TLN Roundtable: Offseason wishlist

6 years ago

Trades today, roster freeze tomorrow, expansion draft through Monday, real draft next weekend, and then free agency. It’s the best part of the offseason. There’s hope. Hope for all (except the Canucks).

For us, this will be the time when the Leafs likely lay down their biggest attempts at improving a club knocking on the door of contention. We don’t know how that will look, but we all have our opinions on what they should do. Or, put another way, what we’d try to do.

So with that in mind, the question to our contributors this week was very simple: “Give a list of 3-5 moves you want to see the Leafs attempt to pull off in the next two weeks.”

There isn’t any strict format to these lists, and some might have a level of cheekiness sprinkled in. Feel free to drop your own in the comments.

Scott Maxwell

Do not protect Matt Martin
Sign Shattenkirk to a 2 year deal (maximum of $7 million AAV)
Sign Thornton to a 2 year deal (maximum of $6.5 million AAV)
Sign and trade for Kovalchuk, but only if his contract is short term and relatively cheap (1-2 years, $6.5-7 million max AAV), and trading for him doesn’t cost a first
Trade Bozak (only if necessary)

Adam Laskaris

Trade Bozak and a pick for Galchenyuk
Draft a D-man who’s got high upside but stock fell
Name Auston captain
Trade one of Leivo or Leipsic for a pick
Turn down a Phaneuf trade offer from OTT

Dylan Fremlin

Trade Bozak and move William to C
Trade for Pysyk
Draft Brannstrom or Suzuki
Definitely don’t protect Matt Martin

Ryan Hobart

Sign Shattenkirk
Trade for and sign Kovalchuk
Trade Bozak for whatever you can get
Sign a couple young goalies to fill the AHL, promote Sparks to backup, walk away from Bibeau

Evan Presement

Don’t protect Martin in exp. draft
Find a way to pry Galchenyuk out of MTL (hopefully they like Bozak)
Sign Shattenkirk to 2 year deal at ~8.5 mil
Draft one of Brannstrom, Suzuki, or Yamamoto
Somehow get Josh Manson from ANA

Ian Tulloch

Trade for one of Manson/Pysyk/Demers
Draft Suzuki/Pettersson/Yamamoto/Liljegren/Brannstrom 17th overall
Pursue a solid backup goaltender in free agency (ie. Mason, Elliott)
Sign an undervalued UFA defenseman (Brendan Smith, Brian Campbell, Cody Franson)