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Leaf Rumours

If they're trading with LA, they're not getting those guys. They're getting prospects and picks.

And I highly doubt they would trade Hagman OR Poni. Those guys are both solid contributors, both on pace for 30 goals. And I think they want to retain both, and if not Poni, then to trade him to the highest bidder at the deadline.

If anyone is being dangled, it's the guys that have been getting on the scoresheet recently - our favorites, Blake and Stempy.

Stemp they have no plans for going forward and Blake, I guarantee you, they would love to dump. If they can get value for either, they're gone.

And they're not going to try to get a roster player back, they're going to try to get some prospects. If we delete one or two vets from the roster, and just take back futures, we finally then have a proper place for Stalberg and Bozak to play.

My money is on Blake.
 
I strongly suspect Poni is on the way out.

As for Stempniak, you can bet your britches that the Burke and Wilson value his consistent effort and strong all-around game. He's a Mike Fisher type player...you don't "dump" guys like that or let them walk, you try to retain them at a reasonable price. Which the Leafs management will try to do with Stempniak.
 
Volcanologist said:
Frolov needs a change of scenery, I think.

He is better and more talented than Poni offensively(2 30-35 goal seasons and a 44-assist season so far), and is worse defensively...but Burke wants to build a more polarized team. You will ultimately see more players like Kessel and Frolov(ie more pure skill types) composing our top 6, and a makeover done on our bottom two lines to add more size/truculence and defensive ability. That is his game plan...right now we have too many "tweeners" that, while being decent and worthy pieces, truly excel at neither half of the game.

Now that the Leafs have traded their next two 1sts for Kessel, Burke will also be looking for some goals in return if he moves one of those guys this early in the season. We need to stay out of the lottery and finish as high as possible, if not actually make the playoffs. The free agent market is looking fairly weak next summer. There aren't that many opportunities to get 30+ goal scorers, and Burke has shown that when a significantly talented player become available, we go for it.

Having said all that, I don't mind keeping Poni, he is a decent player. But if he's going to be looking for 3.5-4 million, I would rather spend that on a more talented player.
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I get what you're saying, but I don't think Frolov is the right guy to target.

He's going to be looking for ~4 mill a year over a long term deal. He provides good 2nd line production, but the Leafs need to get legit 1st liners and paying another 2nd liner ~4 mill a year only hurt those chances.
 
bruno said:
I strongly suspect Poni is on the way out.

As for Stempniak, you can bet your britches that the Burke and Wilson value his consistent effort and strong all-around game. He's a Mike Fisher type player...you don't "dump" guys like that or let them walk, you try to retain them at a reasonable price. Which the Leafs management will try to do with Stempniak.
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He's a UFA and he won't be re-signed.

Stemp will be traded at the deadline for a 2nd or 3rd rounder.
 
If we're looking for any tangible return from LA, then Hagman has to be the asset. I just don't see a team overpaying (ie. picks/prospects) for a 2nd tier UFA.
 
Is Poni worth a first-round pick to a team like the Kings who are desperate to make the playoffs this year? Probably not, but it may be something like that, or a lower draft pick & minor prospect coming the other way.

I can definitely see them having interest in both he and Hags.
 
Frolov's not a fit.

LA will be looking to move kids/prospects/picks for affordable quality upgrades.
 
It's not going to be anyone like Frolov or Simmonds...........Moller + Loktionov make sense as potential guys coming back our way.......as does possibly Teddy Purcell.

Hagman going their way make the most sense, imo.........fills in for Williams now, and can fill in for Frolov long term when they let him walk this summer.
 
I think Burke would do something real wild to land Simmonds.

He might do just about anything. I think he would part with one or two of Kaberle and White to do it. Honestly I bet Burke is glistening with greed on Simmonds. And I think Schenn is the bait.


If something were done with LA, it would be for US to get Brayden to spark Luke. Or we would get a whale of a return for trading them Luke. Its gotta be Schenn oriented, and Simmonds HAS got to be the apple of Burkes eye. The only guy besides the obvious two, Kopitar and Doughty, I would overpay for, is Simmonds. Damn, now THAT is a TEEDER player. Manlove.
 
The thing is, Burkie's drafts are any indicaiton, he's not too enthralled with euros. Not sure if he'd be willing to bring in a Swede and a Russian back in Moller and Loktionov.
 
they won't trade schenn for simmonds.

i think burke would love to get a kid like simmonds, but he's painted himself into a corner. we simply do not have the second rounders that are usually included in such deals. and with the team trading its next two firsts, burke is in no position to start depleting his prospect pool right now.
 
What Burke needs badly right now is for Stalberg, Bozak, & even Hanson to make some sort of appreciable impact before the trade deadline so he can feel comfortable moving Poni, Stempniak, Primeau, and anything else we have that's an impending FA for picks.
 
msun30 said:
they won't trade schenn for simmonds.

i think burke would love to get a kid like simmonds, but he's painted himself into a corner. we simply do not have the second rounders that are usually included in such deals. and with the team trading its next two firsts, burke is in no position to start depleting his prospect pool right now.
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Why would LA necessarily need 2nd rounders? It seems like they might finally be willing to trade youth for something for the present.
 
I think the very strong play of Stalberg in this callup, and the very strong recent play of Kulemin, is definitely pushing Burke into making a move.

It doesn't shock me at all to hear a rumour of us moving one of our older wingers at this exact point in time, given the play of those two kids.
 
I think Poni would be a good fit in LA. But not really sure what we'd get back for him though.

Im sick and tired of seeing the Kings amass draft picks and load up on talent.
 
zeke said:
I think the very strong play of Stalberg in this callup, and the very strong recent play of Kulemin, is definitely pushing Burke into making a move.

It doesn't shock me at all to hear a rumour of us moving one of our older wingers at this exact point in time, given the play of those two kids.
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Yup. I'd be really happy if Burke could ship out one of our older wingers for a decent return. Preferably futures, because we need to open up some space in the lineup for the young guys that we have knocking on the door.
 
I'd take Brown off their hands:)
On pace for a 60 point season, gritty as shit and still young enough to be our first line power forward when this rebuild is complete.
 
hockeylover said:
Why would LA necessarily need 2nd rounders? It seems like they might finally be willing to trade youth for something for the present.
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to tempt them to make the marginal upgrade from simmonds to hagman.

simmonds is already a solid contributor for them. no reason to swap him for hagman, the pot would have to be sweetened (if they were even willing to deal simmonds at all).
 
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