The NHL’s summer pause hasn’t stopped the transaction wire from humming, and the biggest dominoes have now fallen. Elliotte Friedman’s latest rundown said Florida and Akira Schmid “avoid arbitration” on a 2 x $2M deal, and that “All arbitration cases are now settled.”
That left a clean sweep through the notable arbitration files. Jet Greaves landed at 3 by $5 million.
Jason Robertson got 1 by $12 million, with UFA status on expiry and no extension until January 1. Jamie Drysdale signed for 4 by $6.5 million.
Connor McMichael came in at 6 by $6.5 million. Trevor Zegras checked in at 4 by $9.125 million.
Cole Perfetti settled at 5 by 6 million.
There were a few other signings worth noting, too. Patrick Kane is back in Chicago at 1 by $8 million.
John Marino landed an 8-year deal worth $6.75 million in Utah, with the note that he is 29 and that now apparently counts as a reasonable age to sign an 8-year deal. Connor Bedard signed for 5 by $15 million in Chicago.
The front-office side of the league has been moving as well. Steve Yzerman “seems to have fired himself,” though the Red Wings remain stuck in place.
Evan Gold, who was interviewed by the Leafs in their GM search, is rumored to be headed somewhere, and naturally that has dragged Toronto into the speculation. The Bruins also added Kevyn Adams, whose reputation got a quick renovation after the Buffalo Sabres made the playoffs right after he was fired, as Alex Lyon pointed out.
One article on Gold suggested he could wind up running the Marlies if he joined Toronto, but that looks unlikely given Ryan Hardy’s prominent role with the new Chayka management group. Gold’s background points in a different direction anyway.
He has worked in contracts in the NHL, studied law and business, and held responsibilities in Washington and Boston that lined up with Brandon Pridham’s old job. If he were to join the Leafs, a promotion would make more sense than a sideways move.
Hardy, meanwhile, has already broken out of the cul de sac he was in when Treliving was GM, so the Leafs could either shift the AHL piece to someone else or simply decide cul de sacs are bad management.
Toronto’s actual moves have already started to take shape. The Marlies officially changed some hockey operations and coaching staff, with Chris Bourque named assistant GM to Ryan Hardy, and Denver Manderson and Greg Moore added as assistant coaches for head coach Steve Sullivan and Mark Giordano. Moore had been the Marlies head coach from 2019-23 and also went to the USNTDP.
The Leafs also hired Jeremiah Crowe as Director of Player Personnel, though the team did not post anything about it on its website. The only public announcement came through Leafs PR: “The Maple Leafs have hired Jeremiah Crowe as Director of Player Personnel.”
Crowe is from Wisconsin and had been the Director of Professional Scouting with the Sabres. He also worked with the USNTDP at the same time as Hardy, has a business degree from Clarkson, and later earned a master’s in sports administration.
The World Junior Summer Showcase is underway, and Toronto has two drafted prospects in the event: Tyler Hopkins for Team Canada and newly drafted goalie Jusso Ainasto for Team Finland. Gavin McKenna is not there, even though he wouldn’t need the showcase anyway.
The schedule is out, too, and it has already produced the usual flood of charts and graphs about who plays when and how and why it’s all so unfair. None of that seems to matter much.
You play the game in front of you. And if you’re Steve Yzerman, you keep missing draft lotteries and still end up with a uniquely talented player; if you’re the Leafs, you try to become a team worthy of the best players it has.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Still Have 3 Free Agent Decisions To Make
The Maple Leafs have already done plenty of their offseason business, but there is still room for one more move or two if they want to keep shaping the roster around the edges. A few unsigned names remain in the conversation, including Eeli Tolvanen, Michael Bunting and Nick Blankenburg, each offering a different kind of fit depending on what Toronto values most at this stage of the summer.
Tolvanen brings the most upside as a possible top-six option, while Bunting would be the familiar face in the mix after spending his best years in Toronto and carving out a role as a middle-six winger. Blankenburg, meanwhile, would give the Leafs an affordable right-shot depth defenseman, which is the sort of low-risk addition that can still matter when the lineup tightens up later in the season. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Defensive Logjam Could Force Another Painful Roster Decision
Torontos offseason work on the blue line has created more competition than certainty, with Emil Andrae and Darren Raddysh coming in and Troy Stecher back in the fold after Simon Benoit was moved out. It is the kind of reshuffling that can help a roster in the long run, but it also leaves the Maple Leafs with a crowded defense group and a few uncomfortable decisions still to come as training camp gets closer.
Philippe Myers sits at the center of that squeeze after a difficult season in which he never really established himself as a steady option. Toronto would like to keep opening space for younger defensemen such as William Villeneuve and Ben Danford, but the path to do that may require another move on the back end, whether on the trade market or through a more procedural route if no deal materializes. [Read more 🡒]