As the Bruins and Black Hawks concentrate on Game Two of the Stanley Cup Final in Chicago Saturday night, the 28 other NHL clubs are making decisions on signing, trading or passing on their own free agents, on which players will be extricated via compliance buyout and final preparations for the June 30th Entry Draft in Newark, NJ.
The Maple Leafs have begun the signing process on Thursday by locking up enforcer Colton Orr for two years and minor league goalie Drew MacIntyre to a one year deal on Thursday, but the final decision that will have the most impact on the course of the off-season is still a few weeks away.
Toronto has held preliminary talks with pending free agent Tyler Bozak’s representatives in hopes of reaching an agreement before the July 5th deadline.
Toronto Star columnist Damien Cox reported Saturday that there has been no progress between two sides and that the possibility of the Leafs trading Bozak’s exclusive negotiating as Ottawa and New York did with Sergei Gonchar and Mark Streit is not out of the question. Indications are that GM Dave Nonis will only sign Bozak to a “home town discount” type deal and will not match what the center could potentially make on the open market.
If Bozak does not return, the Leafs have a number of different ways they can go.
Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons believes that unrestricted free agent center Stephen Weiss will be a target, but it is quite likely that the four time 20 goal scorer will draw a higher price tag in free agency than Bozak and signing the 5’ 11” 193lb Toronto native will put the Leafs in the same predicament as last season, with three smaller offensive-minded centers up the middle.
The move that might make more sense from a structural point of view is to acquire a center more capable of handling faceoffs and a checking role than Mikhail Grabovski. A potential fit for that could be Chicago’s Dave Bolland.
ESPN’s
Pierre LeBrun reported on Friday that the Hawks top priority once the finals are over will be to re-sign UFA Bryan Bickell, who is expected to have eight to ten teams interested in signing him after scoring eight goals in the playoffs.
Chicago blogger John Jaeckel indicated on Monday’s Hockeybuzzcast on Chicago is fully prepared to pay the big 27 year old winger in the $3 Million to $3.5 Millon range over three or four years, but that Hawks GM Stan Bowman will have to clear salary with the cap going down to $64.3 Millon and that Bolland is “extremely likely” to be moved before next season, since he has been reduced to mostly a fourth line role this year.
The 27 year old native of Mimico, ON will make $3.375 Million in 2013-14 and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next July.
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact” button at the top of the page.*******
For Those on Twitter:
KINDLE USERS: Please sign up for Maple Leafs Buzz, which includes a free-of-charge 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month afterwards. For more information
click here.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»