For those who don’t know me, I’m a big fan of the NHL video games. In particular, I’m a big fan of the Franchise Mode. I like being creative with how my team’s roster is shaped to try and win a Cup. A lot of times, the trades and signings made are hardly realistic and would never happen in real life. That’s what makes video games so fun.
What if they did happen though? Let’s play a little game.
Suppose that you’re Sweet Lou. You’ve been handed a golden opportunity to upgrade ONE player on EACH line, no questions asked. The possibilities are staggering. So, who would you pick?
Rules:
Now, even though this is a fantasy situation, this has to be semi-realistic. There are a few rules to abide by:
- You can only add one person per line/pairing. You can choose one goalie.
- When you add a player, you have to replace the player playing that same position on the Leafs.
- That player has to be playing on that same line for their respective team (When you remove a guy from the 2nd line, you have to replace him with a 2nd line player)
- The new player’s AAV can’t exceed the player’s which you’re removing (gotta respect the salary cap).
So don’t try replacing Dominic Moore with Sidney Crosby. That’s just silly.
Lines:
For the purpose of this game, I’m going with the lineups suggested by Daily Faceoff heading in to the season. For the Leafs, it just happens to be the most widely-assumed lineup:
LINE 1 – Marleau – Matthews – Nylander
LINE 2 – van Riemsdyk – Bozak – Marner
LINE 3 – Hyman – Kadri – Brown
LINE 4 – Komarov – Moore – Martin
D1 – Gardiner – Zaitsev
D2 – Rielly – Hainsey
D3 – Marincin – Carrick
Andersen
McElhinney
*Note* Using CapFriendly’s Armchair GM mode and Matt Cane’s (@Cane_Matt) 2017 Free Agent Projections, I signed Connor Brown to a 4-year, $2.8 million contract, rounding up from Cane’s projection. The term doesn’t matter, that’s just the number I want to see.
Okay, here are my picks:
LINE 1: Replace PATRICK MARLEAU ($6.25 mil) with BRAD MARCHAND ($6.15 mil)
Brad Marchand makes the cutoff here by $100,000, so it’s a no-brainer for me. While older and has longer term than most others in this position, Marchand’s stats and possession numbers are getting better with age; even if he starts to regress after 2-3 years, imagine Matthews dishing to Marchand, with Nylander streaking down the opposite wing.
Patrick Marleau was also the obvious choice here. His term is extremely questionable given his age, the AAV will very likely be well higher than his production by Year 3, and Auston freakin’ Matthews.
Honourable Mentions: Rickard Rakell, Jeff Skinner, Brandon Saad, Artemi Panarin, Max Pacioretty, Nikolaj Ehlers.
LINE 2: Replace TYLER BOZAK ($4.2 mil) with BO HORVAT ($3.9 mil)
This was tougher than I thought. I was torn between JVR and Bozak on who to remove. Bozak’s AAV is shockingly low compare to other 2nd line centres around the league, and van Riemsdyk’s is only $50,000 higher. I could have cheated, as Jack Eichel is still on an ELC and listed on Daily Faceoff as a 2C, but GM Eichel is about to pay himself. That, and he’s far from a 2C. Interesting to note that most eligible players listed as 2C’s are rookies on ELC’s.
Bo Horvat is coming off his ELC and Cane has his AAV projection at just shy of $3.9 million. That would be outstanding value for a young centre coming off of a 50 point year, and whose game is continuing to grow. He and Matthews would create a phenomenal 1-2 punch down the middle for years to come.
Honourable Mentions: Nolan Patrick, Dylan Strome, Tyson Jost, Kevin Hayes, Mikael Backlund
LINE 3: Replace ZACH HYMAN ($2.25 mil) with NICK RITCHIE ($897,167)
This was another tough one. I’m a fan of Hyman’s playing style, and while cutting Kadri would have given me more options, I’m never going to replace 30 goals on the third line. I could have cut Connor Brown, but he has more upside than Hyman. Not many 3LW’s in the league have a lower AAV than Hyman, and of those qualified players, there aren’t many that I’d place above Hyman at this moment.
