Checking In on Our Pre-Off-Season Toronto Maple Leafs Checklist of Goals
By James Tanner
2. Sign Nikita Zadorov
Status: Failed
Though he's really been nothing more than a bottom-pairing defender so far, Zadorov seemed to take a huge step this past year when he shut down Connor McDavid in the playoffs.
He's a 6'7 monster who is great at breaking up rushes and good at joining them. I think he could be a late-blooming #1 and I wanted the Leafs to take the gamble.
They didn't, and the bet they did make - OEL for $1.5 million and two years less - is so much worse because it has almost no upside.
Six years for Zadorov at $5 million - which is what TJ Brodie was making - is a perfectly reasonable bet and I with the Leafs made it.
3. Resolve Mitch Marner Situation
Status: Pending, but so far, Failed
Mitch Marner has not been re-signed or traded. The Toronto Maple Leafs aren't talking and no one knows what's happening.
On the bright side, they haven't yet made an instantly regrettable trade.
More negative, they seem frozen in place and unsure of what to do. How this gets resolved will go a long way in deciding if the Leafs are a contender or not next year.
The Leafs seem to be going with the Columbia House decision making stategy: To contend, simply do nothing and the selection of the month will arrive in the mail. If you do not want to contend, simply mark an X in the box on the card provided and mail it back before the end of the summer.