Grading All the Toronto Maple Leafs Off-Season Moves: July Edition

Allowing Players to Become Unrestricted Free Agents

As soon as the free agency period began, a number of Maple Leafs were instantly able to negotiate with other teams. They were Tyler Ennis, Jake Gardiner, Ron Hainsey, Michael Hutchinson, Josh Jooris, Vincent LoVerde, Martin Marincin, Chris Mueller, and Steve Oleksy. Collin Greening also decided to call it a career and retired at age 33.

There were even a number of players that the leafs allowed to become unrestricted free agents when they weren’t tendered qualifying offers. They are Nicholas Baptiste, Gabriel Gagne, Eamon McAdam, Igor Ozhiganov, and Jordan Subban.

It is a long list that covers both the players on the big club along with minor leaguers. That is to say that some of the players’ absences will be far more impactful than others. This is true mostly of Gardiner, Hainsey, and Ozhiganov.

Jake Gardiner

Gardiner currently remains unsigned and there is a possibility that he still returns to the Leafs. It appears as though the team is still interested in his services, but are waiting to resolve negotiations with Mitch Marner. That would assess how much cap space is available for Gardiner.

Igor Ozhiganov

Ozhiganov came over to the Leafs from the KHL to play on Toronto’s blue line. He was in North America just the single-season and played 53 games for the team. That seemed to be enough for the Russian player who will be returning home to the KHL next year.

Ron Hainsey

Hainsey will mostly be missed by Babcock, who loved to maximize the NHL stalwart’s minutes. His departure should open up space for younger players to get increased opportunities, especially on the penalty kill. He joined the Senators on a one-year deal worth $3.5 million.

Tyler Ennis

It appeared as though the Leafs no longer saw 29-year-old Ennis as a part of their plans. Like Hainsey, he too signed with the Senators, agreeing to a one-year, $800,000 contract. Ennis scored 20 plus goals three times in his career, but is far removed from that level of production. He hasn’t been that player since 2015. With the Leafs last season, he had 18 points, 12 of them were goals.

Michael Hutchinson and Martin Marincin

Hutchinson and Marincin both agreed to return to the Leafs on one-year $700,000 contracts. Hutchinson, 29, has been a career backup in the league. Marincin, who often drew the ire of Leafs fans, will slot in the team’s bottom defence pairing. Both these players are attractive due to their low cap hit.

Chris Mueller

Mueller was an excellent player for the Marlies. He racked up 33 goals and 32 assists for the team last season. His biggest downfalls were that the Leafs already had great depth and his age. He is 33-years-old. While he’s had opportunities to play in the NHL, he’s struggled to establish himself at that level. Mueller signed a one year, two-way contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Vincent LoVerde, Josh Jooris, and Steve Oleksy

LoVerde will play for the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL next season. Jooris will be moving to Switzerland to play for Lausanne HC. Oleksy, who won the Stanley Cup as a member of the 2016-17 Pittsburgh Penguins, is still without a team for next season.

Grade: Incomplete without a determination on Gardiner’s future. The rest of the moves were worthy of high grades.