2023-24 NHL Season Thread.

[Deleted]

Apparently that's an understatement and the Leafs will go "full Buffalo".

And good thing, I say! If there's anything that can cripple a franchise for decades it's doing a rebuild half-assed. Never good enough to compete, never bad enough to get those franchise-defining draft picks. You don't need to burn everything to the ground and salt the earth too like Buffalo did but if you go for a rebuild commit to it. Yes, it hurts, but in todays NHL it pretty much cannot be avoided at some point. You'd need a staff full of wizards like Detroit has.

/edit: Oh, almost forgot, a full scorched earth rebuild is probably the best thing to at least salvage some of that horrible Clarkson contract. You won't be able to trade him, literally no one wants any part of that contract, but he's a) bad and b) expensive, so he'll help you tank while also assisting in keeping you closer to the salary floor. And when that rebuild is done (common wisdom says five years) that contract will be off your books. Pretty much the only good that could come out of that.

[Zeoni]

Going to be real hard to move that Kessel contract id imagine. Leafs wont get what they want and no one is gonna want to pay the price for him. 8m cap hit for the next lot of years for a winger who has shown at times to have a low give-a-damn attitude. And the Leafs dony wanna get fleeced, I think they would want at least 1 high draft pick, a high end prospect and a top 9 forward AT LEAST. He can be lazy but hes still one of the best wingers in the game today. He'd prob do well in a low pressure market like Arizona.

Then Dion is just getting paid top d man money and hes not even elite. I wouldent touch him with a 10 foot pole. Maybe for 5m per year id be in love, itll be interesting to see whay kind of deal they can bang out for him. I assume the "untouchables" are Nylander and prob Reilly.

[draynay]

Leafs need Mike Richards, like totally, go ahead, take him, DO IT!

[Deleted]

Moving Kessel will depend a lot on the asking price. They have to get rid of him to properly start the rebuild but he's pretty expensive, so that limits the market for potential buyers severely. The money itself is not the problem, he's worth it. I would expect them to move him in the off-season, right now there's not a lot of playoff candidates with that kind of cap space. Nashville and Calgary should have the room but I can't imagine one of them willing to fork over that kind of assets.
Don't get me wrong, Kessel is absolutely awesome, top 10 scorer with an absolutely insane wrist shot and I think he'd benefit a ton from playing in a smaller market. It's just that the Leafs can't allow themselves to get fleeced, there's not a lot of buyers around and those who can afford him will probably hesistate to pay the price. Difficult situation.

As for Phaneuf, he's just too expensive for what he brings to the table. They might be able to trade him to a team with a struggling defence (Philly comes to mind) but I don't expect the returns to be all that amazing. Still, getting his cap hit off their books should be counted as a win.

Aside from those two they'll probably try to trade anyone with a pulse and a halfway tradeable contract (no Clarkson, sorry Rennadrel), I can even see them moving Reilly if the price is right.

[Armourboy]

Biggest issue with a Nashville trade is that odds are they are going to want Jones, and that's just not going to happen, especially with out D core being nailed with injuries as of late. As I say that rumors are flying that Weber is out with concussion symptoms. If that's the case we are in big trouble. If that is the case Jones suddenly becomes the #2 Dman and guys like Bartley and Volchenkov are playing on the 2nd line. God help us.

[Deleted]

Can't find anything conclusive on that Weber issue. NHL.com still lists Weber as playing, although there has been a callup from the Admirals. In the pregame thread on the Preds subreddit Weber is out and they listed Ekholm as pair 1 right D.

No idea, he might just have skipped morning skate for maintenance and still play.

[Zeoni]

Biggest issue with a Nashville trade is that odds are they are going to want Jones, and that's just not going to happen, especially with out D core being nailed with injuries as of late. As I say that rumors are flying that Weber is out with concussion symptoms. If that's the case we are in big trouble. If that is the case Jones suddenly becomes the #2 Dman and guys like Bartley and Volchenkov are playing on the 2nd line. God help us.

Dennis Wideman for sale! 1st plus a prospect ahould get it done!

