Hey I really hope you're right even a 15G guy is a nice addition, I like optimism. I wouldn't mind him and Bracco to slow cook for another season though. Try and put up a big year statistically, outside maaaaybe SDA and Korkshov (sp?) the drafted cheap winger pipeline seems to be drying up a bit.

Edit: Heading into the playoffs come April-ish I'd secretly love to see Marchment play his way onto 4LW
- Blazed

Bracco and Marchment are polar opposites and that's why I think they'll ultimately be NHL flops. Bracco can only play one-way, offensive hockey. He's small too. The AHL is filled with those types of players. Dubas signed a bunch of them this offseason to help the Marlies. Meanwhile, Marchment has zero offensive potential in the NHL.

I'm not going to wade deeply into the debate (like anyone cares) but I gotta state I'm 100% team Dubas right now, I wouldn't like it but after next season if even if he choses to can Babs I'll trust his judgement.

It's not fair to judge Mark Hunter at all because we just don't know but who thinks Marleau would still be on the team right now? and probably Nylander gone.

I wonder if watching Masai's masterful work emboldened Dubas, two straight firsts out the door no hesitation.

You know who really deserves some love, Shanny. Has this guy had a misstep yet? All he's done is hired gems at every level while keeping the two-headed evil empire at bay. I bet the other billionaires have a man crush on him at the governors meetings, that conjecture may as well be considered fact I think.
- Blazed

Geez, the leaf hard-on for Dubas is laughable. Sure, he has made a decent move or two....but he is as much to blame for the CAP crunch...AND, the Cap crunch for years to come as the GM before him.

1. Sure he didn't sign Marleau, but he sure as heck gave away a 1st to shed him.
2. Inking matthews to 11.5 is not bad on the dollar side. But, just 5 years!!! Ouch, that bites before you know it, Cap issues again as he is UFA when it ends. At 11.5, he should have gotten at least 7 years because now the Marner bar is set.
3. Nylander. 6.8 million. Just...yuck. Will be an OK regular season point guy. 65-70 or so. But, soft as Charmin toilet paper, the 3 ply brand. 7 million, when Defense needs the help, not forwards.

No, Dubas has been OK. But, many Leaf fans think he is the 2nd coming or something. When Leafs are ousted again for being soft and not solid enough defensively they will again not acknowledge it, will blame it on NHL playoff system or "unlucky"...but result will be the same. The Team "Right Now" is no better than the team that ended last year...even if you include Marner signed.

Out
Marleau
Gardiner
Zaitsev
Kadri
Brown

In
Barrie (for one yer...then ???. CAP crap again)
Spezza....crap
Kerfoot...OK 3rd liner
Ceci (For 1 year...and 5-6 dud anyway)

Hardly an "Upgrade"...unless I missed a real impact guy or two that the Leafs added. Heck, Barrie is better than Gardiner, but he too is no defensive stud and the upgrade there is marginal. The rest, Kerfoot for Kadri...downgrade..Marleau, Brown, Zaitsev far exceed what is replacing them. I know...talent coming up in some good young D-men. But, 19-20 year old D-men don't make major impacts, especially in the playofs.

Now, before the "Panties-in-a-bunch" Dubas lovers swarm all over. I am not saying he has done a terrible job. I am just saying he has been quite average in trying to "Improve" the team duing this tight Cap....and in likelihood, the team is slightly weaker than what they iced last year until some young ELC guys show they can make a sizable contribution.

Bracco and Marchment are polar opposites and that's why I think they'll ultimately be NHL flops. Bracco can only play one-way, offensive hockey. He's small too. The AHL is filled with those types of players. Dubas signed a bunch of them this offseason to help the Marlies. Meanwhile, Marchment has zero offensive potential in the NHL.
- JohnFergusonJr

Geez, the leaf hard-on for Dubas is laughable. Sure, he has made a decent move or two....but he is as much to blame for the CAP crunch...AND, the Cap crunch for years to come as the GM before him.

