The Maple Leafs are not in as favorable a position to spend money on unrestricted free agents as they were before signing David Clarkson and re-signing Tyler Bozak last July, but Team President Brendan Shanahan and GM Dave Nonis have stated in recent days that bolstering the club’s troublesome blueline is at the top of their to-do list this summer.
There will be changes, Cody Franson and Jake Gardiner are restricted free agents and could be on the move, veteran Paul Ranger is not expected to return and rumors of the club shopping team captain Dion Phaneuf have been denied but won’t go away.
Franson is likely not going to make the same mistake as last summer and will accept salary arbitration, giving him another chance to prove that his breakout 2013 season was not a fluke. Gardiner will hope to get a long term deal from the Leafs, but Nonis will take the same approach as he did with Nazem Kadri after the completion of his entry-level deal last summer and try to get the young blueliner signed to a two or three-year bridge deal.
On Thursday, San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson announced that his club will not re-sign veteran blueliner Dan Boyle, choosing instead to move Brent Burns from forward back to defense. The 37-year-old has an impressive resume with a Stanley Cup win with Tampa Bay in 2004 and an Olympic gold medal from Vancouver four years ago, but his 14 NHL seasons have taken their toll.
Indications are that Toronto would like to add a veteran blueliner, perhaps someone over 35 that can be brought to provide stability and experience and would accept less term and money than top free agents Matt Niskanen or Tom Gilbert and speculation percolated immediately after Wilson's announcement that Toronto could be a possible destination.
Boyle made $6.67 Million in the last year of a six-year contract with the Sharks and will need to take significantly less to continue his career, but with the lack of viable options this summer, he could still get between $4-5 Million per season on a short term deal.
While his pedigree is undeniable, adding another defenseman whose talent lies more in the offensive zone and on the power play does not make sense unless the Leafs trade Phaneuf and need to find the top pairing void short term until young Morgan Rielly grows into the role.
Veterans that fit better with the current construct of the Leafs blueline would be 37-year-old Stephane Robidas, a solid, right hand shot stay-at-home defenseman with 15 years NHL experience who could be signed for a more reasonable salary after an injury-plagued 2013-14 season or 33-year-old Brooks Orpik, who continues to be a hard hitting, defensively sound blueliner which would complement for a young puck rusher like Gardiner or Rielly.
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The Toronto Marlies look for their seventh straight playoff win against the Chicago Wolves in Game 4 of the Calder Cup Western Conference Semi-Final Friday night. Toronto took a commanding 3-0 series lead with a 4-3 overtime victory at Ricoh Coliseum on Wednesday night, as Jerry D’Amigo scored the winning goal 3:28 into overtime. D’Amigo leads the AHL in playoff scoring with 11 points.
One potential lineup change for Toronto may be necessitated due to injury, as defenseman Andrew MacWilliam suffered an upper body injury during the second period and did not return. Veteran Kevin Marshall will likely step in if MacWilliam cannot go.
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Listen to my interview with former Leafs Assistant GM and player agent Bill Watters, as we discuss the hiring of former client Brendan Shanahan as Team President, the retention of Randy Carlyle and the Dion Phaneuf trade speculation.
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