2024 Off-season trade rumours and speculation thread

[gvitaly]

During the last rebuild our defensive depth for prospects was:
Kulak
Andersson
Valimaki
Kylington
We also had Fox, and traded him for Hanifin

We ended up losing Kulak for nothing to make space for the other D. Then Valimaki was mismanaged, and lost to waivers in favor of Mackey. Kylington was exposed in the expansion draft.

I see a similar outcome this time around as we fill out our system with top prospects. In a year Kuznetsov, Grushnikov, Poirier, and Jurmo would require waivers. They have 1 year to steal a job, and then the next wave of prospects will supplant them.

Anyway, hopefully we'll get at least one top 4 D out of the group of all the D listed.

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by gvitaly

During the last rebuild our defensive depth for prospects was:
Kulak
Andersson
Valimaki
Kylington
We also had Fox, and traded him for Hanifin

We ended up losing Kulak for nothing to make space for the other D. Then Valimaki was mismanaged, and lost to waivers in favor of Mackey. Kylington was exposed in the expansion draft.

I see a similar outcome this time around as we fill out our system with top prospects. In a year Kuznetsov, Grushnikov, Poirier, and Jurmo would require waivers. They have 1 year to steal a job, and then the next wave of prospects will supplant them.

Anyway, hopefully we'll get at least one top 4 D out of the group of all the D listed.

Going to be lots of busts and at time we probably will make the wrong decision on some. At the end of the day if you remove Fox and Hanifin from the equation, we kept Kylington and Rasmus...the best 2 of the group.

Kylington was exposed during expansion draft and passed on, if we have another expansion draft to deal with, we could lose someone again. But more than likely it won't be our best players. We have tons of picks to refill the cupboards again

[Funkhouser]

I 100% agree with Calgary4Life...

In terms of under 23 FWD ceilings:
Top Three - none
Top Six - Coronado, Zary, Pospisil, Suniev, Honzek
Top Nine - Pelletier, Stromgren, Lepinski
Tope Twelve - Schwindt, Klapka

In terms of under 23 D ceilings:
Top Pair - none
Second Pair - Morin, Bruz, Poirier, Bahl
Bottom Pair - Grushnikov, Solovyev, Kuznetsov


Here is hoping we can add the top line/top pair players over the next two drafts and via trade (Anderson??). I agree that we have sufficient depth to ascend rapidly once we acquire some game breakers (easier said than done)

[Flamesfan05]

Pospisil is not top 6
Bahl is a bottom pairing

They may play top 6 and 2nd pair for the Flames but there is not enough skills there

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by Flamesfan05

Pospisil is not top 6
Bahl is a bottom pairing

They may play top 6 and 2nd pair for the Flames but there is not enough skills there

As time goes on and players develop, some will move around and better and some will be worse than projected. I wouldn't sweat labeling everyone now other than not a lot that is going to be top end.

[Flamesfan05]

Originally Posted by Macho0978

As time goes on and players develop, some will move around and better and some will be worse than projected. I wouldn't sweat labeling everyone now other than not a lot that is going to be top end.

I agree but those two are going to be D+6 season
You probably get what you see already

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Hockey_Ninja

You aren't getting into the top 5 picks without giving up one of Coronato, Zary or Wolf. So basically, it's not happening

I’d trade Coronato to secure a top-5 pick in a heartbeat.

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by Flamesfan05

I agree but those two are going to be D+6 season
You probably get what you see already

I also don't think we can call all 1st line players equal too. Take Colorado. MacKinnon, Rantanen and Makar are 1st line players. You could make a case Nichushkin and Toews are 1st line players. But trade Nichushkin and Toews to the Flames and remove MacKinnon, Rantanen and Makar from the equation, these 2 1st line players could be labeled 2nd liners in a different situation.

We have no high-end 1st liners, but we could have borderline 1st liners in the mix out of the current prospect pool. I feel sometimes people label players like MacKinnon and McDavid types as 1st liners when really you only need to be a top 96 forward in the league to be a 1st liner.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by Funkhouser

I 100% agree with Calgary4Life...

In terms of under 23 FWD ceilings:
Top Three - none
Top Six - Coronado, Zary, Pospisil, Suniev, Honzek
Top Nine - Pelletier, Stromgren, Lepinski
Tope Twelve - Schwindt, Klapka

In terms of under 23 D ceilings:
Top Pair - none
Second Pair - Morin, Bruz, Poirier, Bahl
Bottom Pair - Grushnikov, Solovyev, Kuznetsov


Here is hoping we can add the top line/top pair players over the next two drafts and via trade (Anderson??). I agree that we have sufficient depth to ascend rapidly once we acquire some game breakers (easier said than done)

I think Hunter Brzustewicz absolutely has top pair ceiling. Frankly, I think he has 1D ceiling.

