In 2011, the prize of that summer’s free agent class was center Brad Richards. The former Conn Smythe Trophy winner was 31 years old, but had a number of NHL teams making a pilgrimage to the offices of Newport Sports in Mississauga to make a pitch for his services, including the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It is questionable how serious the interest was on the part of the Leafs, as GM Brian Burke was away in Afghanistan and assistant GM Dave Nonis and advisor Cliff Fletcher made the presentation, but once Richards signed a mega-deal with the New York Rangers, Toronto quickly move to Plan B in free agency by signing Tim Connolly to a two-year, $9.5 Million contract.
The signing was a costly mistake, as Connolly was thought to be a fit for Ron Wilson’s up tempo offense and scored only 36 points (13 goals and 23 assists) in 70 games in his first season with Toronto. Wilson was fired in February 2012 and Randy Carlyle found little use for the center, waiving the former Sabre to the American Hockey League after the lockout.
The current Steven Stamkos situation has some similarities, as the 26-year-old superstar is undoubtedly the most sought after commodity since Richards was five years ago, but Newport is handling the pursuit of the pending free agent behind closed doors and with the secrecy that some intelligence agencies would implement.
Toronto has a great deal of interest reeling in what Buffalo GM Tim Murray calls the “Big Fish”, as the Markham, ON native would be a perfect veteran counterpart to Auston Matthews and would take pressure and focus off the first overall pick.
Stamkos is a one-of-a-kind impact player that hits the market once in a generation and the rest of the 2016 free agent class pales by comparison.
If you limit the scope to centers, the most viable options are David Backes and Eric Staal. Both have declining offensive numbers and are on the wrong side of 30, which does not make sense for a transitioning Leafs team two or three years away from being a serious contender.
By the way, Richards is a free agent also.
If Stamkos stays in Tampa or goes elsewhere, it is unlikely that Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello will repeat the same mistake that Burke did five years ago and the Plan B for Toronto will be to stay the course with the current rebuild and remain flexible for the next opportunity that comes around.
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Sportsnet FAN 590’s Dean Blundell reiterated on Wednesday that Stamkos is Toronto bound, will be looking to become the highest-paid player in the NHL and indicated that the NBA style sign-and-trade deal reported by
Chris Johnston would be necessary for the center to get a maximum eight-year deal allowable under the collective bargaining agreement.
Blundell indicated the source of the information regarding Stamkos is the same person that said Mike Babcock would sign in Toronto.
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One name that could be on the Leafs radar is free agent winger Matt Martin. The 27-year-old Windsor, ON native scored a career-high 10 goals last season and led the NHL with 359 hits.
According to
Newsday’s Arthur Staple, Toronto is among at least six teams that have reached out to Martin. Reports indicate that Martin is asking over $3 Million on a new deal, which would be on the excessive side for a fourth liner.
Toronto is known to be looking to be a much tougher team to play against, as Babcock thought they were pushed around on many occasions last season. Another aspect that may be at play if the Leafs are legitimately interested in Martin is his friendship with Stamkos, going back to their days in the OHL with the Sarnia Sting.
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