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Leaf Rumours

axlsalinger said:
Very interesting. It seems like Kovalchuk is asking for a ridiculous amount of money, but he is a franchise player. Kessel's very good, but probably not a franchise player, and if Ilya wants to be in the spotlight, that would help our chances of landing him immensely.

Except for the fact that the guy Eklund was talking to was actually LeafofFaith.
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Haha, you noticed.

Anyway, every year, with every big impending trade target, Ek puts out a nice long story about how it's a given that we're gonna land him or be the frontrunners. Like clockwork, this guy.

I don't think it means anything one way or the other.
 
One thing I haven't liked about Schenn's game this year has been that he has somewhat of a panic threshold with the puck. He shed it as the season progressed last year, but you cannot panic with the puck, and you have to make quick decisions with it.

He has struggled on both counts, on too many occasions holding onto it for too long and then, under pressure giving it away. When all else fails a defenseman has to be able to clear the puck, even if it means taking the hit. Especially when you're a big strong, defensive minded guy like Schenn.

hopefully Komisarek can teach him a thing or two...
 
Schenn is going to be a work in progress with the puck, much like his closest historic comparable, Adam Foote was for the first few years of his career (though Foote was significantly better offensively in junior). I do think it will come around and we've been seeing some of that recently.

He was NHL ready on the strength of his defensive work, but everybody knew that his puck skills were going to need some work.

As for Kovalchuk, I did a fairly lengthy breakdown of the teams that at current, would have the capspace necessary to go after him as a UFA in the summer, and we do sit near the top of the heap. We have the need, we have the capspace, we have the money to throw a ridiculous front loaded contract at him (I'm not sure exactly what is allowed, but I would imagine that we would get up to somewhere in the 15 million dollar range for the first few years of the contract...and we could easily, easily afford that)....and we have the megalomaniac GM who loves making the big splash, and has the history of getting exactly what he wants either through trade or free agency.

I was against throwing the max, or anything really close to it before, but at this point, with Kessel locked up long term at a solid price, a good crew of young, fairly cheap kids under control for the next few years...**** it...back up the mother****ing brinks truck and make it happen.

Kovy and a goalie next summer...make it ****ing work.
 
MindzEye said:
I was against throwing the max, or anything really close to it before, but at this point, with Kessel locked up long term at a solid price, a good crew of young, fairly cheap kids under control for the next few years...**** it...back up the mother****ing brinks truck and make it happen.
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We had all those things when you didn't want to pay him.......oddly enough, it's probably how f*cking terrible Toskala has continued to be and the inherent losing that's come along with that, that's convinced you we should spend the money.

Spending the max on Kovalchuk is a damn near no-brainer at this point.......we simply have to do it, if that's what it takes.
 
Montana said:
We had all those things when you didn't want to pay him.......oddly enough, it's probably how f*cking terrible Toskala has continued to be and the inherent losing that's come along with that, that's convinced you we should spend the money.

Spending the max on Kovalchuk is a damn near no-brainer at this point.......we simply have to do it, if that's what it takes.
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That is probably it honestly.

So I guess I should thank Toskala for showing me the light.
 
You don't get a chance every day to get a Kovalchuk, nevermind for only money. Hell you don't get a chance every day to get a player like Kovalchuk period.

Give him whatever he wants. I'd rather waste money on him than a bunch of 2nd liners, an 8th dman and a back up goalie.
 
Blake + Stemp + Finger + Toskala

=

$14mn

Kovalchuk (maxed) + Stalberg + Oreskovic + MacDonald

=

$13.75mn
 
It'd be pretty special to have a player wearing #17 again.........not only that, but someone legitimately worthy of wearing it.
 
What's amazing is that the Leafs probably upgrade at those secondary positions, too. Given a full replete of games and fair opportunity I see no reason to think that Stalberg couldn't be a better player than Stempniak by as early as next season. And Oreskovic and MacDonald are upgrades over any of the crap we've gotten out of Finger and Toskala this season.
 
I don't get why they sent Stalberg down this time. The first time, ok, he took a nasty shot and couldn't seem to get his game back. But Rosehill instead? Wow.
 
To be honest, they need to get Hagman going so they can trade him... and I'd much rather Stalberg play 20 mins a game on the Marlies' top line than be burdened with Mayers and Orr for all of seven minutes a night.

Rosehill provided a big boost in the Philly game but the spark wore off quickly. Tomorrow night Primeau should be back into the lineup to replace Wallin. And that's fine.
 
JaysCyYoung said:
Teeds, you hate every athlete in every sport. Come on.
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Totally untrue. Its just that I have played pro sports and hung around a lot of pro athletes and I don't see them as being all that talented for the most part. I think each sport has ten to twenty special players.

And I feel that all the players below those, say, twenty, have a lot of constant upgrading and work to do. I don't pander or fall in manlove all that often. Doug Gilmour did it for me, Wendel as well. And they traded the kid I was mentoring for a full year, Vincent Damphousse, but I felt he was going to be special as well(which he ended up being in my opinion).

I have played with and against a lot of NHL players, and Luke Schenn cannot skate as well as any of them. So DO NOT expect a lot of love and pandering towards that untalented youngster from me.

I do, love Kadri. NOW he, is SPECIAL. Not one of the best twenty hockey players on the planet, but definitely one of the top twenty most interesting. And possibly the most interesting Leaf since Gilmour.

Lose the illusions, most of these guys have been pushed by parents since they were two years old. And its too bad none of them learned how to skate.

Reading some of the posters here, is WAAAAY more interesting than watching half the leafs play hockey.
 
http://www.sbrforum.com/Betting+Articles/NHL/13159/kovalchuk-one-several-names-trade-front.aspx

Ilya Communication

Ilya Kovalchuk was the fourth player to hit the 30-goal mark this season, scoring a pair Tuesday night as the Atlanta Thrashers (22-20-4, -0.85 units) beat the Toronto Maple Leafs (+104) 4-3. But Kovalchuk’s days in the Dirty South might be numbered.

He’s one of the hottest items on the trading block, according to the NHL rumor mill, and the March 3 trade deadline is creeping up on us. His suitors include none other than the Maple Leafs, who have 10 unrestricted free agents coming off the books this spring. But a deal to a contender is more likely.

Which contender will that be? The Los Angeles Kings (27-19-3, 11.36 units) have quietly made inroads in the West, and Tuesday’s reports had GM Dean Lombardi traveling to Atlanta to have a chat with his Thrashers counterpart, Don Waddell.

The trick will be whether the Kings can ink Kovalchuk to a long-term deal – he’s also an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and Lombardi says he doesn’t want Kovalchuk as a “rental” player.
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Kovy can print his own ticket so I think it'll come down to where he wants to live as well as what kind of pressure he can handle...and of course if he wants to win at some point in his contract.

Is he a guy who wants the sun and beaches? Does he want 50 reporters dogging him at practice?
I don't know.
 
We have nothing to trade for him ... nada.

I just hope that when in Atlanta, Burke dropped a couple hundred wrapped around a note that says.... We like you, do you like us TML Check yes or no...

P.S. There is ALOT more where this came from (and don't worry Toskala will be gone)
 
You wouldn't/couldn't trade for him.

You'd try to sign him on July 1st. Which wouldn't be a bad idea (though at MAX dollars it would likely hurt the team).
 
It basically won't be the best deal Waddell can get, it'll be the best deal the team Kovalchuk wants to sign with will give him. Because nobody is going to trade for this guy as a rental.
 
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