Leafs Nation is very high on one of the remaining UFAs, but here's why the Leafs should stay away
There are a lot of members of Leafs Nation who are dissatisfied with the offseason that the Leafs have had so far. After yet another first round exit, a large contingent of the fanbase were calling for a big change and a big splash this summer, but so far that hasn't happened.
After losing Ilya Mikheyev, Jack Campbell, Ilya Lyubushkin and Ondrej Kase to free agency this summer and trading Petr Mrazek to the Chicago Blackhawks, the Leafs went out and traded for Matt Murray and signed Ilya Samsonov, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Calle Jarnkrok, Victor Mete, Jordie Benn and Adam Gaudette during free agency. Not exactly the "sexy" moves people were hoping for, but some intriguing additions to say the least.
The Leafs' biggest issue last season was in net. The tandem of Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek, along with appearances from Joseph Woll, Michael Hutchinson and Erik Kallgren combined for 27th place goaltending in the league. Even with their struggles in net last season, the Leafs still finished 4th overall in the league. This year, the Leafs are coming in with Murray and Samsonov and stand a very good chance of improving in that category.
One player who many within the fanbase are curious about is Sonny Milano, who enjoyed a career year with the Anaheim Ducks last season. One thing that is lost in the desperation for additional moves and signings is the fact that Milano was gifted top six minutes on a struggling Ducks team. He would likely not be afforded the same opportunities with a contending team. Plus, for all the talk about Milano being so impressive last season, he really wasn't all that impressive.
For starters, Milano has never played a full NHL season in his career. The 26-year-old played a career high 66 games last season for the Ducks, posting 34 points over that span, so right around the .5 points per game mark. He's also been regarded as one of the better playmakers from last season. But is he really?
Milano's points split was 14 goals and 20 assists. You know who else had 20 assists last year in a similar number of games? Justin Holl. As you well know, most of Leafs Nation includes Holl in just about every armchair GM trade proposal. It's as if we can't get rid of this guy fast enough. So why then are Leafs fans in such a rush to sign Milano? After all, he was afforded way more offensive opportunities in his 66-game stretch and produced just 11 more points (all goals) than Holl did in 69 games last season.
The fact of the matter is that Milano, at 26, pretty much is what he is. There's not a ton of room for him to continue to grow and develop. Right now, he is at his peak and right in the middle of his prime years. It's very possible that we've seen the best of Milano and just having gone through something similar with Nick Ritchie last season, I'd rather not see the Leafs sign him to a multi-year deal in free agency to find out that he doesn't fit in the top six. Quite simply, just because he was a top six player in Anaheim doesn't mean he's a top six player on a contender.
I'll leave you with this question; If we're all so eager to do away with Justin Holl, why should the Leafs sign a player who is possibly the forward equivalent of Justin Holl? Especially if the price tag is similar. I'm all for a 1-year, $750K "show me" deal in the bottom six, but I'm not sold on Milano as a legitimate top six winger in Toronto.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 26 | 257 ANSWERS Leafs Nation is very high on one of the remaining UFAs, but here's why the Leafs should stay away Should the Leafs stay away from Sonny Milano? | ||
| Yes, he's overrated after one good year | 65 | 25.3 % |
| No, he's a fine top-6 addition | 32 | 12.5 % |
| He's fine in the bottom 6, but not the top 6 | 52 | 20.2 % |
| Only sign him at league minimum | 108 | 42 % |
| List of polls | ||
