Lost in the excitement of signing of free agent John Tavares last summer was the departure of three longtime Toronto Maple Leafs veterans in James van Riemsdyk, Leo Komarov and Tyler Bozak. Van Riemsdyk signed for with the Philadelphia Flyers, Komarov joined Lou Lamoriello on Long Island and Bozak agreed to a five-year deal with the St. Louis Blues.
It is unknown whether van Riemsdyk will be back in time for the Flyers first visit to Scotiabank Arena next month and Komarov’s return in late December will likely get obscured by the narrative of Tavares playing his old team, but recognizing Bozak will be on the minds of the Leafs organization and his former teammates as the Blues take on Toronto on Saturday.
The 60-second preview (more like 90) of tonight's #Leafs - Blues game. These will be a regular feature via my Twitter and Instagram feeds this season. #TMLtalkpic.twitter.com/8EwSM3dd7I
“Bozak was a good player for us, was good on the power play, was smart, good in the faceoff circle, helped our team have success and get to where we are now.” Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said. “We wish him luck every night, expect when he plays us.”
The 32-year-old center played 612 regular season and playoff games in his nine seasons with Toronto and said to a large throng of media that the city has a special place in his heart and that he is looking forward to playing and perhaps getting a dig or two in with some of his longtime friends.
“I have a lot of memories here. I came (to Toronto) as a young guy and I left with a family, so I essentially grew up and became a man here. My son Kanon was born here. There is just a lot of good memories and friendships that I’ll have for the rest of my life.” Bozak said after the morning skate. “(I may chirp) Mitchy a little bit, he’s a little sensitive. (I’ll) try to get him off of his game a little bit, but (the Leafs) are playing so well right now. They’ve got a ton of confidence, I don’t think any little chirps will really deter them too much.”
Babcock is making only one change to the Toronto lineup, inserting Andreas Johnsson in place of Tyler Ennis on the fourth line. Frederik Andersen will make his seventh start and thus far has avoided his October struggles, with a 4-2-0 record, 2.70 GAA and .914 save percentage.
The Blues have been sluggish out of the gate (1-3-2 - last in the Western Conference) after shaking up their roster in the off-season, adding Bozak, David Perron and Patrick Maroon via free agency, trading for veteran center Ryan O’Reilly and adding prospects Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas.
Jake Allen (1-2-2, 3.91 GAA, .877 save percentage) will be between the pipes for the Blues and veteran blueliner Jay Bouwmeester is a healthy scratch for the first time in his NHL career. The 34-year-old former Olympian has one assist and is -4 in six games.
This could be a wake up call for Bouwmeester or the first sign of the pending unrestricted free agent’s (who played for Babcock in Sochi four years ago) impending exit from St. Louis.
The Blues have a history of moving players in the final year of their deals (Kevin Shattenkirk and Paul Stastny), even if they are in the mix for a playoff spot. Depending on how much Bouwmeester has left and how he is playing later in the season, this could be a potential target as an experienced upgrade for the Leafs.
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