Maple Leafs is "How do they maximize this season's opportunity without compromising the future?" We're going to look at a couple of different scenarios with the biggest asset the Leafs have...cap space - almost $6 million at this point in time. Where can we look at this team? We'll start on defence - a topic of conversation with Toronto for a very long time. You can look at pending unrestricted free agent Alex Edler of the Vancouver Canucks - a big shot on the power play and plays the most significant minutes for any Vancouver defenceman. No one knows Detroit blueliners Niklas Kronwall better than former Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock. Both players have big playoff experience and Kronwall has a Stanley Cup on his resume. Another player who might not come at a higher price is New Jersey's Ben Lovejoy, who won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016. He's that big, right-shot defenceman who can add some key minutes to the blue line. Now we've also heard Babcock saying he wants heavier forwards who can grind it out, outside the dots. Philadelphia Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds, a UFA next summer, is a great scoring presence on the power play and he plays a heavy game. Micheal Ferland of the Carolina Hurricanes once played with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan in Calgary. He contributes offensively and can create a lot of space for his linemates. With a manageable $2 million cap hit and one year left on his contract, Kings winger Trevor Lewis could be a real nice piece you can play in different spots in your lineup with two Stanley Cups as well. So for the Toronto Maple Leafs, using this cap space will be very significant - especially with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner still on entry-level contracts and Jake Gardiner's future with the team still uncertain after this season. Maximize your position this year and you enhance your Stanley Cup chances. If Edler would waive to go to the Leafs for their cup run what could we get back? Then re-sign Edler in the summer. Edit: Edler could be an integral part of the Leaf's run for the Cup. Hits, plays big minutes, and can play in any role. Although he would just be a rental I feel like a late 1st and a 2nd round pick or good defensive prospect would be about right. Obviously the challenge would be to get Edler to waive and then the challenge of resigning him in the summer (which I think the Canucks should do). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuktravella Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 id take a 1st 3rd and a 4th then resign him july first Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nucker 67 Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 Would be great to get the TOR 1st (around #30?) plus a prospect for Edler, and then maybe Edler pulls his hammy right before the playoffs lol Thanks Toronto! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silky mitts Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 Edler can definitely fetch a nice package Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremyCuddles Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 Dunno if I wanna see Eagle in Toronto, but I dunno. Sure would be nice to snag one of their good young pieces and their 1st. Something tells me the deal would involve Gardiner and Brown or something stupid though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatedkid666 Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 Would feel weird wanting Toronto to win Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nucker 67 Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 9 minutes ago, hatedkid666 said: Would feel weird wanting Toronto to win I don't love Edler that much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
combover Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 If he’d go then by all means.. let’s make a deal. Edler plays his best in contract years. Tanevs plays his best every game, shot suppression super star, tanev when heathy is one of the best defensive dmen in the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM_ Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 He'd certainly help out that defence. They still need a right side upgrade as well, but Edler-Zaitsev could make a solid pairing for them. But it would have to be a big payout, something like Sandin or Liljegren and a 2nd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanukfanatic Posted December 19, 2018 Author Share Posted December 19, 2018 17 minutes ago, N7Nucks said: Dunno if I wanna see Eagle in Toronto, but I dunno. Sure would be nice to snag one of their good young pieces and their 1st. Something tells me the deal would involve Gardiner and Brown or something stupid though. If that was the case then a hard pass from me also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Blight Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 19 minutes ago, N7Nucks said: Dunno if I wanna see Eagle in Toronto, but I dunno. Sure would be nice to snag one of their good young pieces and their 1st. Something tells me the deal would involve Gardiner and Brown or something stupid though. The most accurate statement Button makes is this one: Jake Gardiner's future with the team still uncertain after this season The Leafs will keep him for their Cup run and have no interest in trading him. They will likely let him walk as a UFA in the off-season so they can afford to re-sign Matthews and Marner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nucker 67 Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 5 minutes ago, Rick Blight said: The most accurate statement Button makes is this one: Jake Gardiner's future with the team still uncertain after this season The Leafs will keep him for their Cup run and have no interest in trading him. They will likely let him walk as a UFA in the off-season so they can afford to re-sign Matthews and Marner. Bad asset management. What a Dubas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nucker 67 Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 to TOR - Edler to VAN - Liljegren and a conditional 2nd (becomes a 1st if they win the Cup) Do it JB Future D: Hughes - Tanev Hutton - Liljegren Juolevi - Gudbranson Tryamkin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokes Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 The defence man who pretty much holds almost all Canucks All Time defensive records in a Leaf's jersey? It's just not right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.I.A.H.N Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 Edler to Toronto for the spring is good with me....I hear it is the nicest time to visit Toronto We are not getting Liljegren out of there...or Kapanen So, I figure a first + a conditional 3rd, if they reach the Eastern Conference Finals You can't expect more than that for a rental, for 5 months I would give him a 3 year deal, front end loaded, when came back, instead of a 2 year..... Just our way of saying thanks for doing this. 3 X 4 M (includes a 6 million signing bonus) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6string Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 Reads like a Toronto Fantasy Article. They will probably end up with a Chaput or MDZ lol... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86Viking Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 2 hours ago, Kanukfanatic said: Craig Button TSN Director of Scouting The Toronto Maple Leafs are a serious Stanley Cup contender - we can all agree on that. Craig, they haven't got out of the first round...let's hope that trend continues!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86Viking Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 Edler to Winterpeg instead or another team NOT named toronto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeBossy Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 No issue at all with this proposal by Button IF we re-sign him after July 1st. I'd be fine with a 2nd rnd pick - any type of extra pick for Benning to work with is fine with me based on his drafting so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alflives Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 Wouldn’t want a bustaroo like Littlegren back, that’s for sure. Other than picks, the Loser Leafs have nothing we want, except Marner, Matthews, and Reilly, and we ain’t gettin’ one of those guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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