Leafs Make More Moves

 

While the entire fanbase seemed to be in a panic after July 1 things seem to be a little calmer after the news that came down yesterday involving the Maple Leafs. Brad Treliving was able to sign Tyler Bertuzzi to a 1-year contract worth 5.5 million dollars. Now, I know fans will see that number and think that the price tag is high, I know I did but then I found out the majority of that money is a signing bonus and Tyler’s base salary is league minimum at $775,000 so when the regular season approaches the will have breathing room during the regular season. Last season may not have gone the way Bertuzzi had planned scoring just 30 points in the regular season between Detroit and Boston but in the playoffs with the Bruins, he managed 10 points during the seven-game series against Florida. The thing is Bertuzzi is a pain in the ass to play against, so he brings more of what Leaf fans have been asking for, for years. He’s another agitator for this Leafs lineup. I have seen it mentioned by a lot of people who get paid for their opinion and everyone had said signing him is a risk because of his injury history. I think they all forget the simple fact that every player is an injury risk. Toronto traded for Jake Muzzin whose career is likely over due to injury but when Toronto traded for him Kyle Dubas didn’t think “ok Jake is only going to play one full season for us and then battle injuries the rest of the time.”

Of course, injuries are a concern but if Tyler Bertuzzi can stay healthy then he’s a guy that will as I have mentioned bring more sandpaper and grit to the Leafs, he can also put points up and find the back of the net having scored 30 goals in a season with the Red Wings. As a comparison, Tyler Bertuzzi is an upgrade from Michael Bunting.

As Sunday evening continued if you were following along on Twitter, we kept seeing Elliott Freidman and Chris Johnston say the Leafs and Max Domi were close to an agreement. Well, around 10 pm last night, it was confirmed that Max Domi and the Leafs had reached an agreement on a 1-year contract paying him three million dollars. Max who has bounced around the NHL was originally drafted by the Arizona Coyotes and was a teammate of Treliving’s assistant Shane Doan, but Max would struggle to find his game playing a few seasons where he would manage less than ten goals. He would then be traded to Montreal, and it was there that he would find his footing as he had a career year registering 76 points. Max would spend some time with Carolina before joining the Blackhawks. There Max would be in a prominent role where he had powerplay time and continued to collect points, at the deadline he would go to Dallas for a playoff run and he would finish the regular season with 56 points and 13 points in 19 postseason games with the Stars.

With Max joining the Leafs he reunites with his London Knight teammate Mitch Marner, but he is another pest that will get under the skin of the opponent he can also produce offensively for Toronto. Trust me when I say Max will become a fan favourite just because the name Domi is once again on the back of a Leafs jersey. Max is without a doubt an upgrade and replacement for Alex Kerfoot.

As I was writing this article the Leafs made another signing. The contract is for 1 year, Brad seems to like 1-year deals, with a value of $775,000 but Forward Dylan Gambrell leaves Ottawa to join the Leafs organization. Dylan last season appeared in 60 games for the Sens where he collected ten points. I think Gambrell will come to Leafs camp competing for a spot on their fourth line but in all likelihood, he’ll join the Toronto Marlies and be used as depth if a player goes down with an injury.

With all these additions made so far by Brad Treliving the Leafs are currently 8 million dollars plus over the league’s salary cap. Jake Muzzin hasn’t yet but will once again be placed on LTIR freeing up some space. There is all kinds of speculation as to what the Leafs will do next but it goes without saying we should be fully expecting a trade in the coming days. One thing is for sure it’s going to be fun watching everything unfold.