Whenever I tell anybody about my job they always say the same thing.
"That sounds like a great job, and you get the summers off. That must be awesome."
"It is a wonderful job for sure. I am very lucky," I always say, "but to be honest, the offseason is usually when I am at my busiest."
There is no doubt this is the busy season. Besides covering all the excitement that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I really have to kick in and talk to multiple sources as we head into the Draft and July 1... Both days have become busier than the NHL trade deadline over the last few years. And since I cover the entire league, I am always very aware of the fact that half of you out there don't have a horse in the race anymore...and with each round that number gets even higher.
Add to that the reality that none of the Canadian teams are in the playoffs, and you'll understand why I feel such a pulling to begin rumor coverage now. The first couple years I did this I took some heat from some of the teams saying, "you shouldn't talk rumors until everyone is done playing."
My way around that has been pretty simple. I don't discuss teams who are still playing in any depth when it comes to the off-season, and I won't discuss pending UFA's who are still playing. It's a compromise of sorts which I feel works for everybody... Over the years I have tried many different ways of covering these rumors as the playoffs continue, but I thought I should start here today, since this off-season in probably 75% of the cases runs through a Canadian team.
So all this week I will be asking the question: "How desperate and where are the teams north of the border heading into the Draft and the free-agent signing period and what can be expected?
On Toronto...
Window: Starting to Open. Fan Desperation level: 5 of 10 Fan expectations: 8 of 10 Management changes coming?: 0 of 10 Player Changes coming?: 8 of 10 Fans won't be satisfied unless: They battle for the playoffs.
Thoughts: If you're going to do a report on the state of the Canadian teams you usually either have to start with Toronto or Montréal, and while I would like to add all the other teams to this mix this year...this year really does start with Toronto.
Of all the Canadian teams, the Leafs went in promising the least and played '15-16 as a season to set up these next few months. For Toronto fans, this season was a honeymoon of sorts for the team's new management and coach...as much as you can call a time period where "pain" was promised, "A honeymoon." The new management and new coach bought the Leafs one more year from an already exasperated fanbase.
Heading into the Draft all eyes are on the Lottery...Auston Matthews would be the dream, but the reality is the Leafs were bad enough to guarantee a top 4 pick...all of whom would help them. The Leafs are also going to be very open for business heading into the Draft. Mike Babcock did a good job at getting many of his prospects into the lineup this season. Toronto played more players at the NHL level than any other team...by quite a lot. Most will be available. Kadri, somewhat surprisingly, will not. But don't be shocked if the Leafs also target some pending UFAs and do some serious "acquiring of rights" at the Draft. Lou has a ton of pieces to deal with and it does appear quite a few teams will be looking at losing players for nothing July 1.
Heading into July 1, I am hearing Toronto will be aggressive, but not just with UFA's. I have heard they may target some RFA's not with offer sheets, but they could go to some teams and tell them, "hey you could really lose this guy in the expansion draft next summer if you don't move him now..." I was told the Leafs will mostly be staying away from UFA's 29 and up, but knowing Lou Lamoriello don't be surprised if it isn't quite as obvious as most might be reporting in regards to spending big money on the biggest names. Lou likes deals.
Of course a certain player in Tampa is on their radar...but some of the other names may surprise you...
The Leafs will once again attempt to manage fan expectations, and they may well be able to...as long as they don't draft Auston Matthews and/or sign Stamkos...The second those kinds of players enter the stage you can't just go around talking pain to a fan base that has been WAY more than patient.
That is when things will get interesting again in Toronto. Fans can accept a rebuild to a point...and that patience may be a few lucky pingpong balls away from vanishing... We will discuss the Playoffs and more on today's HockeyBuzzCast Live at 1pm ET