1. Sure he didn't sign Marleau, but he sure as heck gave away a 1st to shed him.
2. Inking matthews to 11.5 is not bad on the dollar side. But, just 5 years!!! Ouch, that bites before you know it, Cap issues again as he is UFA when it ends. At 11.5, he should have gotten at least 7 years because now the Marner bar is set.
3. Nylander. 6.8 million. Just...yuck. Will be an OK regular season point guy. 65-70 or so. But, soft as Charmin toilet paper, the 3 ply brand. 7 million, when Defense neede the help, not forward.

No, Dubas has been OK. But, many Leaf fans think he is the 2nd coming or something. When Leafs are ousted again for being soft and not solid enough defensively they will again not acknowledge it, will blame it on NHL playoff system or "unlucky"...but result will be the same. The Team "Right Now" is no better th'st
- hawk35

It's not surprising to be trolled by Hawks fans. Your team had a good run, now it is filled with old, overpaid crap. Seabrook is one of the worst contracts in the NHL. There is at least $25 million of cap space being spent on players that will produce next to nothing of value. Both the Leafs an Hawks are cap teams, the difference is one is quite likely to be a 100+ point team this year the other will likely miss the playoffs - can you guess?

So, I'm trying to wrap my head around this trade. They traded Sparks (who they could just bury) for Clarkson (who will go to LTIR if needed) and a 4th. With the summer overage, they can exceed the cap limit by 10% (89.65M). Their current cap hit is just over $82.2M, leaving them with a max summer cap space of just over $7.4M.

Barring any future moves, how in the hell are they supposed to resign Marner before the season starts? And if they can't, what kind of shape will he be in? Why would he risk injury in camp/preseason when he know he has a $10M+ payday in his future?

Just seems like an odd deal for a 4th rounder.

Geez, the leaf hard-on for Dubas is laughable. Sure, he has made a decent move or two....but he is as much to blame for the CAP crunch...AND, the Cap crunch for years to come as the GM before him.

1. Sure he didn't sign Marleau, but he sure as heck gave away a 1st to shed him.
2. Inking matthews to 11.5 is not bad on the dollar side. But, just 5 years!!! Ouch, that bites before you know it, Cap issues again as he is UFA when it ends. At 11.5, he should have gotten at least 7 years because now the Marner bar is set.
3. Nylander. 6.8 million. Just...yuck. Will be an OK regular season point guy. 65-70 or so. But, soft as Charmin toilet paper, the 3 ply brand. 7 million, when Defense needs the help, not forwards.

No, Dubas has been OK. But, many Leaf fans think he is the 2nd coming or something. When Leafs are ousted again for being soft and not solid enough defensively they will again not acknowledge it, will blame it on NHL playoff system or "unlucky"...but result will be the same. The Team "Right Now" is no better than the team that ended last year...even if you include Marner signed.

Out
Marleau
Gardiner
Zaitsev
Kadri
Brown

In
Barrie (for one yer...then ???. CAP crap again)
Spezza....crap
Kerfoot...OK 3rd liner
Ceci (For 1 year...and 5-6 dud anyway)

Hardly an "Upgrade"...unless I missed a real impact guy or two that the Leafs added. Heck, Barrie is better than Gardiner, but he too is no defensive stud and the upgrade there is marginal. The rest, Kerfoot for Kadri...downgrade..Marleau, Brown, Zaitsev far exceed what is replacing them. I know...talent coming up in some good young D-men. But, 19-20 year old D-men don't make major impacts, especially in the playofs.

Now, before the "Panties-in-a-bunch" Dubas lovers swarm all over. I am not saying he has done a terrible job. I am just saying he has been quite average in trying to "Improve" the team duing this tight Cap....and in likelihood, the team is slightly weaker than what they iced last year until some young ELC guys show they can make a sizable contribution.
- hawk35

So, I'm trying to wrap my head around this trade. They traded Sparks (who they could just bury) for Clarkson (who will go to LTIR if needed) and a 4th. With the summer overage, they can exceed the cap limit by 10% (89.65M). Their current cap hit is just over $82.2M, leaving them with a max summer cap space of just over $7.4M.

Barring any future moves, how in the hell are they supposed to resign Marner before the season starts? And if they can't, what kind of shape will he be in? Why would he risk injury in camp/preseason when he know he has a $10M+ payday in his future?

Just seems like an odd deal for a 4th rounder.
- jmatchett383

Put clarkson and Horton on ltir and that opens 10.55mil of cap space.

