Confirmed with Link: Leafs re-sign Sparks to a 1 year 750k contract

[al secord]

Overpayment

 

[Kiwi]

Good deal

There's literally zero risk for the team with this one

If he comes into camp next year and becomes a creditable backup on the cheap, sweet

If he comes in next season and sucks, sweet, we can bury him in the minors with no cap penalties

I don't know why people aren't happy with this deal

 

[Trapper]

Halak also costs more than 3 times what Sparks does, which isn't an amount the leafs can fit under the cap next year.

It’s the way of the Cap.
You structure your team heavy, you structure your team balanced, you structure it down the middle or focus on D.
Time will tell if we have the money structured accordingly.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Dubas put his personal relationship and loyalty ahead of the team by picking the inferior player and circumventing the process. He did it despite the great relationship that Mcbackup had with babcock and the rest of the team.
I understand that in all other circumstances that it might be prudent to resign the guy if he had won the job fair and square. The problem is that he made the team based on a singular relationship and he turned out to be a non-performer. It looks like Dubas doesn't care about correcting the problem. It is a long way from Jul 1 and there was time to look at other options. On the scale of things, it looks like nepotism over team.

Dubas should be smart enough to see the optics are bad. He is not a good gm

Whether you agree or disagree that is life my friend. But remember this is the backup goalie position we are talking about here. I am like you I liked McBackup better but the GM did not and he is what counts. Trudeau hires his friends ex. Freeland, Ford hired his friends ex. Taverner, and virtually every CEO in public companies do same thing too. The buck stops with the guy in charge as he is one held responsible so he gets to choose his own guys. Again that's life. And if Dubas fails then Shanny will be held accountable to board.

 

[DarkKnight]

Why is it that even when he was Healthy Hutch started over him? Lack of trust. Babs does not trust Sparks he wanted to cut him but Dubas over ruled him

Sparks has shown himself to not be an NHL goalie. Just watching him play should be enough for a average fan to see.

Was weird he was out with a concussion yet was taking shots in the net, that doesn't jive at all.

 

[diceman934]

Was weird he was out with a concussion yet was taking shots in the net, that doesn't jive at all.

It was Babs not wanting to play him in multiple games after we got Hutch.

 

[AllDay28]

It’s the way of the Cap.
You structure your team heavy, you structure your team balanced, you structure it down the middle or focus on D.
Time will tell if we have the money structured accordingly.

ya when I think of Washington, I think of elite centers and defense that propelled them to a title.

 

[AllDay28]

Why is it that even when he was Healthy Hutch started over him? Lack of trust. Babs does not trust Sparks he wanted to cut him but Dubas over ruled him

Sparks has shown himself to not be an NHL goalie. Just watching him play should be enough for a average fan to see.

youve also shown that you cant analyze talent. it happens.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Dubas put his personal relationship and loyalty ahead of the team by picking the inferior player and circumventing the process. He did it despite the great relationship that Mcbackup had with babcock and the rest of the team.
I understand that in all other circumstances that it might be prudent to resign the guy if he had won the job fair and square. The problem is that he made the team based on a singular relationship and he turned out to be a non-performer. It looks like Dubas doesn't care about correcting the problem. It is a long way from Jul 1 and there was time to look at other options. On the scale of things, it looks like nepotism over team.

Dubas should be smart enough to see the optics are bad. He is not a good gm

It takes a real genius to call someone a bad GM for signing a backup goalie to a 1 year deal for close to league minimum

 

[ottomaddox]

So just so we are clear:

This signing is about co$t certainty and not about talent right?

 

[ottomaddox]

So just so we are clear:

This signing is about co$t certainty and not about talent right?

I'd rather be a fan and actually like who we are signing.

 

[Nithoniniel]

Dubas is a joke.

I sincerely hope you are joking.

Damn, the twitter comments are ruthless against Sparks. But he really needs to improve his technique if he wants to go anywhere because right now he’s a mediocre back-up.

He's hitting prime goaltending years now. I think it's unlikely we see substantial improvements in his game.

Something that might change perception is that he's so far had good high danger save percentage, and bad low and mid danger save percentage. That might have changed since I last checked though. But high danger is where you see good goaltenders shine, whereas low danger tends to be much more random. If he hits leave average on mid and low, his numbers suddenly look pretty good.

On the other hand, I feel like his bad save percentage from range comes from bad puck tracking.

the right move was to keep McBackup for a year, then get another veteran goalie (obviously younger than McBackup) after while we either trade for/develop a backup who could be the Future #1 Goalie of this team when Andersen leaves/prices himself out.