Who knows if he reaches that ceiling (as always).

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Zary's-Mustache

That would be such a Leafs move.

No defenceman but let's sign another forward.

Leafs don’t need D nearly as bad as they need a top-10 goalie.

Literally every playoff series they’ve lost except Columbus comes down to them not having an elite goalie when the other team does.

Holtby, Rask twice, Vasilevskiy twice, Price, Bobrovsky.

They went to game 7 (or 5, one year) and lost five straight years.

That screams “our goaltending isn’t good enough to steal us the one game a series we need, because the rest of the team can go blow for blow with anyone.”

[Ped]

But the rest of their team can't - at least in the playoffs. Their scoring rates go down in the playoffs. Matthews is 1.15 ppg in regular season, .87 in playoffs. .65 GPG in regular season, .42 in playoffs. Tavares .97 ppg in regular season, .74 in playoffs. Marner 1.11 ppg in regular season, .88 in playoffs.



If you have a great blueline, you don't need a great goalie. If you have Rielly, followed by McCabe and Liljegren and Lyubuskin and Edmondson, then yeah you need Pat Roy in his prime.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Ped

But the rest of their team can't - at least in the playoffs. Their scoring rates go down in the playoffs. Matthews is 1.15 ppg in regular season, .87 in playoffs. .65 GPG in regular season, .42 in playoffs. Tavares .97 ppg in regular season, .74 in playoffs. Marner 1.11 ppg in regular season, .88 in playoffs.



If you have a great blueline, you don't need a great goalie. If you have Rielly, followed by McCabe and Liljegren and Lyubuskin and Edmondson, then yeah you need Pat Roy in his prime.

Their scoring rates go down because they have no confidence in their goaltending.

And everyone finds it harder to score in the playoffs, except McDavid apparently.

The Toronto market is too intense for a goalie who isn’t elite.

Build a better D by all means, but unless you have a goalie who can steal you one game per series, it isn’t going to matter.

Because all they do is lose to teams with better goalies.

[Ped]

Well, yeah, they can't afford a better goalie or better blueliners because everything is tied up in their forwards who can't match their scoring rates, and in Rielly whose PPG actually goes up in the playoffs, but is not good enough defensively to cover for everyone else.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Sounds easy. Do you think lots of UFAs you can deal for a 2nd or 3rd rounder at the deadline will be lining up to sign one-year deals this summer?

When things haven't gone well for a player, it can make sense to go to a team where they can get more ice time and work on their game. Then having the ability to pick your team at the deadline, is also attractive.

It can definitely make sense for some players

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

When things haven't gone well for a player, it can make sense to go to a team where they can get more ice time and work on their game. Then having the ability to pick your team at the deadline, is also attractive.

It can definitely make sense for some players

Taylor Hall did it two season after being the league MVP so it definitely happens

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Ped

Well, yeah, they can't afford a better goalie or better blueliners because everything is tied up in their forwards who can't match their scoring rates, and in Rielly whose PPG actually goes up in the playoffs, but is not good enough defensively to cover for everyone else.

How many playoff series do you reasonably expect to win against Vasilevskiy or Rask or Price when you’re coming in with Freddie Andersen or Jack Campbell or Joseph Woll?

One in eight years seems about right.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

I’d trade Coronato to secure a top-5 pick in a heartbeat.

That would be robbing Peter to pay Paul. You are still getting an impact player at 9, you don't give up a 13th overall pick player who has an elite shot and is only 21 to get a player at 5 that is probably as comparable as the player you get at 9.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

That would be robbing Peter to pay Paul. You are still getting an impact player at 9, you don't give up a 13th overall pick player who has an elite shot and is only 21 to get a player at 5 that is probably as comparable as the player you get at 9.

I’d probably do that if it was to get Parekh, even though I do want Iginla.

If you can add someone who gets compared favourably to Erik Karlsson, I think that’s worth Matt Coronato.

[Badgers Nose]

This is not a draft to pay a premium to move down a few spots. 2-12 are a crap shot IMO. Lots of excellent prospects and not much consensus what order to put them in.

Better to accumulate more picks if that’s an option. Conroy is right about that if rumours of him chasing another top 15 pick are true.

[rhino]

Originally Posted by Badgers Nose

This is not a draft to pay a premium to move down a few spots. 2-12 are a crap shot IMO. Lots of excellent prospects and not much consensus what order to put them in.

Better to accumulate more picks if that’s an option. Conroy is right about that if rumours of him chasing another top 15 pick are true.

Ummmm who pays a premium to move down ever?