Leafs GM Jason Taylor began reaching out to his colleagues, targeting underappreciated youngsters who would be good enough to play now but who would also have some decent upside potential. He also wanted to add 1-2 veteran leaders with strong character, players who could lead by example.
Taylor’s first step was to shop some players with modest value who might better fit elsewhere. One such player was veteran defenseman Darren Veitch, who caught the eye of NYI GM Bill Torrey offered
LW David Volek, 22 for D Darren Veitch, 28. A quick consultation with head scout Sam Pollock confirmed that Volek was a decent two-way player who could also provide offensive depth, and might have a little room to improve. Taylor and Pollock both agreed that Veitch wasn’t a good fit with Taylor’s vision for the Leafs, and the trade was finalized.
With the Leafs being the 2nd-worst defensive team in the NHL last season, Taylor was interested in bringing in some defensively sound forwards to build a shutdown line. One such target was Mike Hough of the Quebec Nordiques; he was responsible defensively, still young at 25, and reportedly a positive influence in the locker room. Taylor contacted Nordiques’ GM Martin Madden, who said he would want a prospect and a mid-round pick. After some back-and-forth discussions, they agreed to a deal. Quebec sent Toronto
LW Mike Hough, 25 in exchange for D Darryl Shannon, 20 and a 7th round pick in 1990.
Shannon was the Leafs’ best defensive prospect, but Pollock felt his ceiling was at best that of a #5-6 defenseman. After the trade, Hough expressed an interest in keeping his #18. Taylor agreed to speak to Peter Ihnacak, who reacted extremely negatively. This outburst completely shifted Taylor’s perception of Ihnacak. Rather than escalate, Taylor calmly explained that Ihnacak had shown that his attitude may not be right for the team. Taylor also offered to buy him out if Ihnacak wanted to leave; Ihnacak stormed cursing in Czech, leaving Taylor shaking his head.
Taylor also received a call from Edmonton GM Glenn Sather, who was interested in bringing Al Secord’s toughness into the Oilers’ lineup. Taylor advised he would be looking for help with Toronto’s fairly weak blueline, and Sather offered ex-Leaf Craig Muni. The idea of a homecoming of a capable defender with two Cup rings was deemed worth the loss of Secord’s toughness. Secord’s offense had also evaporated, dropping from 40 to 29 to 15 goals in the last two years. Taylor agreed, and the Edmonton Oilers traded D Craig Muni, 26 fo LW Al Secord, 30. And with that, Muni became a Leaf once more.
A few days later, Taylor made another minor move. Calgary Flames’ GM Cliff Fletcher accepted Taylor’s offer of
C Ken Yaremchuk, 24 and a 7th round pick in 1989 for LW Paul Ranheim, 22. Ranheim was good enough to crack Toronto’s line-up, but not Calgary’s. Yaremchuk had 224 NHL games under his belt, and was deemed a safer depth piece for the Flames’ cup run. Taylor felt this would be a win-win trade.
Later on that week, Taylor made his first truly significant trade. He and his scouts poured over rosters, looking for young backup or third-string goalies who could be undervalued with their current teams. The type of goalie who could #1 on their farm team, but could do well in spot duty if called up. Taylor had discussions with a few GMs, but tended to fizzle out when the asking price typically involved what Taylor considered a core piece. Then Taylor got Chicago’s GM Bob Pulford on the line. Taylor asked about two of Chicago’s young goalies: Jimmy Waite and Ed Belfour. Pulford immediately said Waite was a no-go, but Belfour could be available. Belfour had gone undrafted, and Chicago signed him after a season with North Dakota the WCHA. Both of the Blackhawks NHL goalies were quite young (Darren Pang was 23, and Jimmy Waite was just 19), but Belfour was pressing to be on their NHL roster after a very solid season with Chicago’s IHL affiliate (the Saginaw Hawks). Taylor offered a solution: let’s swap goalie prospects. Belfour would have a better chance of playing in Toronto, and Toronto had several goalies in the AHL who understood they would have to wait for their shot. Pulford liked the logic, as Belfour had potential to become disgruntled after another full season in Saginaw. So Pulford traded
G Ed Belfour, 23 in exchange for G Jeff Reese, 22 and a 6th round pick. Pulfor insisted on another piece; Taylor suspected it was so Pulford could spin things with the Chicago sports media as him outfoxing an upstart rival. But Taylor’s scouts were very high on Belfour, and the 6th rounder was deemed an acceptable cost of upgrading from Reese to Belfour.
Toronto was also able to
sign UFA D Anders Eldebrink, 27. Eldebrink had been playing in Sweden, and Leafs scouts liked his two-way style; Eldebrink wanted a longer deal, but Toronto got him to accept a shorter term with a higher price. Taylor wanted to minimize a buyout if things didn't pan out, and he was able to do so.
Taylor now turned his eye towards addressing his remaining core need: some veteran leadership. Several NHL teams were looking to rebuild, among them the Winnipeg Jets. With Edmonton, Calgary and Los Angeles fighting for Smythe supremacy, the Jets at best would a .500 team and a first round casually in the playoffs. Jets’ GM Mike Smith was very open about his veterans being available, Which made the Jets an ideal trading partner. Taylor told Smith he was interested in two defensive-minded veterans: Doug Smail and Ron Wilson. Taylor advised that he was willing to move just about anyone on his AHL roster, except for the players he had signed a few weeks earlier. After Smith consulted his scouts, he came back with his preferred players: Derek Laxal and Jack Capuano. Taylor’s scouts advised that the loss of their upside was likely worth it to get Smail and Wilson in the dressing room. At the last minute Smith asked for a late round pick, and Taylor obliged.
So the Jets traded
C Ron Wilson, 32 and LW Doug Smail, 30 for RW Derek Laxdal, 22, D Jack Capuano, 22 and a 12th round pick in 1989. Wilson was thrilled; he was born in Toronto and played for the Toronto Marlboros in Junior. Taylor immediately slotted him in as their #3 Centre to anchor a shutdown line. Smail was saddened to leave Winnipeg, but Wilson told Taylor that Smail would come around. While Smail’s days as a scoring winner were clearly behind him, but (like Wilson) he was great defensively and a strong presence to help guide Toronto’s youngsters.
Taylor took stock of his team as the calendar was turned to September. He had brought in:
- Veteran leadership and defensive ability (Wilson, Smail)
- Players who were young, but could step in now (Hough, Muni)
- Younger players with decent upside potential (Volek, Ranheim and Belfour)
Toronto’s top tier talent was not really an issue; the Leafs had quite a lot of firepower on their top two lines. Taylor was confident that he had addressed depth concerns, while making solid upgrades in their bottom six and their third defensive pair. The only question remaining was this offseason: did Taylor have any cards left to play before training camp?
EDITOR'S NOTE: I hope you've enjoyed the read so far! Feedback is always welcome, positive or negative. I'll post about training camp and the preseason early next week!