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As the start of training camp draws nearer, the chatter regarding expectations for the Toronto Maple Leafs this year and how the additions made during the offseason could improve the club has come more into focus. GM Kyle Dubas received generally positive grades for clearing cap space with the trades of Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson, and signing free agents TJ Brodie, Zach Bogosian, Wayne Simmonds, Jimmy Vesey, and Joe Thornton, but the low prices being spent on players this week has some criticizing Dubas being proactive and paying premium costs in early October.
The Leafs spent $9.1 million to add a top-four blueliner in Brodie on a four-year deal ($5 million AAV), and four players (Bogosian - $1M, Simmonds - $1.5M, Vesey - $900K, and Thornton - $700K) on one-year deals. None were considered extravagant expenditures, but signings like Conor Sheary ($735K with Washington) and Corey Perry ($750K with Montreal) appear to be a better bang for the buck.
The Habs and Toronto were interested in Simmonds in early October, which likely raised the price on the former 30-goal scorer, but the 32-year-old coming off a bad year with New Jersey and Buffalo has a lot to prove and is motivated to play the type of aggressive game that the Leafs need.
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Perry was the backup plan for Toronto for Simmonds after underwhelming with Dallas during the regular season and bouncing back with his usual feistiness and five goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but most believed that the 35-year-old would return to the Stars.
There is no way to determine who will work out better this season, but had the Habs signed Simmonds, it would have likely been for the same amount that he got from Toronto, forcing the Leafs to their Plan B of Perry in October, who likely would have been asking for more than $750,000.
In the case of Brodie, the 30-year-old was the third-highest paid free agent defenseman behind Alex Pietrangelo and Torey Krug, but the former Flame looks to be a much better long-term solution for the Leafs gaping hole on the right side than the still unsigned Sami Vatanen and Travis Hamonic.
Vatanen made just under $5 million last season and is a more offensive-minded defensemen, something Toronto has in ample supply. If the market forces the 29-year-old to take a lower salary this season, it likely means that he will only sign a one-year deal and go on the market again this summer.
Hamonic would likely fill a shutdown defensive role more adequately than Brodie or Vatanen, but there continues to be questions of whether the former Islander is willing to sign anywhere other than Western Canada.
The determination of whether the Leafs spent wisely during the offseason will only come after the season when the results are in. While it is still possible that Dubas could add another player on a professional tryout, Toronto’s roster has been set for two months, while others in the All-Canadian Division are scrounging around the Dollar Store for last-minute bargains.
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