
Considering what happened after the All-Star game break, you would think the Maple Leafs would need to make some serious changes during the off season. You can't go into next season with the same lineup that sucked for the last 1/3 of this season. Yet the Leafs have all but 4 players under contract and only 2 players will be outright unrestricted free agents in the summer. The issue isn't just contribution but salary cap hit as well because the Leafs were weighed down by too many bad contracts. Every single one was signed by Brian Burke. Moving a bad contract isn't impossible but does have its challenges. It's much easier to just demote the player to the minors along with his fat contract.
I asked readers of this blog to comment on who should be brought back in September and below is their choices in order of preference. My view is that no player should be untouchable. If someone offers you a great deal, you take it. But you also can't improve your team by trading away your deadwood. You aren't going to pick up Rick Nash for Tim Connolly and Mike Komisarek.
Phil Kessel was the most frequently selected player which seems to negate the perception that Phil the Thrill is unpopular in Toronto. Kessel is a natural scorer which is rarity in any league. Every team covets goal scorers and at $5.4 million per season, Kessel is cap friendly. You can certainly understand why Brian Burke overpaid for this gifted winger. Certainly there are holes in his game but that can be compensated by the players who play with him. To a certain extent that has been the case ever since Joffrey Lupul was put on Kessel's line. Kessel was a top 5 scorer all season long and set a person best in goals, assists and points. I think Kessel is a keeper.
Joffrey Lupul also set career personal bests in goals and points. Had he not been injured and been able to finish the season, he too would have been a top 5 scorer. Certainly he and Kessel became one of the most dangerous duos in the NHL. At $4.25 per season, Lupul is also cap friendly. Lupul is a keeper.
How could you not fall in love
Jake Gardner? The smooth skating defensemen had incredible poise and never panicked with the puck. That's not to say he didn't make typical rookie mistakes but as the season progressed he became more confident and his ice time grew. Burke may have blown the Kessel deal but picking up Lupul and Gardner for Francois Beauchemin was a steal! Gardner is as close to an untouchable as you can get.
Mikhail Grabovski just signed a 5-year contract extension so he isn't going anywhere. At $5.5 million per season it will be difficult to get value out of this contract. Like Kessel he will be a better player if he has the right linemates to work with.
Nazem Kadri also received a lot of support despite the fact that management kept in the minors for most of the past 2 seasons. He is a very skilled player with holes in his game much in the same way as Kessel. The Leafs still don't have enough top 6 forwards and Kadri has that potential. No need to give up on him.
James Reimer had an awful year but he wouldn't be the first NHL players to struggle after coming back from a concussion. Still it was a risk on the part of Burke to go with two inexperienced goalies. Reimer has one year left on his contact and has more of an up side than Jonas Gutavvson. He should be back next season but Burke needs an insurance policy in the event Reimer does not return to form. Maybe Reimer is better suited as a backup? All I know is that Burke cannot afford to make another goaltending gaffe.
Mike Brown got a lot of support here. A decent 4th liner. Great skater, willing to drop the gloves and cap friendly. He is a keeper.
Matt Frattin had a decent first season in the NHL. He showed an adequate level of maturity, belligerence and skill. He had difficulty finding the net early in the season but improved over time. I thought he was one of the better forwards by the end of the season. I'm still not sure if he is a top 6 or bottom 6 forward but you definitely keep him around.
As the highest paid player and the captain,
Dion Phaneuf was the most watched and criticized player on the Leafs roster. I personally believe that a captain's role is mostly symbolic and has little impact on the outcome of games. So all this talk about Phaneuf being a weak captain is meaningless. You can't blame Dion for the Leafs' bad year, it's the GM who insisted he had good enough goaltending. Dion is the 5th or 6th highest paid defenseman in the league which is why you would expect a lot from him. I think he delivers but not quite enough. He does lots of things well but still gets caught out of position or is beaten on the outside. At 26 he can still improve and perhaps live up to those high expectations. No reason to move him.
Carl Gunnarsson is very steady and hardly noticed out there. He plays a lot of minutes and is cap friendly at just $1.325 million. He is a keeper.