Nick Ritchie is still on his ELC, and only saw an average TOI of 12:59. With his limited time, he put up 28 points and posted positive possession numbers. Even when his ELC expires, I don’t think he ends up resigning for much more than Hyman given his limited NHL usage to this point. He’s bigger, younger, and has lots of upside as a speedy power forward (words not often used in the same sentence.)
Honourable Mention: Antoine Roussel, Sonny Milano, Brendan Perlini, Paul Byron
LINE 4: Replace MATT MARTIN ($2.5 mil) with ZACK KASSIAN ($1.95 mil)
I thought that with Martin’s high AAV, I’d find a great replacement on the wing. For the most part, fourth line wingers are interchangeable, with nobody clearly above the other. Most depth charts currently list players that I’m not familiar with, as they’re rookies or replacement-level guys I haven’t seen play. I could have likely found another cheap centre option to replace Moore, but Martin’s contract, in relation to his production, is an albatross. Zack Kassian is younger and still offers upside. His play in the playoffs this year offers cautious optimism. combined with his lower AAV, he’s a solid replacement for Martin.
I’d ideally replace from within (Kerby Rychel comes to mind), but given the circumstances, Kassian is a suitable replacement.
Honourable Mentions: Dale Weise, Jesper Fast
D1: Replace NIKITA ZAITSEV ($4.5 mil) with JOHN KLINGBERG ($4.25 mil)
Zaitsev’s $4.5 million is reasonable, but I can’t stand that 7 years. Most 1st line RHD AAV’s are much higher, plus Zaitsev still has room to grow as a player. I had settled on Adam Larsson until I noticed how good of value Klingberg’s contract is. How Dallas was able to lock him in at an AAV LOWER than Zaitsev’s, for the next 5 years, is beyond shocking. That’s larceny.
Honourable Mentions: Chris Tanev, Adam Larsson
D2: Replace RON HAINSEY ($3 mil) with MATT DUMBA ($2.55 mil)
Now, I’m cheating slightly with this pick; Matt Dumba is entering the final year of a bridge contract, and he’s likely going to get more than $3 million AAV going forward. While he may not be the ideal partner for Morgan Rielly, he’s a massive upgrade over Hainsey and he’s a true Right Defenseman. I could have made a more realistic selection in Colin Miller, but if I’m going for it this year I’m taking Dumba. This top 4 is a juggernaut.
Honourable Mentions: Jakob Chychrun, Colin Miller
D3: Replace MARTIN MARINCIN ($1.25 mil) with JOHNNY ODUYA ($1 mil)
Most players filling this position are entry-level guys; it seems unfair to take a Charlie McAvoy on an ELC, plus I’m gonna have to pay him in 3 years. Not to mention, I’m going to need a veteran presence on the back end after replacing Hainsey. Johnny Oduya’s possession numbers are on the decline, however he’s still serviceable and brings a winning pedigree to the team. Oduya’s a cheap contract who would play more sheltered minutes on the third pairing, as well as allowing Connor Carrick to freewheel a little more.
Honourable Mentions: Charlie McAvoy, Travis Sanheim
GOALIE: Replace CURTIS MCELHINNEY (850k) with AARON DELL (625K)
I could have tried to replace Frederik Andersen, but the only two qualified goalies who I’d consider are Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jake Allen. Vasilevskiy is unproven, while Allen and Andersen have extremely comparable numbers. I’m going with who I know.
McElhinney is on a very reasonable contract for his usage, and I’m very okay with leaving this untouched. however Dell had very good numbers in 22 starts last year. He’s younger, posted better numbers, and has potential to play more games, lightening the load on Andersen.
It’s likely a marginal increase, but it’s an increase nonetheless.
Honourable Mentions: Meh.
So there it is. Would this team bring home the Cup? I’d like to think so. Marchand-Matthews-Nylander would strike fear in the hearts of teams across the league. Horvat and Ritchie will only improve with the rest of the young guns with age. Our top 4 would arguably rival the rest of the league.
New Lines:
Marchand – Matthews – Nylander
van Riemsdyk – Horvat – Marner
Ritchie – Kadri – Brown
Komarov – Moore – Kassian
Gardiner – Klingberg
Rielly – Dumba
Oduya – Carrick
Andersen
Dell
Who would you replace? Who would you add? Let me know!
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