Toronto Maple Leafs: Monday Morning Leaf Points

Leafs Nation are a passionate bunch! We wear our hearts on our sleeves and aren’t afraid to fight to make a point so it’s always an exciting time when a new trade rumor, free agent signing, or other Toronto Maple Leafs news hits the web. Every Monday morning, I’ll break down what’s “in the news” and give you my perspective. You know what they say about opinions. This is…

MONDAY MORNING LEAF POINTS…

On Signings…

Rich Clune- F- 5’10- 207- The Leafs started the week by signing the 28-year old Clune to an AHL contract. Just a week earlier, Clune made headlines after writing a heartfelt piece about his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction.

Shawn Matthias- C- 6’4- 216- The former Canucks centerman was signed to a 1-year $2.3 million contract. Matthias had 18 goals last season and will probably center Toronto’s second or third line next season. Expect the Leafs to amp up attempts to move Tyler Bozak after this signing.

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Martin Marincin- D- 6’4- 203- The 23-year old defenceman was acquired at this year’s NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Brad Ross and a 4th-round pick. The Leafs signed him to a 1-year contract woth $700,000 on Thursday.

On The Current Roster…

This week at the Leafs’ Summer Prospects Camp, new coach Mike Babcock gave us his first thoughts on how the roster is gonna shape up for his new team in the 2015/16 season. When asked about William Nylander, Babcock mentioned that he had a quick chat with the top prospect earlier in the day.

“I just said to him that when he takes a job he’ll have a job. Real simple. Jobs aren’t given to anybody, you’ve got to take one and we now have I think 13 NHL forwards signed, if I’m not mistaken. If you’re one of these other guys you’ve got to take somebody’s job.”

Throughout the past couple of months, we have constantly been reminded by Leafs management that the young prospects will not be rushed. Babcock confirmed that. So let’s look at the roster and see what spots might actually be available. Nothing is set in stone of course but this is a nice guideline to get you started.

Forwards (12)- Tyler Bozak, Nazem Kadri, Peter Holland, Nick Spaling, Shawn Matthias, James Van Riemsdyk, Joffrey Lupul, P.A Parenteau, Daniel Winnik, Marc Arcobello, Leo Komarov, Richard Panik

Oct 17, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Josh Leivo (32) celebrates his first career goal in the second period against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

There are one to two spots open up front next season. Sam Carrick, Josh Leivo and Matt Frattin all have NHL experience with the Leafs and will be hungry for jobs. Frattin took on a big role with the Marlies this past season. An exceptional training camp would impress the new coach and go a long way in getting him back into the NHL.

If any “newcomers” are threats then expect it to come from newly signed Rich Clune or recent college signings Casey Bailey and Zach Hyman. Clune signed an AHL contract last week but can be upgraded if he impresses at training camp. Bailey had a small sample at the NHL level last season after a great year at Penn State but still may need more seasoning before grabbing an NHL job.

The one to really watch is Hyman. He had a great Prospects Camp this weekend and was carrying noticeable bulk on his 6’1 frame. He is coming off of a magnificent season in his senior year with Michigan. Yes, not far from where current Leaf coach Mike Babcock used to coach. He is also a kid that absolutely LOVES BEING A MAPLE LEAF! Expect him to push hard to make this club.

If you’re thinking that young prospects like William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen, Mitch Marner, or even Freddie Gauthier are going to make this team then you’re probably going to end up very disappointed. The Leafs have said numerous times that the youngsters will not be rushed and why should they be? It would be very stupid for this organization to bring a young player into the NHL at this time of uncertainty. With a new coach, at least six new skaters, and your best offensive player gone, the burden would be way too much to put on the shoulders of a 19 or 20-year old kid.

On Prospects Camp…

I had the opportunity to attend the Leafs’ Prospects Camp up in Collingwood, Ontario this past Saturday and Sunday. Look for an upcoming feature about my experience there right here at Editor In Leaf. In the meantime, we learned a little more about how the Leafs see some of their young prospects after assistant general manager Kyle Dubas appeared before the press in Collingwood earlier in the week.

Here’s what Dubas had to say via the video from the Toronto Maple Leafs YouTube account.

Oct 3, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (62) during the pre game warm up against the Detroit Red Wings at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

William Nylander- “William will play center. I think we’ve made that commitment, and as Mike said yesterday, he wants to play there. It’s going to be up to him to show he can do it, but he’s going to start the year… he’s going to come to training camp… and start by playing center. It’s going to be up to him in terms of where he takes it. You see the growth in him there, and you see him here leading the group. Physically, he is a guy that continues to work hard. It’s going to be a lot of fun to see what William does this season.”

