Lamoriello Proving Toronto Maple Leafs Right to Move On
It has been a little over two months since Lou Lamoriello was removed as General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
With each passing day Brendan Shanahan looks smarter for the decision he made. When Shanahan hired Lamoriello in 2015 to take control of the Toronto Maple Leafs, they agreed it would be for only three seasons. Lou isn’t getting any younger, so the three years was the perfect amount of time to bring stability to a young team that needed a strong presence. His rules were silly. Telling grown men they had to have short hair, and be clean shaved was ridiculous, but he still had a positive impact.
Lou is stuck in his ways and that is never going to change. It was time for the Leafs to move on and give the keys to Kyle Dubas. Since taking over the New York Islanders, Lamoriello has made moves that make all Leafs fans happy he is gone.
July 1st is the official start of silly season on the NHL calendar. The day is filled with teams overpaying average players. It is a part of doing business in the NHL. The successful teams build through the draft, and use free agency to supplement their young draft picks. Bad signings in the salary cap era can cripple teams. Lou has ignored this on the Island.
Komarov
I was a fan of Komarov during his time on the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was a player that showed up every night and did what Mike Babcock asked of him. He has his limitations, which makes the contract he was given such a head scratcher. 4 years for a 31 year old fourth line player is absurd, regardless of what the AAV is. The fact that Komarov will be making $3,000,000 per year, puts this in contention as the worst signing on the new year. Good for Komarov cashing in, but boy that is a bad contract for the team.
Ross Johnston
I will admit I had never heard of this player until the contract was announced. A quick search shows the Islanders just gave a 4 year deal to a player with 6 career points in the NHL. 15 points is Johnston’s career high in the AHL. Apparently Lou believes you can’t have to many 4th line players. $1,000,000 per year for a player who will spend most of his time in the press box and penalty box is another questionable move by Lamoriello. You should never give term to fringe players in a cap league, but the Islanders are handing out long contracts to anyone who wants one, it seems.
Tom Kuhnhackl
Maybe Lou wants to have 3 fourth lines, I don’t know. Kuhnhackle is a serviceable player, but the Islanders already have an abundance of players with his skill set. Either Lou wants as many players as possible to protect Matt Barzal, or the Islanders have decided to tank for a few years. This roster of grinders isn’t going to accomplish much.
Robin Lehner
This is the only move Lou has made this offseason that somewhat makes sense. Lehner, when his head is in it can be solid. That is a question mark, because he has proven to be a hot head that loses it when things go bad. A one year deal for $1,5000,000 doesn’t come with much risk. Lehner can steal games when he’s on, but if the Islanders are tanking that isn’t exactly a good thing.
Overpaying and free agency go hand in hand. The question is why Lou chose these players to that with. This looks like a situation where a team lost their franchise player, and wants to show their fans they wont just sit on their hands and do nothing. This is exactly what not to do. It is a scary thought to think what players the Leafs would have targeted if Lou was still in charge.
Trade
In a time where teams can never have enough skill in the NHL, Lou seems to be going in a different direction. Matt Martin joins a long list of fourth liners on the Island. The moment Martin signed everyone knew he wasn’t going to spend four years with the Leafs. Babcock wanted someone to “keep the flies off the kids’, but players like that just aren’t important anymore. I was surprised to hear that multiple teams were interested given Martin’s skill set.
I thought the Leafs would have to buyout the final two years on Martin’s contract, so Lou did them a favour. Eamon Mcadam, the player the Leafs got in return has put up ok numbers in the minors, which makes it unlikely he ever amounts to anything. The salary cap relief is what makes this a good deal for the Leafs. Every penny counts going forward. Martin just had no business on one of the most talented rosters in the league.
Conclusion
Its funny how all the “hockey guy” advocates have gone quiet lately. First They questioned why Lou had to go. Then, how could Shanahan choose Kyle Dubas over Mark Hunter. Everything Lou has done since joining the Islanders has validated Shanahan’s decision to remove him from GM duties. Lamoriello has had a lot of success in this league. That is without question, but it is clear his best days are behind him and he wasn’t the right man to lead the Leafs forward.
Next: Lou's Antiquated Rules are a Joke
The Toronto Maple Leafs are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. They have an elite roster on the ice, and some of the brightest hockey minds in their front office. Lou was the right guy back in 2015. The game has just passed Lou by, and the Leafs are in much better hands now.