Mailbag: Is Engvall for real? Is Mikheyev for real? Should Leafs trade Nylander?
Engvall #Engvall
One loss in Vancouver is not going to change anything. The Leafs look pretty good, certainly they are the class of the North Division.
The Winnipeg Jets might have something to say about that. The two teams have met only once. But it does feel as if the Maple Leafs have their game sorted out.
I’m still loving the North Division with all its drama. Two coaches fired already.
But I suppose it would be good to see how the Leafs would fare against their regular division rivals, like Tampa and Boston.
Anyway, Suddenly no one wants the Leafs to trade William Nylander, but they still wonder what would happen if they did as we morph to the Mailbag. Sorry, I couldn’t get to them all this week. I’ll save them for next time.
But we have some good ones: How will the playoffs work in this season? What if the Leafs exposed John Tavares in the expansion draft? Can the Leafs lose Ilya Mikheyev? All this and more.
As always, if you have a question, email me at askkevinmcgran@gmail.com and I’ll answer it in the next Mailbag.
QUESTION: Hi Kevin. Long-time reader. Love your column and the Mailbag!
Is the real reason Pierre Engvall is given an extended look at third-line centre because of next year’s cap crunch? Zach Hyman and Frederik Andersen are UFAs and it’s hard to imagine the Leafs being able to part with either. Hyman is close to indispensable and with the exception of Darcy Kuemper, there is little possibility of a goalie upgrade in the upcoming free-agent market.
My question assumes that as UFAs, both will only sign new deals after the Seattle expansion draft. Assuming that Hyman is going to get a hefty raise, to say $4 million per season from $2.25 million, and Andersen will get a minor raise from $5 million to $5.5 million (somewhere between the salaries for Robin Lehner and Jacob Markstrom), the increase for these two would be $2.25 million. The only way to fit these increases under the cap, without touching the core four, is to make a deal with Seattle to take Alex Kerfoot’s $3.5-million salary, leaving $1.25 million available to sign another bargain basement player or promote Nick Robertson.
Your comments?
Avery G.
ANSWER: The Leafs have invested a fair bit in Engvall — time, energy and money. If he can play third-line C, then at $1.25 million they’ll have a bargain there and can do some of the things you suggest. But remember, he could be expansion fodder as well. There are so many moving pieces to the Leafs’ salary cap next year, it’s very difficult to predict how it will play out. But yes, Kerfoot’s cap hit and raises due to Hyman and Andersen do look like a good match.
QUESTION: Hi Kevin!
Pleasure watching the Leafs over the past three games and the way in which they manhandled the Oilers. But watching the Wednesday night game, and watching Vesey parade down the bench tapping gloves after scoring one of his two goals … I noticed that Marner did not tap gloves with him! Did you notice? Something going on there?
Also, could you explain the playoff structure again, especially what happens after the Leafs get out of the North Division! (Very hopeful thinking.)
Again, thanks for your insight.
Stay safe. Be positive.
Bobcaygeon Larry
ANSWER: Didn’t see the snub, if that’s what it was. I doubt there’s anything to it. Mitch Marner is simply too nice. Sadly, I really haven’t gotten to know Jimmy Vesey at all this year. As for the playoff structure, the first two rounds will be in-division, contained to the top four teams in each. The four emerging division champions will be seeded 1 to 4 based on points, or points percentage if one of them didn’t get to the full 56 games. The top seed will play the fourth. The second and third will play off. The winners battle it out for the Stanley Cup. Still to be determined: where. The Canadian champion may have to play all on the road if quarantining remains a thing. But that’s June-July. There’s hope.
QUESTION: Greetings Mr. McGran.
Will the Leafs’ Ilya Mikheyev be exposed in the expansion draft? That one’s gonna hurt.
Another random question if I may. Do you know if players are required to get approval from their team/the league with regards to sponsorship deals and the product and/or service being advertised, or the content of the advertisement itself? Are certain things taboo, like political stuff for instance?
Love your work, my friend. Thanks for your dedication, and please be well.
Trevor M.
ANSWER: Thank you, Trevor. You will be relieved to know that Ilya Mikheyev, by virtue of being a second-year North America professional, is exempt from the expansion draft. As are the likes of Rasmus Sandin, Timothy Liljegren and Nick Robertson.
As for sponsorship, I don’t believe there are any hard and fast rules, but players are guided by morals clauses in their contracts. So signing up with a sponsor that violates those clauses could be an issue — such as porn sites, for example, or groups with extremist political views.
QUESTION: Perhaps this thought in my mind is crazy, but: What if the Maple Leafs left John Tavares and his $11-million contract exposed in the upcoming expansion draft?
Would Seattle want to take on the remaining few years of an aging Tavares’ expensive contract, limiting who they could further add to their roster?
The Leafs could win by not losing Tavares in the draft and also by being able to protect another player.
If the Leafs did lose him, they’d have $11 million of newfound money to throw at other team weaknesses, like a stud defenceman, a goalie (Andersen or his replacement).
This would be a risky and daring move, but it could pay off big time.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
John K.
Richmond Hill
ANSWER: A lot to unpack here, John. First off, wipe the thought from your head. The no-movement clauses in Tavares’s contract (or any contract) requires the team to protect him in the expansion draft, so he cannot be left unprotected. Second, I can’t imagine a scenario in which giving away Tavares for nothing could ever make the Maple Leafs better. Strength down the middle is paramount in this league. Sure, they’ll need money to re-sign Frederik Andersen, Zach Hyman and eventually Morgan Rielly. But the front office has proven adept and creative when it comes to managing its salary cap.