Viktor Loov- “I thought he was outstanding. With Viktor, he’s such a great kid, he works so hard, he’s in great condition, he’s a great skater. You saw as the year went along with the Marlies, he started getting a little bit more physical. He got suspended in the playoffs on a hit that was as big of a hit as I saw the whole season. Unfortunately the player was injured on the play, but he started to embrace that a little bit. I think the coaching staff… I know they will be great for him, and it’s going to be exciting to see him come into the Fall and in the exhibition season with the Leafs and so on.”

Frederick Gauthier- “I think this year it’s going to be great for him. He’ll be with the Marlies. Sheldon really likes him. The more he sees him out here on the ice, he likes him even more. For us, we don’t just want to have him pigeon-holed as this defensive center. We want him to grow as a player. We want him to expand offensively. We want him to be more assertive defensively. We’re going to want him to close on people quicker and get the puck moving up the ice and I think you’ll see his offensive game expand from there.”

Rinat Valiev- “I think it was a great experience for him. Even the games he played in at the end of the regular season, he played at Rockford and at Chicago, our last two games, and he was really, really good. I think he’s going to be a key member of the Marlies this year. He’s a competitive guy with good offensive upside that he showed this year in Kootenay. The Kootenay staff did just a great job with him throughout the season. He played for Russia at the World Juniors. He’s a guy that can play in all situations for us and we’re really excited to see him come in. You can tell he’s worked hard so far in the offseason. He’s staying in North America the rest of the offseason. He’ll be in Toronto early, which will be good.”

Martins Dzierkals- “We saw him at the U18 tournament. Statistically, you see him there, and he was outstanding in the games that I personally saw. He’s a guy that Thommie Bergman and Garth Malarchuk both really liked a lot on our scouting staff. We all went and watched him in the relegation games and he was really, really good; got video on him. He’s a very fast, skilled player. His family is very big, so he looks like a guy that’s going to grow a little bit, get a lot stronger. He’s got a lot of work to do in terms of strength, but all these guys do – they’re 18 years old. It’s up to us to arm them with the right information to develop that way.”

Matt Finn- “It was just a tough year for Matt. I just throw it away and say… okay, he’s got two more years left on his entry-level deal, he’s worked his butt off in the summer and even in the spring when the Marlies were still playing. He came into camp… he didn’t have a great summer… he came into camp, struggled in the rookie tournament, then he tore his hamstring, comes back, claws his way back in, we start him in Orlando then he got playing with the Marlies. Then, he got a concussion, which cost him a lot of time. With any injury like that we want to make sure he’s absolutely 100% ready to go and he’s not at any risk whatsoever. It was just a really tough year for him; he never got it on track. He’s worked extremely hard; he’s in every day pushing himself. It will be exciting to see him. He’s got our full support and a good chance to bounce back this season.”

See the whole video below.

Quote of the Week…

“I get a kick outa of it when people call him (Kasperi Kapanen) small. He’s not a 5’9 guy even though that’s what people would report.”- Kyle Dubas just a couple of days after Toronto Sun reporter Steve Simmons had reported that the Leafs may in fact be “jacking up” the heights of prized prospects like Kapanen, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner.

Reader Mail…

The Question of the Week comes from a reader named Manoj who wants to know about the conditions of the draft picks the Leafs received from the Penguins in the Kessel deal.

“Hey Rob. Great recent article on Fansided re: Kessel and Leafs’future picks! I have a question that no one seems to know how to answer. Ok, with the Kessel trade, the Leafs received a conditional 1st round pick next year. What exactly is that condition based on? Thanks in advance and looking forward to reading your next piece brotha!!”

The picks that changed hands in the Kessel deal are confusing so it’s not surprising that you ask. The picks are “lottery protected” and it all really depends on whether Pittsburgh makes the playoffs. There are basically THREE scenarios that can happen…

If the Penguins make the playoffs this coming season:
The Leafs receive Pittsburgh’s 1st-round pick in 2016 (which would be 15-30) and their 3rd-round pick. Pittsburgh would receive their own 2nd-rounder back that the Leafs received for Daniel Winnik at the deadline.

It the Penguins DON’T make the playoffs this coming season BUT MAKE IT IN 2017: The Leafs receive the same Pittsburgh picks in the 2017 draft and the Pens get our second in 2017.

If the Penguins don’t make the playoffs in BOTH of the next two seasons: Toronto receives their 2nd-round pick in 2018. Pittsburgh would receive no Leaf picks.

Thanks to Manoj and all of you who took the time to message me after last week’s column. It really does mean a lot to hear from you all. Keep them coming and i’ll answer them all!

If you have any questions, comments, hate mail, etc… then you can email me at:retoronto71@gmail.com or hit me up on Twitter @robb_ellis

Don’t ya just love Mondays? KEEP IT BLUE!

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