Editor In Leaf
Fansided

Maple Leafs Final Cuts: Editor in Leaf Roundtable

By James Tanner

CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 23: (L-R) Lou Lamoriello and Brendan Shanahan of the Toronto Maple Leafs attend the 2017 NHL Draft at the United Center on June 23, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 23: (L-R) Lou Lamoriello and Brendan Shanahan of the Toronto Maple Leafs attend the 2017 NHL Draft at the United Center on June 23, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 9
Next
Toronto Maple Leafs
TORONTO, ON- SEPTEMBER 10 – Timothy Liljegren skates as the the Toronto Maple Leafs Rookie team plays the Ottawa Senators Rookies in the 2017 Rookie Tournament at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto. September 10, 2017. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images) /

John Krpan

Fourth Line C, 5D, 6D, and 7D. Those are the only spots available on the opening night roster for the Maple Leafs. Lets start with the 4C spot…

I have a different approach than probably most. If I were Mike Babcock and/or Lou Lamoriello, I would move Leo Komarov to 4C, move Brown to Kadri’s wing, and swap in Kapanen on the 4th line wing with Leo and Martin. The thinking is simple. We do not have a 4C, but we do have 8, 9, 10, 11 and maybe even 12 decent wingers. Why are we trying to find a 4C that we do not really have and keep NHL caliber wingers in the press box or the Marlies?

This seems like an obvious fix to me. If you really want, have the fourth line be Martin, Leo, and Brown, with Kappy on Kadri’s wing. And now for the more boring approach at defense… The 5th D should be Connor Carrick because he knows the role. He played in the spot all last season adequately. He was not good enough to play many minutes into the playoffs, but Carrick still has room to grow while being a good enough 5D.

At 6D we should sign Polak. For similar reasons as to Connor Carrick, he is adequate enough. But also, because he can kill penalties better than any of the other options like Borgman, or Rosen, or Dermott. At 7D we should have Martin Marincin. Let Borgman and Rosen and Dermott play big hard minutes in the AHL and when we have an injury, call up one of these guys.

Home/Analysis