• Moderators, please send me a PM if you are unable to access mod permissions. Thanks, Habsy.

Leaf Rumours

Kessel(67pts) -- Kessel(63pts)
Bozak(57pts) -- Stajan(65pts)
Kulemin(53pts) -- Ponikarovsky(57pts)
Grabovski(52pts) -- Blake(47pts)
Kadri(41pts) -- Hagman(51pts)
Versteeg(46pts) -- Stempniak(54pts)

I still don't think there will be a huge drop off, and with an improve defense corp and improved goaltending, we'll be okay to start the season...but Burke does need to add another forward or two.
 
msun30 said:
the leafs are clearly a downgraded offensive team from the start of the 09-10 season.

there's just no denying that. the team lacked top end talent, but if nothing else it had depth.

i just don't think that kadri, bozak, versteeg, armstrong replaces what stajan, ponikarovsky, blake and hagman brought to the table offensively. at least, at this point in their careers.
Click to expand...

I think it's pretty dang similar, to tell the truth.

Here's what the old guys did for us last year, and what the new guys have done over the last 2yrs:

M.Stajan: 55gms, 16gls, 41pts (82gms, 24gls, 61pts)
T.Bozak: 37gms, 8gls, 27pts (82gms, 18gls, 60pts)

A.Ponikarovsky: 61gms, 19gls, 41pts (82gms, 26gls, 55pts)
N.Kadri: ?

N.Hagman: 55gms, 20gls, 33pts (82gms, 30gls, 49pts)
K.Versteeg: 157gms, 42gls, 97pts (82gms, 22gls, 51pts)

L.Stempniak: 62gms, 14gls, 30pts (82gms, 19gls, 40pts)
C.Armstrong: 161gms, 37gls, 69pts (82gms, 19gls, 35pts)

J.Blake: 56gms, 10gls, 26pts (82gms, 15gls, 38pts)
L.Caputi*: 23gms, 2gls, 8pts (82gms, 7gls, 29pts)


* or whichever of the kids (Caputi/Muller/D'Amigo/Irwin/Hanson) steps up the most


I understand that some are still skeptical about what Kadri can do this year, but I think that poni level of production is well within reach.

also, in terms of pure skill outside of production, Bozak/Kadri is a good step from Stajan/Poni, so that might add another dimension to the team offensively.
 
Just going by goals (pace based on goals scored for Leafs):

1. Kessel - 35
2. Hagman - 30
3. Poni - 26
4. Stajan - 23
5. Stempniak - 19
6. Blake - 15


That is 138 goals.

1. Kessel - 35
2. Versteeg - 20
3. Grabo -15

That is 70 goals. That means Bozak, Kadri and Kulemin need to score a combined 68 goals.

So if all 3 can score ~23 goals, or at least if the 3 of them combined average ~ 23 goals, then the offense won't take a hit.

That is a lot to expect of those young guys, but it is not impossible by any stretch. But that is what the offense hinges on. Kadri, Bozak and Kulemin producing like top 6 forwards.

Of course a huge Kessel jump to 45+ goals could take some pressure off of them.
 
LeafGm said:
Yeah, there sure are a lot of 6'5" third line centermen who can score 60-70 points while also being a terrific defensive player. He certainly sucks compared to a $3M third line winger who struggles to crack the 40 point mark, and another $3M winger who's career offensive season would be a poor showing by Antropov.

Batshit crazy.
Click to expand...

wow you completely made up your own stuff from what i said !

antropov is nothing more than a 3rd line! at best 2nd line player! thats all i said ! his 67 points on atlanta is based on the fact he was made the go to guy ! burkes rationality towards kulemin applies here otherwise yes he has only produced a 3rd line/2nd line rate most of his career

armstrong was brought in for a specific role and not intended to come here to add points ! and i have no qualms saying armstrong will bring a fire this team has missed since tucker

and poni stinks im sorry but the guy is lazy and finally was given something he needed a long time ago but only occured on another team and that was a benching ! leafs spent years trying to make him a power forward spent many hours only for the kid to come out the way he did ... disheartening when they had high hopes for him
 
his 67 points on atlanta is based on the fact he was made the go to guy !
Click to expand...

no, his 67 points were based on him being a good player.

if wayne primeau were made toronto's 'go-to guy' would he score more than 20 points? probably not.

john mitchell had an 8 or 9 game stretch as toronto's first line centre -- and had a whole 2 points over that span.

players don't just put up points simply on account of ice time. sure, extra ice time helps, but you don't score nearly a point a game because of opportunity. that's a silly assertion.
 
