I was told yesterday that none of the habs players on the team were born the last time the habs won the Cup.
You were told wrong markov was born
Cheers,
The Official LEAFS NATION Hockey thread
- Thread starter Doc Holliday
- Start date
You were told wrong markov was born
Cheers,
I know you're a big hockey fan and that the Caps are your favorite team. But i'm bewildered why you prefer them over the Leafs. The Leafs have more Russians on their team and in their organization than the Capitals have.
Zaitsev is out and Martin Marincin has been chosen as his replacement, which is not good. Marincin has barely played this season. I think he's played three games over the past three months. I don't expect him to be used much unless the Capitals take an early commanding lead.
I'll be happy if the Leafs wind up winning two games in this series. I can't see them beating the mighty Capitals even if the Caps have a long history of choking very early in the playoffs. But i'm picking the Capitals to face the Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup final. They may just win the Cup.
Yep Princess we know since a long time that you are in love with OVI.......her biggest fan. I don't love him BUT i like him and his own style to play the game....i think OVI is ready for the playoffs and we should c the best of him.....the CAPS in five against the Leafs.
I am impressed by what the Leafs have done this year, this playoff run Is just more gravy on top for Babs and his boys. I hope them well, but they have a difficult course ahead. I am also very impressed with you Mr Doc, as a Leafs fan, the level-headness you demonstrate, in the way you see the Leafs situation and your Caps forecast it is hard not to agree with you. Chapeau Monsieur!
Thank you for the kind words. But on another note: They did it!!!! :thumb:
Indeed, the young Leafs managed to get a win in Washington, which i didn't think was possible but after watching game 1 going into overtime (and the Leafs having an early 2-0 lead), i said to myself: "Maybe. Maybe the Leafs will manage to get two wins in these playoffs." What an exciting game it was and what a goal in overtime!!
However, the Leafs lost defenceman Roman Polak for the rest of the season. The Leafs will likely dress Alexei Marchenko if Nikita Zaitsvev isn't ready. As for Martin Marincin, he's played very well considering he barely played over the past three months. Babcock had him killing penalties all night long and he didn't make many mistakes. Jake Gardiner played nearly 50 minutes and Morgan Rielly also spent a good part of the evening on the ice. Gardiner has had a heck of a season and is currently playing the best hockey he's ever played for the Leafs. And of course, the Leafs never would have been in this game had it not been for the greatness of goalie Frederik Andersen. However, the same could be said of Braeden Holtby of the Capitals. He has also been fantastic all series long!
The Leafs have managed to turn the Doc into a believer!! Go Leafs Go!! :thumb:
Trading Phil Kessel paying dividends for Leafs in Frederik Andersen, Kasperi Kapanen
by Steve Simmons, Toronto Sun
As Frederik Andersen walked down the hallway at the Verizon Center just after midnight Sunday, followed not far behind by Kasperi Kapanen, a thought occurred: Almost everything about this young and growing Maple Leafs team comes back to Phil Kessel.
And the influential and historical trade that has turned out to be enormous for both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Maple Leafs.
The Penguins got the early benefit with a Stanley Cup win last June and a near Conn Smythe Trophy performance from Kessel.
The Leafs have been demonstrating the benefits, tangibly and otherwise, from the Kessel deal all season long — and some will tell you, last season as well.
Brendan Shanahan negotiated the Kessel acquisition with Jimmy Rutherford in June of 2015, and it was the first major trade he had ever completed. Lou Lamoriello had not yet been hired. Shanahan didn’t do the deal alone. He gathered his advisers, his scouts, both NHL and otherwise. He needed information and opinion. It was, I am told, a group effort putting the trade together, not very long after Dave Nonis had been fired as general manager of the Leafs.
The first part of the negotiation involved Kapanen, the overtime hero from Saturday night. Without him, the Leafs determined there would be no deal. Leafs had tagged him as the prospect they felt best fit their needs.
They also wanted Pittsburgh’s first-round pick from 2016.
