Leafs Free Agency.... So Far

  

Well, here we are another signing season is upon us and there’s plenty to talk about but let’s start with what players have left today. First off Zach Hyman an obvious fan favorite has left Toronto and signed with the Edmonton Oilers reuniting with former teammates Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci who got some pricey deals themselves, but Hyman inked a 7-year deal getting 5.5 million dollars per season. Now Toronto had offered Zach a 4 year deal with the hopes of keeping him but Hyman wanted to cash in and that’s perfectly fine he has earned that right. When Dubas and Toronto saw that a deal would not get done tried to work a sign and trade with Oilers GM Ken Holland to give Edmonton some cap relief, but Holland was only willing to offer a 6^th round draft pick and Dubas wanted a 2^nd Round selection and would not budge on his asking price. I have seen Leaf fans complaining wondering why Toronto didn’t just take the 6^th round selection Holland offered, it is simple Edmonton was hoping for some cap relief, but Dubas held his position simply because I highly doubt if Toronto was trying to trade looking for cap space that teams would help the Leafs out.

 

Next up Zach Bogosian has returned to the Lighting after one season with the Leafs as a fan it would have been nice to keep Bogosian but he apparently wanted to go sign elsewhere because he was frustrated with the Covid restrictions in the Province. If that’s the case and covid frustrations were a factor, then I have news for you Zach everyone is frustrated with the restrictions, but I guess you haven’t been paying attention, but the restrictions have been lifted so really you should just come out and tell everyone the obvious. You wanted to go back to an open and tax-free state. Also, quickly Nick Foligno will join the Bruins on a 2-year deal.

 

Lastly, Freddie Andersen’s time with the Leafs has come to an end as he will be joining the Carolina Hurricanes a team that once drafted him. There was a love hate relationship regarding Freddie and Leaf fans but that is normal with this team and its questionable fanbase. When Freddie was locked in and focused, he was an elite goalie who throughout his five-year run had his name mentioned in Vezina conversations but sadly when he was off it was a tough stretch for Andersen and the team to get through. Honestly though in my opinion for the most part I think the Andersen era was a success because with some of the playoff runs Toronto doesn’t see the post season if it wasn’t for Freddie and his highlight reel play. His play declined the last few years, but I think that is due to the fact he was play so many games in the season. If you look back there were so many times Mike Babcock when he was the bench boss would play Andersen in goal against a team who Toronto’s backup goalie should have played whether it was Hutchinson, or McElhinney because Toronto’s number one needed a rest.

 

With the exits out of the way let’s talk about who Toronto has brought in. Dubas had stated many times heading into free agency that the teams focus was bringing in a goalie to pair with the emerging starter Jack Campbell and that goalie was Petr Mrazek who left Carolina and signed a three-year deal at 3.8 million dollars a year. Mrazek in 92 starts as a Hurricane would collect 50 wins. So, it’s not much of a stretch to think that Dubas’s plan is to have Mrazek push Campbell causing Jack to play that much better but also Mrazek is going to want to be a starting goalie so this could provide some competition in goal allowing coach Sheldon Keefe to ride the hot hand.

Toronto would then hunt for bargain contracts and would add Forwards like Michael Bunting formally of the Arizona Coyotes who last season split his time between Arizona and Tucson of the American League where he collected 32 points but also spent some time on the international level playing in all ten games in Latvia for Team Canada who would go on and win the World Championship. Joining Bunting and the Leafs on a low-risk bargain contract is Kurtis Gabriel who has bounced around the National Hockey League but everywhere he has played he has brought a physical presence to the lineup and the Scarborough native is likely going to bring the same to the lineup for his hometown team.

 

Lastly, today the Leafs added a depth forward in David Kampf. His offensive production is not the prettiest but trust me Kampf was not brought in to score goals he was brought in to play the role of a shutdown center on the penalty kill and fans will likely see him line up for key faceoffs similar to the likes of David Steckel was when he was in blue and white.

 

Now I am sure Leaf fans today were hoping to go out and make a splash and probably sign a big-name player like a Dougie Hamilton who ended up signing a maximum deal with New Jersey but fans need to realize that you can’t always get what you want I mean I would like to wake up next to Jennifer Aniston every morning but it’s just not in the cards but that’s besides the point. Even though the names may not be as flashy I like the moves Kyle Dubas has made so far in Free Agency some needs were addressed and as far as the defense need? I fully expect Toronto to look for a solution within as they have Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren waiting in the minors. However, I don’t think Dubas, and the Leafs are done he stated today talking to the media that he will keep an eye on the 2^nd tier of free agents that are out there and will continue to evaluate the situation once the dust settles this weekend. So, Leaf fans like I have said many times I know this team may frustrate us at times but we have to remain patient and trust that this management group will sort things out.