TSN's Bob McKenzie is reporting that the Maple Leafs are on the verge of signing enforcer Colton Orr to a two year contract extension for slightly less than the $1 Million per season.
The 31 year old Orr scored one goal and three assists in 44 games with Toronto, along with 155 penalty minutes and was tied with Tampa Bay’s BJ Crombeen for most fighting majors in the NHL with 13.
Orr saw regular fourth line duty with fellow Winnipeg native Fraser McLaren and an increased role under Leafs coach Randy Carlyle and in spite of many who believe that his place on the roster was a waste of a roster spot, he did provide protection and a deterrent against teams taking liberties with Toronto’s skilled players.
*******
The Pittsburgh Penguins squared away two of the bigger questions of the upcoming off-season in the last 48 hours, signing coach Dan Bylsma and star forward Evgeni Malkin to contract extensions.
Bylsma won the Stanley Cup in 2009 in his rookie year as an NHL bench boss, but his club suffered first round exits in 2011 and 2012 and his job appeared in jeopardy after the favored Pens got swept by Boston in the Eastern Conference Final.
The 26 year old Malkin, who was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2013-14 season, agreed to an 8 year, $76 Million contract extension with a $10 Million signing bonus, giving him an AAV of $9.5 Million per season; $800,000 more than teammate Sidney Crosby.
Although it is slightly surprising that Pens GM Ray Shero was willing to pay Malkin a higher ticket than Crosby, it follows the trend of teams locking up franchise players well before they get to sniff unrestricted free agency. 2014 could be a bumper crop of free agents with names like Thomas Vanek, the Sedin twins, Paul Stastny, Patrice Bergeron and Henrik Lundqvist potentially available, but by the beginning of the regular season, most of those players will be re-signed(like Malkin) or traded for significant assets as Shero did with Jordan Staal last June.
Toronto GM Dave Nonis has the same dilemma as his counterpart in Pittsburgh with Phil Kessel, who at 25 will be the youngest of the free agent class.
Kessel’s value is at a peak right now, finishing in the top 10 of NHL scoring the last two seasons and on the heels of an excellent performance against the Bruins in the playoffs.
The Leafs pursuit of first line center will likely be at the top of the agenda for Nonis and his management team, but the resolution of Kessel and team captain Dion Phaneuf’s contract status must be made before October.
Media reports indicate that Kessel enjoys playing in Toronto and would be open to signing a long term extension, but the price tag could reach into the $7 Million to $8 Million range.
*******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.*******
Hockeybuzz’s John Jaeckel reported this afternoon of a rumor involving the Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The deal would have Toronto moving “two mid level roster players and a package of draft picks for Tampa Bay’s 3rd selection overall and Vincent LeCavalier, who would then be bought out.” That would presumably allow LeCavalier to return to the Lightning for a lesser amount than his current $7.7 Million salary.
While this scenario may seem implausible, HNIC’s Elliotte Friedman reported last week about similar rumors involving the New York Islanders trading goaltender Rick Dipietro and significant assets to another NHL club to buyout Dipietro’s deal.
Former GM Brian Burke did a fine job rebuilding the Leafs prospect infrastructure, but the club is still lacking the building blocks to become a serious Stanley Cup contender. Would it not a smart move for a team with bottomless financial resources to use that advantage to bring in a young player like Jonathan Drouin or Seth Jones, who could be retained for seven or eight years?
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:
»