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More Draft Scuttlebutt

by on June 22, 2009 in Uncategorized - 106 Comments

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The latest from a source: some insight about potential candidates if Burke winds up stuck at the 7-spot, potential trading partners and Burke’s interest in two top 15 picks if his quest to trade up fails.

“I am hearing that Burke may be trying to position himself with two top 15 picks…I don’t see him taking Svensson as it just doesn’t seem to fit with what the Leafs need at this point.  If Cowen is healthy I think he’s the pick.  Kassian is obviously a Burke type of player and I wouldn’t put it past him to roll the dice on him either.  Surprisingly, there are those that believe that as much as Burke would want Schenn, if Kane is still available he may be compelled to take him… I am hearing that teams who believe they are close to competing for the cup – F lyers, Sharks, Hawks-may be willing to move some young assets and picks at the draft for more established veterans with short term deals.  This may bode well for the Leafs in terms of moving Kabs, Kubina, Poni etc…There are also several teams – Flyers, Rags, Bolts – who are desperately trying to unload salary which may make for some desperate GMs at the draft which will also benefit the Leafs as they are in a position to take on salary but Burke will not accept anything longer than a 2 year term on those contracts.”

Two top 15 picks? Cowen and Kassian? Hmmmm… certainly some interesting possibilities.

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  • B Leaf

    @bansebe
    Briere has a no trade. See- http://bleacherreport.com/articles/201021-philadelphia-flyers-reality-unpacks-daniel-brieres-bags

    He may be the worst contract in hockey right now period. For Philly to throw him in the minors opens alot of other issues.

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  • Paynter Graham

    Really with a $6.50 million cap hit through 2015, could Paul Holmgren give Briere away right now (even if he did not have a NM clause)?
    If Holmgren can trade Briere he is a genius! And am hearing that Gagne has a no-trade deal (which he might wave for the right team) – is that correct?

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  • jlkj

    @ Dan

    The point here is that I can’t think of a Stanley Cup winner over the last 15 years that didn’t have 1 or several top end forwards and elite talent

    Do the Leafs have a single top end forward in their organization? NO!

    Burke blew a perfect chance to draft a stud forward this year and instead thought signing Gerber was a better idea. If it was me, I also would have traded Toskala away when his value was high at the beginning of the season. I would have went with a Pogge/Cujo combo for the entire year.

    Was it really worth it now? I see Cowen being the next Aaron Ward – a player easily found on the free agent market

    Kassian is extremely over rated on the internet. I’m willing to bet that none of Kassian supporters have even seen him play.

    Is a 7th overall pick worth something? Sure it is. But Brian Burke SHOULD have been targeting the elite top 3 players which were VERY possible when he came to the Leafs earlier this season.

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  • jlkj

    Leaf fans deserve better – they deserve a top end talent.

    To be happy with anything less after being out of the playoffs for 5 years and having the longest stanley cup final drought of any NHL team is acceptance of mediocrity

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  • Blue Max

    Honestly guys, sometimes you need to give your head a shake! Gerber was playing like crap and was demoted to the minours if I remember correctly. Sure he won some games, but nothing spectacular. Burke got rid of two of our top scoring forwards at the deadline, and brought up guys that were demoted to the Marlies because of non-production. How was he to know duffus was going to score a hat-trick in his last game? No, he tried to get us in the top five, and I don’t blame him or RW a bit for not wanting to break the team’s competitive spirit completely. That would have come back to hunt us later. Cowen is a bruising shutdown d-man, who was projected to go top three originally. He has decent offensive upside, and is bigger than Schenn. We are not very good at the goals-against game, and he can only help.
    On Cassian I’m going with what posters here described him as, and if I’m to believe them, he’s a gritty, big player with a decent scoring touch. I don’t see how we can lose in either case.
    You guys are forgetting about Stefanovich, and Bozak whom I hope, given what I saw, will grace our top two lines soon.
    We’re not as lost as you think, and we’d be stupid given up too much to move 2-3 spots. We could use our assets to get other prospects, or add more picks.

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  • jlkj

    @ Blue Max

    I would also have moved Toskala who actually won 22 games for the Leafs before being shut down.

    His value now is really minimal, and Burke could have planned ahead and given Pogge a shot at getting NHL experience.

    Now Toskala has a year left on his contract and more than likely will walk for nothing after next season as I can’t see Burke re-signing him.

