@PHUHobson I know it's early, but who do you think will be better in the long run between Marner and Nylander?
— Anthony Fusco (@FuscoNation16) August 30, 2015
In the long run, I think the competition will be very close, but I think Marner will turn out to be the better player. Nylander is an absolute threat offensively and if developed right, could turn out to be a 60-70 point scorer, but Marner shares the offensive skill Nylander has and is also better defensively and can throw the body if needed. He was frequently used on the penalty kill and powerplay while playing under head coach Dale Hunter in London, so if we're thinking realistically looking forward, then I think Marner will turn out to be better than Nylander, but not by much. Q: Who do you think will be traded by the all-star break? -Gianni Ginocchi, TML World
A: Given that the Leafs have a bunch of prospects in the minors that are on the brink of being NHL ready, such as Stuart Percy, Zach Hyman, Casey Bailey, etc, then I think players such as Roman Polak, Nick Spaling, and Mark Arcobello, are the most likely to be dealt before the all-star break. That being said, it's entirely likely that these players could be dealt closer to the trade deadling if it makes more sense, but those are likely the first few players to go.
Q: Are the Leafs going to bottom out this year without Kessel or will they be better than everyone thinks with him gone and the new staff in place? -Jason Stevenson, TML World
A: I think the most likely result is that the Leafs bottom out, however there's good points from both sides. For example, given all the success that new head coach Mike Babcock has under his belt from his tenure with the Red Wings, it's really hard to picture his team finishing in the bottom five. That being said, the Leafs' roster does not look good enough on paper to finish higher than a bottom five spot. They won't have the 80 point powers of Phil Kessel to compliment them, and are still actively shopping core players such as Joffrey Lupul, Tyler Bozak, and Dion Phaneuf.
Thanks for reading everyone. If you have any questions you'd like me to answer in a mailbag segment, feel free to contact me on twitter.
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