Leafs: Know When to Hold'em

There is talk about one player in Leaf Land, that one player being William Nylander. Rumour has it the Leafs want to trade him for a defenceman. I, for one, will be happier if the Maple Leafs keep the high-flying Swede. 

I love the fact that he is a gifted offensive winger who can work well with Matthews. He knows where Matthews is and is a terrific playmaking winger. He is capable of getting  Matthews 50 goals this season. Nylander gives the Maple Leafs top two lines.  The Leafs need to have that second line to help out on the scoring front.  

As for the defence, the Leafs have made a great effort in the offseason.  JT Brody, whom I very familiar with, is a better replacement than Barrie.  He is more defensively responsible than Barrie. Maybe not as good offensively, but overall, he is a better defenceman than Barrie. 

The signing of Zack Bogosian gives the Leafs toughness in the defensive end. These two signings are a huge improvement. With the team so bad defensively last year, do these two players make significant enough improvement in the defence? It is a judgment call, but I think it is close enough to keep Nylander and not add another Dman.

Please tell me what you guys think. 

Randy

Boychuk Takes One for the Team?

 

I have been bombarded with people complaining about Boychuk retiring.

The main complaint is that the Islanders are getting out of the cap using a technicality. Boychuk did not want to play in Bridgeport. It's a business decision. In a cap world, sometimes you have to make a decision that is not popular. 

Whether you like it or not, the Islanders are off the hook. Fans from other teams might not like it, but the Islanders did not break the rules, even if they did ask Boychuk to take one for the team. Yes, Lou earned the nickname of 'Loop Hole Lou,' but there is not one team in the League that would not do the same thing, given a chance. So those high and mighty teams who are complaining: give your heads a shake. 

The transaction frees up six million dollars in cap space. Combined with their 3.9 million dollars, it should give the Islanders nearly 10 million. If the rumors are accurate, Barzal is signing a three-year bridge deal for 7 million dollars per year. With that number, the Isles should still be able to sign Green and Martin.

Last word

I understand that Green's, Martin's, and even Schneider's contracts are done. They are just waiting to get the funds. The only question is, are we going to have a season? Most people seem to think that it is only a matter of time. I do worry, at what cost?  Stay safe, everyone.