Bernier arrives, and just for conversation sake, what would you give up for the Leafs to move up into the Top 4 in the draft next weekend?

When Brian Burke was in charge of the blue and white, it was not uncommon to hear him state publicly that he was looking to “move up” in the annual entry draft.  (The Tavares draft being a prime example, as I recall.) 

Such bold proclamations are not really Dave Nonis’ style, though that doesn’t necessarily mean he is not disposed to making a significant move if he felt it would improve the hockey club. Who knows what he is really thinking?  We have his history as a GM in Vancouver to go by, I suppose, but I'm not sure that means we necessarily understand his current "blueprint" for the Maple Leafs.

I’m also not sure we have really seen Nonis place his personal stamp on this hockey club just yet.  In fairness, he was no doubt caught off guard by his sudden promotion this past January, after Burke was fired.  He made some important decisions on his own (Connolly, Lombardi, McLaren, Steckel) but by and large steered the ship quietly and seemingly effectively—though his desire to bring in either Luongo or Kiprussof at the deadline seemed to me to questionable (and somewhat ‘off-plan’).

As I write this (literally) comes confirmation that the Leafs have indeed traded for Jonathan Bernier, the topic of my most recent post here.  He will either replace Reimer (if Reimer is traded) or relegate him to a back-up position.  So maybe this is the beginning of the 'personal stamp' I was just referring to.

With his first major Leaf trade now in the books, here is another question that will no doubt be raised this week with the NHL entry draft only days away: would/will Nonis look to move up in the draft? (Could Reimer now be part of such an equation?)

I have no idea what his thinking process is.  I don’t really trust the quotes I see and hear from him, because, after all, GM’s are not in the business of telegraphing what they are actually going to do.  In fact, as Joe Sakic did in Colorado a few days ago (when he suggested the Avs would likely take a forward with the first overall pick, not Seth Jones) it’s generally the case that the GM’s are playing the media, and sending a message out there to rival GM’s to try and create a feeding frenzy.  Burke did this all the time, either publicly or privately.  It was quite transparent.

Hey, it may well be that Nonis is satisfied with his reasonably well (we still tend to over-rate our prospects—lots of teams have nice players in their system, we’re hardly alone…) stocked pipeline, filled with Marlies and promising juniors.  He may be quite happy to keep building patiently, slowly- and take no risks.

But if nothing else, from a fan perspective, there is not much fun in watching paint dry, as nice as the room may look when the project is over.  Fans tend to like action, activity, decisions that move the needle and shake things up a bit.

After all, is there any guarantee that our one-year visit to the playoffs (after almost a decade without a playoff berth) will lead to us becoming yearly contenders?  Might we be this year’s Florida Panthers?

With that in mind, my question for you today is not something I am recommending that the Maple Leafs do, but more of an open-ended thought for discussion.  If you were in Nonis’ shoes—knowing the roster needs, knowing where you sit in the draft, and also knowing just how talented the first few youngsters in the draft are—would you consider making a deal to move up into the upper echelon of selectors?

Maybe more to the point, would you aim to somehow get into the ‘top four’, where the cream seems (it always is, eh) to be in this draft? 

Everyone knows about Jones, the promising young defenseman. And of course there are those three forwards who are all projected to be outstanding NHL’ers—perhaps most notably MacKinnon and Drouin, though other observers have far deeper knowledge of this “class” than I do. I don't follow the junior players as I once did.

For you, would such a move even make sense for the Leafs?  Would it maybe upset the promise this team is displaying?  Or would it be precisely the kind of bold move that, within the next two seasons, might just catapult the Maple Leafs into the land of the truly elite—and maybe even over the top in the Eastern Conference?

Would you even consider this kind of radical move?  And if so, what would you be willing to give up to move into, say, the top three?  And remember, as you know, this can’t be one of the usual Leaf fan discussions where we offer a team our third-line center and a second round pick and think that will appeal to a team that is looking to draft MacKinnon.  The price would be huge with a capital "H". (And of course, the teams who now hold the picks in question have to at least be open to talking about a deal...)

It’s always intriguing to think about acquiring a potential superstar.  The Leafs haven’t really had one in ages, since Mats Sundin (right), really.  And despite his fine career, many Leaf fans still believe he was a bit short of being a legitimate superstar.  (I don't consider Kessel in that class.  Exciting player, for sure, but a superstar?) 

Bottom line, I’m not even sure it is a realistic discussion, but that’s why I said at the top today that this is for conversation sake, as we await the draft.

Let me know what you think...


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Some Leaf supporters may feel Toronto gave up too much (Matt Frattin, Scrivens and a second-rounder) to acquire Bernier .  I'm not so sure.  They didn't have to give up anyone with true superstar potential, like Jake Gardiner.  I've said here before that Frattin could become a mini power-forward at the NHL level and I still feel that way.  He could be a nice player for the Kings. Second-round draft choices, while important, sure, are pretty much a dime a dozen.  (That's often the currency, for example, when a playoff contender trades to get a guy at the deadline. Teams are always willing to give up a second-rounder...) Scrivens is a gutsy goaltender, though I have no idea if he has a higher ceiling than he demonstrated in Toronto.

I actually thought the Kings might be able to get more for Bernier elsewhere.  Other teams have a more urgent need in goal, I thought.  Yet Bernier ends up here.

I guess the question here is:  with Bernier coming in to be the number-one guy (I have no doubt about that), do the Leafs keep Reimer as the back-up?  Does he get dealt to help the team get better elsewhere?

Do you like the deal for Bernier?  Are you happy that he is the new number-one?  Or do you believe it will be a (supposed?)'competition' for the job at training camp.

I'll say this: nothing has ever been handed to Reimer. The guy has to keep proving himself.  I wonder if he will ultimately be happier somewhere where he will be appreciated...