The possibility of Toronto-based stars Steven Stamkos, John Tavares or PK Subban playing for the hometown Maple Leafs in their prime is considered more in the realm of fantasy than reality, but
Adam Proteau of the Hockey News posed the question in the wake of LeBron James return to the Cleveland Cavaliers after spending four years with the Miami Heat.
The Leafs have been able to get players at the end of their career(Shayne Corson, Gary Roberts, Joe Nieuwendyk, Eric Lindros) and were successful in using the allure of a return home to get a David Clarkson to sign last season, but they have never been able to use their financial might and the prospect of playing in the pressure-packed media market as a magnet to draw in a young impact player.
Proteau believes that part of the equation for the Leafs is to use being the central figure that brought the Stanley Cup back to Toronto as something that would establish the legacy of a player like Stamkos, Tavares or Subban to that of a deity.
What GM Dave Nonis, Team President Brendan Shanahan and MLSE Chairman Tim Leiweke must do in the next few years is to build up the Leafs organization to a point where it can achieve a level of success and be an attractive landing spot for players looking to win.
Stamkos signed a five-year, $37.5 Million deal in 2011 and will be 26 when it expires at the end of the 2015-16 season, but his future intentions will likely be clear next summer. The Lightning will try to follow the same course that Chicago took with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, by offering their star an eight-figure extension a year before his deal is up.
Tampa Bay GM Steve Yzerman will be in a difficult spot next summer, as Stamkos has a no-movement clause in the final year of the deal. If the star decides to play out his contract, the Lightning would have to deal him before July 1 to move him to where they could get the most value, after that Stamkos controls where and if he wants to be moved.
After signing a two-year bridge deal in 2013 after holding out for a long-term deal, Subban won the Norris Trophy for the lockout-shortened season and led the Canadiens to the 2014 Eastern Conference Final.
The blueliner filed for salary arbitration in June, which could yield a one or two year deal, but Montreal GM Marc Bergevin hopes to get Subban locked up long term. If the end result of the current contract squabble is another short-term deal, then it is clear that the defenseman’s plan is to either leverage the Habs into a more lucrative deal after another All-Star season or bide his time and go for a max contract as an unrestricted free agent in 2017.
*******
In his weekend roundup, The NY Post’s
Larry Brooks says that the Islanders should have interest in Leafs restricted free agent defenseman Jake Gardiner if Toronto is still shopping him, as the Islanders have the worst puck possession stats in the league.
The trade chatter regarding Gardiner has quieted since the draft and the Leafs are trying to get the 23-year-old defenseman signed to a short-term bridge deal.
The Islanders will have to rely on the addition of analytic Superman Mikhail Grabovski to improve their Corsi/Fenwick numbers.
*******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:
»