*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact” button at the top of the page.
*******
It was a hectic and busy day for Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving, as the club added four players in free agency with an emphasis in keeping the puck out of their own net. The biggest addition was shot-blocking specialist and shutdown defenseman Chris Tanev, who likely slots in on the top pairing with Morgan Rielly, but Toronto made other additions that may be successful in filling out their blueline and making it more effective top-to-bottom.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson - four years, $3.5 million AAV
Ekman-Larsson may have been a fallback for the Leafs after players like Brett Pesce fell off the board and others like Brandon Montour and Brady Skjei went for more than $ 7 million per season. The 32-year-old has evolved from the top-level, minutes-eating defender he was in Arizona, but he was still extremely effective in Florida’s Cup victory over Edmonton, and will likely fit in on the Leafs middle or bottom pairing.
Jani Hakanpaa - two years, $1.5 million AAV
If you were looking for size, snarl, and sandpaper on the back end, then you will be ecstatic at the signing of Hakanpaa. The 32-year-old Finn came late to the NHL, and after stops with Anaheim and Carolina settled in with Dallas for three years. The 6’7” blueliner was on the Stars top penalty-killing pairing and missed the last month of the regular season and playoffs with the Stars with a knee injury.
Don’t expect any offense from Hakanpaa, but if you consider that former Leaf Ilya Lyubushkin signed with the Stars for $3.25 million on a two-year deal, getting the big Finn for less than half the price is a bargain.
Anthony Stolarz, two years, $2.5 million AAV
Clearly, the Leafs expect Joseph Woll to be the primary starter next season, because Stolarz has never played more than 28 games in any NHL season. The 30-year-old has been good in spot duty in Philadelphia and Edmonton, had a quality season with Anaheim three years ago, and put up a career-best 2.02 GAA backing up Sergei Bobrovsky in Florida last season, but taking a larger role in Toronto will be a challenge.
The scenario that everyone fears is Woll going down and having to rely on the backup for an extended period, as occurred last season with Martin Jones. Does the prospect of Stolarz being
the everyday starter for a long stretch have you brimming with confidence?
Matt Murray - one year, $875,000 AAV
The one ability the Leafs need with the one-two combo of Woll and Stolarz from their third-stringer is availability and that is something that has evaded Murray for most of the last five years. The 30-year-old missed most of last season after double hip surgery, but he made it back to play three games with the Marlies in April.
It's nice to have a two-time Cup winner with high-end ability as insurance, and with a one-way deal at $875,000, it is likely that Murray will take residence in the AHL as Martin Jones did until called upon.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»