Toronto Maple Leafs: Monday Morning Leaf Points

Leafs Nation are a passionate bunch! We wear our hearts on our sleeves and aren’t afraid to fight to make a point so it’s always an exciting time when a new trade rumor, free agent signing, or other Toronto Maple Leafs news hits the web. Every Monday morning, I’ll break down what’s “in the news” and give you my perspective. You know what they say about opinions. This is…

MONDAY MORNING LEAF POINTS…

ON THE PHIL KESSEL TRADE…

Leaf President Brendan Shanahan was adamant at the draft that, although the Toronto Maple Leafs would be active on July 1, they wouldn’t be stealing any headlines with the players they chose to sign. He obviously didn’t mean that he wouldn’t be stealing the show though! There was a lot of activity on Free Agency day but no news was bigger than Phil Kessel being moved to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Shanahan was blunt and to the point about the trade.

“This is really about a recognition on our part that the group we assembled here wasn’t good enough,” Shanahan told the Toronto Star. “We are here to build a team that is capable of winning a Stanley Cup. There are no shortcuts. We’ve created a lot of cap space to give us flexibility going forward. It’s our job to turn picks into prospects and prospects into productive Leafs. That will take time.” (Toronto Star)

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Just a day before the trade, I had written an article here at Editor In Leaf that detailed why I felt that Phil had to go. I still stand by that opinion and that will never change. What I didn’t do was make fun of the guy with the typical fat jokes that run rampant on the web on a daily basis. I also most certainly didn’t make up a story to sell more newspapers. On Thursday, the talk of the town was an article written by a controversial writer for a Toronto daily.

I will spare you the details of what was written but will say that the opening paragraph was a classless piece of “journalism” that seemed more about a personal attack on Kessel than fact. I will give credit where credit was due; the rest of the content was very reminiscent of my own piece from days earlier detailing the reasons why Phil’s time was up in Toronto. Unfortunately, the writer chose to go the “supermarket tabloid” route and damage his already tainted reputation.

Enjoy this touching farewell to number 81 from the Tim and Sid show on Sportsnet.

Though I believe that the next phase of the Toronto rebuild had to be minus Phil Kessel, I wish him well with the Penguins. Please take your job as a professional athlete seriously. Get yourself into top physical shape and show everybody in the hockey world just how awesome you can be. Here in Toronto, we already know.

ON THE RETURN…

Kasperi Kapanen is the key piece of this deal obviously. The son of former NHLer Sami Kapanen, Kasperi was the Penguins’ 1st-round pick (22nd overall) in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. The reaction of Toronto Maple Leafs fans was quick and to the point. Most weren’t happy. How could we trade our best player and not receive Pittsburgh’s top prospect in return. These same fans probably gush over our prized prospect, young William Nylander.

And why wouldn’t you? Nylander is a great prospect and it’s looking like he is going to have a great NHL future. Well, a quick look at the 2014 Draft Prospects list at nhl.com shows Nylander as the number 2 rated European skater heading into last year’s draft. Number 1- Kaspari Kapanen. Here are what some said about Kapanen heading into that draft…

“He is a dynamic offensive player … a very good skater with a blistering first few steps and an above-average top gear. He sees the ice at a high-end level, and regularly makes all kinds of impressive passes. His ability to generate through his own skills and to set up others is what puts him here. Kapanen also has a good shot, and works hard in battles. He needs to work on his defense, and is undersized (6-0, 181 pounds) but is pretty strong.- Cory Pronman” (ESPN)

An excellent skater… a very good two-way player… and versatility comes to mind when you think of Kasperi. He can play left-wing, right-wing… he plays offense, defense… he’s a difference-maker. Kasperi is capable of playing in all situations. What separates him from others is his ability to make critical plays that help the team win. He can do it in all areas of the game.– Craig Button TSN

Relax people; the Leafs just added a very good NHL prospect in this trade. That fact doesn’t change because his name isn’t Derrick Pouliot. Check out the highlight video below. This guy has talent.

