not sure there's that much point in debating the merit of grabovski/kadri/bozak. They are each about the same player, avg to decent 2nd line centers. Having 3 second line centers did little to help the leafs last year, with grabovski pushed into third line duties. The bolland pick up and llosing grabovski was a fair move to upgrade that 3rd line center, though bolland has had a tough year staying healthy.
naturally the clarkson deal was ridiculed when it happened, and has turned out just as many fans/experts/anyone would have expected. there are too many forwards here that don't have any idea what to do in the defensive zone, and a group of defencemen that has the inability to make quick plays to progress the puck under pressure.
Not to say the forwards/defensemen suck in Toronto. Think they have a pretty decent roster, and difficult to pin this on just 1 or 2 guys. The GM hasn't addressed the bigger problems on the roster which is bringing in players that can make plays/have clean breakouts under forechecking pressure, players that know how to position themselves in the defensive zone. The coach has done little to fix the breakout problems of the team in 2 seasons now. It is amazing how many turnovers the leafs have in their own zone on a game by game basis. It is actually one of the reasons the leafs are actually a very fun team to watch. They have loads of offensive talent, and give up so many chances, that the games are pure offensive gems.
very curious what happens in toronto this offseason. Changes in every level (gm, coaching, roster) could be/should be coming.
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