Monday Mailbag – Trades, Contracts and Goalers

Hello Leafs Nation! It’s time for another (barely) Monday Mailbag. Thanks to all those who submitted by either tweeting me (@thejustinfisher) or The Leafs Nation (@TLNdc) or by using the hashtag #TLNMailbag. You’re all heroes in my eyes.

No thanks. The Leafs should be looking to get rid of veterans, not bring on more. 

Plus, I doubt Vermette would come cheap in trade or in a new contract. I imagine that the Arizona Coyotes would want at least a pick and prospect for his services, and he’ll almost certainly earn a significant raise on the $3.75M he’s earning now when his contract expires in the summer. The Leafs shouldn’t be giving up those kinds of assets, nor do they have the cap space to spend on a player they don’t need.

Oh man, this is super easy. I’d much rather have Mike Richards signed to a long-term deal than David Clarkson, because Mike Richards deal is way easier and less painful to buy out that David Clarkson’s deal.

To be clear… I want neither of them actually playing ice hockey for my ice hockey team. At least not on those contracts.

That’s tough. Do I think any team out there is willing to give up that many high picks? No, those kind of trades are few and far between, and tend to be made by the Leafs exclusively. 

That being said, there’s definitely a market out there for Phil Kessel. A good number of teams would line up for his services, and the return would be significant – Toronto would be allowed to pick from several packages that include at least a first round pick and a couple players. Think… a top prospect and a young NHL that projects to be a solid contributor.

To be honest, if I was dealing Kessel, I wouldn’t want three picks like Toronto sent to Boston. There are ways to rebuild without drafting the players yourself. It’s fine to trade for other young players or prospects – if anything, you probably have more of an understanding of what kind of assets you’re getting in return. 

For example, Nashville hit a home run in picking up Filip Forsberg from Washington. I imagine they could have easily gotten a pick instead of a prospect for Martin Erat, but had enough of a file on Forsberg that they knew what they were getting.

So, again, you need to get a first round pick coming back in any deal that involves Kessel, but you don’t necessarily need a collection of picks to make up for the ones you traded to Boston in 2009.

I’m super bummed to tell you, but, uh… none of them. Not that any one of Garret Sparks or Christopher Gibson or Antoine Bibeau are bad goaltending prospects, but they are so insanely inexperienced that I wouldn’t want to put any of them in that situation. 

Being a backup goaltender in the NHL isn’t just about playing once every eight games. It’s about being ready to become a starting goaltender at any moment in case of injury.

And dare I say, the Leafs do not have goaltending depth. After Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer, nobody is even close to NHL ready. Spot start? Sure. Closing out the last fifteen games of a season? Not a chance.

But if you’re going to force me to pick one goaltender, I guess I’m calling up Gibson. Of the Leafs’ three young goaltenders, he is the oldest. Gibson has also played the most AHL games of the group, and done pretty ok. 

That being said, I might be acting a little too diplomatic in this case. I have half a mind to bring Sparks straight up from the ECHL and drop him right into the NHL – I still think he might be the most advanced goaltender of the group (Bibeau is having a great first year, but still so young). I’m not sure why Sparks is currently stuck in Florida.