Confirmed with Link: Leafs signed Ron Hainsey to a 2 year deal $6 mil ($3 mil AAV)

[Oskar The Groucho]

That if you want to play for a winning organization you better be able to beat the competition.

Why would we want to sign free agents who aren't confident in their abilities to beat our kids for a job anyway?

I agree but you dont sing a 36 year old in the middle of the rebuild. You do that when You are ready to go for a cup. Why take a roster spot away from a younger player just to get a veteran who was meh in the playoffs?

 

[beleaf101]

Talk the talk walk the walk he's got a ring to show the boys. Always like when you add winners. Veteran leadership and do you want to see my ring.

 

[Jack Bauer]

This just tells me management feels Dermott isn't ready. Hainsey is just filling in for when he is ready.

In all reality they think they need 8-9 defencemen if they want to have a deep playoff run and they view Hainsey and Dermott in the 5/6/7 range and think having a veteran in that role to help mentor the youth is as much a positive as his experience should be in tough situation.

Signing Hainsey is to be a positive for Dermott, not a negative as to how they view him.

 

[LeafsFan89]

I asked on the Pitts board. Seems to be a slight improvement over Hunwick.

he's a pretty solid 3rd pairing kind of guy who has bricks for hands.

Good at blocking shots, doesn't add much offense, he is pretty slow.

He ate a lot of minutes for us in the playoffs. He didn't look great doing it but wasn't as bad as a lot of Penguin fans would lead you to believe.

Bad with puck and not the best IQ.

Hainsey is worse than Hunwick.

 

[Brown Dog]

Depth move. Hopefully cheap.

 

[Warden of the North]

Then why sign him if hes just going to get passed by a younger guy? What does that look like to free agents who want to sign here in the future

Depth? Literally every team does this. Every single team.

The guy is in the twilight of his career, he knows what the deal is. He likely signed here because we were the only team offering two years. If he sits in the pressbox he'll take his lumps and do it.

 

[Unhealthy Scratch]

 

[TheCLAM]

This just tells me management feels Dermott isn't ready. Hainsey is just filling in for when he is ready.

He's only played pro hockey for a year - I can't really blame management.

He's not a Nylander level prospect where can jump in after 1 year. He needs a couple years to learn the game and log lots of minutes

 

[FlareKnight]

How is having backup plans a bad thing? Should the Leafs just say "screw it" roll the dice and hope the guys they signed already and Dermott are ready? If they aren't then what? We don't play a bottom pairing next season?

Having a decent bottom pairing option that will force guys to step up to take spots isn't a bad thing. If the guys battling Hainsey for a spot can't take that spot from him then they can keep developing.

 

[Warden of the North]

I agree but you dont sing a 36 year old in the middle of the rebuild. You do that when You are ready to go for a cup. Why take a roster spot away from a younger player just to get a veteran who was meh in the playoffs?

The rebuild is pretty much done. The main pieces are in place. Its go time.

 

[LeafsFan89]

Hainsey is worse than Hunwick.

then there is this

Interesting.

 

[Brown Dog]

Would've rather kept Hunny. I liked his mobility, at least.

 

[Jack Bauer]

Depth? Literally every team does this. Every single team.

The guy is in the twilight of his career, he knows what the deal is. He likely signed here because we were the only team offering two years. If he sits in the pressbox he'll take his lumps and do it.

Yup. Just content to get his last pay day and try and help further along a still very young team. Zero reports of any character issues that I know about. No reason to think he won't replace Hunwick in the dependable defenceman on the bottom pair or in the press box some nights role.

 

[TheCLAM]

He's a LHD Polak without a mean streak

 

[Oskar The Groucho]

I asked on the Pitts board. Seems to be a slight improvement over Hunwick.

That does not sound good at all

 

[firstemperor]

God dammit Lou

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

I agree but you dont sing a 36 year old in the middle of the rebuild. You do that when You are ready to go for a cup. Why take a roster spot away from a younger player just to get a veteran who was meh in the playoffs?

Competition. We can't just hand the spot to Dermott or whoever. They need to earn it. If Travis can beat out Hainsey for a spot then the Leafs can just bury him in the minors and have Dermott play on the Leafs. Assuming of course doesn't have a NMC which by God he shouldn't.

The dude is 36 anyway, he should know he's on his last legs and just won a Cup. He shouldn't feel any animosity if he's passed by a younger guy. If he were 10 years younger then he could be justified in just being a stop gap and other free agents could take a minor note. In this situation however it won't a deal breaker for future free agents.

 

[Warden of the North]

That does not sound good at all

Hes a bottom pairing dman, what are you expecting?

Bottom pairing dmen are bottom pairing dmen for a reason, its because none of them are very good.

 

[Zonk]

I agree but you dont sing a 36 year old in the middle of the rebuild. You do that when You are ready to go for a cup. Why take a roster spot away from a younger player just to get a veteran who was meh in the playoffs?

Which playoffs were you watching?

Hainsey had the second highest TOI of any Penguin.

 

[McMatthews]

 

[LeafsFan89]

That does not sound good at all

There were many other comments that were positive after I posted.

 

[Warden of the North]

He just played a regular role on the Stanley Cup Champions but somehow isnt good enough to play for us (according to some here).

 

[pylon17]

I remember when he was drafted by SJ. Initially he didn't live up to expectations, but eventually he became a very solid stay-at-home D and was a good top-4 D for like 15 years. If it's for 1.5, what's not to like? He probably gets buried next year.

 

[firstemperor]

If it's for 1.5, what's not to like? He probably gets buried next year.

At 1.5M, it would be good. Anything north of 3M would be bad. 2 years is not enough to handcuff you but I'm not a fan of handing out bad deals regardless.

 

[Pyrophorus]

Would've rather kept Hunny. I liked his mobility, at least.

Hainsey is a bit better, and its time to move on from Hunlak.