Geez, the leaf hard-on for Dubas is laughable. Sure, he has made a decent move or two....but he is as much to blame for the CAP crunch...AND, the Cap crunch for years to come as the GM before him.

1. Sure he didn't sign Marleau, but he sure as heck gave away a 1st to shed him.
2. Inking matthews to 11.5 is not bad on the dollar side. But, just 5 years!!! Ouch, that bites before you know it, Cap issues again as he is UFA when it ends. At 11.5, he should have gotten at least 7 years because now the Marner bar is set.
3. Nylander. 6.8 million. Just...yuck. Will be an OK regular season point guy. 65-70 or so. But, soft as Charmin toilet paper, the 3 ply brand. 7 million, when Defense needs the help, not forwards.

No, Dubas has been OK. But, many Leaf fans think he is the 2nd coming or something. When Leafs are ousted again for being soft and not solid enough defensively they will again not acknowledge it, will blame it on NHL playoff system or "unlucky"...but result will be the same. The Team "Right Now" is no better than the team that ended last year...even if you include Marner signed.

Out
Marleau
Gardiner
Zaitsev
Kadri
Brown

In
Barrie (for one yer...then ???. CAP crap again)
Spezza....crap
Kerfoot...OK 3rd liner
Ceci (For 1 year...and 5-6 dud anyway)

Hardly an "Upgrade"...unless I missed a real impact guy or two that the Leafs added. Heck, Barrie is better than Gardiner, but he too is no defensive stud and the upgrade there is marginal. The rest, Kerfoot for Kadri...downgrade..Marleau, Brown, Zaitsev far exceed what is replacing them. I know...talent coming up in some good young D-men. But, 19-20 year old D-men don't make major impacts, especially in the playofs.

Now, before the "Panties-in-a-bunch" Dubas lovers swarm all over. I am not saying he has done a terrible job. I am just saying he has been quite average in trying to "Improve" the team duing this tight Cap....and in likelihood, the team is slightly weaker than what they iced last year until some young ELC guys show they can make a sizable contribution.
- hawk35

All this just to say that Dubas has done an OK job, and that some Leafs fans think he's great...

wow

Put clarkson and Horton on ltir and that opens 10.55mil of cap space.
- burn

Right. And they can do that day 1 of the regular season, when roster are submitted. They cannot do that during training camp/preseason, which means they can't resign Marner until day 1 of the regular season. So again, why do this move just add a 4th rounder and be rid of a goalie you could just bury? If Marner doesn't play in camp/preseason to avoid injury, what kind of shape will he be in when the season opens?

It's not surprising to be trolled by Hawks fans. Your team had a good run, now it is filled with old, overpaid crap. Seabrook is one of the worst contracts in the NHL. There is at least $25 million of cap space being spent on players that will produce next to nothing of value. Both the Leafs an Hawks are cap teams, the difference is one is quite likely to be a 100+ point team this year the other will likely miss the playoffs - can you guess?
- winsix

lol.

As I have said before. Leaf fans have TWO retorts when you try to discuss hockey with them, and are anyway critical of their team. They either:
A. Insult the other team. (as above).....which in no way addresses the topic.
B. Cry and whine that some outside influence (playoff set-up, luck, etc) is their downfall, but every team move was "spot on".

You chose to play option "A". Well played.

I have no issues talking weakness or strengths of ANY team, including my own. But, I would have to go on far too long listing the errors of Bowman. Yes, Seabrook has one of worst contracts in the league. Almost untradable. And he has made MANY others. Glad to chat on them rationally...but don't mean to make you cry or hurt your feelings, so will just leave the discussion as is. Have a good day, my friend.

Right. And they can do that day 1 of the regular season, when roster are submitted. They cannot do that during training camp/preseason, which means they can't resign Marner until day 1 of the regular season. So again, why do this move just add a 4th rounder and be rid of a goalie you could just bury? If Marner doesn't play in camp/preseason to avoid injury, what kind of shape will he be in when the season opens?
- jmatchett383

Yes they can

So, I'm trying to wrap my head around this trade. They traded Sparks (who they could just bury) for Clarkson (who will go to LTIR if needed) and a 4th. With the summer overage, they can exceed the cap limit by 10% (89.65M). Their current cap hit is just over $82.2M, leaving them with a max summer cap space of just over $7.4M.

