Tuesday Mailbag: Social Media Response Happy Fun Time

Yeah, we missed the mailbag yesterday. In my defence, Civic Holiday is by far the most important of this nation’s holidays. I had trees to put up and family to hug. By that, I mean I worked all day because the Eaton Centre never closes and I still live the real-world life for another month.

But hey! Lets make up for it by answering more questions than usual today.

No. If there’s no fans in the seats, there is no money to pay him with. That said, he must be compensated, so reather than being hired, he will become owner of the Arizona Coyotes. It’s what we’ve all been dreaming of.

I see this as a very likely scenario. Between the oodles of over-20 prospects that the Leafs don’t plan on rushing onto the Leafs, and all the players signed to AHL deals, the Leafs and Solar Bears are filled to the brim. Verhaeghe hasn’t played professional hockey full time yet, and he’s not good enough yet to be on the cusp of making the NHL. Starting his first pro speason in the ECHL is something that would probably be a death sentence in 29 other organizations, but given the situation, makes sense now.

It gives Verhaeghe an opportunity to play in many different roles, adjust to the pro game and lifestyle away from the Toronto microscope, and play heavier minutes. Don’t be surprised if most of the pro rookies follow suit.

The public cost around the time of the draft was a second round draft pick, though you wonder how much of that was posturing. Realistically, the Leafs would likely be interested by a low cost or very short term contract, or a mid-round draft pick. Bozak isn’t as bad as his harshest critics like to claim, but with his line having a lot less offensive firepower this year and three more years remaining on his contract, there’s potential for his value to drop fast. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to parachute out merely as a precaution.

Buying out a contract is typically a hockey decision, where teams decide that they can make better use of their cap space or roster spot and act accordingly. Teams will typically eat a percentage of the contract on the salary cap for a defined length of time. 

Terminations are typically for off-ice reasons, where a player breaches his contract. If the reason for termination is deemed to be legitimate, the player’s contract comes off the books and he does not get paid. The team is no longer responsible at all.

Assuming that Nazem Kadri’s bridge doesn’t really count, I could see Martin Marincin sticking around for the long haul. He’s had moments where he’s looked like he’s capable of comfortably taking on significant NHL minutes, and at 23 years old, he has room to grow. The Leafs bought low on him and could very well reap the benefits.

Beyond that, it’s hard to say. A lot of these players are middle-aged and the Leafs are in a transitionary phase; you have to imagine that they’ll take advantage of the rental market that short-term players tend to thrive in.

Tough to say anybody other than WIlliam Nylander at this point. His points-per-game went up in every month that he played throughout the season, eventually cflosing the year with a 1.3 point per game pace in April, despite his young age. It wouldn’t be a shocker to see Nylander be not just the Marlies MVP, but the league’s MVP when all is said and done.