Spezza won't be as effective playing consistent 2nd line minutes.

Ritchie and Simmonds have to go. I get they bring grit and character to the team but they are not effective on the ice at all. Reminds me of the Babcock days when Martin was finally scratched for Kapanen and it seemed to change the entire make-up of the team. With Keefe I didn't think we'd have this problem of stubbornly putting in ineffective slow veterans whose only merit for making the team was because they could throw a check or drop the gloves. If anything have Simmonds be the extra forward so he's still travelling with the team.

I'd also like to see Kase in the top 6, and Ho-Sang with Tavares and Bunting for a game or 2. Put somewhere there who is desperate to play and remain with the team, and demote Marner until he realizes making the pretty play and setting up Matthews isn't priority #1

Simmonds has 1 goal 2 assists so yeah, that's pretty effective especially on this team where he's only had under 9 minutes other than one game where he had almost 11. Your hate on simmonds is silly and irrational. Ho-sang isn't even signed with the team so he doesn't have a contract. What they should do IMO is this.
Kerfoot / Matthews / Marner
Bunting / JT / Nylander (it's working don't mess with it)
Engvall / Kampf / Simmonds
Ritchie / Spezza / Kase

Trade Reilly for a big defensive D who can skate, with Brodie being left handed it doesn't matter if they play right or left they just need to be really good defensively so they can let Brodie do his thing. That or give Holl some time with Brodie to see if they can make it work, it's not like they have much to lose. Put Sandin with Muzz and see how that does. Try a Dermott / Liljegrin bottom pair.

Also Simmonds is 4th on the team in points.

The #1 priority has to be getting to the net for this team. They so rarely get garbage goals. Considering Simmonds is one of the only guys who does this regularly, sitting him doesn't make sense. Hell I'd give him a shot with Matthews for a game just to see if he can do something. Ritchie certainly isn't getting the job done. Marner also needs to be taken off Matthews wing. Every year he starts the same way and he ended this way in the playoffs as well. Trying to be the goal scorer and it directly hurts the team. He's wearing thin with me.

Rielly isn't the problem and he doesn't hold back Brodie. I'd expect few games like the last two where defensively the team sucks. What they need is to get scoring and that isn't going to come until the players decide they want to go to the net more. Such a perimeter team right now.

I don't care how many points Simmonds has for the same reason I don't care how many points Matthews has. We know what Matthews brings to the team and what sort of player he is, and I think we both know Simmonds averaging 0.5 ppg over 6 games while playing under 9 minutes isn't indicative of how great or effective he is.

And I'm not even high on Ho-Sang. I guess what I didn't mention is I want to see changes in the lineup, period. And who better to call-up then someone who showed potential and is desperate for an NHL job.

Reilly isn't coming back unless they are willing to give Marner away for picks and give the money to Reilly who honestly isn't worth it. Give Reilly to a team that wants more offence from the back end and take a Defensive D that can slot in on the top line or if you can give Holl time with Brodie and they do well together on the second line to give the Leafs a great top two D pairs. If they let Morgan Reilly they won't have a top pair and Sandin isn't a top pair D as much as some want him to be. They all said Dermott was going to be the Next NHL superstar D and he's borderline on the bottom pair.

Yeah I get it, you want the leafs to give away everyone who is performing for players who aren't.

Why do I bother to engage with people. You know this isn't at all what I'm saying yet you oversimplify my point and twist my words.

I guess we'll see if Simmonds is the player you think he is. Right now I'm not seeing it, despite his 3 points

This is ridiculous. Who's this big defensive defenceman you are going to get? And then think Brodie is going to make up Rielly's offence with Holl? This is out there man.

It's not to make up for Reilly's offence. It's to change how things are working. There are lots of guys out there the Leafs could pick up but if they let Reilly go for nothing and they don't win a cup it's a failure. What's out there is that you think this team is going to win a cup the way they are.

I don't think one defenceman is going to make any difference. They need to collectively want to go to the net more. That doesn't change with a big cement footed defensive defenceman.

You are entitled to your opinion that it's vital to keep Reilly and lose him for nothing and that assets don't matter and defensive hockey players have to be slow and don't matter. I don't agree.

You missed the point. One defenceman makes no difference to this team. Unless it's a 23 year old Doughty but how are they going to find that?

Depends. They will have about 13.885m next season. We know they know how to be creative and it also depends on who they trade or don't. The owners were told to plan for a 1m increase next season.