Barring any future moves, how in the hell are they supposed to resign Marner before the season starts? And if they can't, what kind of shape will he be in? Why would he risk injury in camp/preseason when he know he has a $10M+ payday in his future?

Just seems like an odd deal for a 4th rounder.
- jmatchett383

It is a weird deal, the Leafs gave up $200K cash plus Sparks for a fourth rounder. The Clarkson part of the deal does not increase or decrease the cap. It allows for more cap flexibility by maximizing the LTIR ceiling. Leafs will have about $2 million or so more flexibility because they can use the entire 10% overage allowed by the cap system. I am fairly confident this deal gets done before camp.

All this just to say that Dubas has done an OK job, and that some Leafs fans think he's great...

wow
- 21peter

Sir, it takes quite a lot to try to enlighten some of the kool-aid drinkers.

It is a weird deal, the Leafs gave up $200K cash plus Sparks for a fourth rounder. The Clarkson part of the deal does not increase or decrease the cap. It allows for more cap flexibility by maximizing the LTIR ceiling. Leafs will have about $2 million or so more flexibility because they can use the entire 10% overage allowed by the cap system. I am fairly confident this deal gets done before camp.
- winsix

It does help them some, I believe. Because the closer to the CAP ceiling you are BEFORE LTIR, the more you can recapture. I think this move would help mostly if Marner doesn't sign until after the season starts, and in that case Leafs would have a little more room to play with.

Now, I am no "Capologist"....but I think that was the main goal for Dubas.

lol.

As I have said before. Leaf fans have TWO retorts when you try to discuss hockey with them, and are anyway critical of their team. They either:
A. Insult the other team. (as above).....which in no way addresses the topic.
B. Cry and whine that some outside influence (playoff set-up, luck, etc) is their downfall, but every team move was "spot on".

You chose to play option "A". Well played.

I have no issues talking weakness or strengths of ANY team, including my own. But, I would have to go on far too long listing the errors of Bowman. Yes, Seabrook has one of worst contracts in the league. Almost untradable. And he has made MANY others. Glad to chat on them rationally...but don't mean to make you cry or hurt your feelings, so will just leave the discussion as is. Have a good day, my friend.
- hawk35

You didn't prove anything other than your lack of understanding. You're doing nothing but trolling, and poor job at that. When someone says "I'm just here to talk hockey, not stir poop up" it's a giant flashing light for a troll. Can see it a mile away.

How are they worse than last year? Who have they lost this offseason that they haven't replaced? They have gone from a team that everyone said was in cap hell to a team picking up guys that won't play for them for picks. They have done a complete 180, but simpletons like you trying to say he hasn't done anything.

Sir, it takes quite a lot to try to enlighten some of the kool-aid drinkers.
- hawk35

I'd say, if you would put your best effort in on a daily basis for years to come, you're still gonna fail...

Sir, it takes quite a lot to try to enlighten some of the kool-aid drinkers.
- hawk35

Guy who eats paint chips calling others kool aid drinkers.....ok then

lol.

As I have said before. Leaf fans have TWO retorts when you try to discuss hockey with them, and are anyway critical of their team. They either:
A. Insult the other team. (as above).....which in no way addresses the topic.
B. Cry and whine that some outside influence (playoff set-up, luck, etc) is their downfall, but every team move was "spot on".

You chose to play option "A". Well played.

I have no issues talking weakness or strengths of ANY team, including my own. But, I would have to go on far too long listing the errors of Bowman. Yes, Seabrook has one of worst contracts in the league. Almost untradable. And he has made MANY others. Glad to chat on them rationally...but don't mean to make you cry or hurt your feelings, so will just leave the discussion as is. Have a good day, my friend.
- hawk35

