The season is entering the second month as the calendar shifts over to November and some fans may have lost track of former Toronto Maple Leafs around the league.
The 2022-23 Toronto Maple Leafs had a large turnover seeing more than ten players from that roster move on.
While results so far are mixed, most of these players had priced themselves out of town. Replacements for Bunting and Holl have left a lot to be desired.
With that said, here is a look at how each are doing to start the season.
Toronto Maple Leafs: X-Files, How Former Players Are Doing
Michael Bunting – Carolina Hurricanes
The Scarborough native made it known he would have liked to stay in Toronto, but the team couldn’t make it work and the Hurricanes fans are reaping the rewards.
Bunting signed a three year that has a cap hit of $4.5 Million per season (credit: capfriendly.com) and he appears to be earning his money.
Through ten games, the two-time 23-goal scorer has collected eight points, three of which are goals. For comparisons sake, Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi have combined for two goals and seven points.
Ryan O’Reilly – Nashville Predators
From all accounts it appeared that the Toronto Maple Leafs management was in favour of bringing back the Ontario native, however, Ryan O’Reilly did not want the stress of playing in the tough market.
Known as “The Factor” also received a four year deal worth $18 Million, which was likely higher and longer than most teams would have wanted to go for the soon to be 33-year old.
O’Reilly is currently tied in goals on the Predators team with four, including two that came against the Toronto Maple Leafs last week. The former Conn Smythe trophy winner is also playing more minutes than he had averaged over his last couple of seasons.
Pierre Engvall – New York Islanders
After being in the organization for almost ten years, GM Kyle Dubas traded Pierre Engvall at the deadline last year to the New York Islanders for a third round pick.
After finishing out the season on Long Island, the Swedish native would surprise a lot of people when he signed a seven-year deal with the Islanders for $3 Million per season.
Through the first eight games of the season, Engvall has just six shots on net and has been credited with just one hit. The lanky winger has yet to score a goal and has four assists while averaging 14:38 per night.