What type of centers should the Toronto Maple Leafs be looking at?
Sportsnet: Justin Bourne, Nick Kypreos, and Sam McKee talking about the Toronto Maple Leafs and what type of centers the Leafs should be looking to acquire. Do they need to make a blockbuster?
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Bourne: “I’m getting worried, as J.T. Miller moves, as Mikael Granlund moves. Obviously, (Mikko) Rantanen and (Martin) Necas move. You see, there’s only so many guys that can move. The Islanders are suddenly competitive and not looking to trade. You know, you start looking around the league, and you’re squinting, going, is Scott Laughton the answer? Like, you know.”
Kypreos: “You guys know how I feel about that type of center man, where it’s like you’re locked in to go trade for, Scott Laughton will cost you, probably a first or a second and a third.”
Bourne: “What about if you take (Rasmus) Ristolainen’s contract?”
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Kypreos: “But I don’t think he’s high enough. Don’t think it’s gonna, like if, if the Leafs …”
Bourne: “But that’s why it’s getting harder, Kyp.”
Kypreos: “If the Leafs don’t score. Like, is Scott gonna come in and help that?”
Bourne: “No. It’s not like he jumps over the boards, you’re like, we got a chance to get one.”
Kypreos: “You need a center man that can almost push John Tavares down.”
Bourne: “You’re almost literally only talking about Dylan Cozens.”
Kypreos: “You need somebody as good or better than John Tavares.”
McKee: “Who is that?”
Kypreos: “Yeah, you’re right. You mentioned the name of, of Cozens. We’ve dropped Kadri’s name before. That’s the type of impact, I think, player that they should be going for, and …”
Bourne: “Calgary just said they’re not doing Kadri, (Mackenzie) Weegar or (Rasmus) Andersson”
Kypreos: “I don’t, I don’t like the fact that Brayden Schenn‘s got, I don’t know, two or three years left on his deal.”
McKee: “Two after this.”
Kypreos: “Two after this, and he’s already 33.”
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McKee: “Yeah.”
Kypreos: “Not thrilled with it. But how good would he look this year?”
McKee: “Do you, I mean, that’s the name that I had brought up last week. Do you think that’s a name…”
Kypreos: “I do.”
Bourne: “Six and a half this year. Three more after.”
McKee: “Oh, it’s three more after.”
Kypreos: “Three more after. Can you get St. Louis to eat some of it?”
Bourne: “They don’t retain.”
Kypreos: “They don’t, they don’t retain but times are changing.”
McKee: “Three more years, that’s scary.”
Kypreos: “That’s the type of impactful guy. Ryan O’Reilly, that’s the guy that excited Leaf fans two years ago, you try to sign him, didn’t want to stay. But that’s, that’s, that’s better than the names that you just dropped.”
Bourne: “Schenn’s gonna finish with 20 goals this year, you know, and 45-50, points. But also the thing with Schenn is he does a lot, right? He also hits and a character guy and he can do whatever you need him to do, by and large.”
McKee: “but so can I ask…”
Kypreos: “Leafs need a blockbuster.”
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