Sorry you are so sensitive when discussing your team. You criticize the Nylander contract at $6.9 M AAV. (I think you used the word yuck) Now you are claiming that this is rational - I call bullsh!t on you! This player is well paid and can be expected to produce 60+ points for many years - far from yuck - not underpaid - worth the contract or else teams would not be trying to trade for him. So on this point your argument holds no water.
Moving Marleau for a late first rounder, while painful, was required to free up cap space. You can blame Dubas for paying too much on this, I don't agree. A late first round draft pick is can be a valuable trade chip, however, cap space was a more pressing need than adding a future, 3rd line player.
Your generalizations about Leaf fans are transparent and without basis. If you come on the Leaf blog to troll - which is what you did, you can expect a response or to be ridiculed or to be ignored. Don't try to sell a BS story about coming here and say you wanted to have a rational hockey conversation - then start by using yuck to describe the contract of a player that would be on the first or second line of just about any team in the NHL. You are a troll, you came to this blog to stir sh!t, insulting the fan base when called out is weak.

Geez, the leaf hard-on for Dubas is laughable. Sure, he has made a decent move or two....but he is as much to blame for the CAP crunch...AND, the Cap crunch for years to come as the GM before him.

1. Sure he didn't sign Marleau, but he sure as heck gave away a 1st to shed him.
2. Inking matthews to 11.5 is not bad on the dollar side. But, just 5 years!!! Ouch, that bites before you know it, Cap issues again as he is UFA when it ends. At 11.5, he should have gotten at least 7 years because now the Marner bar is set.
3. Nylander. 6.8 million. Just...yuck. Will be an OK regular season point guy. 65-70 or so. But, soft as Charmin toilet paper, the 3 ply brand. 7 million, when Defense needs the help, not forwards.

No, Dubas has been OK. But, many Leaf fans think he is the 2nd coming or something. When Leafs are ousted again for being soft and not solid enough defensively they will again not acknowledge it, will blame it on NHL playoff system or "unlucky"...but result will be the same. The Team "Right Now" is no better than the team that ended last year...even if you include Marner signed.

Out
Marleau
Gardiner
Zaitsev
Kadri
Brown

In
Barrie (for one yer...then ???. CAP crap again)
Spezza....crap
Kerfoot...OK 3rd liner
Ceci (For 1 year...and 5-6 dud anyway)

Hardly an "Upgrade"...unless I missed a real impact guy or two that the Leafs added. Heck, Barrie is better than Gardiner, but he too is no defensive stud and the upgrade there is marginal. The rest, Kerfoot for Kadri...downgrade..Marleau, Brown, Zaitsev far exceed what is replacing them. I know...talent coming up in some good young D-men. But, 19-20 year old D-men don't make major impacts, especially in the playofs.

Now, before the "Panties-in-a-bunch" Dubas lovers swarm all over. I am not saying he has done a terrible job. I am just saying he has been quite average in trying to "Improve" the team duing this tight Cap....and in likelihood, the team is slightly weaker than what they iced last year until some young ELC guys show they can make a sizable contribution.
- hawk35

I'll take this bait and try to rationalize some of this.
1) Shedding a first was meh. Not really that bad of a deal.
2) Matthews' deal is 2 years too short, I agree and that's the only thing I would say Dubas hasn't gotten right.
3) Nylander's contract is absolutely fine and will be fine for the duration of that contract. In three years it will be not just be fine, but it'll be a really good deal.

Our D looks better this year than last.
Sparks is gone now so our goaltending looks better this year than last.
Brown and Marleau were black holes and we don't know who's replacing them so you can't determine we're worse off.
You're 100% ignoring the fact that if we kept those salaries, we'd be losing a key piece to the team.
The Leafs aren't even in a CAP crunch and that's because of Dubas. Lou strapped us and Dubas snuck his way out of it without making the team worse. The dumbest thing you thought was that Dubas was screwing our CAP. He's fixed it. We'll be against the CAP because we have talent, not poopty contracts.
Being a GM is tough when you have talent but unlike your GM, ours is keeping it all instead of trading it.

