Stanley Cup winner and Olympic champion blueliner Dan Boyle will make a decision on whether he will negotiate with the New York Islanders, who obtained his rights from San Jose last week, but TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the veteran defenseman wants to play elsewhere and that the Toronto Maple Leafs are high on his list.
Leafs GM Dave Nonis wants to add a steadying veteran presence to a defense corps that has youngsters Jake Gardiner, Morgan Rielly and may include rookie Petter Granberg next season and as a potential stop gap if the club decides to trade team captain Dion Phaneuf over the summer.
The 37-year-old Boyle scored 12 goals and 24 assists in 75 games with the Sharks last season.
Dreger indicates that Boyle is looking for a two-year contract, but might be looking for more money than the Leafs are willing to spend. Boyle made $6.67 Million last season in San Jose and might be looking for a deal making between $4-5 Million per season, which would indicate that Toronto will have to clear out a defenseman making significant money to accommodate Boyle’s salary demands.
Carl Gunnarsson has two years remaining on a three-year contract extension signed last summer, but the stay-at-home Swede led the Leafs with a +12 plus/minus and is making just over $3 Million per season. Veteran Tim Gleason was acquired by the Leafs on January 1 in exchange for John-Michael Liles and is scheduled to make $4 Million until the 2015-16 season.
The Leafs could exercise the buyout option with Gleason if they believe their money will be better spent elsewhere, but the 31-year-old is far from over-the-hill and provides physicality and shot-blocking ability that not many on the club display.
Rumors and Tidbits
Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports via a conversation with Leafs GM Dave Nonis that it is not likely that forward Leo Komarov will return based on his salary demands. Komarov made just over $1 Million with the Leafs in 2013 and is looking to return to the NHL after playing with Dynamo Moscow last season.
Although Nonis would not shut the door completely on the feisty and popular Finn returning to Toronto, it would have to be at a figure that made sense. Komarov is looking to make more than $2 Million per season.
According to a report from The Washington Post’s Alex Prewitt , the Capitals are in discussions with former Leaf Mikhail Grabovski on a new contract and mentions that pending Leafs free agent Nikolai Kulemin may be destined to join his old linemate in the US Capital.
Kulemin will attend an off-season workout camp in Southern California along with Grabovski in early July, according to agent Gary Greenstin and would like to play together as they did in Toronto, but it is not a package deal, similar to free agents Ryan Suter and Zach Parise in Minnesota.
“Everything is possible, but we’re not talking about package deal,… Greenstin said. “I cannot discuss, but right now who knows what’s happening on July 1. I’m positive both will be playing in NHL. They have absolute great chemistry together. But we’ll see what’s happening.…
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact… button at the top of the page.*******
For Those on Twitter: Follow @mikeinbuffalo
KINDLE USERS: Please sign up for Maple Leafs Buzz, which includes a free-of-charge 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month afterwards. For more information click here.