The Toronto Maple Leafs had a great season as they surprised many by making the playoffs for the first time in nine years. Not only that, but they took the Boston Bruins to seven games in the first round. So with that, it’s time to move on and focus on the off-season as the Leafs will have the opportunity to gain more cap space by using one or both of their compliance buyouts. The two buyouts don’t count towards the team’s cap, so here are three players I think the Maple Leafs should consider buying out this summer.

1) Mike Komisarek 

The first player on my list to be bought out this summer is Mike Komisarek. By the start of the 2013-14 season, I’m confident Komisarek will not be with the team. He currently carries a $4.5 million dollar contract and in fact he isn’t even playing with the Leafs as he’s been down with the Toronto Marlies (AHL) for much of the 2013 season. Many fans have waited for the team to buyout Komisarek’s contract for a few years now, and with the amnesty in effect, I’m sure fans will see their wish come true this summer.

2) Mikhail Grabovski

The next player to look at is Mikhail Grabovski. The 29-year-old signed a five-year extension worth, $27.5 million dollars in March, 2012 and since the extension, he hasn’t been worth the $5.5 a season. Grabovski was put on the third line behind Tyler Bozak and Nazem Kadri during the regular season only registering 16 points in 48 games played. Grabovski is the highest paid forward on the Leafs, and let’s be honest – he really shouldn’t be. After next season, the Leafs will look to resign Phil Kessel, and with Grabovski still around, signing the speedy American  could be harder to do as he’ll look for $7 million dollars per year.

3) John-Michael Liles

That brings us to John-Michael Liles. The 32-year-old signed a four-year, $15.5 million dollar contract extension in January, 2012 and he really hasn’t been worth the money. During the regular season, Liles would often sit in the press box as a healthy scratch as Korbinian Holzer, Mark Fraser or Mike Kostka played. During the playoffs vs. Boston, Liles played in only four of the seven games as Kostka and Fraser both became injured.

Final Say

Maple Leafs, General Manager, Dave Nonis will have to decide which two players he’ll buyout this summer, but one thing is certain - it shouldn’t be that difficult to decide.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter here: @Dale_Lamontagne

The Toronto Maple Leafs will begin their playoff journey tonight for the first time since 2004, as they visit TD Garden to take on the Boston Bruins for the 14th time in league history. Toronto begins the series on the road for two games (Wednesday & Saturday) and will be back home for Monday and Wednesday. 

The Bruins enter the post-season having lost seven of their last nine games, while the Maple Leafs have lost four of their last six.

Toronto’s last game vs. Montreal wasn’t their best, as they had a sluggish performance and lost 4-1, in front of a sold out Air Canada Centre. 

The Bruins last game also resulted in a loss, as they fell 4-2 against the visiting Ottawa Senators on Sunday. If Boston had won that game, we wouldn’t be discussing the Bruins right now, as Toronto would have played Montreal in the first round. 

With the Maple Leafs-Bruins rivalry fired up, tonight’s game and series should be a dandy, and to get you ready for that, I’ve put together another series of notes and such below. 

Toronto vs. Boston , Game 1 Notes:

• Colton Orr finished the season leading the league in penalty minutes with 155 in 44 games played. The last Maple Leaf to finish the season and lead the league in penalty minutes was Tiger Williams when he recorded 298 penalty minutes during the 1978-79 season. 
• Frazer McLaren finished the regular season eighth in the NHL with 102 penalty minutes. The last time the Maple Leafs have two players in the top 10 for penalty minutes, was Wade Belak (4th – 196 penalty minutes) and Tie Domi (9th – 171 penalty minutes).
• The Maple Leafs penalty kill was the second best in the NHL as they went 112-for-122 (91.8%) over the last 36 games (Feb. 7-Apr. 27) of the season, which included a stretch of seven games without allowing a power play goal (Mar. 30-Apr. 15)

• After 48 games played, the Maple Leafs lead the league in Hits (1626), Blocked Shots (826) and Fighting Majors (44).
• James Reimer finished the season sixth in the NHL with 4 shutouts, and tied for seventh in save percentage  (.924) in 33 games. With Reimer’s .924 mark, he has the highest in a single season by an eligible Maple Leafs goaltender since the NHL began recording the stat in 1983-84. 
• Maple Leafs all-time record vs. Boston: 264-279-98-8. While playing at home: 166-106-51-2. While playing on the road: 98-173-47-6
• 2012-13 overall record vs. Boston: 1-2-1. While playing at home: 1-1-0. While playing on the road: 0-1-1
• Nazem Kadri (2 goals, 1 assist) and Mikhail Grabovski (1 goal, 2 assists) led the Maple Leafs in scoring against the Bruins with three points in four games during the regular season. 
• Phil Kessel played 222 games with Boston over three seasons (2006-07 to 2008-09). 
• Phil Kessel finished the season with 57 points (Ranked 8th), while Tyler Seguin finished with 32 (Ranked 66th ).
• Boston won three of the four games between the two clubs this season. But even though the Bruins came out on top three times this year, each game was close.
• James Reimer is expected to start for the Maple Leafs, while Tuukka Rask will start for the Bruins. 

You can catch tonight’s game on CBC at 7:00 PM EST. 

Feel free to follow me on twitter at @Dale_Lamontagne