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The Official 2026 Off-Season Thread: Revenge of the Nerds

that is very data driven!

So far the offseason is:

McMann ---> McKenna
Stecher ---> Tanev
​
which is hilarious level upgrades, and now we have to look for:

Roy --->
Laughton --->
(Jarnkrok ---> groulx/haymes/Quillan)

Carlo --->
Benoit --->
(Myers ---> Villeneuve/Chadwick/Danford)​
 
MindzEye said:
35 and turning around with the assets we get for him to get a potentially better defender would be elite nerd shit?

He's a 35 yr old #4-5 defender, why not sell high and go get someone we might be able to get around. That same 1st might get us Jordan Spence.
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If the Burger Butthead can work it so it’s essentially a three-way deal, where we’re trading away OEL and somehow ending up with a younger, better defenseman in the trade, then by all means do that.

But if the idea is to trade OEL for futures, and then hope those futures can be traded at some unspecified future date for another defenseman who’s maybe as good as OEL, I’d pass on that idea.
 
LeafGm said:
If the Burger Butthead can work it so it’s essentially a three-way deal, where we’re trading away OEL and somehow ending up with a younger, better defenseman in the trade, then by all means do that.

But if the idea is to trade OEL for futures, and then hope those futures can be traded at some unspecified future date for another defenseman who’s maybe as good as OEL, I’d pass on that idea.
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It wouldn't have to be a 3 way to work. It would require having a good handle on the RFA/UFA markets though. Ryan Shea on a UFA deal would replace him. A swing on a RFA like Zellweger or Spence would replace him, etc.

Having those assets in our pocket might be the difference between being able to make a swing on a young RFA defender and not.
 
Chayka probably wasn’t my first preference but if you’ve been listening to Treliving salivate over long D for two years, it’s almost impossible not to be encouraged by what we’re hearing from Burger Boy.
 
hockeylover said:
This isn’t #datadriven (well it might be but I just havent looked) but my eye test wants to at least get rid of Carlo and Benoit + add Raddysh.
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and go for Andersson as well.

we'll have to overpay but the Leafs need experienced help right now that isn't at the end of their career. and it would only cost them cap, leaving their assets left to pursue improving the centre depth instead.

one or both in the top 4 would be a large large upgrade, not counting what Tanev is able to bring at this point but he's obviously still a good player if able to suit up

this will necessitate moving on from Rielly ofc
 
leafman101 said:
I’m not sure I would talk about OEL as if he’s irreplaceable.
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The last time he was on an actually good team he was their #5 and they missed him so much that they replaced him with Nate Schmidt off of the scrap heap for 800K and won another cup.

That he's played up the lineup as far as he has the last 2 seasons is an indictment of us and shows how bad our blueline has been, it's not an argument to keep him.
 
It's low priority and worth being picky over because his skillset fits how Chayka wants the Leafs to play and trading a guy like that or Rielly feels a bit backwards on the surface. So I'm not gonna cry if they keep him, but yeah no one is untouchable and it all depends on who you replace them with. And who you replace Carlo and Benoit and Myers with, which is priority #1 and non-negotiable.
 
Preston said:
It's low priority and worth being picky over because his skillset fits how Chayka wants the Leafs to play and trading a guy like that or Rielly feels a bit backwards on the surface. So I'm not gonna cry if they keep him, but yeah no one is untouchable and it all depends on who you replace them with. And who you replace Carlo and Benoit and Myers with, which is priority #1 and non-negotiable.
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yeah truthfully not totally attached to any of the D but Carlo and Benoit offend me the most.
 
Preston said:
It's low priority and worth being picky over because his skillset fits how Chayka wants the Leafs to play and trading a guy like that or Rielly feels a bit backwards on the surface. So I'm not gonna cry if they keep him, but yeah no one is untouchable and it all depends on who you replace them with. And who you replace Carlo and Benoit and Myers with, which is priority #1 and non-negotiable.
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Yeah, worry about the plugs first for sure. But I think part of the problem re: Rielly & OEL is that neither is good defensively either. OEL isn't bad but isn't good and Rielly is bad. So if there's a way to replace either with players who are similarly good at moving the puck (and at this point in their careers both are good, but just good at that...very replaceably 'just good') and a combo of better contract situation and better defensively...well fuck, do it.
 
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