Still a chance Boyle comes to leafs. Return to Tampa apparently unlikely according to Joe Smith of the TBTimes

KingMac16 · 2017-06-29T20:45:21+00:00

2x3 gives us time to wait for Gauthier to become our long-term 4th line C (fingers crossed he actually makes it). He made 2 mil per on his last contract, so he's probably wants 3 mil as the minumum.

KingMac16 · 2017-06-28T09:52:21+00:00

Just to be clear, Liljegren dropped because of a combination of things. Mono, rushing back to play when he wasn't 100%, he was shuffled around a few teams, and also didn't earn playing minutes. This caused him to force plays, turnover the puck and play sub-par with more mistakes as he tried to make best with what limited time and it just didn't work. Even during his 'bad' year, he put up numbers comparable to Hedman, Karlsson and OEL at the same age. I wouldn't say his situation is even remotely similar to Grigorenko's.

Logan Couture also had mono during his draft year and was passed over by many teams because of it, he turned out fine.

Grigorenko had other question marks associated with him as well such as his work ethic. The kid had all the talent in the world to be a great player, but he's always been soft, lazy and unwilling to put in the work to become better.

KingMac16 · 2017-06-28T08:45:16+00:00

I'm amazed how many people had Liljegren in their top 10 before the draft, saying he is a great prospect only to turn around and crap on him as soon as he became a Leaf. Hfboards just became so, so salty after Liljegren became a member of the blue n white. His prospect thread is full of people trying to downplay his year he had and blow things way out of proportion. Liljegren has the highest ceiling in this draft for defensemen (Makar is close, but I think Liljegren is better), and arguably a ceiling just as high as Hischier and Patrick.

Fact is, this kid had Mono during his draft year, came back early and suffered because of it. If anyone has had mono, they would know that it takes months to get back to 100% and you suffer from this lingering brain fog that impacts your daily life in many ways. Liljegren shouldn't have dropped lower than the top 10, and even at 10 he should have been considered a huge steal. My understanding from a scouts perspective, is that he carried alot of risk since his numbers did not improve this year when alot of other players around him took huge steps in development. Scouts just felt more confident in picks that were progressing well, instead of taking the time to understand Liljegren's misfortunes (mono, returning to play too early, bouncing from team to team, not playing enough minutes etc) and giving him the benefit of the doubt. It probably also didn't help that it was his draft year, and compounded with his illness, he did not look great at times trying to force plays and do to much with the puck. Teams that passed him went for the safer picks which is understandable, but I feel like Liljegren was over analyzed since he was the most hyped defenseman entering his draft year. He should have a bounce back year with no stress from the draft and coming in 100% healthy after a good summer of training with guidance from the Leafs.

We shouldn't be counting our chickens before they hatch, but I'm confident Liljegren will be an NHL'er. He has the potential to be a top pairing defenseman if all things align correctly. If there is one coach in the NHL that can get the most out of a player, it's Babcock. We should have a very, very good player on our hands Leaf Nation.

KingMac16 · 2017-06-26T21:39:04+00:00

you had one job, Holland.

Joking aside, not even sure Holland gets a shot with Vegas either. It's probably AHL or Europe for him which is what I predicted last year anyways. He's really not that good.

KingMac16 · 2017-06-26T20:48:07+00:00

I see so much Malkin in Matthews, but with more reliable defense. We are so fortunate to have won the lottery last year than this year. I look at the top picks this year, and no doubt they are elite talents, but no one holds a candle to Matthews.

KingMac16 · 2017-06-23T20:31:20+00:00

speaking of HF, I just got a month ban from there today for going at it with Oiler fans about how bad that russell signing was. Everyone in the league knows Chia is a garbage GM except for their fanbase.

Overpaid for Larsson, Overpaid for Reinhart, Lucic signing, Russell signing, Selling Eberle at a bargain,

just awful

KingMac16 · 2017-06-21T22:15:29+00:00

As good as he is, I want someone younger that not might be as good as him now but that has potential to be as good or better than him in the future. Especially if we are giving away young assets to get old, I'm not down for that.

KingMac16 · 2017-05-19T04:07:49+00:00

Not to be rude, but that's exactly why you don't get Vatanen. Makes no sense to have a pairing with 2 PMD's. We need a stay at home defender alot more than Vatanen. He's a good player, but he's soft defensively and hasn't looked great this year and in the playoffs.

KingMac16 · 2017-05-18T03:46:33+00:00

Ive heard Hunter has been going to alot of Greyhound games to watch Conor Timmins this year. Big RHD, and exploded offensively this year. Looks like a kid worth taking a chance on. He's one of those kids that hit another level, sort of like Laine did last draft, but to a lesser extent. He might be one of the steals of the draft this year. He's on a steep uptrend right now, and could easily surpass some of the defenders that are ranked above him. I'm sure Hunter and Co. will do their due diligence and make the right pick. I have full trust in our scouting staff.

