Toronto Maple Leafs brass sent a clear message with the signing of Patrick Marleau: the rebuild is over; the young Leafs want to win now.
And while that’s a welcome statement to much of Leafs Nation, the details of the veteran forward’s new contract have become a sticking point for many in the wake of Sunday’s signing. Namely that he’s going to “handcuff” Toronto, according to TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie.
“This is what I consider a big gamble,” Lavoie said of Marleau’s three-year, $18.75-million contract on The Jeff Blair Show Tuesday morning. “Not a gamble that you’re going to regret, because I don’t think they’re going to regret that contract. But that’s the problem, I think, with July 1. You’re thinking about that day, you want to be prepared for that day; you want to make a splash; you want to show the fans that you’re on top of things, and that you’re going in the right direction and you want to sell hope, because at the end of the day that’s what it is.
“But doing that, there’s obviously some part of it that are risky, and I really do feel this is a risk.”
Lavoie goes on to explain that while the Marleau deal makes the Leafs better right now, it’s the third year of the 37-year-old’s new contract that is the big gamble.
“If it maybe had of been one year or two, maybe I would’ve said there’s no problem there. It’s the third season. For me, that third season is really, really risky,” Lavoie said. “That’s the real gamble, to be honest with you. But I’m pretty sure that they had no choice. If they wanted him to play for the Maple Leafs they had to give him that third season.”
Listen to the full interview below:
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