One year after the big deal, at the end of Lamoriello’s first season as GM, he traded the Pittsburgh first round pick and the middle of three second round picks the Leafs owned (from deals done for Dion Phaneuf and Roman Polak/Nick Spaling) in order to acquire Andersen from Anaheim.
“We had the assets to make those decisions,” said Lamoriello, who compares the deal for Andersen to the deal he made in New Jersey for Cory Schneider. “It was the same situation as Vancouver. You can’t keep two goalies like that in salary cap times.”
But without the first round pick from the Kessel deal, there’s no Andersen deal. There’s no assets to trade. There’s no goalie.
So to start big picture, it’s now Kessel in exchange for Andersen and Kapanen. But there’s more involved here.
What the Leafs have to show right now for Kessel are Andersen, Kapanen, the Marlies leading scorer, Kerby Rychel (brought in for Scott Harrington), and maybe just an important, salary cap space, which enabled the Leafs to acquire defenceman Connor Carrick while eating the contract of Brooks Laich.
And here’s the topper, without the Kessel deal, Auston Matthews would likely be playing elsewhere in the NHL. Not starring in Toronto.
Why? Mike Babcock was coming in to coach the Leafs. Kessel was the most talented player on the roster. Both Shanahan and Babcock agreed that in order to begin anew, they needed fresh talent and more motivated talent at the top. Had Kessel stayed with Babcock, you think the Leafs would have won the draft lottery?
Would they have finished last in the NHL, 30th overall, with a great talent and a great coach?
Highly unlikely.
It isn’t often trades work out this succinctly for both teams. Kessel is off to another great playoff start as are the Penguins. Andersen, Kapanen, Matthews have been huge for the Leafs in the first two games against Washington, and Andersen and Matthews were the team’s MVPs over the long regular season.
And there’s a Brian Boyle factor in all of this. That’s where the Dion Phaneuf deal with Ottawa comes in. The Leafs got a second round pick from the Senators in the package of mostly junk they received for Phaneuf. That gave them three second round picks for 2017 - one from San Jose, one from Ottawa and their own.
One second round pick went to Anaheim to complete the Andersen deal. One second round pick went to Tampa Bay to bring in Boyle, who made a magical pass to Kapanen for the overtime winner Saturday night. And if Lamoriello doesn’t dish off assets at the deadline a year ago, the Leafs wouldn’t have had the kind of draft pick flexibility to make those moves.
Lamoriello has woven the picks into assets, doing some wonderful underrated work in his two seasons on the job.
“If we don’t have the extra picks, we can’t make the deal for Boyle.”
If they don’t have cap space, they can’t make the deal for Carrick and use that second draft pick to acquire Andersen. There are lots of connections here.
But it all begins with the Kessel deal. If it ever was controversial, it isn’t anymore. And the notion that Kessel was given away, has been proven incorrect over time.
In the view of those who decided to move him, Kessel was unwilling to help establish a culture in Toronto, but perfectly suited to join a culture in Pittsburgh.
In the meantime, the Maple Leafs have their goalie, their future captain and superstar, and an emerging winger in Kapanen. Not a bad haul at all on a trade that has more than worked for both sides involved.
by Steve Simmons, Toronto Sun
As Frederik Andersen walked down the hallway at the Verizon Center just after midnight Sunday, followed not far behind by Kasperi Kapanen, a thought occurred: Almost everything about this young and growing Maple Leafs team comes back to Phil Kessel.
And the influential and historical trade that has turned out to be enormous for both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Maple Leafs.
The Penguins got the early benefit with a Stanley Cup win last June and a near Conn Smythe Trophy performance from Kessel.
The Leafs have been demonstrating the benefits, tangibly and otherwise, from the Kessel deal all season long — and some will tell you, last season as well.
Brendan Shanahan negotiated the Kessel acquisition with Jimmy Rutherford in June of 2015, and it was the first major trade he had ever completed. Lou Lamoriello had not yet been hired. Shanahan didn’t do the deal alone. He gathered his advisers, his scouts, both NHL and otherwise. He needed information and opinion. It was, I am told, a group effort putting the trade together, not very long after Dave Nonis had been fired as general manager of the Leafs.