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QUESTION: Greetings Kevin. Thanks for your continued great coverage of the Leafs. I look forward to reading what you have to write daily.
Now, as I write this in the second intermission of the Monday night game, do you think this year’s version of the Leafs looks different than the last few years? There are always things to quibble about, but this team seems to be harder to play against than in recent seasons. Not that they are rougher or tougher, but they seem to be taking it to the other guys first.
The Leafs look different to me this year, which is good. I look forward to you $0.02.
Cheers,
Tim in Etobicoke
ANSWER: Thanks Tim. They certainly look like a team that can commit to the so-called “full 60 minutes.” They look like a team that won’t take many nights off. They look like a team that will put itself in the best position possible come the playoffs. But hey, anything can happen.
NYLANDER QUESTION (1): If it comes to a trade of Willy Nylander (hope it doesn’t) would you get a $6-million player back or just a player for $3 million or $4 million and save the cap space? That would allow more in the kitty to sign Frederik Andersen and Zach Hyman or more to spend at the deadline.
K.L.
NYLANDER QUESTION (2): Hey Kevin. I am not a Nylander basher at all. I prefer speed and skill to brawn. That said, he could be way better without the puck. Here’s my question. Suppose they give up on him and a trade is made. Would they be better off with a $6-million player or better off getting a $3-million or $4-million player and saving the rest of the cap space for the trade deadline? I would do the latter, but I personally think it is a moot point because Kyle Dubas sort of said he wouldn’t trade him, period, during the contract wrangle.
Chris A.
ANSWERS: Wow, two questions that are almost identical, from two different readers. Apparently readers who don’t want to trade Nylander still want to talk about potential trades for Nylander. I don’t think they’re trading Nylander, but if they are it won’t be in-season. Trades for players with tons of skill and big contracts are best made in the off-season. I would imagine if it came to it, a Nylander trade would be to create cap space to sign others. Maybe haul in some top (cheap) prospects.
QUESTION: Will we ever see Joe Bowen call a TV game again? He called a pre-season game this year and it was an absolute pleasure. He brings such an energy and exuberance that is lacking on TV. Who listens to radio any more, anyways?
Thanks
Daniel T.
Toronto
ANSWER: I listen to radio. And yes, I’d love it if Bowen called games for TV, but it’s an interesting divide as far as TV goes. TSN and Sportsnet each want their marquee names to call Leafs games. And they want a little less rah-rah for the home team. Apparently.
QUESTION: Hi Kevin.
In the recent T.O./Calgary game, I saw more NHL skaters fall down trying to execute a simple turn than I can remember. The puck always seems to be bouncing. With no fans affecting the building temperature, and no basketball games, why isn’t the ice “blue clear perfect” this year?
Doug B.
Kingston
ANSWER: Well, Doug, the players always tell me the ice is fine. Maybe it’s the speed of the game that causes the tumbles. I, like you, have seen the tumbles. But if the ice is perfect, maybe the game is faster and players are having trouble adjusting.
QUESTION: Willy Nylander wins 43 of 149 (board battles) sounds OK, but how many battles does he avoid altogether. It just takes a slight change of angle, a couple extra steps. My eyes see — I’ll guess — at least five or six a game. It’s likely higher. My eye test works better at rink level. The funny thing about Willy is, he is much more engaged now after he was sat, so he can do it. John Tavares does not deserve to be lumped in here. Willy has a history of this and John has a consistent history with a high work ethic and has buttered more wingers’ bread then probably anyone sans Sidney Crosby. I hope Nylander continues as of recently, but he has a history of streaky play and he always plays better when he’s engaged. You think he would learn, wouldn’t you? It’s so hard for me to understand how anyone can put so much into these numbers that might capture 25 per cent of enough data to make even an iffy decision. When a player bails on a puck to avoid being hit, it’s noticed on the bench as is giveaways, bad goals, etc. and the team play suffers negatively — sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. How can numbers incapsulate that? There are the positive effects: taking a hit, giving a hit, a big save, etc. What I’m trying to say is, some players with good analytical numbers can do a lot of negative harm that numbers can’t see. I remember watching Eric Lindros play in Oshawa and how the game changed when he came over the boards. Hockey is too big for numbers to evaluate it. There are a lot of good players numbers can’t find.
Bernie McE.
ANSWER: I don’t think any of the proponents of analytics would ever call it the be-all and end-all of any player. They always require context. The best teams will have context around players. Let me give you an example. I used to cover the Blue Jays. I remembers one year in September a team was coming in to play the Jays (might have been the Tigers) and their starting pitcher had 18 losses. The reporters were joking about how terrible he’d have to be to lose 20. Cito Gaston corrected us. He said: “You’ve got to be a pretty good pitcher to lose 20 games.” Gaston’s point: the pitcher was a consistent starter who gave his team a lot of innings and, compared to the rest of the staff, remained the best option to try to win a game. I try to apply that here. Nylander is not very good along the boards. But he’s in more battles than most. (The 149 you reference was quite high.) He’s not a physical player — that’s a weakness — so when he peels away, perhaps he’s playing more to his defensive strengths, like speed and stickwork. Why would you want him to go into more battles along the boards if he’s going to lose two out of three of them?
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