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Leafs' Prospect/Marlies Discussion Thread!

You know, in the two years since we last saw NHL hockey, I’d forgotten that Alex Kerfoot even existed until I just saw his name pop up on my twitter feed.

If I had the choice and it came down to clearing cap room, I’d dump him before I’d get rid of either AJ or Kappy.

Just a “meh” player all around who would only be worth keeping ahead of either of those guys if he was capable of being an effective center at the NHL level, which I don’t think he is.
 
but you didn't do that.

first of all, you showed they produce about the same as those teams depth players. Just because for example you listed them ahead of the other guys with the same points on Tampa doesn't mean they're better players. They're not. Points are not everything.

part of the reason Johnsson and Kapanen have bounced around the Leaf lineup is that they have not been consistent players that found a role in the Leafs top 6 despite elite linemates.

the interested team probably doesn't have Matthews or Tavares to put them with. but, given more powerplay time and minutes, they could be a good top 6 forward somewhere else and stick in that role.
 
but you didn't do that.

first of all, you showed they produce about the same as those teams depth players. Just because for example you listed them ahead of the other guys with the same points on Tampa doesn't mean they're better players. They're not. Points are not everything.

mm hmm.

you did start your assertion talking about goal totals though.

part of the reason Johnsson and Kapanen have bounced around the Leaf lineup is that they have not been consistent players that found a role in the Leafs top 6 despite elite linemates.

their counterparts on those 2 teams have also bounced around their lineups, for similar reasons.

the interested team probably doesn't have Matthews or Tavares to put them with. but, given more powerplay time and minutes, they could be a good top 6 forward somewhere else and stick in that role.

given they've produced like top-6 forwards in their first 2 seasons, despite not getting consistent top-6 minutes and especially not getting consistent PP time, there's no reason suggest they're anything less than that.
 
mm hmm.

you did start your assertion talking about goal totals though.

yeah, when I compared them to Nylander and his much better goalscoring ability at wing. seems like you lost the plot a bit.

their counterparts on those 2 teams have also bounced around their lineups, for similar reasons.

okay?

given they've produced like top-6 forwards in their first 2 seasons, despite not getting consistent top-6 minutes and especially not getting consistent PP time, there's no reason suggest they're anything less than that.

they didn't get it for good reasons. and so there's plenty of reason.

and they've produced, as you showed, similarly to other top teams depth forwards. even if you listed them first when you wrote them down.

conversely, there's also reason for teams to think they can be consistent top 6 forwards too, as I've said. let's hope other GMs feel that way, rather than dismissing them as middling tweeners who can't consistently give your team enough to stay in the top 6.
 
yeah, when I compared them to Nylander and his much better goalscoring ability at wing. seems like you lost the plot a bit.

okay?

they didn't get it for good reasons. and so there's plenty of reason.

and they've produced, as you showed, similarly to other top teams depth forwards. even if you listed them first when you wrote them down.

conversely, there's also reason for teams to think they can be consistent top 6 forwards too, as I've said. let's hope other GMs feel that way, rather than dismissing them as middling tweeners who can't consistently give your team enough to stay in the top 6.

they compared favorably to top-6 forwards on the best teams in the league.

ergo, they are top-6 forwards.
 
I'm not sure Kappy is anything more than a super-elite third liner. But those are nice to have.


I think part of his issue might be that he's just a poor fit here, in terms of being able to reach his maximum offensive potential.

First, there's the fact that he's a right-shot incapable of effectively playing on the left side on a team that has Mitch Marner & William Nylander. The other problem is that he plays on a team who's best centers are finishers/shoot-first guys in Matthews & Tavares (and Kadri, prior to this season).

So, he doesn't really click with our top centers, and then he spent a lot of time on a third line made up of him, a rookie (Mikheyev/Engvall) and a guy who can't effective play the center position at the NHL level (Alex Kerfoot).

I'd still really like to see him get a significant chunk of time on a line with Nylander. Whether it's Willy playing on his off-wing (which he seemed to have zero issues with) or Willy playing center. I think Nylander's skill-set makes up for a lot of Kapanen's weaknesses.
 
He has been more than that as a 22-23 yr old

So you might be selling him short a touch
I'm not disputing the physical skills. I don't think he has the brain to play with more talented players. And his passing and vision and decision making have always been poor-questionable.

And maybe I should rephrase - on this version of the Leafs, I don't think he is anything more than a super-elite third liner.
 


I don't know why, but I don't find that super impressive. Maybe it's because here's a dude who plays street hockey with us, and he's honestly doing that all game long - even when there's no one around him - and it's turned into something everyone laughs about.
 
Appears from a search on Elite Prospects that no one who's hit 40 goals in the OHL in the last 20 years has a higher GPG than Robertson.

Only OHL guys that had more goals than Robertson (1.20 gpg) in the last 20 years who were over a GPG were Tavares (1.07 and 1.04, he did it twice), DeBrincat (1.03) and Kane (1.07).
 
one thing that will make this play-in nonsense more tolerable is seeing what Robertson can do.

and I do think he will play. how can this kid not be better than Goat, at the very least?

if he's good, it's kind of a big deal, as our LW is extremely pedestrian compared to the other forward positions.
 
He's sure looking like he'll be an elite forward. Might take time but very much looking forward to seeing his initial test in NHL competition.
 
Plucking a star outside the first round would be huge. Have we ever had one? Hope this kid is it.


We’ve pulled in some decent NHL talent outside of the first round, but the last time we drafted a legit star was probably Kaberle back in 1997 (8th round).

So yeah, we’re overdue.
 
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