    Burke’s desire to win at all costs is going to hurt him in the end.

    I could list 10 things right now that Wilson/Burke could have done differently that would have assured them a top 3 pick.

    Cowen types are easily had on the UFA market. Star forwards aren’t

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  • jlkj

    http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/189609/chart_7.jpg

    Here’s a great chart indicating all the defenseman drafted since 1994 in the top 10

    Not many of those guys are elite top 2 guys.

    This is another Big reason why the Leafs needed to get a stud forward in the top 3 or even top 5.

    Cowen will be the next Brewer or Ward

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  • Blue Max

    …and you’re guaranteeing Kane, Schenn, and or Duchene to be star forwards?
    Kane and Schenn were both sent packing at the WJC, despite Kane being called back later. Duchene is a great player, who is also small by NHL standards, and nobody knows how his game will adjust against bigger players. You also forget how two of the “superstars” on Detroit’s lineup weren’t exactly picked in the top five, and how Crosby, and Malkin left a lot to be desired in the finals. It was the grunts that won the Pens the Cup.
    Just relax and wait for Burke’s next move. Our scouts are starting to have some success lately, and we still haven’t used what’s available for trade either.

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  • bluebuds

    @jlkj Change your name to AngryFan or something. If the leafs had a top 3 pick you would argue something else that would be wrong with having on of those picks… dude when life gives you lemons…

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  • dan

    @jklj
    Agreed 1000%

    As far as i’m concerned its top 5 or bust! Especially after Burke made it known that he wanted to trade up, when he could have given himself a chance to draft in the top 5 without giving up any assets. All the teams that have turned around through the draft have been really bad at points, whereas we have just been mediocure and haven’t given ourselves the chance to get any franchise players.

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  • Blue Max

    Waist of words! Yes it would have been nice to move up, but how’s that Burke’s fault? Have you guys compared our roster to some of the ones that settled with a top five pick? Have you compared our goalies save percentage to theirs? Le Cavalier, St Louis (sp?) Kovi, all the blue-chippers on La’s lineup, etc. All we had over some of them was some better defenders, yet our goals-against was one of the worst. Yet our bottom talent forwards outplayed them all, and why? Because RW and Burke is instilling the right attitude in our youngsters. You play hard, you stay up. No more sense of entitlement. You have to work hark to be a Leaf from now on. That’s the attitude that’s going to win us Cups, not just overpaid Star-floaters.
    Good thing you guys have nothing to do with our current management, or we’d be screwed.

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  • Wendel_Rules

    I think everyone in Leafland is getting sick of needing to use assets to get into the top five!

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  • Jordan

    @jklk
    Sorry for the swaring but your statements are fucking insanely stupid. Who wants their team to lose? Not me. While it sucks that we are 7th, Im sure glad were not 8th, 9th, or 10th. I would hate to draft high and be accused of throwing games. Thats just not right. Play the game the way it was suppose to be, and play it right. If you wwin you win, you lose you lose.

    Lastly, if Gerber came in and play shitty you would alllllll be saying how smart Burke is, give me a brake and stop posting until you know what your talking about man. I WOULD PUT LOTS OF MONEY ON the reason Burke took Gerber has an ending. If I remember right, he said ” I called up Murray and told him I would do them a favour”. Now there wont be any trade or anything, but I would guess that if Burke gets another top 10 pick, he agreed with Murray that he would tell him who the sens, or any other team Murray was aware of was drafting. We dont hear everything so dont judge before you see it. I have confidence in Burke and I know whatever he does this friday, or whatever he DOESNT do, will work out in the end….my 2 cents

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  • jlkj

    @ Jordan

    I think people should realize that the person who they may refer to as ‘posting stupid comments’ may in fact know just as much if not more about hockey than they do

    Re: your comments

    Pittsburgh is just one of many good examples. Do you feel Pittsburgh sucked intentionally to get Malkin, Fleury and Staal? No they probably didn’t.

    However getting those picks helped them win a cup

    You’re happy to be in 8th or 9th place? You perhaps are the one who doesn’t get the big picture

    They key in the NHL is to be either really bad, or really good. Being in the middle of the standings does not get you star young players like TB, NYI, COL, CAR, PITT, PHI, WASH, CHI have all been able to do the last few years.

