Kyle Dubas appears to have hit a homerun by letting Nick Foligno walk
When Leafs GM Kyle Dubas gave up his 2021 1st and 2022 4th round draft picks in a deadline deal for Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno last season, there were certainly some raised eyebrows in Leafs Nation, as many had viewed the move as a bit of an overpay for an aging player who managed a meagre 16 points in 42 games at that point. Nevertheless, there was also a large contingent of Leafs fans who understood the value of the playoff intangibles that aren't counted on the scoreboard - intangibles that Foligno possessed in spades.
Hindsight is 20/20, and what we know now is that Foligno's body had failed him at some point before or during his disappointing run in Toronto that limited him to just 7 regular season games and 4 playoff games. But hey, at least Foligno managed to have an awkward, forced fight with Corey Perry after an accidental knee took Leafs captain John Tavares out in Game 1 of the Buds' first round matchup with the Montreal Canadiens, right?
Foligno's run in Toronto rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, but there's certainly a portion of that disappointment that comes from revisionist history, because had Foligno not been injured and played a key role for the Leafs down the stretch and remained healthy enough to play in all 7 games against the Canadiens, maybe we're having a different conversation about what he meant to the team right now.
Nevertheless, some in Leafs Nation had hoped that the Leafs could find a way to re-up Foligno during free agency to help soften the blow of losing out on their first round pick for a total of 11 games of an injured veteran forward. Of course, that never happened, and perhaps Kyle Dubas and Leafs Nation should breathe a collective sigh of relief, because Foligno's 2021-22 season has not been great.
Foligno inked a 2-year, $7.6M deal with the Boston Bruins back in July during free agency, which carries a $3.8M AAV. While the contract certainly isn't a large one, it's large enough that it is a bit of a concern, given Foligno's subpar production this season. So far, through the 34-year-old's 26 games as a Bruin, he has managed just 1 goal and 7 points. When you combine that with his production from 7 regular season games and 4 playoff games as a Leaf, Foligno has scored just 1 goal 12 points in 37 games since his departure from Columbus.
Instead of the $3.8M that the Leafs would have been forced to spend on Foligno, Dubas was able to sign Ondrej Kase, Michael Bunting and David Kampf for a total of $3.575M, saving $225K in cap space, but more importantly, providing the Leafs with a combined 51 points, versus Foligno's measly 7 points.
What had originally looked like a bit of a swing and a miss is suddenly not looking to bad for the Buds.
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