Sorry you are so sensitive when discussing your team. You criticize the Nylander contract at $6.9 M AAV. (I think you used the word yuck) Now you are claiming that this is rational - I call bullsh!t on you! This player is well paid and can be expected to produce 60+ points for many years - far from yuck - not underpaid - worth the contract or else teams would not be trying to trade for him. So on this point your argument holds no water.
Moving Marleau for a late first rounder, while painful, was required to free up cap space. You can blame Dubas for paying too much on this, I don't agree. A late first round draft pick is can be a valuable trade chip, however, cap space was a more pressing need than adding a future, 3rd line player.
Your generalizations about Leaf fans are transparent and without basis. If you come on the Leaf blog to troll - which is what you did, you can expect a response or to be ridiculed or to be ignored. Don't try to sell a BS story about coming here and say you wanted to have a rational hockey conversation - then start by using yuck to describe the contract of a player that would be on the first or second line of just about any team in the NHL. You are a troll, you came to this blog to stir sh!t, insulting the fan base when called out is weak.
- winsix

Winsix just smacked the crap out of that goof.

It's great, but also a little suspect that the Leafs can have Pridham who was one of the main people behind the current CBA's Cap Calculator. So many Capnannigans since we got him

Geez, the leaf hard-on for Dubas is laughable. Sure, he has made a decent move or two....but he is as much to blame for the CAP crunch...AND, the Cap crunch for years to come as the GM before him.

1. Sure he didn't sign Marleau, but he sure as heck gave away a 1st to shed him.
2. Inking matthews to 11.5 is not bad on the dollar side. But, just 5 years!!! Ouch, that bites before you know it, Cap issues again as he is UFA when it ends. At 11.5, he should have gotten at least 7 years because now the Marner bar is set.
3. Nylander. 6.8 million. Just...yuck. Will be an OK regular season point guy. 65-70 or so. But, soft as Charmin toilet paper, the 3 ply brand. 7 million, when Defense needs the help, not forwards.

No, Dubas has been OK. But, many Leaf fans think he is the 2nd coming or something. When Leafs are ousted again for being soft and not solid enough defensively they will again not acknowledge it, will blame it on NHL playoff system or "unlucky"...but result will be the same. The Team "Right Now" is no better than the team that ended last year...even if you include Marner signed.

Out
Marleau
Gardiner
Zaitsev
Kadri
Brown

In
Barrie (for one yer...then ???. CAP crap again)
Spezza....crap
Kerfoot...OK 3rd liner
Ceci (For 1 year...and 5-6 dud anyway)

Hardly an "Upgrade"...unless I missed a real impact guy or two that the Leafs added. Heck, Barrie is better than Gardiner, but he too is no defensive stud and the upgrade there is marginal. The rest, Kerfoot for Kadri...downgrade..Marleau, Brown, Zaitsev far exceed what is replacing them. I know...talent coming up in some good young D-men. But, 19-20 year old D-men don't make major impacts, especially in the playofs.

Now, before the "Panties-in-a-bunch" Dubas lovers swarm all over. I am not saying he has done a terrible job. I am just saying he has been quite average in trying to "Improve" the team duing this tight Cap....and in likelihood, the team is slightly weaker than what they iced last year until some young ELC guys show they can make a sizable contribution.
- hawk35

- Zezel

I like this response much better than mine.

Sorry you are so sensitive when discussing your team. You criticize the Nylander contract at $6.9 M AAV. (I think you used the word yuck) Now you are claiming that this is rational - I call bullsh!t on you! This player is well paid and can be expected to produce 60+ points for many years - far from yuck - not underpaid - worth the contract or else teams would not be trying to trade for him. So on this point your argument holds no water.
Moving Marleau for a late first rounder, while painful, was required to free up cap space. You can blame Dubas for paying too much on this, I don't agree. A late first round draft pick is can be a valuable trade chip, however, cap space was a more pressing need than adding a future, 3rd line player.
Your generalizations about Leaf fans are transparent and without basis. If you come on the Leaf blog to troll - which is what you did, you can expect a response or to be ridiculed or to be ignored. Don't try to sell a BS story about coming here and say you wanted to have a rational hockey conversation - then start by using yuck to describe the contract of a player that would be on the first or second line of just about any team in the NHL. You are a troll, you came to this blog to stir sh!t, insulting the fan base when called out is weak.
- winsix

you're such a bad seed, man

It's great, but also a little suspect that the Leafs can have Pridham who was one of the main people behind the current CBA's Cap Calculator. So many Capnannigans since we got him
- AdamFrench

Pays to have the guy that literally help write the CBA. Love it