GRADING THE 11 CONTRACTS THE LEAFS HAVE SIGNED IN FREE AGENCY SO FAR
The Leafs have signed 11 players either to contracts or extensions during the free agency window up to this point. In that short window, they have made some drastic changes to the makeup of their backend and solidified their crease while also retaining a few key pieces for the next few years.
Their work is far from done as they have a few RFAs to attend to and some trades could be on the way to free up some wiggle room, but Brad Treliving has certainly gotten the bulk of his offseason work completed within a week.
As the dust settles and we await any further transactions to come, let’s take the opportunity to hand out early grades to all of the deals that the Leafs have signed so far.
Joseph Woll (3X$3.66M): A-
The first contract that the Leafs got done was for Joseph Woll, with reports of it being signed dropping a week before the terms became official. It certainly comes with some risks because of his track record of being injury prone but it is a smart bet for the Leafs to make because of his upside.
Woll cemented himself as the goalie of the now and future when he came out of the gates last season red-hot before a high-ankle sprain derailed the campaign. It took him some time to regain the momentum which came back in time for him to help claw the Leafs out of the 3-1 series deficit to force a Game 7. Had he not gotten hurt on the last play of the game, who knows how different things turn out for the team against the Bruins.
Woll’s extension that will kick in for the 2025-26 season is comparable to what Jake Oettinger got from the Stars and he has more than exceeded the value of his deal as he is now due for an extension. It is clear that this is what both parties hope to replicate with this deal, and as long as he can remain healthy more consistently he will have a good shot of doing just that.
Max Domi (4X$3.75M): A
This is a fantastic contract that is fair value for both parties as they each get what they want out of it. Max Domi gets the security he has been looking for while getting to play with his favourite team while the Leafs lock down a key piece at a reasonable cap hit that should age well.
He gets a $750K raise from what he was signed to last season on the one-year deal so the change is not very drastic and one that Treliving can live with. It allows them to keep a player who has embraced all that comes with being a Leaf and has found immediate on-ice chemistry with Auston Matthews on the top line.
Tyler Bertuzzi signed to the $5.5 million cap hit spread over four seasons with the Blackhawks and knowing how inconsistent he was in his lone season in Toronto, the Leafs made the right call in prioritizing Domi’s extension instead. Although he has his warts, it is hard to complain about this contract.
Timothy Liljegren (2X$3M): C+
I will admit that I was initially befuddled by the team’s decision to re-sign Timothy Liljegren after many signs were pointing to the two sides heading for a split. After all, this is a player who has left fans frustrated because he has yet to fully blossom into a top-four defenceman and was a frequent healthy scratch in the playoffs.
While those things continue to be true, the Leafs also recognize that RHD are a rare commodity and it is in their best interest to continue to have faith in the player who always wants to stay in Toronto. Plus there were signs last season that he was finally going to realize his potential before a high-ankle sprain sapped all the momentum away. It took him a while to get back into somewhat of a groove, but perhaps an offseason of recovery can help heal that ankle and get him fully ready for next season.
The contract is currently a bit steep as he got a $1.6 million raise, though it could have been much higher had Liljegren elected for arbitration. How this contract ages all depends on how he does over these next two years and it can go either way. We shall see how things shake out but for now, it is an average grade.
Chris Tanev (6X$4.5M): B-
The slightly above-average grade has nothing to do with the player because Chris Tanev is exactly what the Leafs needed on their blueline. The fact that they spent some assets to get a head start on negotiating with him speaks to how much they wanted his services and how they were able to get a deal done before noon on Monday.
He comes in at a reasonable cap hit for the short-term future given the type of player that he is. Having a guy who effectively shut down Jack Eichel and Nathan MacKinnon in the playoffs this spring will do wonders for Toronto’s defensive game. The concerns lie in his injury history and the fact he is going to turn 35 partway through the first season of his deal, and it is fair to wonder how it is looked upon in the latter half.
It is entirely possible that Tanev ages like fine wine and can maintain a high value for the vast majority of the six years under contract. There is also a good chance he does not finish this deal while donning the Blue and White given all the risks that come with such a big commitment. This won’t be a well-loved contract, but it could have been a lot more steep had they gone short-term instead so it is one that Treliving can live with.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson (4X$3.5M): B
He may not be the sexy addition that Matt Roy or Nikita Zadorov could have been, but Oliver Ekman-Larsson does help out the Leafs in a lot of ways. It is a contract that seems like it is steep given the reputation he had upon his exit from the Canucks but it looks better than it does at first glance.
