The construction of the off-season is launched at the Maple Leafs

General manager Kyle Dubas said he got to work as soon as the siren sounded that ended his team’s campaign and he wasn’t lying. He settled two cases in the last week: he first extended the contract of defender Mark Giordano, then he enlisted the services of Jason Spezza as a special adviser, he who announced his retirement as a player sunday.

Giordano, who commanded a salary of $3,375,000 with Toronto last season, agreed to a new two-year pact at a paltry cost of $800,000 per season, freeing up $2.5 million of extra wiggle room under the cap salary.

Spezza earned $750,000 last year, the minimum salary allowed by the NHL. His departure does not have the same impact on the Maple Leafs payroll, but he still frees up a position.

These files were not urgent, but all certainty will not be denied by the staff of the Maple Leafs. The more time he will have to calculate each of his shots, the more chances he will have of succeeding in his project of better surrounding his core.

A lot of questions

We do not know the extent of the changes to come in Toronto. Kyle Dubas and Brendan Shanahan hid their game well during their season review. They have neither promised big changes nor offered any guarantees that winger William Nylander, for example, or goalkeeper Jack Campbell will return.

In short, it is the possibility of winning everything in the next playoffs that will dictate management’s action plan. That and the age-old problem of limited salary room, the result of management choosing to invest 71% of its payroll in its top four forwards (Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Nylander) and its three best defensemen (Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin and TJ Brodie).

Luckily, neither of them need a new contract this summer. In this regard, only the question of the guards is contentious.

Jack Campbell was only making $1,650,000 last season, and he’s delivered great performances at that price. He has 31 wins in 47 starts. The 30-year-old American, however, has been injured several times and since he will be an unrestricted free agent in July and could ask for a significant salary increase, the team is entitled to wonder if he is really the guardian in whom to invest for the future.

For his part, the Czech Petr Mrazek did not offer the expected return. Hired last summer at $3,800,000 a year for three years, he was a big disappointment. Frequently injured, he only took part in 20 matches. His 3.34 goals-against-average and .884 save percentage are the worst of his career. His contract is on the whole a mistake that the general staff will logically try to erase through an exchange or a buyout.

The options in the free agent market won’t be many. Darcy Kuemper of the Colorado Avalanche and Ville Husso of the St. Louis Blues should be the best goaltenders available. None of them, however, seems more promising than Campbell. Toronto could therefore have to make a trade if they want to provide themselves with a real number one goaltender.

As such, the name of John Gibson, of the Anaheim Ducks, is one that circulates in the rumor mill. To be continued.

Another Bargain Hunt

Last summer, the Maple Leafs signed forwards Michael Bunting, David Kampf, Ondrej Kase and Nick Ritchie through the free agent market in hopes that some of them would turn out to be great bargains.

Bunting and Kämpf stuck perfectly to the group. The former completed a line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner and will do the same next season. The second has perfectly fulfilled his role at the center of the third line and he is under contract for another season.

Kase had 27 points in 50 games for the Maple Leafs, but he missed a lot of games with injuries. We can doubt his chances of being back.

Ritchie never offered the anticipated return and he was traded mid-season.

Overall, Kyle Dubas will attempt to replicate the same modus operandi this summer. Depending on what he chooses to do with his goaltenders, he should have a few million dollars to complete his training.

The Maple Leafs themselves have very few up-and-coming free agents. Winger Ilya Mikheyev seems destined to play elsewhere after having rendered valuable services on the penalty kill in particular in recent years for a modest salary.

Forward Pierre Engvall, a restricted free agent, could return if he accepts an annual salary similar to the $1,250,000 he received for the past two seasons.

On defense, barring a big trade, the Maple Leafs picture looks complete. The Torontonians have five players under contract for next season: Rielly, Muzzin, Brodie, Giordano and Justin Holl. Youngsters Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin are also restricted free agents, so there’s little room to add.

Among the dates to keep in mind, there is the first contract buy-back period which will begin on July 1st. Also, the 2022 NHL Entry Draft will take place on July 7 and 8, an opportunity for the Maple Leafs to complete a trade. And then, on July 13, the free agent market will open.

Overall, we’ll have to stay tuned. The Maple Leafs could, of course, choose the status quo, but they could also conclude a major transaction in order to add one or more quality players to their formation.