The Toronto Maple Leafs were reportedly in hot pursuit of a UFA defenseman this summer. Well, several teams were. But it seemed like Toronto was the frontrunner for this former San Jose Sharks blueliner.
However, everyone was surprised to find that Mario Ferraro had signed with the Winnipeg Jets. In the end, the 27-year-old signed a three-year deal worth $12 million, leaving the Maple Leafs in the dust.
It has now become clear why Ferraro passed on the Maple Leafs. In an appearance on DFO Rundown, insider David Pagnotta pointed towards Morgan Rielly as the reason why Ferraro didn’t sign with Toronto.
Specifically, Ferraro wasn’t keen on waiting to see what the Maple Leafs were going to do about Rielly’s situation. He took the best offer on the table on July 1 and pulled the trigger.
“Teams like Toronto… Carolina, and Edmonton, and a few others that had interest… the message…from Toronto…was we’re still figuring out Morgan Rielly… he didn’t want to wait, he ends up in Winnipeg.”
It seems Ferraro was right about not waiting for the Maple Leafs to resolve their Rielly conundrum. The 32-year-old remains in Toronto and likely to return next season.
Ultimately, it would appear that the Leafs missed out on an opportunity to add a solid middle-pairing defenseman at a reasonable price point.
Ferraro Would Have Been Solid Addition to Maple Leafs Blue Line
There were plenty of reasons why teams like the Maple Leafs, Hurricanes, and Oilers would have wanted to add Ferraro.
Ferraro’s most attractive feature is his ability to play both sides. While he’s technically a left shot, he can play both sides equally well. That versatility is something teams covet. While he’s not the fastest or hardest-hitting guy out there, he’s the sort of blueliner that can play the sort of style the Hurricanes are looking for.
As for the Maple Leafs, he can turn into a responsible adult in the back end. That’s something that Jim Hiller would have wanted with this blueline corps. And that’s something that the Jets will get moving forward.
Ferraro could have been a solid middle-pairing option with either Chris Tanev or Jake McCabe. In fact, he could have stepped in case Tanev went down with injury. While not quite the same elite-level defensive defenseman, Ferraro would have filled a major hole.
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Toronto Wouldn’t Have Gotten Much Offense from Ferraro
At the end of the day, the Maple Leafs wouldn’t have gotten much offense from Ferraro. He actually put up the highest point totals of his career, scoring seven goals and 23 points in 82 games last season.
So, Toronto wouldn’t have gotten lights-out scoring from Ferraro. But then again, the Maple Leafs wouldn’t have needed him to be Cale Makar. They would have just needed him to be a solid, defensively reliable piece night in and night out.
For $4 million AAV, that wouldn’t have been bad at all.
The Leafs may have missed out on this opportunity. But there will likely be others. That’s why John Chayka should always be lurking around.
Maple Leafs Missed Out on UFA Blueliner Because of Rielly