For all that is perceived as wrong with the Toronto Maple Leafs, they have made some smart, great business acquisitions by early July with two months before training camp.

Free agent signings:
· Re-signed forward Nazem Kadri
· Re-signed forward Richard Panik
· Re-signed defenseman Petter Granberg
· Signed forward P.A. Parenteau
· Signed forward Daniel Winnik
· Signed forward Mark Arcobello
· Signed forward Shawn Matthias
· Signed defenseman Matt Hunwick

 

On July 1, 2015 the Toronto Maple Leafs traded Phil Kessel, Tim Erixon, Tyler Biggs, 2016 second round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins for forwards Kasperi Kapanen, Nick Spaling, defenseman Scott Harrington and a first and third round pick in 2016. They also agreed to retain $1.25 million of Kessel’s salary.

The preached ‘culture change’ has begun under the Toronto Maple Leafs management team of Brendan Shanahan, Mark Hunter and Kyle Dubas. Obtaining head coach Mike Babcock from Detroit was a huge win. The team said that they would not steal the headlines on July 1, but would be active. The players coming to Toronto are not game-changing players. However, they are low risk signed veterans who have some experience within the league. They can be there to teach the youngsters.

The team also made a blockbuster trade on July 1st moving their star forward Phil Kessel to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Nick Spaling is an average veteran forward who can fill the gaps at center for the team. Kasperi Kapanen is an 18 year old forward who is projected to be on one of the team’s top two lines in the near future. He probably won’t be rushed to the Air Canada Centre ice, just yet, but could be a future star. Scott Harrington could be on the second pairing in Toronto but the team and their fans are probably not going to see him get top minutes on the blue line. No doubt about it, early dividends show that they lost in the Kessel trade. However, the rebuild is commencing and that deserves praise to the management team for sticking to their guns.

The final grade for this team is a B-. The team didn’t go spending money foolishly on overpriced talent. They filled it with cheap, ‘band-aid’ temporary players. If these guys can provide some value on the score sheets, they could be traded for future draft picks. The team isn’t going to win the Stanley Cup next season. That’s obvious! They did have their hands tied on Kessel’s contract. They had to take what they felt was best for them. So what! They lost by trading Phil Kessel and received limited returns, but the rebuild appears to be beginning.