I disagree with that. McElhinney looked great, but 19 out of 20 goaltenders that hit career high numbers at that age turns out to be a mirage. Meanwhile, most of Sparks' comparables became good NHL goaltenders.

It was the right bet to do. Obviously it looks bad in hindsight, but good decisions can do that sometimes.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

Moore?

second then.

Confirmed with Link: - Leafs extend Trevor Moore for 2 years 775k AAV

Looks like Dubas gives out two deals:

league minimum or league maximum

 

[Eternal Leaf]

Let's hope Freddy stays healthy.

Otherwise, Tank Commander Garret Sparks will have his eyes set on Lafrenière.

 

[Notsince67]

It takes a real genius to call someone a bad GM for signing a backup goalie to a 1 year deal for close to league minimum

I takes an a-hole to ignore all evidence of his ineptitude including contract negotiations to shape a characterization out of context into a trolling attack.

 

[Daisy Jane]

I disagree with that. McElhinney looked great, but 19 out of 20 goaltenders that hit career high numbers at that age turns out to be a mirage. Meanwhile, most of Sparks' comparables became good NHL goaltenders.

It was the right bet to do. Obviously it looks bad in hindsight, but good decisions can do that sometimes.

no it wasn't. we needed a veteran backup. i don't really care about his age, like if they went to get someone who was younger than Mcbackup, but older than Sparks - then that would have been the way to go. i'm sorry - i don't think having a rookie as our backup when the team clearly is in it to win it, was the best idea, hindsight or otherwise.

 

[Nithoniniel]

no it wasn't. we needed a veteran backup. i don't really care about his age, like if they went to get someone who was younger than Mcbackup, but older than Sparks - then that would have been the way to go. i'm sorry - i don't think having a rookie as our backup when the team clearly is in it to win it, was the best idea, hindsight or otherwise.

Why does age matter over ability?

 

[Notsince67]

Why does age matter over ability?

When you argue that 19 out of 20 goaltenders that hit career high numbers at that age turns out to be a mirage, you kind of begin to define ability because of age. Pot...kettle...black.

 

[ShaneFalco]

This is an issue, really?
Leafs try to promote within rather than signing a journeyman vet and the level of dissatisfaction is off the charts

 

[Mikeyg]

Lmao this is such a joke, you can’t win with losers, its just that simple.

 

[mikeyz]

Leaf fans meltdown in 3...2...

I am honestly convinced that Sparks has pictures on Shanahan and Dubas

He is nowhere near what an NHL calibre goalie should be.

 

[Duke Silver]

how is it a leap? (to be fair i did forget the word, if, which does change the context of what i said).

the only reason why Spark's age matters is if the organization thinks he's to take over Andy.

if that's not the case. then Sparks' accolades and his age shouldn't have mattered, or been any part of the consideration, nor should it have mattered if we lost him on waivers - because we had a very steady backup, who played butt-clenching games for us and stood up tall for the Leafs.

if it is the case - i stand by what i said
if it was simply picking the "younger" goalie -for the sake of picking the younger goalie than it was a stupid decision. someone said it was also to show if you did time w/the marlies you get shown loyalty by going to the leafs,and that shouldn't matter either. sometimes you get passed by. that's sports.

It's a leap that signing Sparks for one year means we see him as the eventual successor to Andersen.

Don't you think if we were grooming him to be the eventual starter behind Andersen that we would have signed him long-term? We need a backup goaltender next year. That's all this is.

The rest of this is tangential stuff I don't have any interest in discussing.

 

[Nithoniniel]

I am honestly convinced that Sparks has pictures on Shanahan and Dubas

He is nowhere near an NHL calibre goalie.

The worst that can happen with this is that Marlies might get back the best goaltender in the AHL.

There's absolutely no reason not to sign this contract.

 

[TheShape]

This is an issue, really?
Leafs try to promote within rather than signing a journeyman vet and the level of dissatisfaction is off the charts

I think people just want him out of the organization altogether cause he really isn’t an NHLer. Even if he’s with the Marlies there’s a chance he features for the Leafs and that terrifies some.

Pretty similar to those who wanted Marincin claimed last year.

 

[ToDavid]

Why is it that even when he was Healthy Hutch started over him? Lack of trust. Babs does not trust Sparks he wanted to cut him but Dubas over ruled him

Sparks has shown himself to not be an NHL goalie. Just watching him play should be enough for a average fan to see.

Huh? Sparks never backed up Hutch. He was injured on January 2nd, the day before Hutch's first start with the Leafs on January 3rd and wasn't medically cleared until January 13th when he returned as the backup in the same game that Andersen returned from injury.