With the commotion of early summer player movement all but over, hockey fans are entering what is known as the no-man's-land of the sports world—the time of year when nothing is happening.
From mid-July to the beginning of training camps in September, very little tends to take place in the hockey world. Aside from a few contract extensions and coaching changes, it's pretty dull.
Sure, a few second- and third-tier free agents will find new homes, and that will satisfy our craving for hockey news for about 15 minutes. But that's not enough to tide over our ravenous hockey appetites.
Despite all this, the Toronto Maple Leafs clearly are not finished. They can't be, because they've got far too many forwards and defensemen on their roster. Unless they want to risk losing several NHL-caliber players on waivers and take roster spots away from young prospects, the Leafs need to move a few players out.
Today we'll look at the logjam up front, examining the role of each forward and deciding which ones should be shipped out. Tomorrow, we'll tackle the blueline.
Assuming Mats Sundin doesn't return, I've sorted Toronto's forwards into five categories:
Guaranteed top six
Nik Antropov, Jason Blake, Alex Steen, Jiri Tlusty
These are the players who will undoubtedly be penciled into offensive roles, due to their production, experience, or sheer talent.
Antropov finds himself in uncharted territory—if Sundin is gone, Nik will be the leader of the Leafs' offense. That scares some people, but it could be exactly the kind of environment he'll thrive in.
Antropov has been mentored by Sundin for a long time, and has picked up a lot of his habits. With Mats gone, Antro could step it up in his absence. He obviously plays much better at pivot, and his playmaking ability plays well to the role of first-line centre.
Blake is a wild card. Whether it was due to the effects of cancer, a fishbowl atmosphere, or simply age, he clearly struggled last season. His 52 points still rank second among returning forwards, but most of those were assists. With Antropov setting him up, Blake could pot 25-30 goals this season.
Steen, meanwhile, is an intriguing case. With Paul Maurice casting him in a defensive role the last two seasons, many have forgotten about his offensive ability.
The checking experiment worked, as Steen is arguably the Leafs' best two-way player and penalty killer—but it's time to let him unleash his offensive potential. Whether it's on the first or second line, Steen could flirt with the 60-point mark this season.
On the other hand, Tlusty is not a lock for top-six minutes, though he's pretty close. He didn't exactly impress last year, with 16 points in 58 games—but he did that on 11 minutes a game.
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4 months ago
ponikarovsky could absolutely make the team if he is consistent...thats a big if though
from 4 months ago
Definitely he can make the team, that's not the issue. Like I mentioned, it's whether the Leafs would be better off to have a cheaper, younger player in his spot and get a pick back for him.
from 4 months ago
Definitely he can make the team, that's not the issue. Like I mentioned, it's whether the Leafs would be better off to have a cheaper, younger player in his spot and get a pick back for him.
4 months ago
Josh this is strange because I was just thinking about this today—I couldn't believe how the forward corps looked! Needless to say I still can't figure out Hollweg...I hate to jump on him before he ever plays a game for the Leafs, but I don't think I can wrap my head fully around this move.
Either way, I'd like to see Earl up at some point this year, and I think Bell will be here to stay (at least for the forseeable future). Seems like Fletch wants to see if putting his past in the past changes his game at all.
I for one really hope he comes back and makes an impact—I've always wanted to see him do well.
BT
from 4 months ago
Yeah, I'm not all that opposed to Bell staying, it's just that we have to move someone. If we only had 13 or 14 forwards, I'd be all for keeping him.
As for Earl, he'll definitely be one of the first callups.
4 months ago
Nice review of the information. I agree with possibly trading Poni. Do you really thing Devereau will be a spare compared to Williams/Mitchell?
4 months ago
first of all, anyone who devotes that much time and energy into the Leafs, must be either a die-hard leaf fan, or simply someone with a lot of time to ramble on. Growing up less than an hour from T.O I have been subjected to years of lack-luster teams(with the exception of the '93 Leafs that had the gritty Dougie Gilmour). So, forgive me if I think the Leafs are just another storied franchise gone to shi%
4 months ago
Nice article Josh! I too would like to see Poni traded. As for Bell, I agree with Bryan: part of me really wants Bell to be given a second chance to see if he can get back to the player he was thought to be when he was drafted. He seems set on turning his life around, and usually that means giving your all and trying to prove yourself. So I say give him a chance, and if he's just terrible after a month or so, then put him on waivers as you've suggested.
4 months ago
Don't forget about Ben Ondrus. He should be in the Fighting for a job category. And also, Mark Bell will be a guaranteed role player, I think anyways.
from 4 months ago
Good call Rob, I'd forgotten about Ondrus. He'd definitely be #4 on the depth chart behind Williams, Earl and Mitchell though. Unless a guy like Hollweg goes down.
4 months ago
Blake better not be getting 1st line minutes.
If we are rebuilding, than Blake should be getting 3rd line minutes. Tops.
from 4 months ago
Agreed.
4 months ago
I concur, Blake is worth 3rd line minutes tops.
4 months ago
I don't think you keep blake off the top line. too much potential to demoralize your team if you put a top skilled player on a third line. i also think poni is going to be in the mix. he's a consistent ~20 goal scorer. i don't think you want to see a tlusty - graby - kulemin line, too much inexperience there, and one of tlusty or kulemin should absolutely be on the top line. steen should not. sorry, i really don't see him as a top line forward. bell i think might see time on the 4th line. he can hit and may mesh well with mayers.
i love guessing at line combos. here's mine.
blake antro kulemin (i say let this kid get as much ice time as possible!!)
poni grabovsky tlusty (graby needs a big winger if he's weak on the puck)
hagman stajan steen (i know you all want steen and stajan to be higher up, but this could be a great 2-way line)
mayers moore bell/hollweg
i'd love to see earl and williams in there from the get go, but you will have injuries. the leafs have some nice depth for when that happens.
from 4 months ago
Interesting Mark...
I agree that if you give Blake crappy minutes, things will just get ugly. At least give him a chance to produce. As for a Tlusty-Grabby-Kulemin line, I'm not really concerned about inexperience. After all, this year is about giving the young guys that experience, right? Plus, it gives Grabby two big (not huge, but big) wingers, and two goalscorers he can set up.
As for Steen, maybe it's just because I'm a huge fan of him, but he has more than earned his stripes IMO. He's excelled in a checking role without getting much of a shot at producing. It's time to give him that chance. I know a lot of people are down on his offense because he hasn't put up numbers the last couple of years, but that's because he was in a defensive role. He's got unquestionable skill and the hockey smarts to use it.
from 4 months ago
Giving Blake a chance to produce does not mean first line minutes, if it was up to me he would be as good as gone.
He is the excact opposite of what we want on this team; old, bad team guy, too much salary.
let him rot on the 3rd line/PP2, until we are done with him.
from 4 months ago
If you think he's a bad team guy now, it would get much worse by giving him crappy minutes. The Toronto media would pounce on it and he'd become a huge distraction. May as well give him a chance to become a positive contributing member of the team, now that the initial shock of cancer and playing in Toronto has probably worn off.
Besides, guys like Hagman and Mayers are tailor-made for the third line. If you stick Blake there, you're throwing a wrench into the mechanics of the lines.
4 months ago
I can see putting Blake on the second line to give someone like Kulemin or Tlusty more ice time, but that's as far as I'd go.
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