Question Period – Leafs Edition

playoffs!playoffs?

C’mon guys..lets be rational for a minute…they need about 85 points in 68 games.
Where is the EVIDENCE that this can be accomplished. The loss to Tampa was alarming.
I’m putting the over/under line at 70 points. I really hope its enough to keep us out of
the bottom 5.

Questions:

- Is Gusto a potential top ten goalie in the NHL?
- Is Kessel on his way to being top ten goal scorer next year/year after?
- Is Schenn a smarter/meaner version of Komisarek?
- Is Mitchell worth keeping on the 3rd or 4th line?
- Can Grabovski give the Leafs consecutive 20 goal seasons?

The season will be useful in determining which of the players have the competitiveness
and drive to play when they are under pressure and expected to win. They know that
losing is not an option right now (as opposed to previous years where they would look
forward to getting a top 5 draft pick), and its probably affecting their performance.
Who is stepping up? Time will tell.

What should happen at the trade deadline/next season?

- Toskala gone – MacD or free agent back-up in
- Stajan gone – Bozak in
- Blake gone* – Stalberg in
- Mayers gone – Hanson in
- Finger gone – Frogren in
- Primeau gone- Deveau or free agent (next season) in
- Wallin gone – Kadri in (next season)

(*sent down to minors or induced to retire and given a scouts/consultants
job= remainder of his pay)

As for some of the others:

- Exelby and Stempniak stay if they take a ‘haircut’ – otherwise gone
- Poni stays for the same amount of money – otherwise gone
- Rosehill stays
- White re-signed
- Kulemin stays unless you get a good(?) offer for him

- Kaberle is gone if you can get a mid-first and a good prospect or a top flight
center (from a team with cap trouble). Kaberle will want to re-sign for too much
– he is probably peaking right now