When completely healthy, the way I see it-

Johnsson - Matthews - Bill Ny
Hyman - Tavares - Marner
Mikhayev - Kerfoot - Kapanen
Spezza - La Chèvre - Moore

Rielly - Ceci
Muzzin - Barrie
Kivihalme - Dermott (Liljegren until Dermott is healthy. I had Schmaltz there at first because I thought they'd play him just because, but he's been (frank)ing awful, so I don't think he'll play much.)

Freddy
Neuvirth

Unless I'm forgetting someone.
- GreatGigInTheSky

Exactly how I’d have it minus the third pair, don’t think Liljegren makes it, Sandin seems like he will be the guy there to start at least but still some games to be played so we will see. Have a poopty feeling Harpur is going to be on the team.. I really like that line up though. Excited for the season

It lessens the quality of the thread..

You just want people to bicker at each other all day.
- Arctic_AARDVARK

k

Exactly how I’d have it minus the third pair, don’t think Liljegren makes it, Sandin seems like he will be the guy there to start at least but still some games to be played so we will see. Have a poopty feeling Harpur is going to be on the team.. I really like that line up though. Excited for the season
- ClarksonDavid

Since it's for the 3rd pair, I went with Liljegren, since he's a lot better than Sandin defensively at the moment.

Sandin wouldn't get the power play time he needs right now, with both Rielly and Barrie getting the prime minutes. Better to have him in the AHL getting better and better, playing more and more.

I really hope it's not Harpur.

When completely healthy, the way I see it-

Johnsson - Matthews - Bill Ny
Hyman - Tavares - Marner
Mikhayev - Kerfoot - Kapanen
Spezza - La Chèvre - Moore

Rielly - Ceci
Muzzin - Barrie
Kivihalme - Dermott (Liljegren until Dermott is healthy. I had Schmaltz there at first because I thought they'd play him just because, but he's been (frank)ing awful, so I don't think he'll play much.)

Freddy
Neuvirth

Unless I'm forgetting someone.
- GreatGigInTheSky

agree on Schmalz... guy looks completely disinterested... which I find surprising.. .seems like a career start over moment...

maybe not so much awful... as ineffective and that's against largely AHL guys.

right now... if we take Babcock at his word... best 6 guys play... then the upside is that is NOT Marincin... I don't think Babcock would try and pull that baloney off ... even with him seemingly liking the guy...

Holl's been better the Schmaltz .. albeit only marginally,
Harpur has been better than Marincin
Gravel has been quiet (in my opinion), but had some good sequences/shifts against the Sabres on Saturday evening
Sandin has looked better than the bunch... but we'll have to see how he fairs against more NHL looking rosters

the guys I haven't really noticed much from is Kerfoot



Agastino should get a shot NOT as the 13th forward... (in my opinion)

What does that even man. It's even more obvious than last year that this is a two line team with 2 much weaker lines. It would be nice to have a 3rd or 4th line that had a purpose other than resting the other two lines.

As far as the 4th line killing penalties, the main 2 forwards to kill will be Marner and Hymen, then Kap. Spezza can't kill. Kerfoot can't either but one of them will have to I guess.
- aminnes

Because Kadri is gone, the 3rd line is garbage now.

Cool.

Johhnson/Kerfoot/Kapanen are garbage guys.

Glad we cleared that up.

Ceci for one year on an expiring contract >>>>>>>>Zaitsev for 5 years

Why is this concept so hard to grasp? Leafs paid Brown as compensation for swallowing hard on that deal and Dubas managed to squeeze a third rounder out of Duh-orion. Great trade for the Leafs.

As far as Ceci goes, he can skate, as a former first round selection and hometown player, he was asked to do way too much on a very bad team. Being on an expiring deal, Leafs managment figured this player might be better motivated to play to his abilities.
- winsix

This.

I'm cautiously optimistic that Ceci couldn't possibly be the worst defenseman to ever play in the NHL (which seems to be the prevailing narrative). Imagine he had a team that wasn't a dumpster fire playing around him? We get to find out!

new blog everyone