Maple Leafs v 3.6 - Not Great, Not Terrible
Nov 22, 2019 13:49:18 GMT -5
Hawks, AvsGM, and 6 more like this
Post by LeafsGM on Nov 22, 2019 13:49:18 GMT -5
It's been an eventful and at times tumultuous off season in Toronto. There was initial excitement for what's to come after several key players were poised for breakout campaigns. All that came to a pause when a dreaded division rival decided to beef up their roster, after being a bottom dwelling rodent for the past 5 years.
Viewing the division and conference landscape through a realistic lens, management decided to take a step back in order to take two steps forward. The mandate quickly became 1) replenishing a bare asset cupboard 2) contract and cap flexibility and 3) offloading of non-core contracts.
As such, the Leafs now find themselves between a rock and a hard place - a strong, balanced roster, yet one likely not strong enough to beat East's and West's (should they get there) powerhouse teams. Let's have a closer look at the roster heading into the season opener with the Hurricanes:
1st Line
Tomas Hertl - Sean Monahan - TJ Oshie
Analysis: Hertl is poised for a breakout campaign and first all star appearance, while Monahan and Oshie come in with some of their best ratings yet. This can be an explosive top line.
2nd Line
Tomas Tatar - Anze Kopitar - Viktor Arvidsson
Analysis: while Kopitar may not have his best offensive ratings, he still comes in as a stabilizing, two-way minute eater and should complement the high octane scoring of Arvidsson quite well.
3rd Line
Bryan Rust - Evgeny Kuznetsov - Tyler Johnson
Analysis: a very good 3rd line with a mix of scoring, defense and playmaking. The team is quite high on Rust's two way ability, and believe he can be a core piece for years to come.
4th Line
Tomas Nosek - Carl Soderberg - Gabriel Bourque
Analysis: anchored by arguable the best 4C in the league, this should be a reliable and hard-hitting banger line.
D Core
Ryan Ellis - Erik Johnson
Mattias Ekholm - TJ Brodie
Adam Pelech - Radko Gudas
Analysis: a solid defense first top 6, with some skill to boot. The team likes the game of Gudas and believe he's going to make life hard for opposing forwards. Even though the additions of Ekholm and Brodie helps, the Leafs are still missing that elite puck mover it hasn't had since Keith Yandle nearly a decade ago. That's something GM Sorokin will surely try to address over the season.
Goalies
Jacob Markstrom
Anders Nilsson
Analysis: the team really likes the tandem's skill set, size, and potential. Markstrom is just on the cusp of stardom, and Nilsson has proven he's capable of one day manning the fort. Still, whether Markstrom has what it takes this season to take the team all the way remains to be seen.
As always there's several possible directions this season. Management's preference to roster a competitive team remains a constant. The recently moody GM was quoted saying "We're not like those pansies down the 401. Our fans pay top dollar to see a skilled, winning team, and they're going to get it every damn season!" As it is, the roster is good enough to make playoffs and possibly take down a giant. The real question remains if management takes the extra steps and load up even further. Time will tell, for now, bring on the 2019-20 season!
Viewing the division and conference landscape through a realistic lens, management decided to take a step back in order to take two steps forward. The mandate quickly became 1) replenishing a bare asset cupboard 2) contract and cap flexibility and 3) offloading of non-core contracts.
As such, the Leafs now find themselves between a rock and a hard place - a strong, balanced roster, yet one likely not strong enough to beat East's and West's (should they get there) powerhouse teams. Let's have a closer look at the roster heading into the season opener with the Hurricanes:
1st Line
Tomas Hertl - Sean Monahan - TJ Oshie
Analysis: Hertl is poised for a breakout campaign and first all star appearance, while Monahan and Oshie come in with some of their best ratings yet. This can be an explosive top line.
2nd Line
Tomas Tatar - Anze Kopitar - Viktor Arvidsson
Analysis: while Kopitar may not have his best offensive ratings, he still comes in as a stabilizing, two-way minute eater and should complement the high octane scoring of Arvidsson quite well.
3rd Line
Bryan Rust - Evgeny Kuznetsov - Tyler Johnson
Analysis: a very good 3rd line with a mix of scoring, defense and playmaking. The team is quite high on Rust's two way ability, and believe he can be a core piece for years to come.
4th Line
Tomas Nosek - Carl Soderberg - Gabriel Bourque
Analysis: anchored by arguable the best 4C in the league, this should be a reliable and hard-hitting banger line.
D Core
Ryan Ellis - Erik Johnson
Mattias Ekholm - TJ Brodie
Adam Pelech - Radko Gudas
Analysis: a solid defense first top 6, with some skill to boot. The team likes the game of Gudas and believe he's going to make life hard for opposing forwards. Even though the additions of Ekholm and Brodie helps, the Leafs are still missing that elite puck mover it hasn't had since Keith Yandle nearly a decade ago. That's something GM Sorokin will surely try to address over the season.
Goalies
Jacob Markstrom
Anders Nilsson
Analysis: the team really likes the tandem's skill set, size, and potential. Markstrom is just on the cusp of stardom, and Nilsson has proven he's capable of one day manning the fort. Still, whether Markstrom has what it takes this season to take the team all the way remains to be seen.
As always there's several possible directions this season. Management's preference to roster a competitive team remains a constant. The recently moody GM was quoted saying "We're not like those pansies down the 401. Our fans pay top dollar to see a skilled, winning team, and they're going to get it every damn season!" As it is, the roster is good enough to make playoffs and possibly take down a giant. The real question remains if management takes the extra steps and load up even further. Time will tell, for now, bring on the 2019-20 season!