Mailbag: Squad Goals
8 years ago
If you turn your head just about anywhere in Toronto right now, you’ll see plane wreckage. Or bus wreckage. Or glowing cars. The reality is that they’re filming a movie, but in the meantime, it’s a heck of a metaphor for just about every Leafs season in the past decade.
@gajenp13 asked: Are we sending any picks to Detroit for the two assistant coaches that we got from them?
No. Assistant coaches don’t land under the requirements for compensation. Mike Babcock will cost the Leafs a third round pick on a year to be determined, but the assistants will be “thrown in free”, so to speak.
@shutupisaac_ asked: How could you sum up the Leafs past season in a video game?
@mo_toews asked: if the Leafs were to draft Marner, which position do you think he’ll play for the Leafs/develop in: C or W?
If he ends up being the guy they pick, I don’t think its unrealistic to play him at centre. The biggest issue isn’t size, but rather one of positional awareness and defensive play. The game has become friendlier to “smaller” centres, and 5’11-6’0 isn’t exactly Gionta-height. With that considered, such a move would likely shift William Nylander to Left Wing full time so Marner (or Strome) can battle it out for one of the top two spots with Nazem Kadri and/or Tyler Bozak.
@Peterbaugh28 asked: What current CHL’ers are expected to make the jump up to the Marlies next season? Or rather, will the Marlies have a lot of talent to work with from within the team, or go through free agency?
Next year will be one that introduces the remaining players in the 2013 draft class to the group. While Antoine Bibeau has already spent a year in the AHL and Andreas Johnson isn’t expected to make the jump yet (more on that later), it’s very likely that you’ll see Frederik Gauthier, Carter Verhaeghe, and Fabrice Herzog playing for affiliates in the Leafs organization.
With that said, it may not necessarily be with the Marlies. The Leafs organization will no doubt be looking to snag some undrafted free agents, in an attempt to fill out the Marlies and Solar Bears with guys who can potential make the jump. It’s very possible that you’ll see some guys in the ECHL who are considered more talented than your average ECHLer; including all three of these guys.
@cameron_rennie asked: Is there a good chance Andreas Johnson goes to UFA instead of singing with Toronto after next season?
I think there’s a lot of unnecessary panic over Johnson’s status. While he is approaching the age of unrestricted free agency, we’ve seen little to no indication that he has a disdain for the team. It’s completely fair for a prospect to want to keep his options open, and if the Leafs feel that the best place for him to play is in Sweden, then they’ll let him play while making sure he knows that Toronto is the right market for him.
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