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Leaf Rumours

Dude....if he can get back to ALMOST his previous level and he works out, he is SO worth it to just center Kessley Snipes and help with mentoring the Youth. I know his melon is an issue, but not only is it obvious that he works well with Phil, he's Hawt and on the cheap would be a nice addition IMHO.
 
blkngldbabe said:
Dude....if he can get back to ALMOST his previous level and he works out, he is SO worth it to just center Kessley Snipes and help with mentoring the Youth. I know his melon is an issue, but not only is it obvious that he works well with Phil, he's Hawt and on the cheap would be a nice addition IMHO.
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I am not disagreeing with you, but I think his 'chemistry' with Kessel has been way overblown.

Kessel, despite coming back from a shoulder injury, and later admitted he was never close to 100% the entire season since he missed training camp, and his conditioning was never up to par after the surgery, produced on a very similar pace without Savard.

Kessel deserves better linemates to play with than early last season when he flanked Stajan, no question about that. I think he showed some good chemistry with Bozak end of last season, but if you are to argue he would benefit from a better center than Bozak I'd have no problem with that too. I just don't believe he has any 'special chemistry' with Savard.

I am not a big fan of acquiring Savard for a number of reasons, but my biggest concern is his immovable contract and his concussion. Here's a player with concussion history and he ended the season with another serious concussion. He did come back in the playoff, but was obviously not himself. With his contract, and his NTC, you are NOT going to be able to move him no matter what.

Many feel even if he's 'damaged goods', he's still good for 50-60 points a season and that's not a bad deal ... but a top line player who's in and out of your lineup all the times is a big distraction, and his $4M cap hit sure doesn't help Burke as he tries to improve the team neither. Knowing our luck with injuries, even if he recovers by training camp, you never know when the next hit is gonna come, and how long he's gonna be out for this time.

And finally I heard someone mention Savard would be a good 'mentor' to the young players. Well, let's just say Savard isn't the best dressing room guy, and if you're counting on him for veteran savvy, leadership, you're looking at the wrong guy.

He is what he is - a very good 1-dimensional player who's signed to an immovable contract at a very good /year price. If he can stay healthy, he would be a good deal if we can get him for little. So many things can go wrong though, over the course of his contract, and I'm lukewarm at best about trading for Savard unless he comes at an absolutely bargain price.
 
Adding a Savard (or Thornton) would immediately add to our wingers scoring totals. These are the players that turn Kessel into a 50 goal scorer and turn your average 20 goal guy into a 25-30 goal guy.

Bozak is a good player, but I think you're asking a lot of you think he'll do the same.
 
You're nuts, 17. Savard is so much better than Stajan or Bozak it's not even funny. For a team like the Leafs who only cares about cap hit, Savard's contract is also excellent. Then there's the fact that unless Savard changes his mind, the Leafs are the only realistic destination right now.
 
Where did I say Savard is not miles better than Stajan? I said Kessel doesn't have 'special chemistry' with Savard, and while I'm all for adding a better linemate for Kessel on the top line, it doesn't HAVE TO BE Savard, that's my point.

As fro Savard's 'excellent contract' ... $4M is very good as long as he remains healthy, which is a risk at this point.
 
The Leafs missed the boat on Gagne. He's a much better fit than Savard. Leafs need 1st line wingers.

I'd still take Savard, but I wouldn't give up Kaberle to get him.
 
PlayerToBeNamedLater said:
The Leafs missed the boat on Gagne. He's a much better fit than Savard. Leafs need 1st line wingers.

I'd still take Savard, but I wouldn't give up Kaberle to get him.
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There was no boat to miss, Gagne would only waive for certain teams. On the last year of his contract, Gagne waived to play longside Lecavalier, probably in the hopes of giving his numbers a boost before free agency.
 
I wasn't getting at that he's the best fit because of Kessel, more along the lines that HE will do well because of the chemistry, not Phil.
 
http://www.montrealgazette.com/spor...eal+imminent/3338938/story.html#ixzz0v9CnoLz5

Teams are still interested. A source told the National Post that one of the offers that the Leafs rejected had involved a top-six forward in addition to a first-round draft pick. But some teams — the New Jersey Devils, Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks — are waiting for Ilya Kovalchuk’s contract dispute to get settled before deciding whether they need to make a move.

“It’s clogging the waters,” said Burke, who hopes that Kovalchuk’s arbitration hearing does not drag on for more than two weeks.

Either way, Burke does not expect to receive his best deals until the night before the Aug. 15 deadline. So he waits. And he continues to listen.
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Sounds like we're going the distance on this one...
 
It sounds like Burke is doing the right thing ... so far.

I hope he doesn't give in as the pressure mounts and settles for less.

I'd rather start the season with the top6 we have now, than to give up Kabby for a 2nd liner and a pick.
 
Volcanologist said:
And I wouldn't trade Kaberle for a low 1st and a 5th or 6th forward.
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You obviously have a team/player in mind here - because I can think of a few "5th/6th" forwards that I'd be willing to trade Kabs for (and any pick would just be icing on the cake).
 
BG said:
Adding a Savard (or Thornton) would immediately add to our wingers scoring totals.
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Agreed. But I'd much rather Thornton to Savard, for many reasons. The only good thing about Savard this summer is that he'd be easy to land, given the circumstances, and we wouldn't have to give up a Kaberle to get him (I'd be pissed if we did.) But he is still a player with a concussion history and a horrendous contract. Not a good combination for a young and improving team to take a chance on, IMO. Or, at the very least, not a priority. All other options should be explored first.
 
PlayerToBeNamedLater said:
Burke can sell a female prostitute to Leafovic.
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Every year you keep getting proven wrong on this...every year elite players provide explanations that they want to go to this or that team for reasons that have very little to do with money... family reasons, location of that said city, players on that team, their role on a team, competitiveness of the team etc..yet every year you keep harping out the same old non-nonsensical point that its just about the money.

The fact is, the money stuff matters very little to the best players, the elite guys, that we actually want...it matters much more to the less skilled guys, less producing guys that keep getting over-paid..and yes, in that instance, that is how teams sign the likes of Komi. A player that knows he is getting overpaid will go to the highest bidder. It's their chance to get that contract they don't deserve. A player that is a winner and that has confidence in himself looks at other factors more. He should get similarly paid everywhere.

And the reason these guys are winners in the first place is that they go to the places that they can win.
 
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Volcanologist said:
You can? Name them.
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James Neal
Jamie Benn
Patric Horqvist
Jakub Voracek
Michael Frolik
Dustin Brown
David Jones
Chris Stewart
David Perron
Tomas Fleischmann
Eric Fehr
Bryan Little
James Van Rymsdyk
Ryan Clowe
Devon Setoguchi
Logan Couture
 
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