The Leafs also received defenceman Scott Harrington and forward Nick Spaling in the deal. the 22-year old Harrington was the Pens’ second-round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and played on Canada’s entries in the 2012 and 2013 World Junior Hockey Championships. He also spent 4 seasons with the OHL’s London Knights which probably played a big part in him being part of this trade.

ON Toronto Maple Leafs FREE AGENT SIGNINGS…

The Toronto Maple Leafs made quite the splash, signing four players to low money contracts with minimum term.

P.A Parenteau- F- 6’0- 193- Parenteau signed a 1-year $1.5 million deal hoping to get a chance to revive his fledgling career with a rebuilding Leaf team. The 32-year old had just 8 goals and 22 points with Montreal last season and was bought out by the Canadiens last Monday. Parenteau has shown an offensive presence in the past and may find his way into the Leafs’ top 6 if he can regain that form.

Matt Hunwick- D- 5’11- 190- The 30-year old was signed to a 2-year contract worth 1.2 million per season after playing 55 games with the New York Rangers last season. Hunwick has played 347 NHL games with the Bruins, Avalanche, and Rangers. He was a +17 in New York last season and should be a nice fit as a 5 or 6 guy on the Leafs defence next year.

Marc Arcobello- F- 5’9- 165- Marc “Suitcase” Arcobello joins the Leafs on a 1-year contract after playing 77 games with Edmonton, Nashville, Pittsburgh, and Arizona. The 26-year old forward is small but showed a nose for the net with 17 goals last season and should be a useful player for Babcock.

Daniel Winnik- F- 6’2- 210- Winnik returns to the Leafs on a 2-year deal after spending the last 21 games of last season, and 5 playoff games, with the Penguins. In his short stint in Toronto, he developed the reputation for being a gritty, hard-working player which will be a great example for the young Maple Leafs. Winnik seems to accept and embrace that role.

Feb 14, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Daniel Winnik (26) celebrates his goal against Montreal Canadiens with teammate defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) during the first period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

“I like that challenge to be an older guy on a younger team, to help young guys along the way and help turn the organization around,” Winnik told the Toronto Star. “That is very appealing. Dion (Phaneuf) is great in the room and you have Roman (Polak) and Joffrey (Lupul) who are very vocal as well. But part of the transition, you need more guys being leaders, older guys. It will be nice to be looked upon in a leadership role.” (Toronto Star)

Winnik had 7 goals and 25 points in 58 games with the Leafs last season and found some success on a line with Nazem Kadri and Joffrey Lupul.

Though they have different qualities to their game, all four of these players have one thing in common. They are all experienced players that can be flipped at the deadline to acquire draft picks. If they’re smart, none of them will be purchasing homes in the GTA anytime soon.

ON NAZEM KADRI…

On Sunday afternoon, the Leafs locked up one of their unsigned RFA’s signing Nazem Kadri to a 1-year contract worth $4.1 million per season. The 24-year old center was fourth in team scoring last season with a disappointing 18 goals and 39 points.

He also found himself in trouble with management back in March after showing up late for a team meeting. He was suspended for the following game against the Flames and then given an additional two games after the Leafs conducted an internal investigation on the matter. No details were released but it was obviously something that set off a red flag to the Toronto Maple Leafs management.

Feb 21, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs center Nazem Kadri (43) warms up prior to the game against the Winnipeg Jets at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

“There’s more to this, obviously,” said Leafs President Brendan Shanahan at a press conference following the announcement. “If this were just a case of Nazem being 15 minutes late for a meeting one time, yes, then you could probably sweep this under the rug and handle this internally and maybe take the guys out to lunch or something like that. The easiest thing for us to do at this point would be sweep it under the rug and put this off to the off-season to deal with, but Naz is an important part of our future.” (Toronto Star)

The short-term signing is obviously a warning to Kadri. Shape up or ship out. This is your one chance to show Mike Babcock and Brendan Shanahan that you want to be a productive member of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey club. Kadri will be an RFA again next July. This may be his one chance to earn the big money multi-year deal that has so far eluded him.

