LEAFS OFFSEASON REVIEW - THE BARGAIN BIN

Nick De Cicco

Despite strong improvements to the defensive core at last year’s trade deadline with the acquisition of Mark Giordano. When the hometown defenseman was initially brought in, there was a concern that he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the remainder of this speedy roster, but he definitely proved all the doubters wrong.

Gio didn’t make the highlight reel every game, but he played smart and avoided major mistakes. Mark produced 12 points in 20 games with a +12 to show for. The Toronto native surprised everyone a few days after the playoff series with the Tampa Bay Lightning ended when he signed a very team-friendly extension.

The reliable veteran signed a two-year contract worth $800k/yr for a very cap-tight franchise. The restructuring of the Leafs’ defense started off on the right foot with this Giordano re-signing.

Defensive restructuring was necessary to combat the potential of free agents like Ilya Lyubushkin and Ondrej Kase moving on. The Leafs couldn’t afford to risk their essential cap space on the injury-riddled forward, like Kase, that provides decent PK production. Lyubushkin’s defensive errors in his own zone couldn’t be overlooked and the team let him walk.

Ilya’s physical abilities were better than previous D-men, but he could be replaced with a lighter price tag. Lyubushkin signed with the Buffalo Sabres on a two-year contract with an average annual value of $2.75M. The Sabres is a step down for Ilya’s growth as a 28-year-old, the organization has had a very long playoff drought and have had poor attendance numbers in the past.

With many departures from the Leafs’ roster, it was time for Dubas to fill the gaps. The general manager started by signing former Sens and Canucks forward, Adam Gaudette, to a one-year contract worth $750,000. The 25-year-old forward accumulated 70 points in the 218 regular season games of his early career. Gaudette is an all-around player that is versatile in multiple roles.

The 149th overall pick of the 2015 entry draft is a strong and speedy skater with a snappy shot. Adam’s strong skating ability makes him very hard to play against and he drives the net with ease. Weak Chicago, Ottawa and Vancouver teams have limited Adam’s growth and misconstrued his numbers on the scorecard. Gaudette’s large size gives him the physicality that creates energy for his team. Adam Gaudette’s combined abilities creates the perfect mesh to easily replace Mikheyev, Blackwell, and Kase.

The Leafs have always had major tendencies to sign players that have playoff experience in the past. 2022 Stanley Cup champion from the Colorado Avalanche, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, finds the bill perfectly. The 26-year-old forward is a decent bottom-6 player with room for improvement. Nicolas registered 22 points (11 goals and 11 assists) in his 67 regular season appearances with the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Despite his physical presence, it’s unlikely that Aube-Kubel will play a major role with the team and his 1yr/$1M contract will give the buds an opportunity to build his repertoire in many aspects of Nicolas’ game.

To replace the defensive departure of Ilya Lyubushkin and act on a contingency for the uncertainties of RFA, Rasmus Sandin, Kyle Dubas signed D Victor Mete and D Jordie Benn. These acquisitions were an extremely smart move on the Leafs part and provided them with some cheap depth players.

In any playoff scenario, a wide variety of depth players are a necessity for a deep run (injury replacements). Victor and Jordie are two extremely different defensemen with contrasting career projections. Victor Mete is a young two-way defenseman with a high IQ and excellent vision of the ice. Mete has high career projections with offensive potential that needs to be revealed.

On the other hand, Jordie Benn is an experienced defender with a decent amount of playoff experience to show for. The Victoria, BC native is a defensive defenseman with a strong shutdown ability in his own zone. Although these two might be healthy scratches during the regular season, they can be impactful on the blueline for when they’re called upon.