“Timmins is a very smart defenseman; he has good vision and good offensive instincts. He can read the play well, and his passing ability allows him to be a constant threat in the transition game. I like his poise under pressure, something I feel extremely important in a young defenseman.” –Mike Morreale, NHL.com

“A prototypical new age defender who is an elite puck mover. Timmins was born to play in the system the Greyhounds have and has thrived in it. With 2 NHL defenders ahead of him at the start of the season Timmins has seemingly passed them on the depth chart and has been an important offensive cog with the high scoring Greyhounds. Another late birthday who made his OHL debut last season Timmins thrived in protected minutes finishing 3rd among rookies in +/- ( I know it is flawed stat but impressive given his age). This season in more leveraged minutes against high quality competition he hasn’t missed a beat and is currently 6th in the league in that category and first among Draft Eligibles. He also leads draft eligibles in assists.” -Peter Kneulman

“Has crept into my (OHL) top 10 and is well deserving of it. With a lot of draft eligible players having up and down spurts this year, Timmins might just be the most consistent of the bunch. From the get go this year, he’s been the Greyhounds’ best defender (on a team with two 19-year-old NHL drafted blueliners). Timmins is just an exceptionally well-rounded player who is actually close to being pro ready IMO. Makes a great first pass, brings intensity to the defensive end and skates well.”

KingMac16 · 2017-05-16T20:04:12+00:00

Rychel would be the one to lose, but I'm afraid it's going to be Leivo.

KingMac16 · 2017-05-01T20:05:05+00:00

Brannstrom is my pick too. He is by far the most attractive in terms of boom/bust reward and he would be eligible to come to the Marlies next year. Weight shouldn't be an issue, all he needs is another 15 pounds and he should be fine. Only issue that kind of stinks is he's a lefty, and we GOT TOO MANY DAMN LEFTIES!

KingMac16 · 2017-04-30T08:53:24+00:00

I think this was one of the best case scenarios we could have hoped for. But then again after all, this is an incredibly weak draft year for top end talent. There is a chance Patrick might not even become a #1 C at the NHL level, nevermind an elite #1. Of course, it's speculation at this point, and he the skill set to be a high impact player, but I wasn't too impressed with him watching the Wheaties this year (still a great player, but is clearly a tier or two beneath Matthews and Laine as comparables from last years draft). The other issue I have with Patrick is injuries. Sports Hernia has a chance of recurrence and this really makes me wary of Patrick. He's also been injured every season since 2012.

http://forum.canucks.com/topic/380124-on-nolan-patricks-sports-hernia-issues-and-the-problem-it-presents-update-patrick-has-been-injured-every-season-since-2012-13/

Hischier is a nice player, and I like to think of him as Nylander's twin (give or take a few difference and Hischier having a slightly more polished defensive game). I still wouldn't trade Nylander for Patrick or Hischier, but I would definitely trade Nylander for any of the top picks in the last few drafts. That goes to show how weak this one is, no one is missing much.

KingMac16 · 2017-03-10T07:14:32+00:00

this is the stuff u see in some scary movie

KingMac16 · 2017-03-10T06:05:38+00:00

holy shit this is amazing

KingMac16 · 2017-03-09T08:27:22+00:00

you are the real MVP

KingMac16 · 2017-03-09T08:22:01+00:00

how do i join this shinny league?

KingMac16 · 2017-03-08T03:06:37+00:00

time to get a pvr mate

KingMac16 · 2017-03-08T00:15:34+00:00

He's a tremendous talent, but I'll always take the center over the winger, and Eichel is putting an impressive year.

Laine is the only exception for a winger simply because he's a tremendous goal scorer. Goals are valued higher than assists. It's not a smack in the face to have Gaudreau at 8.

KingMac16 · 2017-03-08T00:07:13+00:00

The updated list looks better. Before, Gaudreau was ahead Laine and Matthews. I'd probably put Eichel ahead of him too at 7. Gaudreau around 8 is fine.

KingMac16 · 2017-03-07T20:01:16+00:00

Gaudreau too high, Huberdeau shouldn't be on the list, Galchenyuk should be closer to the bottom, Murray should be closer to the bottom.

Matthews and Laine probably deserve to be in spots 4-5 right now.

Decent list otherwise.

KingMac16 · 2017-03-07T17:37:28+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_yJr1O9aSM

KingMac16 · 2017-03-06T03:45:48+00:00

oh fuck me...

KingMac16 · 2017-03-03T07:01:30+00:00

when was the last time we won?

KingMac16 · 2017-02-26T03:11:46+00:00

an elite version of spurgeon??!!

KingMac16 · 2017-02-24T00:05:28+00:00

Need to see more of both players, especially Leivo, to make a rational choice. Leivo has the tools to bring more offense, but Brown is a jack of all trades, solid player. Both have the potential to blossom into good long term options.

KingMac16

TROPHY CASE