The Toronto Maple Leafs look a lot different than they did just a few days prior.
At the start of free agency, the Maple Leafs made several major moves, with none bigger than their move to sign two-time Stanley Cup champion goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. New general manager John Chayka pulled off his biggest move to date, signing the veteran goalie to a three-year, $21 million deal.
That wasn’t the only move that Chayka made on the first day as he made several other moves, including signing Nick Paul and veterans Jack Roslovic, Colton Sissons and Brandon Duhaime.
Chayka spoke to the media following the Maple Leafs’ big day, calling Bobrovsky a “game-changer.”
“Sergei is a real game-changer for us in terms of the stability, the consistency, and the durability,” said Chayka. “Obviously, the resume speaks for itself. It possibly ends up being the best in that position of all time. To be able to secure a player like that for this team — which is looking to break through — we feel like it was the right player at the right time; not just on the ice, but certainly off the ice, with the mentorship, the professionalism, and the championship pedigree”
How Sergei Bobvovsky Signed With the Maple Leafs
The big free agency move was rumored for a long time and it was essentially finalized once the Florida Panthers made the decision to acquire their former goalie Jacob Markstrom via trade from the New Jersey Devils. They also signed Akira Schmid, who appeared in 34 games last season for the Las Vegas Golden Knights while posting a 2.59 ERA.
It’s clear that Chayka and new Senior Executive Advisor of Hockey Operations Mats Sundin are making a concerted effort to get the Leafs back into contention as soon as next season. Toronto missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade and finished with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference last season. They’re only a year removed from coming within a game of eliminating the eventual Stanley Cup champion Panthers.
John Chayka Makes It Clear Maple Leafs Are Reloading to Contend
Chayka has made a number of moves to overhaul the roster from last season, including adding rising star defenseman Darren Raddysh. After trading for Raddysh, the Leafs signed him to an eight-year, $68 million deal. That’s in addition to drafting the next great superstar in Gavin McKenna with the No. 1 overall pick.
“We did a lot of buying and selling over the last month,” said Chayka. ?At times, it may not have made a lot of sense in terms of individual moves. As we thought about the bigger picture and what we want to create, it all kind of fell into place for us. It is not just about putting a roster on paper. It is about putting it into action on the ice. We felt like we got a lot of different elements to the game that we can then give our coaches now — the flexibility to create a lineup that we feel is now deeper, faster, bigger, heavier, and guys have some roles. We certainly feel like we are a better hockey team today as a result.”
There’s still more moves to be made with free agency just starting, but Chayka has made it clear the Leafs are not rebuilding — they’re reloading to contend next season.
John Chayka Sends Direct Message After Sergei Bobrovsky Signing