ANALYSIS-Toronto has yet to complete the autopsy of the Maple Leafs ’umpteenth elimination in the first round of the playoffs, but two weeks after their course, the Queen City team’s offseason site is beautiful. and really started.
General manager Kyle Dubas said he started work as soon as the siren rang that ended his team’s campaign and he wasn’t lying. He settled two cases last week: he first extended the contract of defender Mark Giordano, then he enlisted the services of Jason Spezza as a special adviser, he who announced his retirement as a player on Sunday.
Giordano, who ordered a salary of $ 3,375,000 in Toronto last season, has agreed to a new two-year deal at a small amount of $ 800,000 per season, freeing up $ 2.5 million of extra wiggle room under salary cap.
Spezza earned $ 750,000 last year, the lowest salary the NHL allows. His departure has no similar impact on Maple Leafs payroll, but he still frees up a position.
These files are not urgent, but all assurance will not be denied by Maple Leafs staff. The more time he has to calculate each of his shots, the more chance he has of succeeding in his project the better surrounding his core.
Lots of questions
We don’t know the extent of the changes coming to Toronto. Kyle Dubas and Brendan Shanahan well hid their game during their season review. They did not promise major changes or offer any guarantee that winger William Nylander, for example, or goalkeeper Jack Campbell would return.
In other words, the likelihood of winning everyone in the next playoffs will dictate management’s plan of action. That and the age -old problem of the limited salary room, the result of management choosing to invest 71% of its payroll in its top four forwards (Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Nylander) and its three best defenses ( Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin and TJ Brodie).
Fortunately, none of them need a new contract this summer. In this regard, only the question of the guards is disputed.
Jack Campbell only earned $ 1,650,000 last season, and he delivered great performances at that price. He has 31 wins in 47 starts. The 30-year-old American, however, has been injured several times and since he will be an unrestricted free agent in July and could demand a substantial salary increase, the team has every right to wonder if he is really the guardian if where to invest for the future.
For his part, Czech Petr Mrazek did not offer the expected return. Accepted last summer at $ 3.8 million a year for three years, he was a huge disappointment. Often injured, he only participated in 20 fights. His 3.34 goal-against average and .884 percent saving was the worst of his career. His contract as a whole was a mistake that the general staff would logically try to erase through an exchange or a buyout.
The options in the free agent market will not be many. Darcy Kuemper of Colorado Avalanche and Ville Husso of St. Louis. Louis Blues should be the best goaltenders available. None of them, however, seemed more promising than Campbell. Toronto may need to trade if they want to give themselves a real number one goaltender.
Because of this, the name of John Gibson, of the Anaheim Ducks, is one that revolves around rumor. Itutuloy.
Another Bargain Hunt
Last summer, the Maple Leafs signed forwards Michael Bunting, David Kampf, Ondrej Kase and Nick Ritchie through the free agent market in the hopes some of them would turn into great bargains.
Bunting and Kämpf completely stuck with the group. The former completed a lineup with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner and will do the same next season. The second has fully fulfilled his role in the middle of the third line and he is under contract for another season.
Kase had 27 points in 50 games for the Maple Leafs, but he missed many games due to injuries. We may doubt his chances of returning.
Ritchie never offered the expected return and he was traded mid-season.
Overall, Kyle Dubas will attempt to emulate the same modus operandi this summer. Depending on what he chooses to do with his goalies, he should have a few million dollars to complete his training.
Maple Leafs itself has very few up-and-coming free agents. Winger Ilya Mikheyev seems destined to play elsewhere after providing valuable service on the death penalty in particular in recent years for a small salary.
Forward Pierre Engvall, a restricted free agent, could return if he receives an annual salary similar to the $ 1,250,000 he has received over the past two seasons.
On defense, other than a big trade, the Maple Leafs picture looks complete. The Torontonians have five players under contract for next season: Rielly, Muzzin, Brodie, Giordano and Justin Holl. Young men Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin are also restricted free agents, so very little can be added.
Among the dates to keep in mind, there is a first contract buy-back period that starts on July 1st. Also, the 2022 NHL Entry Draft will take place on July 7 and 8, an opportunity for the Maple Leafs to complete a trade. And then, on July 13, the free agent market will open.
In general, we need to stay focused. Of course, the Maple Leafs can choose the status quo, but they can also conclude a major transaction to add one or more players with quality to their formation.
Source: Radio-Canada
