Toronto Maple Leafs trainer Zach Caples gave GM Jason Taylor the bad news: Wendel Clark’s back was in horrible shape. He was going to be out for a very long time, possibly the entirety of the 88-89 campaign. Taylor hung his head; the loss of THE fan favourite, and a heart-and-soul leader, was a huge blow. Taylor looked at Caples: “We need to do right by Wendel. He barely played last year, and I don’t want to rush him back.” Taylor also gave Clark a brief phone call telling him “Your spot on this team is safe; I have no intention of trading you, and you’ll get a ton of icetime whenever you’re ready. We need you on this team, and I don’t want you to come back until you’re at full health.” Clark thanked him, and promised to pop by Maple Leaf Gardens every now and then to see the boys.
Taylor walked down the hall to his boardroom, where he sat down with his coaching staff and his most senior scouts. One by one they reviewed every player currently under contract to the Maple Leafs. Taylor made it clear what he wanted: growth potential, regardless of whether they were NHL-ready or needed some time to develop in the AHL. Taylor also wanted to sign several of Toronto’s recent draft selections, which meant the Leafs had to shed some contracts. The list was put together, and over the next 24 hours the Leafs bought out 10 contracts:
- C Wes Jarvis, 30
- C Mike Kirton, 30
- RW Mike Blaisdell, 28
- RW Craig Laughlin, 30
- LW Daryl Evans, 27
- LW Greg Terrion, 28
- D Chris Kotsopolous, 29
- D Greg Hotham, 32
- D Bill Root, 28
- G Tim Bernhardt, 30
All of these players were deemed to have developed to their full potential… and it wasn’t very good. They would either drag down the Leafs, or limit the ice time of the prospects with the Newmarket Saints. And so Taylor informed them one-by-one that they were being bought out (and being paid whatever amount remained on their contract). They were now UFAs, free to seek employment with any franchise that would have them.
Taylor then turned his attention to the Leafs’ unsigned players, and asked his coaching/scouting staff to identify which ones had the highest potential to make the NHL. The list was finalized, and Bowman (acting as Assistant GM) worked with their agents. By the end of the week, seven prospects aged 18-21 were signed and would report to Newmarket for training camp.
- C John McIntyre, 19
- C Mike Eastwood, 21
- RW Joe Sacco, 19
- RW Tie Domi, 18
- D Jeff Serowick, 21
- G Damien Rhodes, 19
- G Peter Ing, 19
Lastly, Taylor’s scouts put together a list of unsigned players. The finalized a short list, and Bowman/Arbour teamed up to work with their agents:
- LW Todd Krygier, 22; a defensively sound winger with Connecticut in the ECAC-2
- C Jamie Baker, 22; a two-way center with St. Lawrence University in the ECAC
- LD Mike Heidt, 24; a two-way defender playing in Germany
- LD Peter Andersson, 22; an offensive defenseman playing in Sweden
All four were young enough to be considered prospects, and old enough that they might be able to bolster the Leafs’ roster as early as next year.
Lastly, Gerry Cheevers contacted that goalie he had flagged with the University of Wisconsin-Madison: Curtis Joseph, 21. Joseph had made the WCHA All Conference team, but had flown under the radar of every other team’s scouting department. These changes made Toronto a little better, and a lot younger. With the foundation in place, Taylor was ready to start tinkering with his NHL roster.