Leafs Strike It Rich In UFA

[Adam - Leafs]

Leafs GM Adam Healy knew his team had a problem coming into the 2022 UFA signing period. He had a talented core, but needed additional help to become a contender. "I was very happy with the backbone of our team" Healy said. "Auston and Nico give us great center depth. With Seth Jones, brought in to play with Provorov, and having both locked up, we had a great start to a solid defense. Finally, I believe Igor Shesterkin is one of, if not the best goalie in the league. I just thought we were at a bit of a cross-roads. Missing the playoffs last year came as a bit of a shock, and we had a few guys left on one year deals who had underperformed for what we needed. The question we asked ourselves was: Is it time to move the guys we have and start over, or can we build around this to make something special". With some targets in mind for UFA, Healy went to work with offers to players he thought would help, mainly looking to add on the wings.

Wave 1 brought in Blake Wheeler, and Mats Zuccarello, who likely will flank team captain Matthews on the top line. "This will provide some size, speed, and most importantly, high-end talent to play with one of the best young snipers in the league. As a leadership group, we think the look of this line can be extremely dangerous. It also allows us to move Elias Lindholm back to his natural position of center." Lindholm will find himself flanked by 2 new wingers himself, as Healy was able to add former #1 overall pick, Taylor Hall, and the offensively balanced Viktor Arvidsson in wave 2. "We really like the look of this line as well, and it lets Nico Hischier develop another year at 3C, before he looks to take on a full-time top-6 role, hopefully as early as next season." Healy also indicated that the coaching staff may tinker with line combinations to find the best fit. "We'll definitely start the season this way, but we'll want to give the guys a chance to mix it up, so see if there's some chemistry with other combinations. Plus, with injuries always being a concern, we want to make sure our guys are familiar with how each other plays."

The top 6 taken care of, Healy still had to revamp the defense. Ryan Suter was moved out to make way for a younger and cheaper Josh Manson, Dylan DeMelo came onboard as an inexpensive bottom pair piece, and with one last card to play, Healy was able to lure in Jared Spurgeon on a 2-year deal, after he was passed over in wave 2. "Quite happy with what we were able to accomplish on defense. Moving out Ryan was tough, he was a leader on this team, a rock for us on D, and an absolute professional. We were able to negotiate with a couple other GMs which allowed us to bring in Josh who adds a bit of toughness we needed back there, and in a cap world, the savings were important for us as well. The savings became even more important after Jared was still looking for a home at the start to wave 3. We found there was some mutual interest, and we were able to bring him in, despite some stiff competition for his services".

Final tally has established veterans Nicklas Backstrom, Jakub Voracek, and the aforementioned Suter, moving out, with Zuccarello, Wheeler, Arvidson, Hall, Spurgeon, and DeMelo coming on board. "If you'd told me before UFA, that we'd be able to add four top-6 wingers, a defenseman to play on our top pair, upgrade on Suter, and add a bottom pair d-man on a much needed cheap contract, I'd have said you were crazy." Well, crazy or not, with only a few 4th liners left to add, Healy's Leafs look ready to compete.