Toronto Maple Leafs Need to Keep Their Distance From Jake Virtanen

The Toronto Maple Leafs should have no interest in adding Jake Virtanen to their roster.

On Sunday morning, the Vancouver Canucks announced that Jake Virtanen was “placed on unconditional waivers for the purposes of a buyout.” It’s a move that will make him an unrestricted free agent, available to sign with any team. The Toronto Maple Leafs should not even consider the idea of adding Virtanen.

Prior to the buyout, Virtanen was being paid $2.55 million per season. Any team that would consider signing the 2014 sixth overall NHL draft pick could get the forward for far less. However, every general manager in the league needs to ask themselves whether it’s worth signing the forward.

Virtanen is currently embroiled in a scandal.

Toronto Maple Leafs Should Pass on Virtanen

On May 1, the Canucks placed him on an indefinite leave when reports of a 2017 alleged sexual assault surfaced. Though he denied the allegations, he is still battling both an ongoing criminal investigation and a civil suit. The idea of signing a player who may have committed “sexual misconduct” must be repulsive for Kyle Dubas. Virtanen’s legal trouble should be enough of a reason for the Maple Leafs not to engage in discussion with his camp. That’s not the only reason why the Leafs should keep their distance.

Virtanen never became the player that Jim Benning and the Canucks projected him to be. His best season was in 2019-20 when he played in 69 games and recorded 18 goals and 18 assists for a total of 36 points. It’s a far different number than the 52 points in 50 games that Virtanen had in his final season with the Calgary Hitmen. It was his second year in a row posting at least a point per game in the WHL. Virtanen never developed into that offensive dynamo, in the NHL.

This past campaign saw Virtanen’s play decline even further. His defense was spotty and his production was almost non-existent. In 38 games, the only points that Virtanen registered were five goals. Not only did the 6’1, 24-year-old drop to the bottom six of coach Travis Green’s lineup, but he was even made a healthy scratch on multiple occasions.

At his age and physical presence on the ice, there may be teams who feel like Virtanen could be a reclamation project worth investing in. He does have the skillset to continue playing in the NHL, but it would be at the bottom of the lineup. It’s difficult for any NHL GM to justify extending a contract to the forward while his legal trouble is still ongoing, especially while Stan Bowman and the Chicago Blackhawks are under fire for their dealings with the sexual misconduct of an employee. It’s not a good look.

The Toronto Maple Leafs should work to elevate their players to be role models for their young fans. At this time, Virtanen just doesn’t fit that mold and it’s too soon to know whether he ever will again.