With the victory over the Red Wings on Saturday, the Maple Leafs moved past the one-quarter mark of the season with an 11-8-2 record, three games over .500 and holding the last wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. That fact may be surprising as the year thus far has been a roller coaster ride, but the changes made by GM Dave Nonis over the summer have had a generally positive effect on the team and are not responsible for their inconsistency.
Here is a report card of how those moves are faring after the first quarter:
Leo Komarov: (free agent, signed for four years, $11.8 Million) – The re-signing of Komarov was welcomed by management and players alike, but the term and salary for the Estonian-born Finn was questioned after scoring just nine points in 2013. The rugged winger is a positive presence in the locker room, provides energy, penalty killing ability and a physical component that the club missed last season and has contributed more offensively with increased ice time. Komarov is tied with Phil Kessel with 12 assists.
Grade: A-
Mike Santorelli: (free agent, signed for one year, $1.5 Million) – Santorelli was one of the few success stories in Vancouver under former coach John Tortorella(registering 10 goals and 18 assists in 49 games) before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury last January. The BC native has been a steady presence and is sixth in team scoring with 10 points(3G, 7A) playing mostly a third-line role.
Grade: B
Daniel Winnik: (free agent, signed for one year, $1.3 Million) – The big-bodied Winnik was signed in late July after spending two seasons in Anaheim and has been a valuable addition, showing the versatility to play both center and wing, kill penalties and move from a more defensive role in the bottom six to a complementary offensive role in the top six filling in for the injured Joffrey Lupul. Winnik has nine points in 19 games and leads all Toronto forwards with a +8.
Grade: B+
Petri Kontiola: (free agent, signed for one year, $1.1 Million) – A roll of the dice that did not pay off. The 30-year-old center was signed by in July after spending five seasons in the KHL and impressive performances for Finland at the Sochi Olympics and in the World Championships, but was clearly a step behind at training camp and did not score a point for the AHL Toronto Marlies after being demoted in late September. Kontiola decided to return to the KHL last week and was waived to terminate his contract, thus clearing a spot on the roster and any cap space he occupied.
Grade: F
David Booth: (free agent, signed for one year, $1.1 Million) – The former 30-goal scorer has not had a chance to make any impact this season after suffering a foot fracture in a pre-season game in Buffalo on September 28. Booth played in a two-game AHL conditioning stint last weekend and is expected to make his Leaf debut on Wednesday in Pittsburgh.
Grade: Incomplete
Stephane Robidas: (free agent, signed for three years, $10 Million) – The 37-year-old veteran blueliner has struggled a bit coming off of two broken legs with Dallas and Anaheim last season, but his addition was more as a steadying presence and aid the Leafs young defenseman as a positive influence. Robidas has been paired mostly with sophomore Morgan Rielly and has three assists in 20 games.
Grade: C+
Leafs trade Jerry D’Amigo to Columbus for Matt Frattin: (signed two years, $1.6 Million) – This is a deal that has not worked out for both sides thus far. D’Amigo did not make the Blue Jackets out of training camp and was not recalled by Columbus when they had a slew of injuries. After posting a career best 20 goals in 51 games with the Marlies and playing 22 games with the Leafs last season, D’Amigo has just three goals in 20 games with the Jackets AHL affiliate in Springfield. Frattin had a forgettable training camp and did not make much of an impression in six games with the Leafs before being sent down last week.
The 26-year-old winger has never been the same since returning from a second knee surgery in March 2013, with two goals in 65 NHL games in Los Angeles, Columbus and Toronto, but scored on Sunday in the Marlies 5-1 loss to Hamilton.
Grade: C
Leafs trade Carl Gunnarsson to St. Louis for Roman Polak: (under contract until 2015-16, $2.75 Million) – A deal made mostly to suit the two club’s needs, Toronto moved the left-handed shooting Gunnarsson (with Jake Gardiner, Morgan Rielly and Dion Phaneuf all lefties) for the right-handed shooting Polak. The 28-year old Czech has been solid defensively, leads the club in hits, excellent clearing the front of the net on penalties and eats minutes(second to Phaneuf in TOI), but will be out for a month with a strained knee ligament. Gunnarsson missed the first seven games of the season for the Blues recovering from offseason hip surgery and has one goal and three assists in 14 games.
Grade: B
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The Leafs skated for a second straight day at the MasterCard Center in Etobicoke, ON before departing for Pittsburgh prior to Wednesday night’s match with Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.
Booth and veteran Joffrey Lupul skated with center Trevor Smith on the Leafs new fourth line, with injured Brandon Kozun and Richard Panik as extra skaters, Head coach Randy Carlyle made some adjustments to the struggling power play, inserting Lupul on the second unit with David Clarkson and moving Peter Holland to the middle in place of Nazem Kadri.
Kadri has not registered a point with the man advantage in 21 games according to the Globe and Mail’s
James Mirtle after being second on the team with 18 points last season.
“I know I have that offensive part of my game,” Kadri said. “I’m just kind of rounding out everything else: the defensive side, the faceoffs. That’s my goal.”
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