NHL Free Agency: Grading the Maple Leafs’ signings

The Toronto Maple Leafs won the 2018 NHL offseason by signing the best free agent on the market. But how well did they fare in each of their moves?

Kyle Dubas, take a bow.

In his first offseason as full-time general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Dubas has transformed them from a young team with growing pains to the odds-on favorite to win the Stanley Cup. While it will take some time to add Dubas to Legends’ Row, he can immediately go anywhere in Toronto without having to pay for a meal or a drink ever again.

Some people wondered how well Dubas would transition to the GM job. While he spent a lot of time learning from Lou Lamoriello and Mark Hunter, he was already a decorated GM in his own right. He helped turn around the fortunes of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, and made the Toronto Marlies the powerhouse they are in the AHL. He also had a big hand in some of the Leafs’ most notable transactions during the Lamoriello era, so it’s not like he’s some rookie. Before the Leafs even hired him, he had already been described as the “Theo Epstein of hockey.”

Brendan Shanahan gave Lamoriello a three-year window for a reason, and what better passing of the torch moment is there than having Dubas pluck away the star forward from Lamoriello’s new team?

The Leafs have made plenty of interesting moves in the offseason, but as Marshawn Lynch said, you know why I’m here. The Tavares deal will get talked about in great detail later on. But for now, let’s look at some of the other players the Leafs were able to snag.