The first part of the negotiation involved Kapanen, the overtime hero from Saturday night. Without him, the Leafs determined there would be no deal. Leafs had tagged him as the prospect they felt best fit their needs.
They also wanted Pittsburgh’s first-round pick from 2016.
One year after the big deal, at the end of Lamoriello’s first season as GM, he traded the Pittsburgh first round pick and the middle of three second round picks the Leafs owned (from deals done for Dion Phaneuf and Roman Polak/Nick Spaling) in order to acquire Andersen from Anaheim.
“We had the assets to make those decisions,” said Lamoriello, who compares the deal for Andersen to the deal he made in New Jersey for Cory Schneider. “It was the same situation as Vancouver. You can’t keep two goalies like that in salary cap times.”
But without the first round pick from the Kessel deal, there’s no Andersen deal. There’s no assets to trade. There’s no goalie.
So to start big picture, it’s now Kessel in exchange for Andersen and Kapanen. But there’s more involved here.
What the Leafs have to show right now for Kessel are Andersen, Kapanen, the Marlies leading scorer, Kerby Rychel (brought in for Scott Harrington), and maybe just an important, salary cap space, which enabled the Leafs to acquire defenceman Connor Carrick while eating the contract of Brooks Laich.
And here’s the topper, without the Kessel deal, Auston Matthews would likely be playing elsewhere in the NHL. Not starring in Toronto.
Why? Mike Babcock was coming in to coach the Leafs. Kessel was the most talented player on the roster. Both Shanahan and Babcock agreed that in order to begin anew, they needed fresh talent and more motivated talent at the top. Had Kessel stayed with Babcock, you think the Leafs would have won the draft lottery?
Would they have finished last in the NHL, 30th overall, with a great talent and a great coach?
Highly unlikely.
It isn’t often trades work out this succinctly for both teams. Kessel is off to another great playoff start as are the Penguins. Andersen, Kapanen, Matthews have been huge for the Leafs in the first two games against Washington, and Andersen and Matthews were the team’s MVPs over the long regular season.
And there’s a Brian Boyle factor in all of this. That’s where the Dion Phaneuf deal with Ottawa comes in. The Leafs got a second round pick from the Senators in the package of mostly junk they received for Phaneuf. That gave them three second round picks for 2017 - one from San Jose, one from Ottawa and their own.
One second round pick went to Anaheim to complete the Andersen deal. One second round pick went to Tampa Bay to bring in Boyle, who made a magical pass to Kapanen for the overtime winner Saturday night. And if Lamoriello doesn’t dish off assets at the deadline a year ago, the Leafs wouldn’t have had the kind of draft pick flexibility to make those moves.
Lamoriello has woven the picks into assets, doing some wonderful underrated work in his two seasons on the job.
“If we don’t have the extra picks, we can’t make the deal for Boyle.”
If they don’t have cap space, they can’t make the deal for Carrick and use that second draft pick to acquire Andersen. There are lots of connections here.
But it all begins with the Kessel deal. If it ever was controversial, it isn’t anymore. And the notion that Kessel was given away, has been proven incorrect over time.
In the view of those who decided to move him, Kessel was unwilling to help establish a culture in Toronto, but perfectly suited to join a culture in Pittsburgh.
In the meantime, the Maple Leafs have their goalie, their future captain and superstar, and an emerging winger in Kapanen. Not a bad haul at all on a trade that has more than worked for both sides involved.
Good news for the Leafs! Defenceman Nikita Zaitsev will be back in the lineup for tonight's game 3 against the Capitals. Zaitsev will be taking up Roman Polak's spot in the lineup. Polak is out for the year with a 'lower body' injury.
The atmosphere was the best it's ever been since the ACC opened, according to people who were there. What a game it was!! I didn't think the Leafs could come back from a 2-0 deficit, but they did!! Wow!!
