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Leaf Rumours

PlayerToBeNamedLater said:
Does a 1-2M difference into a soon to be 70+ cap really matter?

Whether they pay Phaneuf 6.5 or 7.5 makes no difference in what they can do now or in the future.
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cap space always matters. I'm not seeing a viable way to replace him though, so I would probably rather overpay him 7.5 than get back whatever we get back in a trade at this point(unless I am drastically underestimating what he'd be worth). I suspect he'll be signed.
 
So yeah....TSN, & The Sun both had Gauthier in their mocks...but we're supposed to bow down to Teeds.

Jake Horton, Jake Horton, Filip Forsberg, Filip Forsberg
 
you know what I don't get about the draft?

why Curtis Lazar got so much hype. that was a bad, bad pick, IMO.
 
organicsteroid said:
Mindzeye, don't diminish yourself with those lame paintbrush strokes. I am the only guy in the last week anywhere who made the call on the internet.

Phaneuf, starting for Leafs as captain. IN game one of the new season. Pretty strong. Every GM in the league saw him lose the game for us, allowing goals three and four for Boston, with Reimer coming in as a close number two. It IS what is IS. Phaneuf screwed the pooch RIGHT where we needed him. He wussed and pussed. If that is the best Leaf defenceman you have ever seen. Then you really haven't been watching Franson and Gardiner very closely and you are about 13 years old.
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were any of those GMs in charge of the Team Canada camp invites?
 
Volcanologist said:
Thing is, it is easier to prove Kessel is among the very elite at his position than it is for Phaneuf. you can certainly make a case that Dion is a top 10 D, but it's a easily arguable point. There is no chance whatsoever you could call him a top 5 D. Meanwhile Kessel is top 5 at his position...that's a guy you give a max contract no questions asked.

I do think that this season could be Dion's best yet for the Leafs, as with Gardiner and Ranger getting full time spots the talent around him on D is better than when he arrived and better than last season. We're not going to be playing him with bottom-pair or borderline AHL players like Aulie, Kostka, Holzer etc etc this season.

and yes, it's highly doubtful we'd get enough value back for him in a trade -- the Flames got nothing for a younger Dion with more years under contract -- and we'd be left looking for the #1 top D again. we'd probably get a player, 1st round pick and prospect. that's not terribly enticing given the hole you'd be creating.
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Phaneuf rates higher amongst defensemen than Kessel does amongst forwards.
 
Volcanologist said:
cap space always matters. I'm not seeing a viable way to replace him though, so I would probably rather overpay him 7.5 than get back whatever we get back in a trade at this point(unless I am drastically underestimating what he'd be worth). I suspect he'll be signed.
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Imo, you can play hardball and you can squeeze your 2nd-4th liners, 2nd-3rd pairings. But when it comes to your top players, you pay them. Even if it means overpaying them somewhat. Or, you better have a damn great replacement lined up.

That being said, Phaneuf would be worth every penny of a 7-8M a year deal. You can count on one hand the guys who can do what he does defensively, offensively, physically.
 
Phaneuf is elite.

Former top 10 pick, consistently among the league leaders in the major statistical categories, consistently near the top in Norris voting.

I think losing Phaneuf would hurt more than losing Kessel, as the team is currently constructed.
 
You can argue that it would hurt the Leafs more if they lost Phaneuf, yes. I do think that Kessel is clearly the better talent and needs to be re-signed ASAP. The bottopm line is it`s very difficult to find replacements fore these guys even if the idiots in the media think any draft pick will turn out better.
 
JackBurton said:
Eh, Kessel has elite talent. Dion doesn't. And I'm a big defender of him. Kessel can be PPG in regular season and playoffs with anyone.
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It's funny, non-elite phaneuf is top-30 in nhl history for dman goals by age 27, third active behind gonchar and weber, and 90% of the guys ahead of him played in the high octane '75-95 era. 11 more goals this year and he cracks the top-25 at age 28 list. And that's with two lockouts cutting down his games played.

Kessel finished 8th in forward scoring last year, phaneuf was 9th in dman scoring. Phaneuf also plays matchup d against all the best players in the league, while kessel....does not.
 
Dion`s stats in his career look great thanks to that terrific start offensively at such a young age. The fact is, Kessel is getting better yearly while Dion is not.

Again, not a knock on him. Dion is very good and very underrated at this point. But I sign Kessel first 10 out of 10 times.
 
I don't buy the Dion is underrated line.

He's not underrated. Maybe under-appreciated by those outside the triangle but not underrated.
 
Habsy said:
I don't buy the Dion is underrated line.

He's not underrated. Maybe under-appreciated by those outside the triangle but not underrated.
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He`s considered a joke by the hockey world.

The idiot players naming him overrated means nothing. Rick Nash, now there`s an overrated player.

The Leafs most overrated player by far is Bernier, and that is only because he played in L.A.
 
He may be considered a joke but that is not for his hockey ability. I think the general consensus is he's a moron, right or wrong.

He has talent on the ice and people give him that.
 
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