Monday Mailbag: Technically Tuesday
8 years ago
It’s past midnight, so on Toronto paper, it’s Tuesday. But I haven’t gone to bed yet, so it’s Monday night, sort of. The Nation Network runs on Edmonton time, so it’s just past 10 PM.
@YakovMironov asked: How many inches and pounds is the average player playing bigger because of the addition of Rich Clune?
Well, they say everything is bigger than Texas, and the Leafs made quick work of the Stars tonight, so I’d say that Clune has given everybody the Chara bump. Except for Clune himself, who gets the Yao Ming bump for being the square root of Clune.
@cgaragan6 asked: How do the Leafs/Marlies deal with the surplus of players they have going forward? They can’t keep going like this, can they?
The Leafs are probably more than happy with the surplus if we’re being honest with ourselves; it lets them rotate their borderline players, creating a lot of “what if he played more” scenarios for GMs, and creating more artificial cap space as the year progresses. After all, the closer the Leafs are to the cap, the more Nathan Horton’s contract can be pushed to LTIR.
The Marlies, on the other hand, will probably see some shuffling soon. You don’t want your prospects sitting in the press box, but at the same time, Toronto is in the midst of a three-week road trip. It’s in their best interest to carry some extra players for now, but once they get back in town, it wouldn’t be a shock to see them send some players down to Orlando.
@matthew_gooding asked: With so much skill on the Marlies, are we likely to not see crazy point totals as ice time will probably be shared over the 4 lines?
This is true to an extent, but at the same time, that also means that teams can’t shut down only a single line. Players who might not get as much ice time may face weaker competition at times, allowing for more opportunities with their allotted time. Based on the shot volume that even the “low” minute players are generating right now, I’d wager that it evens out.
@BigFourInsider asked: The Leafs are going to finish with the worst record and lose the lottery, right?
The new system means that the entire top three are decided by lottery. As such, the Leafs will draft fourth, despite having 16 fewer points than 29th place.
@spencerg49 asked: Reimer or Bernier?
Definitely Reimer. He’s due for a big game. (Sent at 7:29 PM)
No, in seriousness, whoever stops pucks. I don’t like how the fanbase goes all Jacob vs. Edward when it comes to these two. One does not have to be the enemy for the other to be the hero. The best case scenario is that these two both find their games again and become a true 1A/1B that evenly splits the game, keeping them well rested and dominant throughout. If that doesn’t happen, you start whoever is the better goalie; not who wins, or who has the nicer smile. The one stopping the pucks. Simple as.
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