Tyler Bozak improved a lot this season. I just don't see him as a good fit for the Leafs. He is not a 1st line centre. Grabovski is entrenched on the 2nd line. I think Dave Steckel is more appropriate as a centre on a shutdown line. It would be a waste to play Bozak on a 4th line. Also the Leafs are carrying to many smaller forwards and need to clear room for some bigger bodies. I would move Bozak.
After 3 season,
Luke Schenn continues to have stretches of good and bad hockey. When he struggles you scratch your head at the $3.6 million salary. Yet he is just 22 and should mature a lot. No reason to move him unless you can improve your roster with a move.
Clarke MacArthur has had two 20-goal seasons and is probably as marketable as he ever will be. And yes I would move him because Grabovski, like Kessel, needs some big bodies to play with to compensate for his own diminutive size. Kadri is half the cap hit and would likely be able to provide the same offensive output.
John-Michael Liles is another Leafs who had a good start but never regained his game after a concussion. He is an excellent powerplay specialist and with his cap friendly salary can always be moved. Depending on the development of Gardner that might be sooner rather than later. Guys who can quarterback the powerplay are always a tradeable commodity.
Joe Colborne never showed me much during his call ups. He was easily knocked down and needs to put on some muscle to be effective in the NHL. He is a work in progress or trade bait for a 1st line centre.
Cody Franson only played 57 games so his coaches were obviously not in love with this guy. I was pretty sure he would be traded at the deadline but stuck around. That doesn't mean he will survive the summer here. He is young, big and mobile so either the Leafs invest time in him or move him. I'm ambivalent.
I was surprised
Dave Steckel did not rank higher in my poll. He is a huge centre and great at faceoffs. Although not very swift he obviously has the skill to be a shutdown centre. I would definitely keep this guy.
Like Colborne,
Brent Ashton didn't show much after the trade. He has the physical size and ability to play on a shutdown line but needs more time in the minors. Keep around for now.
Like Steckel,
Joey Crabbe is very competent on a shutdown line. Not only is he a good checker but has skating and puckhandling ability. He had 11 goals in just 67 games with limited minutes. Both he and Steckel had 2 short-handed goals. Crabbe is a UFA likely looking for more than one year. Like Tim Brent he will find at least someone offering a 2-year contract. Leafs should resign and he will still be cap friendly.
Nikolai Kulemin had a very disappointing season after scoring 30 goals last season. I think last year was an abberation and I'm not convinced he is a top 6 forward. He received very little support in my poll but he has been miscast. He is a large winger that plays a strong defensive game. There are two ways to go with Kuli, either convert him to a checker or find a GM that believes he can restore his scoring touch.
Colby Armstrong has been quite a disappointment since signing as a free agent. When your alternative captain sits in the press box that is not a good sign. Sure injuries have been a factor (he played only 79 games in 2 seasons) but he sucks $3 million out of the Leafs cap. Not sure what I would do if I were Burke but can you afford a third season of this?
I have to agree with the poll results, the Leafs should let
Jonas Gustavsson walk. To be honest he is a competent backup but the Leafs need a veteran to support Reimer. This is the easiest decision of the off season.
Matthew Lombardi has a great set of wheels but that is about it. He is also not a good fit on a team loaded with smaller forwards. There are other guys with speed who can contribute more - and are cheaper. Perhaps he will fit in better elsewhere but that $3.5 million salary will be hard to move. He was the 3rd highest paid forward this past season.
Thank God
Tim Connolly was signed for just 2 years! He never looked engaged at all. This guy needs a heart transplant. Do you carry him for another season or bury that salary in the minors. My guess is that Burke will not admit he made an error and bring him back for his last season.
Speaking of Burke mistakes, then there is
Mike Komisarek. Burke is still high on Mike but his coaches seem to prefer that he still in the pressbox. That about says it all. Next season Komisarek's actually salary will be below his cap hit which might make him attractive to small market teams who have problems making the salary floor. If not it's time to dump that salary in the minors. There are better defensemen on the Marlies ready to take his place.