Elliotte Friedman is usually the guy people trust to have the details right, but even he had to own up to a mistake on Brandon Duhaime’s new Maple Leafs contract.
Toronto landed Duhaime on a three-year deal on the first day of free agency, bringing in a fast, physical winger with penalty-killing chops and a mean streak that clearly appealed to the team. The contract is worth $2.6 million per season, and Friedman later admitted he had initially reported the wrong number.
On a recent 32 Thoughts episode before his summer break, Friedman explained how it happened:
I will tell you a funny story on July 1. I didn't realize with everything going a million miles an hour; I said Duhaime signed for 3 x $1.85M, and it was really 3 x $2.6 and I heard Duhaime was like 'you gotta get him to change that, I wouldn't sign for that.' [Chuckles] I apologized in person, I didn't wanna short change him.
For Duhaime, the mistake was worth a laugh. For Friedman, it was just one of those July 1 moments when contracts, rumors, and numbers start flying everywhere and something can slip through the cracks.
The bigger picture for Toronto is that Duhaime still looks like a useful addition no matter where you land on the price. At $1.85 million, he would have been a bargain. At $2.6 million, he still gives the Maple Leafs a player who doesn’t eat up a ton of cap space and comes in cheaper than a Nick Robertson or Matias Maccelli.
Last season, the 29-year-old put up nine points in 82 games for the Capitals. Across 375 career games, he has 70 points.
The real calling card is his physical edge: 879 hits over five seasons, which works out to nearly 176 a year. He’s listed at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, and he moves with serious pace.
That speed matters. Duhaime finished in the 92nd percentile for skating speed and had three times the number of 22 MPH+ bursts than the average player. That kind of motor fits a penalty-killing role and gives Toronto a chance to build a hard-charging, athletic shutdown line.
He also brings the kind of energy that can change the feel of a room. Duhaime may not pile up the points or make the highlight reel every night, but he can be the kind of player who keeps a bench engaged and a lineup connected.
So whether Friedman briefly had the number wrong or not, the end result is the same: Brandon Duhaime is in Toronto, and he looks like he’s going to matter.
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