One reason for their playoff loss this spring was due to not having enough defencemen that can move the puck as well as an anemic power play that has longed for a point shot from the back end other than Matthews. OEL will help out in both of those departments while also having the bonus of having just won the Stanley Cup with the Panthers. He should be easily able to be put in a scenario that better suits his strengths and comes at a cap hit that is fair for where he is in his career.
OEL spoke with reporters in the wake of his signing and talked about how he felt he got his game back on track last season which bodes well as he begins his Leafs tenure knowing he arrives with plenty of confidence. There will no doubt be moments where he makes a boneheaded play that leaves the fans frustrated but he will otherwise provide good value over the next four years.
Anthony Stolarz (2X$2.5M): A
As far as the new additions are concerned, Anthony Stolarz has arguably the best deal of the lot in terms of value. He may not be the big-name goalie that many were hoping the Leafs could get their hands on but the team will have no complaints about getting a solid netminder who has consistently posted good numbers wherever he has gone.
There are certainly risks when it comes to committing to a goalie tandem that has appeared in a combined 147 games between him and Woll, especially since Stolarz has never really been a starter in his NHL career so far. But he is still fairly young by goalie standards and those players tend to stick around for longer so there is a case to be made that he has another gear in him. And while they had the option of Laurent Brossoit, he ended up signing for more money in Chicago which makes Stolarz’s contract look even more reasonable.
He comes to Toronto with a lot of confidence, which makes sense given he is fresh off winning the Stanley Cup. After spending years being mentored by some of the better goalies of this era Sergei Bobrovsky and John Gibson, perhaps Stolarz could end up being the hidden gem of this free-agent glass when it’s all said and done.
Matt Murray (1X$875K): B+
This is the classic definition of a low-risk-high-reward signing. It may seem puzzling at first for the Leafs to decide to bring back Matt Murray who did not play last season after a bilateral hip surgery kept him on the shelf for months but there is reason to believe that him being the third-stringer could help get his career back on track.
When he was healthy during the 2022-23 season, Murray posted decent numbers and had some strong starts along the way. The issue has been a lengthy list of ailments that have kept him on the shelf for long periods, which results in him taking time to regain the momentum as was evident by his three-game stint with the Marlies in April.
Murray being part of the tandem with Woll and Stolarz is not as crazy as it may seem and perhaps it is the ticket he needs to help extend his career. And if it doesn’t work out, then he can be sent down to the AHL and clear the path for Dennis Hildeby to take over.
Jani Hakanpaa (2X$1.5M): D+
You may think to yourself: why is a contract with a cheap cap hit of $1.5 million a season with a grade this low? After all, Jani Hakanpaa is a big defenceman who can kill penalties, throw hits, and is very effective in his own end. So this has all the makings of a worthy addition to the back end, right?
Well at the time of writing, the deal has not been made official because of concerns regarding his knees with reports that his career could be in jeopardy. In fairness, the Leafs reportedly got the approval of their medical team to pursue the towering Finnish defenceman so they must have a better idea of his availability for next season and this process of waiting on it becoming official is doing their due diligence.
Should this deal be fully completed and clarity given on Hakanpaa’s status come back positively, then this contract would have likely gotten a grade of a “B+”. As it stands right now, however, I have to take the injury concerns into account and grade this one more harshly.
Dakota Mermis (1X$775K), Philippe Myers(1X$775K), and Cedric Pare (1X$775K): C+
These last three players were grouped into one category because it is clear that Dakota Mermis, Philippe Myers, and Cedric Pare are all bound for the Marlies to start this season. All three players certainly won’t set the league on fire but never hurts to add extra depth just in case it is needed.
Mermis and Myers both played in the NHL last season and their arrivals help replace the voids left behind by Max Lajoie and William Lagesson. Mermis appeared in 47 games where he picked up eight points (three goals and five assists), so there is a good chance he is the first player called up in the event the Leafs run into injuries on their backend. Myers got to play in five games last season but also has 158 games under his belt which, combined with his large size, being an RHD, and at age 27 makes an intriguing player to keep an eye on. Pare has yet to make it to the NHL but is a big centre who is still fairly young and is coming off a decent season with the Colorado Eagles with 35 points (14 goals and 21 assists) in 61 AHL games. The chances of him cracking the roster out of camp are slim but perhaps the idea of him filling in on the fourth line in the pinch is not out of the question.
All three players are not needle movers but it is never a bad thing to have extra depth. Hence why they get the average grade here.
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2024-07-05T12:36:17Z dg43tfdfdgfd