Jaromir Jagr to Become a Leaf?

Laine Brown — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:15:57 -0400

With the free agent market opening in just a few days, there have been a lot of rumors about who is going where. For me to believe something that I have heard on TV, radio, or the Internet I need a lot of sources to tell basically the same story for me to believe it.

I have heard from several sources that Cliff Fletcher is talking to Rangers GM Glen Sather about trading Jaromir Jagr's rights to the Toronto Maple Leafs. It would give the Leafs a chance to possibly unload some of the players that they wanted, such as Bryan McCabe or Pavel Kubina.

In return, the Rangers would get something for Jagr instead of losing him to the open market.

It is also rumored that Jagr is thinking about retiring or going to play hockey in Russia, but those rumors have died down quite a bit over the last few days.

With potentially three or five Leafs players leaving, you have to think that it's going to be a big summer for them in the free agent market. Most of the players that the Leafs sign over the next couple of days will not likely be big name players. They will all be pieces to the Leafs' puzzle.

Here are some of the rumored players heading to Toronto, along with the predicted salaries they will make next season.

Ron Hainsey

A solid stay at home defenceman, he rarely makes mistakes in his own end. He is also not afraid to get in on the rush.

Salary prediction: $1.5-$2 million per season

Jaromir Jagr

He is starting to become a good two-way player now. He racks up a lot of points, and he plays defence in his own end. Still, he is getting old, and Jagr only plays when he wants to.

Salary Prediction: $6-$6.5 million per season

Dmitri Kalinin

He's defenceman that can jump up in the rush and get points as well. He has a strong shot from the point and makes tape-to-tape passes in his own end. He takes a lot of penalties, getting reckless with his stick, causing hooking or slashing penalties.

Salary Prediction: $2-$2.5 million per season

Pascal Dupuis

This is one of the fastest wingers in the NHL right now. He's a great passer on both ends of the ice, and he can also put the puck in the net when given a chance. I don't know why any team wouldn't want him with the way he played in the playoffs.

Salary Prediction: $2.75-$3 million per season

Mike Commodore

One of the most useless defencemen in the NHL. If the Leafs sign this guy, it would be like taking steps back from rebuilding.

Salary prediction: $3 million per season

Marcus Naslund

Once one of the best left wingers in the game, he has slipped quite a lot in the past three seasons. He is a great leader and he makes Vancouver proud. A change of scenery is all he needs to make him one of the NHL's best offensive weapons again.

Salary prediction: $5-$5.5 million per season

Mike Ryder

A very gritty right winger, he is like another Darcy Tucker, but he doesn't fight as much. He battles hard in the corners and in front of the net, but does not focus on defence as much as some teams would like him to.

Salary prediction: $3.5-$4 million per season

Toronto Maple Leafs' Fletcher Cleaning House

Laine Brown — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 05:00:11 -0400

Cliff Fletcher was not lying when he said that there would be big changes to the Toronto Maple Leafs. So far this summer, Fletcher has bought out Darcy Tucker, and put Kyle Wellwood and Andrew Raycroft on waivers.

Fletcher is also currently trying to get Bryan MacCabe to wave his no-trade clause. If Fletcher can not get MacCabe to wave his no movement clause before training camp, it has been reported that Fletcher will tell MacCabe to stay at his home in New York.

Also the Toronto Maple Leafs have granted the Montreal Canadiens permission to talk to Mats Sundin about a contract. Tucker,Wellwood and Raycroft will not be back this season. Should Sundin sign another contract with the Canadiens, and MacCabe is told to stay home, that's potentially five players that will not return to the Leafs.

As a Leafs fan not one of those moves disappoints me. I will break down why I'm not sad to see any of these players return below.

Darcy Tucker- His age is starting to show, he is starting to loose his feet, he has also been recently struggling to put the puck on the net. The first season after the lockout, there was not one shift that Tucker played that every player was aware that he was on the ice. The way he plays now $3.5 million a season is just to much in the new NHL.

Kyle Wellwood- The Leafs depended on this player to much and they paid for it. It seemed like he was injured every other game with some sort of nagging injury. Wellwood had potential to be on of the most dynamic centers in the game.

You could say that the Leafs ruined his career. Despite injuries, he had the speed and the moves and he played defense in his own end, which is what the leafs desperately need right now.

Andrew Raycroft- One of the most inconsistent goalies in the NHL. He was set to make $2.2 million next season. Through 19 games Raycroft won only two of them. So that adds up to 1.1 mill for 1 win. The Leafs can’t afford him when Scott Clemensen or Justin Pogge can come in and do a bang up job as a back up.

Mats Sundin- Made the Leafs good enough to get a bad pick in the entry draft. Sundin was one of the best captains in the game right now. But the Leafs are looking to rebuild, in skill level and in age. Sundin is just too old to have around a team that is looking for a younger style.

Bryan MacCabe- Hell of a point shot but $7 million is too much for a defenseman who can’t play defense. To me it was Tomas Kaberle that really made MacCabe shine on the pp. With the next contract that he signs he won’t be making any where close to $7 million.

Bleacher Report - Articles by Laine Brown

Jaromir Jagr to Become a Leaf?

Toronto Maple Leafs' Fletcher Cleaning House