#3. Letting JVR, Bozak and Komorov
The summer of 2018 was a big off-season for Kyle Dubas, as this was his first as Toronto Maple Leafs G.M. The team had a ton of decisions to make, as they had their core of Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner set to become RFA’s soon, while they had some big decisions to make with veteran talent.
James van Reimsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov were three pieces to the Toronto Maple Leafs that many fans wanted to see return. However, the new G.M. made an important decision by not re-signing any of these players, which helped clear space for more important pieces.
Here’s what all three of these players made in Free Agency:
- JVR: $7M x 5 years
- Bozak: $5M x 3 years
- Komarov: $3M x 4 years
Instead of wasting $15M on three third/fourth-line players, the team decided to move on from them. It was a brilliant decision because even if the team signed one of those players, it would have screwed up the salary cap situation and made the team much worse.
With that money saved, they were able to sign future Hall-of-Famer John Tavares, who although is criticized often, is an amazing addition to the Toronto Maple Leafs.