The Leafs now lead the President Trophy winners 2 games to 1. However, i'm quite aware that Washington has the talent to win the next three games. So i'm being cautious and although the Leafs may quite possibly wind up losing the series, i'll still be proud of what they accomplished throughout this season when many so-called experts had picked them to finish last. Don't forget: this is a team that could barely score last year and had only one 20-goal scorer: P.A. Parenteau. Lamoriello & Babcock had warned Leafs Nation that there'd still be a lot of hurting this year and possibly the next. Well, if this is hurting, than i'm loving it!!!! :thumb:
I am one who is pulling for the Leafs to beat the caps, keep it in Canada, having last seasons last place team make it into the playoffs and bump off the #1 team..... Bonus. Looks like the Flames will depart soon.
I'm also pulling for the Oilers big time during these playoffs. What an exciting team to watch!! I was also somewhat pulling for the Flames, but if they can't hold on to a 4-2 lead midway in the 3rd period, then maybe they don't deserve to advance. My second-favorite team in the playoffs are the Senators, as they have been all season long. I love their intensity and the balance they have. I'm also a huge fan of captain Erik Karlsson. What a player!!!
Leafs.....
World Championships 2017
Sweden's William Nylander was chosen as the tournament's MVP. He was absolutely fabulous every time he was on the ice and i can't believe how much this kid's play has improved in less than a year!!
Sweden has him playing center throughout the tournament and he played great. Although Mike Babcock said once the season was over that Nylander would be back on the wing next year, it wouldn't surprise me to see him be switched to center once Tyler Bozak moves on. The Leafs would be solid at center for years to come with the likes of Matthews, Nylander & Kadri.
Speaking of the Leafs, there are rumours circulating that they're thinking of possibly trading James Van Riemsdyk to Nashville for PK Subban. Subban has never made it a secret that he'd love to play for his hometown team and with 4 top-notch defencemen in their lineup, the Predators wouldn't want to risk losing one of them to the Las Vegas franchise for nothing in the upcoming expansion draft. The Preds are looking for offensive talent up front while the Leafs are looking to upgrade their defence.
World Championships 2017
Sweden's William Nylander was chosen as the tournament's MVP. He was absolutely fabulous every time he was on the ice and i can't believe how much this kid's play has improved in less than a year!!
Sweden has him playing center throughout the tournament and he played great. Although Mike Babcock said once the season was over that Nylander would be back on the wing next year, it wouldn't surprise me to see him be switched to center once Tyler Bozak moves on. The Leafs would be solid at center for years to come with the likes of Matthews, Nylander & Kadri.
Speaking of the Leafs, there are rumours circulating that they're thinking of possibly trading James Van Riemsdyk to Nashville for PK Subban. Subban has never made it a secret that he'd love to play for his hometown team and with 4 top-notch defencemen in their lineup, the Predators wouldn't want to risk losing one of them to the Las Vegas franchise for nothing in the upcoming expansion draft. The Preds are looking for offensive talent up front while the Leafs are looking to upgrade their defence.
Other targets for the Leafs.....
Not only are the Nashville Predators among their list of targets, but i'd say that the Anaheim Ducks are probably atop their list. No other organization in hockey comes close to the Ducks as far as depthness in the defensive department. Minnesota is another team that the Leafs may be targeting for defensive help.
My guess is that the team they'd most likely turn to are the Ducks since these two teams have often transacted with one another over the years. They are also in opposing conferences, but considering this is a year where all teams will be losing talent to the new Las Vegas franchise, anything's possible since teams loaded up on defence don't want to give away their players for free. If for example the Nashville Predators stay put and don't move any of their top 4 defencemen, i'm 100% certain that they'll lose one of them for nothing. But the Nashville GM isn't stupid and i have no doubt he'd be happy to trade one of this top 4 defencemen to any team making them a very good offer. The Leafs have tons of offensive talent both on the main team and within the organization.
Not only are the Nashville Predators among their list of targets, but i'd say that the Anaheim Ducks are probably atop their list. No other organization in hockey comes close to the Ducks as far as depthness in the defensive department. Minnesota is another team that the Leafs may be targeting for defensive help.
