Ryan Fancey
A good number of links this morning folks, including a few from the Leafs Nation which has blown up for an abundance of material in the past couple days.
We've also had a discussion going over whether the Leafs will look at adding Chris Campoli in the coming days/weeks. Our own Alex Tran mentioned yesterday that Campoli could be looking to come to the hockey mecca.
The question, of course, is whether Burke and co. will look at adding him for cheap after the Hawks parted ways with him yesterday.
I'm not sure the team really needs yet another defenceman, but knowing Burke and his dream of having an entire team made of blueliners, it's very possible that he ends up with the Leafs. Why have 10 defenceman when you can have 11? Why have 49 when you can have 50?
There are a lot of links, so I'll quit wasting your time.
To put a close to the story from this morning, Darryl Boyce has reportedly re-signed with the Maple Leafs for one year.
From the MapleLeafs.com Press Release:
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Thursday that the hockey club has signed forward Darryl Boyce to a one year contract.
Boyce, 27, played in 46 games for the Maple Leafs in 2010-11 and collected five goals and eight assists with 33 penalty minutes. His plus/minus mark (+8) was second on the team. He was an ‘even or plus’ in 36 of the 46 games played this past season.
An unrestricted free agent, Boyce was looking to have his future determined by week's end. However, it was uncertain as to whether he would remain in Toronto or seek a different situation, or if the Leafs even had him in their plans at all. Clearly they do, for at least one more year.
From James Mirtle at the Globe and Mail;
@mirtle: Boyce's new deal with the Leafs is two-way. He'll get $700,000 in the NHL and $105,000 in the minors.
Though the main question mark remaining for the Leafs seems to be Luke Schenn and his potential re-up, there are still a few guys in the fold that need their situation sorted out.
Darryl Boyce fits that category, while he floats in limbo, unsure of where he'll play come October.
Boyce expects to have things nailed down by Friday, and though he'd like to stay in Toronto, things are still up in the air.
Head over to the Daily Gleaner to find out why he wants to stick with the Leafs.
On to more links after the jump;
Mike Zigomanis and the Toronto Maple Leafs have come to terms on a one-year contract.
From MapleLeafs.com:
Zigomanis, 30, collected one assist and four penalty minutes in eight games with the Maple Leafs in 2010-11. The Toronto, Ontario native also appeared in 64 games with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League last season, leading the team in assists (33) and points (47), while adding 14 goals and 66 penalty minutes
CapGeek has it as a two-way deal, with Zigomanis' NHL cap hit at 650K, while he'll command 300K in the AHL (glove tap to @draglikepull for pointing this out.)
Zigomanis is mostly known for his ability to kill penalties, and win faceoffs - he fits nicely on the Leafs fourth line if he manages to see much time with the big club this upcoming season.
Now that we've seen Brian Burke meet his annual off-season quota of wheeling and dealing, it's time to sit back for a minute - much like the Leafs have. With only defenceman Luke Schenn left to re-sign for the blue and white, it seems as though we're at a "what you see is what you get" stage in the building process for the upcoming season.
It's likely that the lineup we're currently looking at will primarily make up the Leafs' squad in October.
There are, however, a few spots left to fill. Burke and the Leafs brass will likely hold off on any more additions and allow prospects to compete for a place in the lineup during training camp - which seems like a pretty smart move.
Over the past week, the team has gone ahead and made a few minor upgrades, adding center Tim Connolly and defenceman Cody Franson, while they hope Matthew Lombardi could suit up for a game or two in the next two years. But while these moves have been carefully executed and well thought-out as to not hurt the team or put them in a salary cap crunch, the group up front is still terribly mediocre compared to other teams throughout the league.
James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail, along with TSN.ca are reporting that the Maple Leafs have come to terms with defenceman Matt Lashoff on a one year contract extension. The salary figure has not been released yet.
Lashoff is a former first round pick of the Bruins from 2005, and spent most of his time with the Marlies this past season after being acquired by the Leafs from Tampa last summer. He also spent a little time with the big club at season's end, appearing in 11 games while adding one helper.
It's likely the Leafs were thinking about letting this guy go, but simply couldn't find another player capable of taking rock/country to the next level. Regardless, Lashoff will indeed add further depth to the blueline as one of Burke's top 10 defencemen.
Lashoff had a cap hit of 550k last season, don't expect him to get a huge raise.
No word on the cap hit and term yet, but "Bozie" himself has confirmed that he will be returning with the Leafs. Sportsnet were the first to break the news and TSN 1050 Radio's Rick Ralph has since reported it's a two-year deal.
As a player who only produced 32 points in a full 82 game season of top six minutes alongside an elite finisher in Phil Kessel, and who is now expected to shift to a bottom six role going forward, you would expect something around $1.5 million per annum. More details as they become available.
Update
Per TSN: "Bozak will reportedly earn $1.95 million over the two seasons of his contract." $975,000 per annum.
Updated Update: Dreger reports that Bozak will actually make 1.5 million dollars per season over a two year deal.
Darren Dreger is reporting that the Toronto Maple Leafs are completing the paperwork on a deal that will land Tim Connolly for two years. The annual cap hit is 4.75 million.
