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The Official 2026 Off-Season Thread: Revenge of the Nerds

Cowan might need to be added to Knies to get Werenski
I don’t necessarily disagree, which is why I wouldn’t do it. It’s like the Knies for 4 plus Frondell deal. Both teams would probably be stupid to do it. I don’t think we can win any Werenski deal at fair value because it’ll drain us of several key parts to boost one position.
 
From what I understand, that value in FA is in the wings position.

So you can trade Knies and Cowan - if that is what it takes to get the best dman in the NHL - and replace them with veterans. Win - Win.

It is stupid not to want the best dman in the NHL while Nylander and Matthews are in their late prime.

I want to see a Cup win before I die. I am sick of Boomers telling me stories of what it was like back then.

Just give me one.
 
From what I understand, that value in FA is in the wings position.

So you can trade Knies and Cowan - if that is what it takes to get the best dman in the NHL - and replace them with veterans. Win - Win.

It is stupid not to want the best dman in the NHL while Nylander and Matthews are in their late prime.

I want to see a Cup win before I die. I am sick of Boomers telling me stories of what it was like back then.

Just give me one.
We lost for the last 10 years not because we didn’t have elite guys, but because we were missing a good enough supporting cast.

A Werenski deal gives us an elite guy while depleting our supporting cast again and would set us back. Stay the course. We have elite guys. Keep adding those high end secondary pieces.
 
We lost for the last 10 years not because we didn’t have elite guys, but because we were missing a good enough supporting cast.

A Werenski deal gives us an elite guy while depleting our supporting cast again and would set us back. Stay the course. We have elite guys. Keep adding those high end secondary pieces.
I think you can replace Knies production good enough short term with a Marchment/Arvidsson/DeBrusk/Jane/Mantha/Lee after getting the number 3 D in the world and be happy
 
We lost for the last 10 years not because we didn’t have elite guys, but because we were missing a good enough supporting cast.

A Werenski deal gives us an elite guy while depleting our supporting cast again and would set us back. Stay the course. We have elite guys. Keep adding those high end secondary pieces.
You know there is FA, right?

You know the Leafs have cap room, right?

The problem is that Dubas and Tre spent their cap room and prospect capital on non-elite supporting cast.

If you get Werenski, those elite supporting cast will want to play here. Plus, I believe in Chundin to get that good supporting cast. This FO is not Shanny and Tre.
 
Getting the best d in the league at 28 years old for guys that likely top out as very good complementary wingers is kind of a no brainer obviously
He’s 29 next month, can’t be extended for a year, and is a luxury (and not a need) on a team that has a very good D corps already. If you want to improve the D, there’s Andersson and Carlson out there for free.
 
He’s 29 next month, can’t be extended for a year, and is a luxury (and not a need) on a team that has a very good D corps already. If you want to improve the D, there’s Andersson and Carlson out there for free.
These guys are not in the same stratosphere as Werenski.

The FA wingers out there are closer to Knies than the FA D are out there to Werenski
 
Help now assets (no movement clauses):
Knies
Cowan
Robertson
Maccelli
Andrae
Hildeby

Futures:
1st 2027 (COL)
2nd 2027 (TOR)
2nd 2027 (CLB)
1st 2029 (TOR)
 
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