With school now back in session, and before training camps officially open next week, over the course of the next few days we’ll be bringing you up-to-date on how each of the seven Canadian NHL teams have spent their summers.
How I Spent My Summer series: VAN | EDM | CGY | WPG | OTT | MTL
Current cap space: $13.3 million
GM: Kyle Dubas
Head coach: Mike Babcock
Assistants: Jim Hiller, D.J. Smith, Andrew Brewer
Unsigned players: William Nylander (RFA)
Signings/PTOs:
• John Tavares, seven years, $77 million
• Par Lindholm, one year, $925,000
• Tyler Ennis, one year, $650,000
Free Agent departures:
• James van Riemsdyk (Flyers)
• Tyler Bozak (Blues)
• Leo Komarov (Islanders)
• Tomas Plekanec (Canadiens)
• Dominic Moore (UFA)
• Roman Polak (Stars)
Biggest summer splash
The Leafs’ biggest splash doubles as the biggest splash league-wide. John Tavares wrestled with his emotions, tossed in his sheets, then decided to pursue a childhood dream of playing for his hometown. Cannonball!
The timing is perfect for the biggest UFA of the cap era to switch sides, sweater burnings be damned. Despite two straight one-round-and-done post-seasons, Toronto plays a fast, offensive brand of hockey and — based on the skill-hoarding alone — should be relevant for the duration of J.T.’s seven-year commitment. That Tavares could’ve raked more money elsewhere underscores his desire to win and, Dubas hopes, sets a team-first tone that could influence the next round of signings.
Other notable additions and subtractions
A front-office shakeup (evolution?) saw 75-year-old Hall of Fame GM Lou Lamoriello move on to the New York Islanders and assistant GM Mark Hunter ultimately return to his OHL London Knights, 32-year-old Kyle Dubas stepped to the helm — with a vision.
Dubas masterminded the Tavares sales pitch and made out-of-the-box hires like Hayley Wickenheiser. We’ve spoken to several players about the new Dubas regime, and the response has been uniformly glowing.
“That’s a guy you can relate to more than anyone else, really—a guy that cares about you genuinely, not just what you bring to the team,” says Travis Dermott. “Having him around will be great for the team.”
As expected, Dubas allowed long-serving top-six forwards van Riemsdyk (Philadelphia) and Bozak (St. Louis) to get rich elsewhere, saving cap space and allowing more opportunity for emerging talent. The departures of Komarov, Polak and Matt Martin signifies another philosophical step toward speed and skill in Toronto — albeit at the expense of intimidation and physicality, a necessary ingredient to the Capitals’ 2018 championship run.
Other summer headlines
• Dubas on keeping Nylander, Marner, Matthews: ‘We can, and we will’
Not only did Dubas’s AHL Marlies capture Toronto’s first pro hockey championship since 1967, not only did he pry Tavares away from his former boss, but Dubas promised to keep Matthews, Marner and Nylander in blue and white for years to come. That said: None of them have extensions, yet.
• The inside story of how the Maple Leafs won the John Tavares sweepstakes
Leafs Nation spent the final week in June refreshing its Twitter feed for tidbits of the ever-evolving Tavares sweepstakes to emerge. San Jose pitched hard, the Islanders received no consolation prize as the runner-up, as a Mitch Marner sizzle reel and Maple Leafs bedsheets set won the day.
• Auston Matthews talks Babcock, Tavares, contract, new lines
Needing time to get away after a sour Game 7 collapse in Boston, a refreshed Matthews — next captain or nah? — spoke about his excitement over the Tavares signing, his much-scrutinized Arizona meeting with Babcock, his contract talks, and swapping wingmate Zach Hyman for Patrick Marleau.
• Joining Maple Leafs the latest feat for remarkable Wickenheiser
Dubas doesn’t think or operate like the old boys’ network. The hiring of hockey icon–slash–med student Hayley Wickenheiser as assistant director of player development and Noelle Needham as a scout (based on something called merit, hey!) hint that more boundaries could be broken during his tenure.
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Key questions heading into training camp
• What will Nylander’s deal look like? And when is it coming? On the heels of back-to-back 61-point campaigns, the unsigned RFA needs his money, preferably within the next two weeks, so that the headlines as Leafs camp opens focus on Tavares’s presence instead of Nylander’s absence. The winger says he wants a long-term deal. Something in the range of Dylan Larkin’s five-year, $30.5-million extension would allow Nylander to get another juicy raise as a UFA in his 20s.
• Will the Leafs name a captain? The C patch has sat in a drawer since the Dion Phaneuf trade in February 2016. Tavares and Matthews are the only realistic candidates here, but the Leafs brass say they want to see a captain emerge organically.
• Who will back up Frederik Andersen? Veteran No. 2 Curtis McElhinney did everything that could have been asked of him in a stellar 2017-18, but Garret Sparks has paid enough dues and, after being crowned the AHL’s top netminder, is due for an NHL shot — be it in Toronto or elsewhere.
• Who can hop from the fringes to the roster? Babcock loves internal competition, and there should be no shortage of battles for the fourth line (Josh Leivo time?) and third D pairing (paging Justin Holl).
What Vegas is saying about the Maple Leafs…
Stanley Cup odds: +750
Hart Trophy odds: Auston Matthews +1000, John Tavares +1000
Next Leafs captain odds: John Tavares -250, Auston Matthews +175, No captain +750, Any other player +900