This seems like a pretty decent deal. If Connolly runs into injury trouble again, it doesn't hurt the Leafs long term. And as for the money? It's a little high, but won't really affect the team as it's doubtful they'll be up against the cap in the next year or so.
Solid move. Fills a need while the club waits for Colborne and Kadri (amongst others) to develop. It's a low risk deal.
Connolly notched 42 points with the Sabres in 68 games played during the 2010-11 season.
Dreger also had this to add;
Connolly had other options. Lots of interest in the last 24 hours. He wants to play in Toronto. Good fit.
It comes as no real surprise to be passing along this information; Brad Richards will become a New York Ranger, after agreeing to a 9 year 60 million dollar deal.
The news came from Andy Strickland out of St Louis first, and was later confirmed by Darren Dreger of TSN.
Personally, I'm relieved that the Leafs didn't get into this sort of contract. The Rangers will have a 6.7 million dollar cap hit on the books for a forty year old Richards, meaning you'll probably see this guy in the minors in a few years.
Dreger has since reported that the Calgary Flames offered up 65 million over nine years, but Richards took the cut to head to New York. The city, and the coach obviously had a lot to do with his decision.
Good on Burke and co. for not committing to this thing too much and letting things get out of hand.
The Leafs will surely look to trade in the coming weeks to address their primary need; a top line center.
Some developments for everyone to discuss;
The Leafs have reportedly met with the Richards camp and presented their offer. More teams on the way, including the LA Kings and Buffalo Sabres. The Kings have brought their entire organization by the sounds of things; President and GM Lombardi, coaches, and ownership.
In the world of bizarre news, Jaromir Jagr has signed with the Philadelphia Flyers, as per McKenzie and numerous other sources.
Also, Scottie Upshall has signed with the Florida Panthers for four years at 14 million (3.5 cap hit)
Few Leafs related tidbits; they're still in the mix for Max Talbot, and Tim Brent has just signed a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes for two years.
Per McKenzie, Ed Jovanovski signs with the Panthers on a four year deal.
And obviously worth noting, Stamkos and the Lightning aren't close on a deal, he can now sign an offer sheet.
Colorado have made a pretty substantial move, trading 1st and 2nd round picks to the Capitals for Semyon Varlamov. Tough break, Avalanche fans.
TSN now reporting that Richards has been meeting with Kings for over two hours. And the New York Rangers will have the chance to match or exceed any deal that's presented throughout the day. It's clear the Rangers are the front-runners.
Max Talbot signs in Philadelphia, five years for 9 million.
Few more updates;
Former Leafs Ponikarovsky and Giguere have signed deals with the Hurricanes and Avalanche, respectively.
Michael Ryder heads to Dallas for two years on a 3.5 mill cap hit, and Ville Leino signs a mammoth 27 million dollar deal for six years in Buffalo.
Thankfully the Leafs dodged that Leino deal, as they were expected to make a push to sign him.
More updates as they become available.
One more day of bizarre contract signings, players' rights being dealt, and above all else; rumors.
Starting tomorrow at noon, the bidding war will finally get underway for players like Brad Richards, James Wisniewski, Christian Ehrhoff, and Michael Ryder to name a few.
With such a weak UFA class this year, it seems as though a lot of focus has been shifted to the idea of restricted free agents potentially signing offer sheets. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
It would be great to see things really spiral out of control with teams throwing around offer sheets, but the general consensus is that it won't happen. This is bad news if you want a player like Stamkos, but good news if you want to keep Luke Schenn.
Darren Dreger had this to say regarding the free agency period for the Leafs;
Leafs interested in a number of UFA's. Richards, Ehrhoff (if free),Upshall, Talbot, etc. Won't get them all, but will inquire on most.
And while we all want to finally see an end to this Richards saga, tomorrow likely will not be the day it all goes down. Richards will likely narrow down his options to a reasonable number tomorrow, but it could be a few days before a decision is made.
In some Leafs news, Jay Rosehill has re-signed for another year. He'll make 600k on a one way deal.
Links after the jump
The rights of Maxim Talbot were traded to the Maple Leafs. They have until noon july first to make a deal.
There you have it, from a legit source. Bob McKenzie is now reporting that Talbot has not been dealt to the Leafs, and that his agent is free to talk to numerous teams.
McKenzie adds:
OK, my turn for a correction. PIT granted permission for Talbot's rep to talk only to TOR for 48 hours commencing Sunday.
The two possibilities stemming from this most recent development is that the Leafs are going to take their chances in unrestricted free agency, or Burke didn't like the going rate and Talbot is out of the picture. Essentially, after all this, we know nothing.
We'll keep updating as more becomes available. In other news, there is some talk unsigned forward Tim Brent, who gained a lot of fans as the season progressed and seemed like a fit at fourth line center, will not be returning next season. Brent told TheRecord.com:
“As much as I would love for it to be Toronto, unfortunately, by the looks of it, it’s not going to be,â€
“To be honest, I haven’t heard from them,†Brent said.
“The disappointing thing is I gave everything I could to playing for the Maple Leafs.â€
