RealGM

It's great to finally see a GM with some balls going after a player that will actually help this team, lord knows we havent had a GM like this in...........i dont even know

this kid will be a monster for us, i can only hope carlo stays healthy this year because those 2 on the same line would be down right nasty

I'd rather see a lineup that combines defensive ability with a little bit of offensive flair and puck movement.

Schenn-Stralman as the number one pairing in the future would be pure beauty if Schenn works on developing somewhat of an offensive game, or just keeping it simple with shots from the point.

if anton can stop making idiotic mistakes and turnovers then maybe it could work but as of right now it would be a mess

I never thought of that but a healthty Carlo ((I know....) with Luke Schenn, add Stralman, Kaberle, Kronwall- thats a pretty decent group of 5. If you take away McCabe's salary and Kubina (or keep Kubina if we have to have one of the two of them) I would like to see the team go and sign someone like Foote to help the younf guys develop some skills in their own end. With all tha salary off the books and trading thelikes of a Whyte for picks or prospects, we could have a really good, young team after next years draft. We haven't even mentioned any of the other prospects like Vorobiev (6'1" 211lbs) or Oreskovic (6'4" 217ibs) or the other guy we took from out west this year who was described as a Poor-man's Luke Schenn.

This will be fun to watch over the next few years.

K_Flight wrote:if anton can stop making idiotic mistakes and turnovers then maybe it could work but as of right now it would be a mess

I don't know which Stralman I was watching, but for the majority of the games he played in he looked pretty smooth with the puck and didn't struggle too much defensively. Sure he made the occassional turnover but so did everyone on our defense corps last year.

K_Flight wrote:if anton can stop making idiotic mistakes and turnovers then maybe it could work but as of right now it would be a mess

He was voted as one of the best D in the 2007 World Hockey championships and he's only 21. Let's not forget he was a 7th round pick (kudos to Ferguson) and every team Cliff spoke to at the deadline wanted him, which has to say something.

Also kelso, he looked pretty decent at this years worlds too. He was Sweden's best defender once again and i think he was top 6 in points. Behind the likes of Mike Green, Tomas Kaberle, Brent Burns, Lubomir Vishnovsky and Paul Martin (all top d-man on their respective clubs).

I really hope Carlo can stay healthy, I've always envisioned him as a Wade Redden type of defenceman. A D-Core of Kaberle, Carlo, Stralman, Schenn, Kronwall and White is actually something to look forward to. Having Toskala and Pogge in the nets helps too.

Now if Toronto can get a hold of maybe 6 skilled forwards, I think we'll be in business.

the reason i wouldnt want to see anton paired with luke is because of the inexperience, luke needs to go with a vet and likewise for anton, 2 guys that young shouldnt be playing together yet

Allan Muir of SI.com labeled this draft a LOSER draft for the Leafs saying defensive defenceman don't get drafted anywhere in the Top 10 with no offensive potential. He also said Stefanovich has BUST written all over him. Allan doesn't know what he is talking about because Schenn is more than a defensive defenceman he is very physical and lays down big hits ala Phaneuf and he has big shot from the point this just the start for the kid and he could add a lot in his offensive arsenal.

RapsFuturePG#26 wrote:Allan Muir of SI.com labeled this draft a LOSER draft for the Leafs saying defensive defenceman don't get drafted anywhere in the Top 10 with no offensive potential. He also said Stefanovich has BUST written all over him. Allan doesn't know what he is talking about because Schenn is more than a defensive defenceman he is very physical and lays down big hits ala Phaneuf and he has big shot from the point this just the start for the kid and he could add a lot in his offensive arsenal.

No he is actually onto something. Go look at the past 10 years of drafts and look at the players who have been drafted in the top 10 who were players that were projected to be shutdown defenders who offered almost no offense, the % of busts is astounding. Add alot to his offensive arsenal? The guy cant even put up numbers on his Kelowna team and routinely didnt see PP time in favour of other guys. He simply put is offensively defecient, doesnt have great hands and doesnt have the mobility with the puck that a defencemen needs while being put out there on a powerplay and his shot routinely gets blocked.

We traded up and in the process gave up two valueble picks to a rebuilding team. Not only that but we drafted a guy who wasnt even said to be the best available player at the time seeing almost every scouting service had Filatov ranked higher then Schenn. Tell me what the difference is between Schenn or any other highly rated defensive prospect like a Bryan Allen, Eric Brewer, Paul Mara, Aki Berg?

Griff83 wrote:

RapsFuturePG#26 wrote:Allan Muir of SI.com labeled this draft a LOSER draft for the Leafs saying defensive defenceman don't get drafted anywhere in the Top 10 with no offensive potential. He also said Stefanovich has BUST written all over him. Allan doesn't know what he is talking about because Schenn is more than a defensive defenceman he is very physical and lays down big hits ala Phaneuf and he has big shot from the point this just the start for the kid and he could add a lot in his offensive arsenal.

No he is actually onto something. Go look at the past 10 years of drafts and look at the players who have been drafted in the top 10 who were players that were projected to be shutdown defenders who offered almost no offense, the % of busts is astounding. Add alot to his offensive arsenal? The guy cant even put up numbers on his Kelowna team and routinely didnt see PP time in favour of other guys. He simply put is offensively defecient, doesnt have great hands and doesnt have the mobility with the puck that a defencemen needs while being put out there on a powerplay and his shot routinely gets blocked.

We traded up and in the process gave up two valueble picks to a rebuilding team. Not only that but we drafted a guy who wasnt even said to be the best available player at the time seeing almost every scouting service had Filatov ranked higher then Schenn. Tell me what the difference is between Schenn or any other highly rated defensive prospect like a Bryan Allen, Eric Brewer, Paul Mara, Aki Berg?

This is the sort of discussion that worries me. My first warning sign was Pierre McGuire's ridiculously enthusiastic response to the Leafs moving up to draft Schenn. It reeked of over-reaction. What sports station in this country doesn't have some sort of interest in at least trying to rouse excitement in Leafs' fans?