[Rennadrel]

Moving Kessel will depend a lot on the asking price. They have to get rid of him to properly start the rebuild but he's pretty expensive, so that limits the market for potential buyers severely. The money itself is not the problem, he's worth it. I would expect them to move him in the off-season, right now there's not a lot of playoff candidates with that kind of cap space. Nashville and Calgary should have the room but I can't imagine one of them willing to fork over that kind of assets.
Don't get me wrong, Kessel is absolutely awesome, top 10 scorer with an absolutely insane wrist shot and I think he'd benefit a ton from playing in a smaller market. It's just that the Leafs can't allow themselves to get fleeced, there's not a lot of buyers around and those who can afford him will probably hesistate to pay the price. Difficult situation.

As for Phaneuf, he's just too expensive for what he brings to the table. They might be able to trade him to a team with a struggling defence (Philly comes to mind) but I don't expect the returns to be all that amazing. Still, getting his cap hit off their books should be counted as a win.

Aside from those two they'll probably try to trade anyone with a pulse and a halfway tradeable contract (no Clarkson, sorry Rennadrel), I can even see them moving Reilly if the price is right.

I don't think they are trading Morgan Reilly unless the return is absurdly good. The kid hasn't performed well under a structured defense first system, but if the Leafs are really going after Babcock to coach, he will get him playing the way he should be. I mean, if people are expecting him to be a Karlsson type of player, well it clearly hasn't worked out all that well on the defensive side of the game for Karlsson and the Sens still suck, whereas Reilly has done OK at playing in his own zone, he just needs the right partner with the physicality and the speed to help him utilize his offensive skills.

Clarkson, I agree, we are probably stuck with him unless the team retains some of his salary for a couple of years (same goes for Kessel and Phaneuf to be honest), which during a rebuild probably wouldn't be an issue. There aren't a lot of teams that would be in the market for any of those guys that don't have cap troubles so basically unless the players are salary dumps with one year left going to Toronto, it's going to be a tough move. I think Florida might be interested in a top 4 D man, but the Leafs are certainly interested in retaining Franson because he has been one of the few lights during a dark season.

I think if you had to pick 6 guys who are currently on the roster that are most likely untouchable, it would be Kadri, Franson, Reilly, Gardiner, Komarov (because he is a character player), Holland for some depth up the middle and Bernier. Everyone else in my mind is expendable. You still need a starting goalie and having to go through that clusterfuck again for the next 5 years won't be fun. Sure, Toronto has some good prospects in the system, Antoine Bibeau and Garret Sparks are very promising young goalies, Christopher Gibson has potential too, but none have even emerged as a backup candidate. They need to keep some of their young players and hang onto picks and prospects. With Nylander, Gauthier and Brown as their 3 top forward prospects developing in the AHL along with Finn, Nilsson, Loov and Knodel on the blue line, their prospect pool isn't horrible but a lot of these guys still need to take that next step in the minors in order to move up. Hopefully clearing out some roster slots will allow the kids to start playing in the NHL.

[Reg]

I just want a damn first line center...

[Zeoni]

This god damn 70s line I tell ya

Well that was a shit effort tonight, horrible turnovers and fuck Curtis Glencross someone take him from us I'm so done with him right now

[Armourboy]

Can't find anything conclusive on that Weber issue. NHL.com still lists Weber as playing, although there has been a callup from the Admirals. In the pregame thread on the Preds subreddit Weber is out and they listed Ekholm as pair 1 right D.

No idea, he might just have skipped morning skate for maintenance and still play.

Luckily he was just feeling sick and the call up was in case he couldn't go. Glad he did, ended up with 3 points. Guys played solid tonight. Forsberg, if you give that guy an inch he is going to make you pay. Thank you so much Washington. Wilson was back and played pretty well ( flat out got robbed on one chance) which is great. I suspect Ekholm will be back in another game or two.

Ellis is not sounding good at all as far as what I'm hearing. He's apparently walking without a limp but still isn't really able to skate well.

[Deleted]

I think if you had to pick 6 guys who are currently on the roster that are most likely untouchable, it would be Kadri, Franson, Reilly, Gardiner, Komarov (because he is a character player), Holland for some depth up the middle and Bernier. Everyone else in my mind is expendable. You still need a starting goalie and having to go through that clusterfuck again for the next 5 years won't be fun. Sure, Toronto has some good prospects in the system, Antoine Bibeau and Garret Sparks are very promising young goalies, Christopher Gibson has potential too, but none have even emerged as a backup candidate. They need to keep some of their young players and hang onto picks and prospects. With Nylander, Gauthier and Brown as their 3 top forward prospects developing in the AHL along with Finn, Nilsson, Loov and Knodel on the blue line, their prospect pool isn't horrible but a lot of these guys still need to take that next step in the minors in order to move up. Hopefully clearing out some roster slots will allow the kids to start playing in the NHL.

