Stralman’s Departure Leaves Organization in Need of a Puckmover
Christopher Lee | 30 July, 2009, 12:26 pm
When Anton Stralman was moved due to the waiver situation that would present itself this October, the position he held within the Leafs organization as the heir apparent to Tomas Kaberle was left vacant. With so many pro defenseman on the roster and the fact that Stralman’s progress has been shaky and that he would be eligible for waivers made moving Stralman for a reasonable return a good option. But, the Marlies success may be hampered by the fact that they do not have much offense coming from their defense. Furthermore, with a strong offer, Kaberle could be on the move as well, which would leave the Leafs almost completely devoid of a true puckmover throughout their system.
Having a look at the options within the system, it’s evident there is no viable solution there. The defensemen have at best mild offensive ability, while most are of the bigger bodied physical variety of rearguard.
Juraj Mikus was a longshot picked in the 5th round of John Ferguson Jr’s 2007 draft. He is a lanky (6-4, 185lbs) but skilled defenseman who has amassed 11 points in 86 games for Dukla Trencin of the top Slovak League in the two seasons since he was drafted. He has agreed to a contract with the Leafs and will be playing in North America this season, likely for the Marlies. Just exactly what Mikus has to offer is not entirely evident as of yet, but although skilled, his makeup suggests that his ability to crack an NHL roster, let alone have an impact, is certainly still very much improbable. But, certainly, he will be a player who’s progress will be watched closely this season.
Another possibility is Carl Gunnarsson who, like Mikus, was chosen in the 2007 draft and has signed on to play in North America for this season. Gunnarsson spent the last two seasons with Linkoping of the Swedish Elite League and has compiled 25 points in 106 games during that span while playing a smooth style of two-way hockey. Although the 22-year old (6-2, 190lbs) has decent offensive instincts, he projects to be more of a stay at home player once his development is complete.
Other than the two aforementioned possibilities, Russian pro Dmitri Vorobiev stands out as the only capable offensive defenseman who’s rights are owned by the Leafs. But, his willingness to come and play in North America without being guaranteed a spot on the NHL roster has been all but ruled out. Vorobiev also has been subject of heart problems which could further cloudy a move to the NHL.
Given this dearth in the system, a move to address the situation in the AHL, as well as to provide a possible longterm replacement for Tomas Kaberle might become neccessary sooner rather than later. One possible trade partner could be the Nashville Predators, who have done well in past years to draft plenty of defensemen who could soon be ready to play such a role at the NHL level. While being fairly settled with their young defense corps at the NHL level, they have just drafted Ryan Ellis and Charles-Olivier Roussel, making one of Jonathan Blum, Cody Franson or Alexander Sulzer expendable.
While the need for an offensive defensemen is looming, it will be important that the player ultimately chosen be strong-willed and willing to pay the physical price to satisfy the needs set out by Brian Burke to play on his team.
White
Beauchamin
Van Ryn
Jon, I think those three guys are only short term solutions. What the Leafs need is to pick someone up who has the trajectory to be in the top 4 for many years down the road. If they need time to develop, then that’s ok.
In Stralman’s case, it seemed like his time had come but the team wasn’t ready for him. We’re so stacked on the blueline that what we actually need is someone who will be good in 2 or 3 years but is very promising.
Keep an eye on Eric Knodel
The Maple Leafs’ brass feel he could be as good or better than Stralman in the long run. Plays a much more complete game, but the offensive package is every bit as good as Stralman’s was at the same stage of development. Only weakness is his skating speed.
Beauchemin has 21 career goals. He is not an offensive solution.
Van Ryn could be excellent if he can stay healthy.
Ian White was probably our best defenceman last year - but he’d be a 2nd pairing d-man on any other team.
The Stralman trade was possibly the worst move Burke has made yet, and he’s made some terrible moves.
Exelby, Komisarek, Primeau, Beauchemin and Orr (our big off-season acquisitions) combined for a whopping 7 goals last year - exactly half of what Pavel Kubina scored himself.
So one thing is clear: We are going to score less goals next year. And, with the influx of goons inevitably leading to more time in the penalty box, and the worst penalty kill in the league, it’s a pretty safe assumption that we are going to give up more goals than last year.
Less Goals For + More Goals Against = A worse hockey team. Thanks, Burke.
Thanks for the heads up.
There really hasn’t been much info available on Knodel. Given the level he played last year and the fact that he plans to play USHL and then College Hockey, he has to be considered a very raw prospect that is at least 5 years away from being a pro. But, I will definitely be keeping tabs on him, along with all the Leafs prospects, and their progress this season.
Thanks for the feedback Brent.
My article was more specifically aimed at the fact that we have no real strong offensive defensemen in the system that can eventually take over for Kaberle. Beachemin, White and Van Ryn can hold their own offensively, but they are not offensive stalwarts by any means. Stralman was the heir apparent to Kaberle, and although, I don’t think it was a terrible trade, I think it leaves the team with no one to be the natural successor of Kaberle’s offensive role on the Leafs blueline.
The Leafs had no trouble scoring last year, but were not a good team because they could not defend. It seems logical that they should go out and make some investment on defending better. They brought in two players who will help with that immediately in Komisarek and Beauchemin. They should also get some better goaltending this year with a healthy Toskala and what looks like a good young goalie pushing him for time. So, with that said, our Goals Against should improve. This should also have a profound effect on our PK performance as well.
I also think the argument that they will get more penalties is a bit overdone. Bringing in tougher players means the opposition will take less liberties, so instead of Grabovski taking a slashing penalty because someone has been beating on him all night, that guy barely touches Grabovski or he has to deal with Orr or Primeau. Furthermore, tougher players can play physically without taking penalties while skill players have to resort to stickwork that is easily called. A guy like Exelby can deliver a punishing check as retaliation for something, while a smaller/weaker player has to go outside of the rules. There are as many reasons to think that our PIMs will go down as there are to say they will go up.
I see us scoring slightly fewer goals, but also allowing many less goals, and the end result is a few more wins than last year.