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I’ve got to say, I find it quite interesting that there continues to be such a strong argument being put together for the extension of Dave Bolland.
I suppose I can understand the sentiment in Toronto given how deep the team is at center, but let’s be honest - Should there really be so much discussion around re-signing Bolland for the reported dollar figures($40M x 7-8yrs) which he’s asking?
The biggest problem I have with respect to the discussion is the apparent “impact… to the team which fans have associated with his name, given that he comes from a recent Stanley Cup winning team. What most supportive arguments seem to rely on is the fact that for Bolland’s first 15 games played with the Leafs, the team was 10-5-0 (a 67% winning percentage).
While that stat is impressive on its own, I feel that Leafs Nation needs to stop putting so much weight into these “streaks… which we’ve all seen time and time again. Take for example the winning streak at the beginning of the year.
The team appeared to be solid. They appeared to have worked out their defensive woes by scoring more goals. I should hope that I don’t need to further stress upon the word “appear…, as we all know that great goal-tending and a few streaky scorers masked the Leafs problems.
Back to Bolland.
Has anyone, Carlyle & Nonis especially, really had the chance to make a proper assessment of Bolland’s value to this team in all of the 23 games that he played? While this seems to be a difficult question to answer, his teammates appears to have high regards for his on ice and off ice contributions.
“He can help us in the room, as well as on the ice, and show us what we need to do. (He) also adds an element to our team that we were missing for sure. (Bolland has) big shoes (for others to fill), so it’s nice to have him back.…
Although Tyler Bozak may have had an influence on Phil Kessel’s contract with Toronto, I’m not so sure that management will be listening to anything but Mr. Capspace when it comes to #63. And with that established, the Leafs are bound to find themselves in a tricky and possibly very risky situation with respect to his contract discussions.
On one hand you have someone who has been accredited to be a great team player and is a Stanley Cup winner, while on the other hand you have a guy who was traded immediately following said championship, despite scoring the winning goal. Does this make him an expendable player?
With only 12 players signed into next year, the team will need to heavily focus on their cap constraints as they try and improve upon last season’s record. That said, their cap situation is not nearly as bad as many seem to think. With Darcy Tucker and Colby Armstrong both coming off the books, Toronto has an automatic $2M free to them next year.
Add to the fact that you have Kulemin’s $2.8M, Franson’s $2M, Reimer’s $1.8M, Frattin’s $437K, and Scriven’s $62K contract expiring, the Leafs will have a total of $9M freed up cap space if these players are not extended.
Of that list, I expect that Toronto will extend Franson and replace Reimer with a veteran goaltender. Though I’m not a fan of Cody Franson and feel that he should be let go, I get the impression that the Leafs brass will extend him to a cap friendly contract as he seemingly works well under Randy Carlyle...what ever that means.
What does all this have to do with Bolland? Well, the Leafs will need to decide what type of player David Bolland truly is to the organization. Is he to be considered a part of the core which the team envisions will help take them to the next level, or is he merely a strong complimentary player who they can afford to let walk if they can’t come to terms on a fair contract?
Outside of having to extend Jake Gardiner (if not traded), Bolland is going to be among the priority list for the Leafs this summer and I certainly hope that the man is paid for what he truly brings to the team and not a Clarkson type contract because several others will be knocking on his agents door come free agency.
“Nothing is happening right now,… Thun said. “We exchanged proposals prior to the Olympics and we were significantly apart.…
As mentioned above, Bolland’s agent Anton Thun recently stated that he and the Leafs brass were not on the same page when it came to contract discussions. Given Dave’s short tenure with the team and the team's need to make some big improvements which will require as much cap space as possible, perhaps it may be in their best interest to let Bolland go.
Where do you stand on this player?
Thanks for reading!