    Do you not already get this? Tell me what has the Leafs 9th, 10th place finishes got them since 2004? Not a single elite talent. Schenn may be nothing more than a top 4 when it’s all said and done.

    I don’t care you’re angry with my comments, but Leaf fans need to be more demanding for a champion. Being happy with so so results is not acceptable. Leaf fans are too loyal and deserve better.

    And I don’t think Burke went about the ‘rebuild’ in the right way from the moment he walked into Toronto.

    He’s not known for a rebuilding teams. He took a good Ducks roster and made it better. He needs to use patience here and do it RIGHT.

    Not patch work. The fact is, the Leafs should have been in the top 3 if they did it right. NOONE is accusing NYI, TB, COL for tanking.

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  • Trevor

    @jklk yeah it sucks that we are drafting at 7th spot, but dignity is worth something, there isn’t a single GM in the national hockey league who tries to lose on purpose.

    As far as I’m concerned Toskala’s contract works out perfectly. He had a bad season, but it was his only sub-900 season in his entire career in the National Hockey League, and apparently he was playing hurt the whole season or paid off some doctor to give him unneeded groin surgery as a coverup (you can take your pick of what happened, I guess). If he rebounds next year, than it’s all great. We’ve got our number one. If not? Let him walk, we’ll sign someone else. It’s quite simple really.

    As for top end talent, everyone knows it’s important. Drafting is by far the most economical way to achieve that but it’s not the only way to get that talent. Look at Burke’s team in Anaheim, Pronger through trade, the Neidermayers through Free Agency. Selanne wasn’t drafted in Anaheim. Giguere wasn’t drafted in Anaheim etc. Sit and wait like everyone else. While Burke wants to make the playoffs next year, Spoiler Alert: The leafs aren’t winning the cup in 2010. Now let’s change topics again. You would’ve played Pogge and Cujo all year? Are you out of your mind? Pogge couldn’t stop anything in the AHL this year, let alone his dismal performances in the NHL. He’s the only goaltending prospect we have, and he certainly doesn’t look ready to take over any time soon. With a new goalie coach and some confidence he might be able to turn around, but that is yet to be seen. No sense ruining him in the NHL when he can’t handle it (Hannu Toivonen maybe?).

    Ps “having the longest stanley cup final drought of any NHL team is acceptance of mediocrity”
    Sorry, wrong again. Chicago hasn’t won a cup since 1961.

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  • jlkj
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  • Trevor
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  • jlkj

    @ Trevor

    yes, if you look it up, some GM’s have admitted to tanking

    And do you think trading Toskala and not signing Gerber would have prompted anyone to accuse the Leafs of tanking?

    Not at all because none of the other 3 teams are being accused of that. They also passed on Gerber too btw, and they had first pick of him. I bet Colorado or TB is glad they didn’t take him.

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  • jlkj

    @ Trevor

    Nor did the Ducks have a hope in hell without Giguere, Perry, Pahlsson, Getzlaf et al.

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  • jlkj

    @ Trevor

    Finishing 2nd means losing the Cup final.

    The Sharks finished 1st. Do you think they feel like winners right now?

    Big deal the Canucks finished 2nd in league points. They did nothing in the playoffs and choked numerous times.

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  • Trevor

    @Jlkj

    Colorado had 2 goalies. Neither of them was 41 years old. Neither of them were injured.
    Tampa bay couldn’t afford to pay their players. In fact, they sold some to us. Sounds like a likely candidate to pick up a 3.7 million dollar contract doesn’t it?

    In any event, the Ducks wouldn’t have won it all without Pronger and Neidermayer. That was shown in 2003. How many forwards on the Devils (the cup winners that year) had over 60 points that season? The answer may surprise you.

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  • Leafer_84

    These four days can’t go fast enough…

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  • Trevor

    @Leafer_84

    Well said

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  • Hardcore

    In my opinion, if the Islanders draft Hedman, BB should call the Bolts and offer them Luke Schenn for their pick and take Tavares. Then with their own 7th pick they could take Cowan. In the long run they would have a great forward to build their team around, and a top 2 D-man who will be better than Luke, actually putting some points on the board.

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  • Paynter Graham

    No Burke doesn’t trade Luke Schenn – he’s a keeper! Unless we’re talking Malkin, Ovechkin or Crosby, forget it!

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