ON RICHARD PANIK…

The Leafs announced on Wednesday that they had resigned forward Richard Panik to a 1-year contract. The 24-year old Panik scored 11 goals and 17 points last year after being claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

ON THE MARLIES…

There’s a lot of excitement in the air these days surrounding Toronto’s AHL affiliate. After hiring a young coach in 34-year old Sheldon Keefe, the Marlies will head into the 2015-16 season with up to 22 players on the roster who are under 25 years old. Keefe spent the past three years coaching the OHL’s Sault St. Marie Greyhounds and was named the OHL and CHL coach of the year this past season.

Sep 23, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (62) skates against the Philadelphia Flyers during the second period at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Forwards- William Nylander- 19, Kasperi Kapanen- 19, Frederik Gauthier- 20, Connor Brown- 21, Brandon Leipsic- 21, Josh Leivo- 21, Nikita Soshnikov- 21, Ryan Rupert- 21, Sam Carrick- 22, Casey Bailey- 23, Zach Hyman- 23, Byron Froese- 24

Defencemen- Rinat Valiev- 19, Matt Finn- 21, Stuart Percy- 22, Scott Harrington- 22, Viktor Loov- 22, Tom Nilsson- 22, Petter Granberg-23

Goaltenders- Antoine Bibeau- 20, Garret Sparks- 22, Christopher Gibson- 23

It was expected that some of the players would challenge for jobs in Toronto this year. That seems less likely now after the club brought in five new veteran players on Canada Day and re-signed forward Richard Panik. This is going to be a very young Marlies team and it will be fun to watch the kids develop while playing together in the AHL.

ON THE 2015 PROSPECTS CAMP…

The Leafs will hold their annual prospects camp from July 7-12 in Toronto and Collingwood. A total of 57 players will take part in the camp including top 3 prospects Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and recently acquired Kasperi Kapanen. That number has almost doubled from the 29 that were present at last year’s camp.

Very good news for Leaf fans who are eager to see this team get younger in the next few years. Recent college signings Zach Hyman and Casey Bailey will also attend along with every Leaf draft pick from this year’s NHL Entry draft. Check out the full camp roster here.

ON DAVE NONIS…

The “David Nonis era” in Toronto ended back on April 12, but the sting of his mistakes can still be felt on the Leaf roster. Nonis was only on the job for a little more than two years, but the rich, long-term contracts of Phil Kessel, Dion Phaneuf, Joffrey Lupul, Tyler Bozak, and David Clarkson all have his signature on them.

As hard to swallow as all of those contracts are, the one that really stands out is the one that you seldom hear about. On July 1, 2014, Nonis announced that he had signed 37-year old defenseman Stephane Robidas to a 3-YEAR CONTRACT worth $9 million! It didn’t take long for Leaf fans to notice that Robidas age was showing and he was skating like a guy who had broken his leg. There’s a reason for that; Robidas HAD broken his leg. Twice in the past season!

Why would anyone sign a 37-year old defenseman to a 3-year deal is anyone’s guess. The fact that he had sustained a major injury to the same leg twice in the past seven months was just unbelievable. Regardless, we are now stuck with Robidas until the end of the 2016-17 season during which Stephane will turn 40. Nonis was hired by the Anaheim Ducks on Friday as a consultant to general manager Bob Murray.

Well, it’s now July and things are slowing down on the Leaf front. With that being said, I will continue to try to bring you a new MONDAY MORNING LEAF POINTS every week throughout the next couple of months even if it is a little “condensed.” Keep checking out Editor In Leaf where Tim, Torrin, David, Cyn, and myself will continue to provide you with great Leaf content to keep you going all summer long.

If you have any questions, comments, hate mail, etc… then you can email me at: retoronto71@gmail.com or hit me up on Twitter @robb_ellis

See you next Monday. KEEP IT BLUE!

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