The last potential long term defensive solution on the 2018 free agent class came off the market on Tuesday, as blueliner Calvin de Haan signed a four-year, $18.2 Million deal with the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were reportedly in on the bidding for the 27-year-old former Islander and ex-teammate of new Leaf John Tavares, but the term of the deal may have been a complicating factor for GM Kyle Dubas, who has to be conscious of cap ramifications with new contracts for William Nylander, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to get done over the next 12 months.
De Haan signing with Carolina may be fortuitous for the Leafs, who still need to bolster their blueline even with the addition of Tavares to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
Hurricanes reporter Luke DeCock indicated that the de Haan signing likely means that GM Don Waddell will look to deal veteran blueliner Justin Faulk this summer.
Faulk has two years left on his contract at $4.83 Million AAV and would likely be relegated to bottom pairing and second power play duty with the addition of Dougie Hamilton, who scored 17 goals for Calgary last season. The Canes have over $24 Million in cap space allocated to their top five blueliners (Hamilton, Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, de Haan and Faulk) and also have RFA Trevor van Riemsdyk, Haydn Fleury and prospect Jake Bean on their defensive depth chart.
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Faulk would make sense from the Leafs perspective, since he is right-handed and could conceivably fit on the club’s top pairing with Morgan Rielly or second pairing with Jake Gardiner, allowing veteran Ron Hainsey to move down to solidify the bottom pairing.
The acquisition of Faulk might also allow the Leafs to deal Gardiner, who has a year left at $4.025 Million before becoming an unrestricted free agent. The 2019 defensive free agent class has quickly evaporated this week with the extensions of Drew Doughty, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Ryan McDonagh, Niklas Hjalmarsson and the likely trade and new contract for Erik Karlsson.
Winnipeg’s Tyler Myers, veteran Jay Bouwmeester and Gardiner appear to be the top candidates for next summer and if the 28-year-old posts another 50-point season, he could be the most sought after free agent and likely be out of the Leafs price range.
With Travis Dermott showing promise during his rookie season, the Leafs could increase his responsibilities on the left side in the absence of Gardiner or sign a veteran free agent blueliner like Dan Hamhuis on a one-year deal as a short-term solution.
The Hurricanes are likely to be looking for young (and inexpensive) forward help in exchange for the 26-year-old Faulk, which could mean someone like speedy 21-year-old winger Kasperi Kapanen, who is still on his entry-level contract.
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There are a number of connections between the Hurricanes and Leafs, including a relationship between former Carolina Team President and GM Ron Francis and Leafs GM Kyle Dubas that goes back to Dubas’ roots in Sault Ste. Marie.
After his promotion to GM, there was speculation that Dubas might bring Francis into the Toronto management team, but the Hall of Famer decided to take time off after being axed by new Hurricanes owner Thomas Dundon. On Wednesday, Sportsnet’s John Shannon reported that the Leafs were adding Canes assistant GM Rick Olczyk to the group that includes Brandon Pridham and Lawrence Gilman.
Olczyk, 48, is the younger brother of former Leaf and current NBC commentator Ed Olczyk and prior to serving as Francis’ assistant in Carolina was an AGM with the Edmonton Oilers, but it is not clear in what capacity he will serve in Toronto.
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