With Rick Nash Re-Signed In Columbus, What Now Leaf Fans?

With Rick Nash Re-signed in Columbus, What Now Leaf Fans?

By Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter

For many Toronto Maple Leaf fans the 2010 off-season was supposed to be an opportunity for Leafs General Manager Brian Burke to make a splash. The apple of Burke’s eye? None other than Columbus Blue Jackets sniper Rick Nash. Well Leaf fans, as quick as a slap in the face from a scorned Woman…Wham!!! Nash re-upped with the Blue Jackets, foiled again!

Fear not Leaf fans. With the Salary Cap expected to shrink significantly come 2010 many NHL teams will find themselves in a financial crunch, paving the way for teams with plenty of cap space to swoop in and grab themselves a legitimate star either through free-agency or via a salary dump, teams like the Leafs.

The list of possible free agents in 2010 includes, forwards Ilya Kovalchuk, Patrick Marleau, Alexander Frolov, Marc Savard, Marek Svatos, Milan Hedjuk, Nik Lidstrom, Dan Hamhuis and goaltenders Roberto Luongo, Pekka Rinne, Jonas Hiller.

Clearly, many of these free agents will get signed on or before July 1, 2010, but not everyone, leaving the door open for a limited amount of teams to make their pitch, teams like the salary cap flush Maple Leafs.

Apart from the star-studded free agent list, GM’s will also get a chance to make an offer on some very impressive restricted free agents. The possible list of RFA’s in 2010 includes, forwards Jonathan Toews, Niklas Backstrom, Sam Gagner, Peter Mueller, Patrick Kane, Bobby Ryan, Blake Wheeler, Alexander Semin, Milan Lucic, defensemen Duncan Keith, Erik Johnson, Marc Stall, Kris Letang, Braydon Coburn, Ryan Parent, and goaltenders Cam Ward, Carey Price, Tuukka Rask. An impressive list, one that is sure to lend itself to multiple offers.

The teams in the most danger of losing their stars are the Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins. Many, if not all of these teams, are right up against the salary cap and will be hard pressed to sign all of their young talent.

The Blackhawks are in a precarious position, with too many young stars playing at a high level (a problem every team wish they had) and seem bound to lose one or more of their stars, unfair? Sure, but it’s all apart of the salary cap era, thank you Commissioner Bettman and NHL Players Association.

So, you see Leaf fans, all is not lost, there is still plenty of opportunity for Leafs GM Brian Burke to play the role of the vulture and clean up the road kill left by cap uncertainty and poor cap management. One teams loss will be the Leafs gain, you can count on it!

Burke may not have hit a home run this off-season, but he is not far off from pulling off the type of signing that will change the path of the Maple Leafs for the foreseeable future.

Hey, if you can beat ‘em, rob ‘em…that’s just the way it is in Gary Bettman’s NHL.

Until next time,

Peace!