My guess is that the team they'd most likely turn to are the Ducks since these two teams have often transacted with one another over the years. They are also in opposing conferences, but considering this is a year where all teams will be losing talent to the new Las Vegas franchise, anything's possible since teams loaded up on defence don't want to give away their players for free. If for example the Nashville Predators stay put and don't move any of their top 4 defencemen, i'm 100% certain that they'll lose one of them for nothing. But the Nashville GM isn't stupid and i have no doubt he'd be happy to trade one of this top 4 defencemen to any team making them a very good offer. The Leafs have tons of offensive talent both on the main team and within the organization.
Leafs pick weighs prospects five years after draft
Dominic Toninato, like Jimmy Vesey of the Rangers, can test free agency after four eye-popping years in college. He still hopes to play for the Leafs, but they might not have room. It’s complicated.
by Kevin McGran, Toronto Star
As a Maple Leafs draft pick who played a full four years in the U.S. college system, Dominic Toninato has a unique opportunity to declare himself a free agent on Aug. 16.
The same route was taken last year by Jimmy Vesey, who was drafted by the Nashville Predators in 2012 but chose to become the master of his own destiny and sign with the New York Rangers.
Toninato, however, wants to be a Maple Leaf.
“I’m waiting to hear from Toronto and we’ll go from there,” says Toninato, chosen 126th overall in 2012 — 60 spots after Vesey.
The problem? The Leafs may not be able to sign him.
With assistant general manager Mark Hunter at the helm, they have done an impressive job of accumulating young talent. The question they face now is determining which of those players deserve NHL entry-level contracts and which ones don’t.
“It’s a unique situation that Toronto’s got going,” says Toninato. “Hopefully we’ll have some answers after the draft (June 23 and 24 in Chicago).”
The Leafs offered Toninato a deal last year, but he declined in order to finish his education. Now the ground has shifted somewhat.
GM Lou Lamoriello didn’t want to talk about Toninato: “Until any decisions have been made, it’s unfair to the player and unfair to the organization.”
The NHL’s collective agreement limits teams to 50 pro contracts (with exceptions for players who remain in junior hockey). Most teams don’t want to be at more than 47 or 48 when the season starts, allowing flexibility for unbalanced trades.
The Leafs, though, are at 50 right now. On July 1, they will be at 37 — maybe 36, depending on the June 21 Vegas expansion draft — with four unrestricted and two restricted free agents to be dealt with. Some young players will inevitably fall through the cracks.
The Leafs have an option, though.
There is no salary cap or roster limit in the American Hockey League, so the Marlies, their minor-league affiliate, can sign some prospects — and offer even more that they would get if they signed an NHL entry-level deal, which caps their AHL pay at $70,000.
It’s the route the wealthy Leafs chose to take this season with Tony Cameranesi — Toninato’s one-time college teammate and a 2011 fifth-round pick — and J.J. Piccinich, the 103rd pick in 2014. The 20-year-old Piccinich, captain of the London Knights last season, signed a two-year AHL deal with the Marlies that starts next season.
There’s risk on both sides.
For the player, he’s not likely to get called up by the Leafs since he doesn’t have an NHL contract.
For the Leafs — depending on any out clauses in the deal — they could lose a player they’ve spent time and money developing.
The situation promises to get stickier.
The Leafs have five of their nine picks from 2015 under contract, and will need to make calls shortly on forwards Martins Dzierkals and Nikita Korostelev plus defenceman Stephen Desrocher
Meanwhile, just two of last year’s 11 picks have deals, and the junior careers of forwards Vladimir Bobylev, Jack Walker and Adam Brooks are ending.
“The Leafs are in a different situation than they were a year ago,” says Neil Sheehy, Toninato’s agent. “But it’s a good situation to have, when both your NHL and minor-league teams make the playoffs.”
Sheehy says he will talk to the Leafs about Toninato again on July 3, adding the forward is not interested in an AHL deal.
“Dom’s a good player. Will teams be interested? Yes. There will be many teams interested in him,” said Sheehy. “The process right now is working with the Leafs. They hold his rights till Aug. 16. They have a lot of things that they’re trying to figure out.”
