The worst contract he negotiated was the
Jonathan Bernier extension, and in the end that just cost Rogers and Bell some money to get out of.
Patrick Marleau is the highest paid player on the Leafs, and at least he plays hockey, unlike number two, who is
Nathan Horton, aka the ghost of GMs past.
That's damning with faint praise.
But the Leafs, overflowing with players, about to be at 50 SPCs and needing to make trades (not an ideal state for getting good deals), are still an unformed thing. They have 12 skaters signed for the 2018-2019 season. They have a host of pending UFAs and RFAs and $30 million in cap space, and the only one of those players who must get a contract is
William Nylander.
The Leafs can take any direction after this year, become any type of team, add any sort of player, re-sign their UFAs or turn them into someone else entirely. They can trade some of those 12, sign their minor-league RFAs or wave goodbye. They can look for free agents or promote their own prospects.
They've got a 1C and a 2C. They've got two hot wingers and a pair of defenders locked up to term. They've got a starting goalie.
As a build your own NHL team starter kit, that's not bad.
Get back to me when he's done something beyond shore up the foundation. Because so far, the Leafs are that starter kit fleshed out with temps or cheap players like Hyman. And since I argued back in June that, given the general situation in the league, the smart play was to just sit and wait, I can hardly complain that they've done that.
The foundation looks good to me. It’s not quite how I would build it, and the temp staff manning the front counter are not what I want to see, but so far, so good. Next year, I might have a firmer opinion.
