Toronto added some toughness and versatility to the bottom-six adding both Teddy Blueger and Brandon Duhaime which makes them speedier and much grittier.
John Chayka didn't really sit around on his hands come the first day of free agency. First he traded Nick Robertson to get himself away from that potential contract nightmare, then he signed a slew of free agents starting with Colton Sissons, then adding Jack Roslovic and their biggest splash so far in Sergei Bobrovsky.
He didn't just stop there though, as he added some more help to his bottom-six by adding Teddy Blueger and Brandon Duhaime on two-year and three-year deals respectively. Blueger's AAV comes in at $2.5-million meanwhile Duhaime is going to be receiving $2.6-million AAV as both men are going to help solidify the latter half of the lineup.
Blueger brings the two-way centre depth that Toronto lost in Nic Roy
Adding Blueger along with Sissons immediately gives the Maple Leafs two defensively sound pivots who can be a crucial part of the PK. Blueger had some pretty solid numbers with Dakota Joshua and it's likely that the two play together once again, and he's someone who adds a lot more physicality than you think.
He has averaged 75 hits for his career while also holding a near 50% face-off win percentage, while also adding 21 points per season. Sure, he's not going to blow you away offensively but for a player who is known for being defensive and a PK guy, he gets his chances thanks to his defence.
With Max Domi out, new head coach Jim Hiller can swap both Sissons and Blueger in and out or even use Blueger as Sissons' winger as he has experience there as well. That's a shutdown duo who along with Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev would make for an extremely tough PK to play against.
Some are worried that this is going to be in the same vein as a Ryan Reaves signing, but he's only 31, he's not that expensive nor a long-term commitment and he offers a lot more overall that Reaves ever did.
Brandon Duhaime is the speed demon that Toronto's been missing
Speaking of, some may look at the price paid for Duhaime and recoil a bit however he's one of the fastest skaters in the league, hits like a Mack truck, is only 29, and will stand up for every one of his teammates regardless of situation.
He's averaged 175 hits for his career while adding above average defence and an astounding average of 82 PIM in his young career. He's not someone who is going to back down from a challenge, and he's willing to be the agitator that Toronto needs to combat teams like Florida.
He won't give you a ton of scoring nor will he a flashy player but as a bottom-six winger with immense speed and a mean streak a mile long - he could be a very dangerous asset for the new look Maple Leafs.
Your bottom-six now includes Blueger, Sissons, Duhaime, Dakota Joshua and Steven Lorentz; all five can hit hard and make life miserable for opponents. The team wanted to add toughness and more 'dogs' up front and so far John Chayka has done a pretty fine job of that.
Are you excited for the changes the Maple Leafs have made so far in free agency?
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