Maple Leafs take practical if unsexy approach to free agency
First it was Curtis McElhinney's turn. Then it was Ron Hainsey's and Dominic Moore's. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it was Patrick Marleau's turn to join a young, talented Maple Leafs squad brimming with youthful exuberance.
Signing four veteran guys with a combined age of 143 doesn't exactly get you fired up. But maybe it should. Stabilizing veteran voices that will make the Leafs a deeper, more effective club.
First of all, Hainsey is coming off an impressive playoff performance with the Pittsburgh Penguins in which he served as a top-pairing D-man, even if it was by default. In 25 postseason games, he recorded two goals and six assists to go along with 37 hits and 44 blocked shots while playing a crucial role in Pittsburgh's Cup victory.
Hainsey will also provide some relief for the Leafs' top three defensemen in Jake Gardiner, Morgan Rielly, and Nikita Zaitsev.
All three played a ton of minutes last season, and the wear and tear of the 82-game grind was evident on the trio of blue-liners. Hainsey, who has logged a career average of just over 21 minutes of ice time per game, will lighten the load for the core rearguards while also bringing an element of leadership the club is looking for.
McElhinney and Moore continue the Leafs' trend of going with low-risk, high-reward guys that A) know their roles well, and B) have proven track records getting the job done in backup and bottom-six roles, respectively.
In 82 games last season for the Boston Bruins, Moore - a Thornhill, Ontario native - registered 11 goals and 14 assists while also winning nearly 57 percent of his faceoffs.
Meanwhile, McElhinney had a respectable season as well. In 14 games for the Leafs, the 34-year-old veteran put up a record of 6-7 while posting a 2.85 goals-against and .914 save percentage - good enough numbers from your backup, especially for $800,000.
Lastly, the addition of Marleau completes a quartet of veteran signings for Lou Lamoriello and Co. that make Toronto a much more complete team.
Sure, he's 37. And three years at an average annual value of $6.25 million seems like a lot. But when you consider the fact that Marleau is in excellent shape and rarely misses any time due to injury, and the Leafs could have just added a game-changer.
Marleau has played every game for eight seasons and missed just 31 total in his career.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) July 2, 2017
He had 27 goals at age 37.
This is who you bet on.
The three-time All-Star leaves San Jose with 508 goals and 574 assists.
But it's his veteran leadership that offers the greatest benefit to the inexperienced Leafs. Don't forget, despite San Jose's playoff struggles, Marleau has also been a clutch postseason performer - another characteristic Toronto sorely lacks.
In 177 career playoff games, Marleau has tallied an impressive 68 goals and 52 assists, and will surely be a factor if Toronto manages to qualify for the playoffs for a second year in a row.
They may not have been the names Leafs fans expected, but if Lamoriello's track record alone isn't enough to have you believing, just remember: sexy doesn't always equal success.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)