The Maple Leafs have signed RFA defenceman Martin Marincin to a one-year deal worth $700,000.
The salary figure is below the threshold that would have it affect the salary cap if Marincin were to end up with the Toronto Marlies.
The Leafs are now up to 49 Standard Player Contracts (limit is 50) and have $7.5-8 million in cap space remaining with Jonathan Bernier still to sign among their restricted free agents.
The addition of Marincin, still just 23 with the equivalent of only one full season under his belt, for the price of next to nothing has been a little lost in the shuffle with all the activity of the past few weeks, but it was a clever buy low on a player with some promise and some proven ability who needs an opportunity. On an awful Oilers team, Marincin has a career 48.3CF%, and at times proved able to hold his own in tough match-ups.
Some have been frustrated by the lack of a strong physical component to Marincin’s game despite his large frame, but he’s rangy, can move the puck, and once formed a legitimate top four pairing with Jeff Petry in Edmonton.
The Maple Leafs have an excess of left handers, but Mike Babcock’s history in Detroit suggests that will not be a problem in his eyes — he often times had six left handers paired off in his regular D units. Rielly and Phaneuf would seem to be the most logical options for shifting to the right if nothing changes with the Leafs defensive depth chart between now and the regular season.
Here’s the updated Leafs depth chart now that Marincin is signed, courtesy of @Simmsation:
(You can add leftie Scott Harrington to this mix as well)
