Thank you, Darren Dreger.
For some reason, a lot of Leaf fans really hate talking rumours; personally, I love it. A lot of the time it can feel like pointless speculation, and I understand that, but when a guy like Dreger starts talking about the Leafs and Flyers discussing a guy like Van Reimsdyk, why not take it seriously?
When you've got a General Manager like Brian Burke who isn't afraid to make a big splash and who will often spin the rumour mill himself, you shouldn't be surprised to see that there are a lot of names being associated with your team. What we've done below is take a look at some of the names that have been linked with the Leafs and what those players might mean to our club.
James Van Riemsdyk
Straight from the mouth of one of hockey's most well-reputed insiders, the Leafs and Flyers have had discussions around Van Riemsdyk. JVR is 22 years old and is a former 2nd overall draft pick. Right now, he has 11 goals and 11 assists and his best season to date is a 40 point, 75 games played campaign in 2010-11.
Needs he addresses: Van Riemsdyk would provide some much needed size to our top-6 forward group and scoring 21 goals as a 21 year-old is no small feat either. He's the kind of player who could grow with our current core of players.
Cost: Dreger suggested that the cost for JVR would be Luke Schenn +. That '+' could be Kulemin or could be Bozak (also according to Dregs).
From our point of view: You hear a lot of Leaf fans talking about how Luke Schenn is overrated --largely as a result of being the first significant pick of the rebuild-- but the truth is that defensive defensemen take a long time to develop. A lot of teams in the NHL like this guy (not just Leaf fans) and that's why so many rumours center around him. If it takes Schenn and Kulemin (a guy who scored 9 goals more than Van Riemsdyk last year and is a great all-around player) then personally, I'm not interested.
Showing posts with label Dissecting Some Rumours. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dissecting Some Rumours. Show all posts
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Dissecting Some Rumours: Kaberle
It's pretty much the consensus that if Burke can acquire a top six forward for Kaberle then Tomas' days in the Blue and White are numbered. There were recently a series of posts by a less-than-reputable rumor-lover. I'd like to go through some of these and look logically at whether a Kaberle deal with these teams, for those players, makes sense.
Ryan Clowe - Ok, makes sense. He's young, a powerforward and a winger. Is he a top six guy? That's debatable. He shouldn't have much problem making that grade on the Leafs. Does a Kaberle for Clowe deal make sense? From a Leaf perspective; yes, from a Sharks perspective; kinda. Boyle could use a little puck moving help and if the Sharks choose to breakup the big three up front then having a puck mover on each pairing would certainly help their up-tempo style.
Derick Brassard - Makes some sense. He's young and has a nice upside, that's for sure. A bit of injury history might make the Blue Jackets a little wary on this guy too. The problem here is two-fold. The Blue Jackets aren't ready yet and Kaberle only has one year left on his deal. The Leafs on the other hand are trying desperately to compete for a playoff spot this season and despite what Burke might say, he doesn't want to hand the Bruins another lottery pick. The Leafs probably aren't looking for a player that has significant room to grow.
Coburn and Van Riemsdyk - What? This 'deal' is said to include a top prospect as well. The problem here is that Coburn is awesome and Van Riemsdyk is a former top pick. I doubt Kaberle's value (even with a Kadri or a Schenn) doesn't touch down anywhere near this deal.
Alex Semin - Apparently the Leafs have no interest in a deal centered around Semin. Really? Seems dubious. If I can get a scorer like him, I'm doing it. What's more likely is that Washington has no interest in a package that centers around Semin and would prefer to see John Carlsson in that role than to part with a better than point per game player to acquire Kaberle. This one is just silly.
Jack Johnson - I'll buy it. Johnson isn't happy in LA and is definitely cut from the Burke cloth. He has a similar skill set to Phaneuf and is young. The problem here is that he's another defenseman. Still, not outside of the realm of possibility depending on how much pressure is on LA (no moves this offseason)(ed.within hours of having written this post the Kings signed Ponikarovsky. Yet another example of the power we wield here at BCP) and how bad the relationship between Johnson and the organization are.
Drew Stafford - Maybe. I know a lot of people like Stafford but I'm not a huge fan. He is a winger and he is young. Maybe it's a fit. Kaberle would look great alongside Tyler Myers so from a Sabres perspective you would have to say that the move looks great. As a Leaf fan, I'd be disappointed if this one went through.
The New Jersey Devils - This one never made sense to me. They're old. The whole team is between the ages of 35 and 70. Other than Tedenby I don't know what they can give us and Tedenby doesn't really fit the bill of 'NHL-ready, top six winger'. Do the Devils need a puck-mover? Hell yes, they just don't have the assets.
So there you have it folks. What's the deal you'd like to see?
Ryan Clowe - Ok, makes sense. He's young, a powerforward and a winger. Is he a top six guy? That's debatable. He shouldn't have much problem making that grade on the Leafs. Does a Kaberle for Clowe deal make sense? From a Leaf perspective; yes, from a Sharks perspective; kinda. Boyle could use a little puck moving help and if the Sharks choose to breakup the big three up front then having a puck mover on each pairing would certainly help their up-tempo style.
Derick Brassard - Makes some sense. He's young and has a nice upside, that's for sure. A bit of injury history might make the Blue Jackets a little wary on this guy too. The problem here is two-fold. The Blue Jackets aren't ready yet and Kaberle only has one year left on his deal. The Leafs on the other hand are trying desperately to compete for a playoff spot this season and despite what Burke might say, he doesn't want to hand the Bruins another lottery pick. The Leafs probably aren't looking for a player that has significant room to grow.
Coburn and Van Riemsdyk - What? This 'deal' is said to include a top prospect as well. The problem here is that Coburn is awesome and Van Riemsdyk is a former top pick. I doubt Kaberle's value (even with a Kadri or a Schenn) doesn't touch down anywhere near this deal.
Alex Semin - Apparently the Leafs have no interest in a deal centered around Semin. Really? Seems dubious. If I can get a scorer like him, I'm doing it. What's more likely is that Washington has no interest in a package that centers around Semin and would prefer to see John Carlsson in that role than to part with a better than point per game player to acquire Kaberle. This one is just silly.
Jack Johnson - I'll buy it. Johnson isn't happy in LA and is definitely cut from the Burke cloth. He has a similar skill set to Phaneuf and is young. The problem here is that he's another defenseman. Still, not outside of the realm of possibility depending on how much pressure is on LA (
Drew Stafford - Maybe. I know a lot of people like Stafford but I'm not a huge fan. He is a winger and he is young. Maybe it's a fit. Kaberle would look great alongside Tyler Myers so from a Sabres perspective you would have to say that the move looks great. As a Leaf fan, I'd be disappointed if this one went through.
The New Jersey Devils - This one never made sense to me. They're old. The whole team is between the ages of 35 and 70. Other than Tedenby I don't know what they can give us and Tedenby doesn't really fit the bill of 'NHL-ready, top six winger'. Do the Devils need a puck-mover? Hell yes, they just don't have the assets.
So there you have it folks. What's the deal you'd like to see?
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