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Completing the evaluation of the Maple Leafs, we evaluate the management of the Maple Leafs and the moves that they made.
Dave Nonis : In his first full season as Leafs GM, Nonis, along with Assistant GM’s Dave Poulin and Claude Loiselle re-signed core players Dion Phaneuf and Phil Kessel to long-term extensions and made a number of roster changes after losing to Boston last May, some of which were hugely successful and others that did not have the desired effect.
The Buyouts – There should be no further debate that the compliance buyout of Mikhail Grabovski was the correct move for the club, especially since they could escape one of former GM’s Brian Burke's worst miscalculations by signing the center to a five-year, $27.5 Million deal in 2012.
The error made may have been to use the second compliance buyout on Mike Komisarek, who had one season remaining on his contract, rather than John-Michael Liles deal that had three years left.
Grade : B
The Trades
1. Ben Scrivens, Matt Frattin and a 2014 or 2015 2nd round pick to Los Angeles for Jonathan Bernier.
A clear winner for the Leafs. Bernier established himself as a quality NHL starting goaltender and the Kings dispatched Scrivens to Edmonton and Frattin to Columbus before the season was complete.
Grade : A-
2. Toronto’s 2013 second round pick. 2013 fourth round pick and 2014 fourth round pick to Chicago for Dave Bolland.
Tough to evaluate this deal based on the misfortune of Bolland’s ankle running into Zack Kassian’s skate. Bolland played great in the first month and came back after missing nearly three-quarters of the season, but could do nothing to pull the Leafs out of their death spiral.
Grade : B-
3. Joe Colborne to Calgary for a 2014 conditional 4th round pick.
The anti-pugilist lobby would say that it was a no-brainer to demote Colton Orr or Frazer McLaren instead of trading a 23-year-old center with size and skill, but Colborne had failed to make the Leafs for the second training camp in a row and scored just 10 goals for Calgary getting extensive playing time.
Grade : B-
4. Jesse Blacker, Toronto’s 2014 second round pick and 2014 seventh round pick to Anaheim for Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz.
With Dave Bolland and Tyler Bozak injured, Nonis dispatched a depth defenseman in Blacker and a conditional draft pick for Holland, the Ducks 2009 first round pick who was lost in a numbers game in Anaheim. Holland played well when given skilled players as linemates, scoring five goals and five assists in 39 games, but was shifted to a bottom six role after Bozak returned.
The lone negative of the deal was the condition of giving up a 2nd round pick if Holland played 25 games with the Leafs.
Grade : C+
5. John-Michael Liles and Dennis Robertson to Carolina for Tim Gleason.
A deal in which both teams were trading defensemen in need of a change of scenery, Liles had been demoted to the AHL due to an excess of offense-first blueliners on the Leafs and Gleason saw his role diminish in Carolina under Kirk Muller.
The addition of the stay-at-home, shot-blocking Gleason had limited success, but Liles recurrent concussion problems in Carolina make it a slight positive.
Grade : C
Free Agency
David Clarkson - An utter failure in his first season of a seven year, $36.75 Million deal. The fact that free agents get overpaid is an accepted negative around the league, but Clarkson did not provide any veteran leadership or secondary scoring because of a series of injuries and suspensions.
Grade : F
TJ Brennan- Signed as a unrestricted free agent after Florida did not extend a qualifying offer, Brennan led the Toronto Marlies in scoring with 25 goals and 47 assists and won the Eddie Shore Trophy, as the AHL’s top defenseman.
Grade : A
Mason Raymond - The exact opposite of the Clarkson signing. Short term, cost-effective and productive from a player that Nonis knew from his days as Vancouver GM.
Grade : A-
Overall - While the Bernier deal was the crowning achievement and the extension particularly of Kessel is a positive, Nonis’s grade is mitigated by the failure of Clarkson to make an impact and to a lesser extent the fact that he did nothing at the trade deadline to bolster his roster, which clearly showed that it needed some help after the deadline had passed.
Overall Grade : C
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