Goalie Kasimir Kaskisuo — Toninato’s former teammate at the University of Minnesota-Duluth — said the players in the system know the Leafs’ contract situation is ultimately a numbers game.
“It’s a full team here, and a lot of contracts for the Leafs,” the Marlies goalie said. “There’s a lot to decide for him and for the Leafs and for the Marlies. We’ll see what happens. Hopefully, we’ll end up getting him here.
“He’s a skilled guy, plays with speed and plays with heart. A great all-around player.”
Toninato was captain of the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, who lost the U.S. college hockey final to Denver. Toninato had 16 goals and 13 assists in 42 games.
“I was happy with the season I had and the success we had with the team,” said Toninato. “It’s a huge summer for me, training-wise and trying to get better.
“I’m excited for what the future holds.”
Top college prospect wants to play for the Leafs
Dominic Toninato, like Jimmy Vesey of the Rangers, can test free agency after four eye-popping years in college. He still hopes to play for the Leafs, but they might not have room. It’s complicated.
by Kevin McGran, Toronto Star
As a Maple Leafs draft pick who played a full four years in the U.S. college system, Dominic Toninato has a unique opportunity to declare himself a free agent on Aug. 16.
The same route was taken last year by Jimmy Vesey, who was drafted by the Nashville Predators in 2012 but chose to become the master of his own destiny and sign with the New York Rangers.
Toninato, however, wants to be a Maple Leaf.
“I’m waiting to hear from Toronto and we’ll go from there,” says Toninato, chosen 126th overall in 2012 — 60 spots after Vesey.
The problem? The Leafs may not be able to sign him.
With assistant general manager Mark Hunter at the helm, they have done an impressive job of accumulating young talent. The question they face now is determining which of those players deserve NHL entry-level contracts and which ones don’t.
“It’s a unique situation that Toronto’s got going,” says Toninato. “Hopefully we’ll have some answers after the draft (June 23 and 24 in Chicago).”
The Leafs offered Toninato a deal last year, but he declined in order to finish his education. Now the ground has shifted somewhat.
GM Lou Lamoriello didn’t want to talk about Toninato: “Until any decisions have been made, it’s unfair to the player and unfair to the organization.”
The NHL’s collective agreement limits teams to 50 pro contracts (with exceptions for players who remain in junior hockey). Most teams don’t want to be at more than 47 or 48 when the season starts, allowing flexibility for unbalanced trades.
The Leafs, though, are at 50 right now. On July 1, they will be at 37 — maybe 36, depending on the June 21 Vegas expansion draft — with four unrestricted and two restricted free agents to be dealt with. Some young players will inevitably fall through the cracks.
The Leafs have an option, though.
There is no salary cap or roster limit in the American Hockey League, so the Marlies, their minor-league affiliate, can sign some prospects — and offer even more that they would get if they signed an NHL entry-level deal, which caps their AHL pay at $70,000.
It’s the route the wealthy Leafs chose to take this season with Tony Cameranesi — Toninato’s one-time college teammate and a 2011 fifth-round pick — and J.J. Piccinich, the 103rd pick in 2014. The 20-year-old Piccinich, captain of the London Knights last season, signed a two-year AHL deal with the Marlies that starts next season.
There’s risk on both sides.
For the player, he’s not likely to get called up by the Leafs since he doesn’t have an NHL contract.
For the Leafs — depending on any out clauses in the deal — they could lose a player they’ve spent time and money developing.
The situation promises to get stickier.
The Leafs have five of their nine picks from 2015 under contract, and will need to make calls shortly on forwards Martins Dzierkals and Nikita Korostelev plus defenceman Stephen Desrocher
Meanwhile, just two of last year’s 11 picks have deals, and the junior careers of forwards Vladimir Bobylev, Jack Walker and Adam Brooks are ending.
“The Leafs are in a different situation than they were a year ago,” says Neil Sheehy, Toninato’s agent. “But it’s a good situation to have, when both your NHL and minor-league teams make the playoffs.”
Sheehy says he will talk to the Leafs about Toninato again on July 3, adding the forward is not interested in an AHL deal.
