Maple Leafs’ High-Price Free-Agent Era Demands Immediate Results

Out of all the NHL players who changed addresses this summer, the one who has enjoyed the most productive start to the season also happens to be one of the biggest bargains.

Jack Roslovic, who scored both of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ goals in a 3-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday, has eight goals and 18 points in 17 games. That is more than injured teammate Kirill Marchenko has scored, and more than newly acquired players such as Brady Tkachuk, Alex Tuch, Pavel Dorofeyev and others have managed.

The encouraging part is that Roslovic is earning only $4 million this season. The concern is that the Maple Leafs’ two biggest free-agent signings — goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and defenseman Darren Raddysh — are still trying to justify massive contracts on a team that remains outside the playoff picture.

The good news for Toronto is that a newcomer has produced. The bad news is that Bobrovsky and Raddysh have not yet done enough to justify the money they were given.

Bobrovsky, the highest-paid free-agent goalie last summer at $21 million over three years, stopped 33 of 36 shots against Utah on Tuesday. It was still his eighth loss in 11 starts.

Raddysh, meanwhile, has no goal after scoring 22 times last season with Tampa Bay. In Tuesday’s loss to the Mammoth, the issue was not his offense, but an undisciplined cross-checking penalty on Barrett Hayton at 11:42 of the third period that led to the game-winning power-play goal.

“A stupid penalty,” head coach Jim Hiller said after the game. “Let’s call it what it is — and it cost us. Thought we had all the momentum, and didn’t turn out very well for us.”

Darren Raddysh Takes Blame For 'Dumb' Penalty That Preceded Mammoth’s Power-Play Winner In Maple Leafs Loss
The Maple Leafs had poor first and second periods, but when they picked up the pace in the third period, their momentum stalled due to a costly mistake.

“They’ve got a lethal power play and I kind of took a dumb penalty there, so I take blame for that one,” he said immediately following the game.

Considerable blame is not something Raddysh shied away from. He could have ducked the media or suggested the officials were at fault for calling an otherwise minor penalty in a tied game. Instead, he faced the room and accepted responsibility for a costly error in judgment.

“No, it’s a penalty,” he said. “It’s one I would like to have back. Nothing I can do about it now. Sorry we didn’t get the result we wanted.”

No team made more changes to its roster than the Maple Leafs did last summer. Heading into the season, the team had 10 new bodies on its roster, a significant turnover for a team that also replaced its head coach.

While the newcomers have provided bright spots — most notably Roslovic and rookie Gavin McKenna, who has five goals and 11 points in 17 games — not every new player has looked comfortable in his new home.

Bobrovsky, who has allowed three or more goals in 10 of his 11 starts, has an .889 save percentage and may have lost the starting job to Anthony Stolarz.

Opinion: Maple Leafs Must Turn To Anthony Stolarz Over Sergei Bobrovsky As Starting Goaltender
With losses stacking up and questionable goals being allowed in the early days of Sergei Bobrovsky’s tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs, it’s time for Jim Hiller to make some tough calls between the pipes.

Raddysh, who ranks first among Maple Leafs defensemen in ice time, is not in danger of having his minutes reduced. But with no goals and eight points in 17 games, the increased workload has not yet led to more offense.

“It’s a new year. Whatever you did last year, that’s in the past,” Raddysh said after Tuesday’s morning skate. “If I don’t score a goal all year and we go on a long run and win the Stanley Cup, I’m okay with that. So I’m just trying to help the team win as best as possible and just go about my business each and every day.”

Of course, it is not just the Maple Leafs asking more of their new players.

Bowen Byram, who signed a massive six-year extension with the Chicago Blackhawks worth $75 million after being traded out of Buffalo, had no goals and six points before getting hurt.

After scoring 35 goals or more in back-to-back seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights, Dorofeyev is on pace for 21 goals with the New York Rangers. And after facing a target in Edmonton, it is good that Darnell Nurse is playing in anonymity in San Jose, where he has a goal and just two assists in 15 games.

Raddysh, who signed an eight-year deal worth $68 million, would be the first to say he “can do a better job” at producing like he did in Tampa Bay. He would also be the first to say that some of his previous offensive production was the result of puck luck.

'I Can Do A Better Job': Darren Raddysh Explains Why He Hasn’t Scored His First Goal For Maple Leafs Yet
Darren Raddysh hasn’t scored his first goal since joining the Toronto Maple Leafs yet. He explained Tuesday morning why that might be the case.

Raddysh ranked in the top five among defensemen in shots on goal last season, but he also had a 10.4 shooting percentage — almost double his previous career average. This season, he ranks in the top 10 among defensemen with 41 shots in 17 games. The only difference is that the puck has not found the back of the net.

At least, not yet.

“Yeah, I think I’d like to shoot the puck a little bit more,” Raddysh said. “You know, I think there’s times when maybe I’m passing it too much, or I do shoot it no one’s at the net front. That’s maybe not a good shot for me. But yeah, I think just try to keep doing what I do. Try to go about my business, and eventually one will fall.”

The season is only a little more than a month old, so there is plenty of time for newly acquired players to get acclimated to their new homes. But for now, the Maple Leafs need more out of their new guys.

More specifically, they need Raddysh and Bobrovsky to start justifying the money they are making.

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