The normal end-of-the-season report card clearly would not provide anything revelatory about the Toronto Maple Leafs, as most of the players would barely pass or earn failing grades for a club’s dismal performance. The year saw the Leafs go 30-44-8, finish 27th overall and dismiss General Manager Dave Nonis, head coaches Randy Carlyle and Peter Horachek, the entire coaching staff and most of the scouts.
What is to be determined in the next few months is whether those who comprise Toronto’s 2014-15 roster will survive the coming teardown and be a part of the rebuild or will be moving on to other NHL clubs. Over the next few days, we’ll take a look at the Leafs position-by-position and gauge the likelihood of each player’s future.
The Wingers – Part I
Phil Kessel – 2014-15 Stats : GP-82, G-25, A-36, PTS-61, +/- -34, PIM-30
Salary - $ 8 Million
Contract Status – Signed through 2021-22
Talent is not the problem with Phil Kessel, his situation with the Leafs has more to do with the type of player he is, the salary he makes and the role he has been asked to serve at this stage of his career.
The 27 year old is one of the league's most skilled and consistent scorers, with 4 seasons of 30 goals or more and three straight years finishing in the top 10 of NHL scoring. Things have not worked with Kessel in terms of becoming a more complete, two-way player. Three different head coaches have tried to get the winger to buy in to a more defensive concept with little or no success.
Toronto faced a difficult situation with Kessel becoming an unrestricted free agent and chose to lock him up with an eight-year, $64 Million contract extension that kicked last season.
The Leafs expectations were that the Wisconsin native would buy into taking on more of a leadership stake or become more of a role model to younger players, but that could not have been farther from what they got from Kessel.
Comments at training camp about barely skating last summer, balking at being moved to the opposite wing, being part of the “Salute-gate… PR nightmare, not being accountable after the dismissal of Carlyle and a complete inability to deal with media are signs that Kessel is just not a good fit in Toronto, especially in the wake of Team President Brendan Shanahan saying that players who don’t appear to enjoy playing in Toronto have to adjust their outlook.
That fact does not mean that the Leafs will be moving Kessel for the sake of moving him or will take less than he is worth. His prowess at scoring goals is a very valuable commodity and the Leafs should not have a problem finding a home for a top line winger just entering the prime production years of his career.
Remains with the Leafs – 0%, Trade – 100%
Richard Panik – 2014-15 Stats : GP-76, G-11, A-6, PTS-17, +/- -8, PIM-49
Salary - $735,000(Two-way)
Contract Status – Restricted free agent
Claimed off of waivers from Tampa Bay in October, the big Slovak winger used his size effectively and showed a bit of timely scoring ability(11 goals) as a bottom six winger early in the season, but after the trades of Daniel Winnik and Mike Santorelli was thrust into a top six role that he is ill suited for.
The 24-year-old is a restricted free agent this summer and likely can be signed to a one or two-year one-way deal for around $1 Million and could grow into an effective and useful depth player with more playing time.
Re-signs and remains with the Leafs – 95%, Trade or not qualified – 5%
David Booth – 2014-15 Stats : GP-59, G-7, A-6, PTS-13, +/- -8, PIM-25
Salary - $1.1 Million
Contract Status – Unrestricted Free Agent
While the signings of Winnik and Santorelli were considered successes, not only for their performance in Toronto but for what they got back in trades, Booth was a significant disappointment. The veteran missed the first two months due to a preseason foot injury and scored only one goal in 31 games prior to the trade deadline, but then found his scoring touch and tallied six goals in the final 18 games with increased ice time.
The 30- year-old winger expressed an interest in re-signing with Toronto at the end of the season and that is possible if he accepts a one-year deal at low money, which could be attractive to a contending team at the trade deadline next March.
Re-signs and remains with the Leafs – 50%, Signs with other NHL Team – 50%
Joakim Lindstrom – 2014-15 Stats – GP-19, G-1, A-3, PTS-4, +/- -7, PIM-4
Salary - $700,000
Contract Status – Unrestricted Free Agent
Lindstrom was part of the return in the deal that sent Olli Jokinen to St. Louis at the trade deadline. The versatile forward has played in the AHL, SHL, KHL and for five NHL teams in his 15-year professional career and could be re-signed as a roster filler by Toronto next season, but it is likely with a youth movement afoot with the Leafs that the veteran Swede will be headed elsewhere.
Re-signs and remains with the Leafs – 15%, Signs with other NHL/KHL/SHL Team – 85%
Edit: Lindstrom signed with CSKA Saint Petersburg on May 1st.
Zach Sill- 2014-15 Stats : GP-21, G-0, A-1, PTS-1, +/- -2, PIM-24
Salary - $550,000(Two-way)
Contract Status – Unrestricted Free Agent
The 26-year-old native of Nova Scotia was part of the return from Pittsburgh for Daniel Winnik and provided some energy and feistiness in fourth line duty for the Leafs. Sill is not afraid to drop the gloves and be an irritant to the other team, which may be a quality that Toronto may want to retain and can for a very low price.
Re-signs and remains with the Leafs – 75%, Signs with other NHL Team – 25%
Josh Leivo – 2014-15 Stats : GP-9, G-1, A-0, PTS-1, +/- -1, PIM-4
Salary - $842,500(Two-way)
Contract Status – Restricted Free Agent
After a 23-goal rookie season with the Marlies last season, the 21-year-old Leivo took a slight step backwards as a sophomore with just 11 goals in 51 games in the AHL this year, but played well (6 points in 5 games) in their first round loss to Grand Rapids.
Leivo has the size, speed and skill to play in the NHL and opened eyes at training camp last September, but was given mostly bottom-six ice time before being sent down. With a significant roster turnover expected with the Leafs, the Innisfil, ON native should get a lengthy opportunity to show his stuff at the ACC next season.
Re-signs and plays/remains with the Leafs – 85%, Re-signs and plays in the AHL or Traded – 15%
Tomorrow – The Wingers – Part II
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