The Return of Leo?
By Steve Dangle
9 years ago
Uncle Leo!
It’s playoff time, so Leafs talk is scarce. Let’s all take a moment to chuckle at that in a somber manner, sigh, pause for a moment, and tuck all that anguish deep down inside until it resurfaces as an ulcer.
Anyway, the buzz of the day appears to be the seemingly likely possibility that Leo Komarov will return to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
As a Komarov fan myself, I’m tickled pink by the idea of Leo’s return. What’s the likelihood of it though?
Well that’s an encouraging tweet if I ever saw one! Sounds like a done de- oh wait there’s more.
This one made me raise my eyebrow a bit. I highly doubt Traikos would just blindly pull a number out of his butt. I assume he has a rough idea of Komarov’s asking price. There are a couple questions I have though:
- What classifies “Top-6 Money? Anything north of $2 million? $3 million? $4 million?
- What will Komarov’s role with the Leafs be if he chooses to come back?
The idea that Komarov will be asking for a lot of money or that he’ll be asking for a top-six role is contrary to everything I’ve ever read or heard about him. Take this December interview with Komarov for example. That article leaves me with the impression that Komarov would be willing to be reasonable about salary. He said similar things on our own site in a September interview with him. If Komarov’s preferred destination is Toronto, a “discount” seems reasonable. If a “long-term deal” is what Komarov is after, as his agent said, then you may expect that “discount” to grow even more. If last summer’s Nazem Kadri and Cody Franson negotiations were any indication, the Leafs won’t be handing Komarov a blank cheque. He’s not even from Mimico!
The story I was always told about Leo Komarov was this:
- He won the 2012 Gagarin Cup with Dynamo Moscow and he left the KHL to pursue a new challenge by fulfilling his goal of one day playing in the NHL, leaving money on the table in the process.
- He came to North America only to have the lockout delay his goal and was handed a Marlies jersey.
- He briefly went back to the KHL for more money and to play on a line with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom.
- He came back to North America, suited up for the Leafs, and was a pesky, loveable jerk.
- The cap went down and the Leafs fired money at David Clarkson out of a Wile E. Coyote style cannon so affording Komarov became difficult for the Leafs.
- Komarov wanted to play bigger minutes in the KHL for the 2013-14 season for a better chance at making the Finnish Olympic team, which he was in fact successful in making.
My gut says Leo Komarov will be back with the Leafs, in a reasonable role, at a reasonable price. I should mention however that my gut is not Leo Komarov, his agent, or Dave Nonis. We will keep you updated on this story as it develops.
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