TLN Monday Mailbag: May 22nd

Find someone who will hold you the way that William Nylander wanted to hold Henrik Lundqvist. Or, if you’re lazy, read the following handful of responses to twitter dot com questions. Or go enjoy your Monday. I don’t know. I’m not much of an authority on life decisions. If you’re opting for the middle option, though, begin reading below!

I don’t think there’s much of a question here; you have to go with Hunwick. He’s isn’t coming off a major injury, and I believe he was the clear driver of the two on that pair, even as they improved. I don’t really feel like carving into Polak any further (he’s a guy I want to like and you’ve already heard many times why I still wouldn’t often dress him), but I’ve come around to the idea that Hunwick is a legitimately fine third pairing defenceman who gets given tough minutes (be it in actual usage, or in non-opportune teammates).

I’d also probably not shrug too hard if both were to depart since I doubt Hunwick wants to be battling for his roster spot in September and would prefer a more guaranteed place, but I’d definitely keep him of the two.

It’s entirely possible that they’re just watching for fun. Yes, both teams have a bit of a surplus in areas that the Leafs could use an upgrade in (particularly the Ducks with their defence), but the names they’d be looking at now would likely be relatively known quantities; not to mention Toronto would probably have to send back expansion draft-exempt players to not put the other team in the same position that they were when they started shopping.

It’s not going to be as easy to take advantage of other teams’ situations as some believe it’ll be. Almost every club has 7+3+1 that they’d like to keep. Those who make relief trades will almost assuredly be giving up good young assets, and people in this market seem to be adverse to that right now, for fair reason.

Besides that, maybe they just want to get an in-person look at how those teams operate in the playoffs? I know Babcock has said in the past that he’s not super huge on watching playoff hockey, but he hasn’t coached a lot of it in the past few years, and he has a team that he wants to turn into a perennial powerhouse. Looking at how other teams have created their own makeup may be beneficial, so he can apply those ideas to his own team.

Ultimately, though, we’re all just spitballing. For all we know, Lou might just have cousin’s in Tennessee or something.

Something will likely have to give on the left defensive side. Not counting unrestricted free agents or any attempt to bring in acquisitions, the Leafs and Marlies are already at eight players playing the position (Gardiner, Rielly, Marincin, Dermott, Rosen, Borgman, Nielsen, Valiev). Valiev and Rosen can both play on their non-dominant side, so that might alleviate some issues on the Marlies, who don’t really have a ton of righties to work with at the moment. Gardiner, Rielly, and Marincin have all flipped sides too at times, though ideally they’ll all stay left (though Marincin might be going way left in the expansion draft in a few weeks).

I don’t think anybody’s at the defined end of the road yet, but, especially when you throw UFA lefties Matt Hunwick and Andrew Campbell in the mix, the Leafs have some decision making to do. They’re set up nicely to make a quantity for quality move soon; who gets moved in that situation is a tough question, though.

Two vaguely similar questions, so we’ll double up on the answers.