I don't think the Leafs have anyone who is untouchable. There are a select few guys (Rielly and Nylander, maaaaaaaaybe Kadri) who most likely won't get traded under normal circumstances. Still, if the Islanders call you and offer you Tavares for Rielly you sprint to the fax machine in Usain Bolt-time, just to make sure they don't change their minds. No one is untouchable, it's just that the offer has to be stellar to even so much as consider a trade.
Aside from those two or three guys everyone is going to get traded in a scorched earth rebuild. Everyone who is in any way, shape or form moveable. EVERYONE. That includes Franson, Gardiner and Bernier. Yes, they are good, but they also have trade value, they don't help you tank and by the time your rebuild is done they'll have aged considerably and their contracts will be up. Those three are among the very first I see shipped out. You don't need a starting goalie if your goal is to draft first overall, a mop in goalie gear will do. You're the Leafs, you'll sell out your building anyway.

As for Clarkson... like I said, even if you retain the maximum allowed salary no one will want any piece of that contract, but entering a rebuild now is pretty much the best that could come out of that capital mistake. You're stuck with him, but that's okay because he'll help you get to the salary floor and he'll help you tank.

It's gonna be difficult to sell off Kessel and Phaneuf because of their contracts (and Kessel should command a big return that not many teams are willing to pay), but if you commit to the rebuild both have to go, and soon. The sooner their contracts come off the books the better, even if you retain salary. For Phaneuf that's pretty much the best case, maybe a middling prospect or a couple of picks for him but probably no really major assets. His contract is just too big for his contribution. Kessel to the right buyer could earn you a windfall; problem is finding one that can a) afford his contract, b) has the high class assets the Leafs want for him and c) are desperate enough for immediate help to part with said assets. If you can do that you can look at a very nice return.

Oh, and the first thing to do for a proper rebuild is to show Nonis the door, forcibly if necessary (Shanny can do that, I know it!). I wouldn't trust the guy with a full rebuild, start fresh and start from the top.

- - - Updated - - -

Luckily he was just feeling sick and the call up was in case he couldn't go. Glad he did, ended up with 3 points. Guys played solid tonight. Forsberg, if you give that guy an inch he is going to make you pay. Thank you so much Washington. Wilson was back and played pretty well ( flat out got robbed on one chance) which is great. I suspect Ekholm will be back in another game or two.

Ellis is not sounding good at all as far as what I'm hearing. He's apparently walking without a limp but still isn't really able to skate well.


[*video=youtube;_qA9XPPIpII]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qA9XPPIpII[/video]

Weber didn't feel good, scored a goal, had two assists, almost broke Myers' knee cap and slammed Stafford to the ice. The guy is an absolute beast.

[Zeoni]

The thing with Phanuef is if he was like the 2/3 slot d man on a team, hed be perfect. I don't think hes good enough to handle being the guy and hes certainly not capable of wearing the C. But if you have him as your 2nd or 3rd d man your blue line would be dancin'. Just....not for 7m a year no way.

[draynay]

I just want a damn first line center...

How do you feel about overpaid centers named Richards?

[Garbles]

How do you feel about overpaid centers named Richards?

I..I think I see what you did there?

[Deleted]

Did you guys see the bullshit hit from Kulikov on Seguin? Jesus fucking christ, that was beyond dirty. He had him lined up for an easy hip check but instead opts to take out his knees. Wow.

Friday the 13th wasn't the Stars' day, really. Seguin, Hemsky and Eaves all out, all probably for a while. Talk about a blow to playoff hopes.

[Armourboy]

They need to suspend his ass for the rest of the season imo. Flying elbows and stuff like this that you know is just freaking deliberate should have severe penalties, and by severe I don't mean 2-3 games.

[draynay]

It sounds like the on-ice officials got the call right, hopefully the league gets it right too.

[Garbles]

Marian Hossa is currently on the greatest Blackjack heater of all time. I’m talking 5′s on 16, Dealer busting when he starts with 11 type of heater. Hopefully he stays at the table. Aside from him it's time for Chicago to wake up.

[Reg]

How do you feel about overpaid centers named Richards?

We had one! And don't want another! lol