Leafs Build Foundation

The first week of free agency has seen the Leaf signings focus on building a solid foundation for the future. Sure they took a run at Camalleri and likely were hoping the Sedins would test free agency, but when it came to putting pen to paper the focus has been on building the defense.

There are several things I like about this strategy. First, if you want to build a team with toughness and grit, building your defense like this makes great sense. You will now have either the likely Beauchemin / Schenn pairing, or Komisarek, or Exelby on the ice at all times. This means that you don’t necessarily have to worry about toughness on each forward line since you will always have someone on the ice to back them up.

With this type of defense your goaltending also improves. Opposing forwards have to keep their heads up as they head into the Leaf zone and the team’s crease now becomes a no parking zone. The goalie will have a better view of the puck and will be able to focus on the first shot. There will be less deflections in front of the net and rebounds will be quickly cleared. These defense upgrades should also improve the chance of the Leafs landing Gustavsson, maybe later today.

From a development and culture point of view, having players like Beauchemin and Komisarek in the dressing room will help create a professional and gritty team. While Schenn’s natural defensive talents would have let him play with an offensive player like Kaberle, there is so much more for him to learn at this level. If he is paired with a player like Beauchemin this should be great for his development.

At the moment the Leafs have an excess of quality defensemen. While some look at this as a problem, isn’t that a nice statement for Leaf fans to finally hear?

As we look to the next step we have to consider where the Leafs are in their rebuilding process. With these changes I can see the Leafs making a run at the playoffs next year, but the goal of a long playoff run is still likely two or three years away. With that in mind Kaberle is likely the best bet to be moved. This is not a slight at Kaberle and he would fit in great with these additions. However, he is the one player that could likely obtain a young top six forward that would still be in his prime in three years. The Kaberle / Kessel trade talk is not dead yet and this is the type of deal that the Leafs should be looking at making.

The other defenseman that I would love to move is Finger. I like Finger, but at $3.5 million per year, for three more years, he is too pricey as the 6 or 7 defenseman. They will need that cap space as they look to add skilled forwards during the next two years. Trying to move him will be a big challenge, but I would be happy to move him for a draft pick to get his contract off the books.

There has been talk of moving Van Ryn, but I like the fact that he is on the last year of his contract and would free up $2.9 million of cap space at the end of next season. He is also the type of player that a cup contender would look to add at the trade deadline so I would keep him for now.

If the Leafs can swing a Kaberle trade, I still love the look and depth of the defense. The pairings would be something like:
Van Ryn - Komisarek
Beauchemin - Schenn
White - Exelby

Your primary depth players would be Finger, Frogen and Stralman. I like this group today, and it is a defense that you can fine tune over the years.

With the foundation in place, let’s see what happens as Burke turns his focus to the offence.