10 Mar 2020 12:03:45
With Dadanov and Hoffman going to demand big money this offseason, its likely Florida can not retain both

To FLA: F - A. Johnsson + F - A. Kerfoot + D - T. Liljegren

To TOR: D - A. Ekblad

Ekblad is on a solid deal for 5 more years at $7.5M, but he will command a King's ransom in return. Both players the leafs send are on 3+ years signed

Leafs would then have to promote Bracco and find another C


1.) 10 Mar 2020
10 Mar 2020 13:11:10
Lol you’re kidding right. two 3rd liners and a prospect for a top rhd no chance.


2.) 10 Mar 2020
10 Mar 2020 13:38:50
This won't happen. Need to offer more for a player like ekblad.


3.) 10 Mar 2020
10 Mar 2020 15:35:59
Are you sure a bunch of poo is usually what is offered. Lol.


4.) 10 Mar 2020
10 Mar 2020 19:15:11
So how is the package a terrible package? I mean Ekblad is a very good young defenceman, he averages around 40 pts a year which is not Norris quality or anything. Just saying, sending 2 signed prospects and a young RHD on an ELC is good value.


5.) 10 Mar 2020
10 Mar 2020 20:19:46
Ekblad is actually very close to Norris worthy. He is a very, very good defenceman. He isn't Hughes but he's a 1RHD. most teams don't even have a 1D of any kind they just have guys playing 1D either side. Case in point Barrie and Ceci. He is on a decent contract with term and young enough he still has room to grow. In exchange they get a good prospect a third line centre and a middle 6 winger. Throw in that the Panthers can't keep it out of their own net and actively need defenceman and they probably wouldn't even take this for Marner or Nylander.


6.) 11 Mar 2020
11 Mar 2020 01:34:51
I don't think Ekblad is close to a Norris right now at all. Very good defenceman but not Norris, or at least now.


7.) 11 Mar 2020
11 Mar 2020 02:14:55
I think I am going to do something here that doesn't happen often. I'm going to go against something LeafsLife said. Lol. I actually think most teams have at least one "true" elite top line defenseman. Very few teams don't have at least one. Some even have two of them

Ekblad is a tough one for me. I'm starting to think the best he has to offer is that he will work out to be like Erik Johnston, who was another 1st overall many years ago. Is Johnston bad? No, of course not. He's a very good player. Is he a Norris winner? No. And imo I think Ekblad will be essentially the same. Great player. But not a Norris candidate by any means.


8.) 11 Mar 2020
11 Mar 2020 17:21:06
I'll go more into my thinking here. Most teams have an "elite" defenceman. The difference between a 1D and an elite defenceman is very far for me. Ekblad is an elite defenceman I can see winning a Norris. He gets brutal goaltending and his whole team seems to have checked out defensively. They do not play a puck possession style that benefits a puck moving defenceman as the leafs do. What other team do you ever see where Dermott gets a lead pass from Nylander? Doesn't happen.

To me Muzzin is also elite. He even played PP minutes in LA but he isn't a true 1D. That falls to maybe 10 guys same as every team has an "elite Centre" for the most part but not a 1C.

Norris voting is also very skewed in my view. If I had a vote it wouldn't be the leader in points year after year. To me that means Chara has been a useless player his entire life as he doesn't lead defenceman in points.

@LeafsGm starts conversation when you disagree. Nice change of pace lol.


9.) 11 Mar 2020
11 Mar 2020 18:47:57
Clicked send to soon lol.

Ekblad as a leaf I believe could elevate his game to be a "true" 1RHD just like I believe one Dermott could be an "elite" top pairing D.


10.) 12 Mar 2020
12 Mar 2020 02:03:31
From what I've been reading, Sandin is the next franchise defenseman for the Leafs. From what I've seen though he hasn't significantly outplayed Liljegren.