“Dom’s a good player. Will teams be interested? Yes. There will be many teams interested in him,” said Sheehy. “The process right now is working with the Leafs. They hold his rights till Aug. 16. They have a lot of things that they’re trying to figure out.”
Goalie Kasimir Kaskisuo — Toninato’s former teammate at the University of Minnesota-Duluth — said the players in the system know the Leafs’ contract situation is ultimately a numbers game.
“It’s a full team here, and a lot of contracts for the Leafs,” the Marlies goalie said. “There’s a lot to decide for him and for the Leafs and for the Marlies. We’ll see what happens. Hopefully, we’ll end up getting him here.
“He’s a skilled guy, plays with speed and plays with heart. A great all-around player.”
Toninato was captain of the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, who lost the U.S. college hockey final to Denver. Toninato had 16 goals and 13 assists in 42 games.
“I was happy with the season I had and the success we had with the team,” said Toninato. “It’s a huge summer for me, training-wise and trying to get better.
“I’m excited for what the future holds.”
Top college prospect wants to play for the Leafs
Leafs bolster blue line with two Swedish free agents
Rosen, Borgman will have chance to step right into Toronto lineup.
by Kevin McGran, Toronto Star
The Toronto Maple Leafs have moved to address their deficiencies at defence by signing two European free agents: Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman.
Overlooked in their draft years, the two blueliners have a chance to be NHL regulars after impressive starts in the Swedish Hockey League.
“They’ll get every opportunity, they have the ability,” Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello said. “Whether it’s right away, or whether it’s in a month, we’ll have to wait and see. No pressure on anyone. We’re delighted they’ve chosen us, they were highly recruited.”
The same scouts who struck gold with Nikita Zaitsev last year recommended Rosen and Borgman.
Rosen, 23, had six goals and 13 assists in 41 regular-season games with Vaxjo, ranking second among defencemen under the age of 24 in points per game (0.46). The six-foot, 185-pound Rosen has 33 points in 96 games in Sweden’s top league.
Borgman, 21, had five goals and 10 assists in 45 regular-season games with HV71 and was named the rookie of the year. The 6-foot, 210-pound Borgman was considered the 36th best skater out of Europe in the 2013 NHL draft by Central Scouting.
The Leafs have a number of holes to fill on the blue line, with Roman Polak and Matt Hunwick hitting unrestricted free agency on July 1. There’s also a chance that one of Martin Marincin, Alexey Marchenko or Connor Carrick could be plucked by the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft.
“It adds to our depth,” Lamoriello said. “They’re young, they have experience.”
Leafs bolster blue line by signing two Swedish free agents
Rosen, Borgman will have chance to step right into Toronto lineup.
by Kevin McGran, Toronto Star
The Toronto Maple Leafs have moved to address their deficiencies at defence by signing two European free agents: Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman.
Overlooked in their draft years, the two blueliners have a chance to be NHL regulars after impressive starts in the Swedish Hockey League.
“They’ll get every opportunity, they have the ability,” Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello said. “Whether it’s right away, or whether it’s in a month, we’ll have to wait and see. No pressure on anyone. We’re delighted they’ve chosen us, they were highly recruited.”
The same scouts who struck gold with Nikita Zaitsev last year recommended Rosen and Borgman.
Rosen, 23, had six goals and 13 assists in 41 regular-season games with Vaxjo, ranking second among defencemen under the age of 24 in points per game (0.46). The six-foot, 185-pound Rosen has 33 points in 96 games in Sweden’s top league.
Borgman, 21, had five goals and 10 assists in 45 regular-season games with HV71 and was named the rookie of the year. The 6-foot, 210-pound Borgman was considered the 36th best skater out of Europe in the 2013 NHL draft by Central Scouting.
The Leafs have a number of holes to fill on the blue line, with Roman Polak and Matt Hunwick hitting unrestricted free agency on July 1. There’s also a chance that one of Martin Marincin, Alexey Marchenko or Connor Carrick could be plucked by the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft.
“It adds to our depth,” Lamoriello said. “They’re young, they have experience.”
Leafs bolster blue line by signing two Swedish free agents
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