I am always amused by this "he got the points because he's the first line player / go to guy" talk.

When a player goes to a sucky team, he ends up playing a lot of minutes on the top line, and people give credit to the minutes, not the player.

When a player goes to a stacked team, and he gets less minutes, people give credit to his linemates.

More often than not these people have made up their mind about the player already and no matter what kind of number he puts up he won't get the credit he deserves.
 
number17 said:
I am always amused by this "he got the points because he's the first line player / go to guy" talk.

When a player goes to a sucky team, he ends up playing a lot of minutes on the top line, and people give credit to the minutes, not the player.

When a player goes to a stacked team, and he gets less minutes, people give credit to his linemates.

More often than not these people have made up their mind about the player already and no matter what kind of number he puts up he won't get the credit he deserves.
Click to expand...
Yep. That'd be the key point right there.
 
LeafGm said:
Yep. That'd be the key point right there.
Click to expand...

completely wrong i was a huge antropov fan ! even when everyone was down on him after his second knee surgery !

but the fact remains he is nothing more than the player i described and having him on this team would really make no difference whatsoever

last year was a spike in production obviously the scenario changed for him.......... doesnt take a genius to figure that out

so way to paint a broad stroke just to weakly justifiy your argument
 
Last year wasn't that big of a spike in production.

He was scoring 25+ goals and 55-60 points in 70 games his last two years in Toronto.

He hasn't been a 3rd liner in a long time.
 
mikedumar said:
completely wrong i was a huge antropov fan ! even when everyone was down on him after his second knee surgery !

but the fact remains he is nothing more than the player i described and having him on this team would really make no difference whatsoever

last year was a spike in production obviously the scenario changed for him.......... doesnt take a genius to figure that out

so way to paint a broad stroke just to weakly justifiy your argument
Click to expand...
I don't really care what you used to say about Antropov, what matters is that you're clearly wrong about him now.

2006-07: GP 54, G 18, Pts 33 (82-game pace: G 27, Pts 50)
2007-08: GP 72, G 26, Pts 56 (82-game pace: G 30, Pts 64)
2008-09: GP 81, G 28, Pts 59 (82-game pace: G 28, Pts 60)
2009-10: GP 76, G 24, Pts 67 (82-game pace: G 26, Pts 72)

Was this past year a career year for him? In terms of points, definitely. But it was hardly a one-year spike from a player who usually puts up 3rd line production. I mean, ****, third line production, what a joke of a claim. This guy hasn't produced like a third liner since his sophomore season ten years ago. Since then, he's been putting up decent 2nd line numbers at worst, and the past three seasons, he's been producing like a 1st liner. Not a superstar 1st liner, but 1st line center I certainly would have preferred by a country mile over Mikhail Grabovski, John Mitchell and Matt Stajan, or anything that was available on the UFA market this summer or last.
 
The "spike" in production was due to him going back to his natural position imo. He's a centreman, and always has been. It's a testament to his versatility that he was able to turn himself into a legitimate top 6 power forward. But his talents are best suited to playing in the middle of the rink. I expect this level of production out of him going forward as long as Atlanta continues to use him at centre.

he is neither a top line centreman for a competitive cup challenging team
Click to expand...

No, he's not...but he's as good or better than the 2nd line centreman was for the majority of Stanley Cup finalists since the lockout.
 
For the 3.5 million that Antropov was asking to stay, even as a 55-60 point winger, Burke should have resigned him.

Fast forward 365 days and he signed Colby Armstrong 3 million to be a 35 point winger.
 
Pssst. Teeds. Exposed calves. Go nuts.

147674170-1d262fb7256a528f0ca010f905d27e99.4c704558-scaled.jpg


147689166-7e3b7cd8f8f736d0aff986296a290fc8.4c704558-scaled.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top