Weekly Takes - Monday, July 8 Edition

Weekly Takes - Monday, July 8 Edition

1. My thoughts on the Maple Leafs signings...

• I love the Anthony Stolarz signing. He has performed as an elite backup the last two seasons and can handle an extended workload if Joseph Woll gets injured. This was the way to go. Bank on Woll becoming a starter, while supporting him with a top backup.

• Re-signing Matt Murray is fine. Whether it was Murray, Martin Jones, or someone else, the Leafs needed to find a veteran goalie they could stash in the AHL. Murray will be that, allowing Dennis Hildeby to continue to develop in the AHL for another season.

• The signing of Oliver Ekman-Larsson has layers to it. On the one hand, the Leafs needed another puck-mover on the back end. Between him and Chris Tanev, they have addressed that. They also needed someone who could run a power play and Ekman-Larsson will do that. But he is a left-handed shot and not good defensively, which is going to force Simon Benoit to play in the top four. That would be fine if the third pairing of Ekman-Larsson and Timothy Liljegren was not such a weird fit. I would like to replace Liljegren, who is not a fit on the third pairing, does not play the power play, and should not play the penalty kill. (With that being said, he can easily be replaced at the deadline.)

• The Jani Hakanpaa signing is tidy business by Brad Treliving. At best, he becomes what I wrote above -- a 3RD who can kill penalties -- and at worst, he is an upgrade over Connor Timmins as a depth option. Timmins' time in Toronto is all but over.

2. The Leafs still need a third-line centre who can kill penalties, though, whether it is in the summer or at the deadline.

A team with Cup aspirations cannot have Pontus Holmberg as their third-line centre.

3. There is also the reality that it looks likely like the Core Four will return, which makes a lot of the moves for naught.

There is a chance that the Leafs will ice the best goaltending and defence of the Core Four era, but it all goes for naught if the Core Four does not deliver come playoff time.

And the jury is out. They do not deliver.

4. My winners and losers of free agency...

Winners...

• Predators (They added... a ton of offence. The second great offseason in a row for Nashville)

• Canucks (I love the Jake Debrusk signing, while letting Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov walk)

• Oilers (They added two top-six players while retaining their depth players. They need to make Evander Kane go away, but they are otherwise set up better than any team heading into the fall)

• Capitals (They added a lot of pieces to surround their aging core. I do not see them making the playoffs, though, given their luck from last season will not repeat, while their core is another year older)

Losers...

• Jets (Losing Tyler Toffoli and Sean Monahan is tough)

• Kraken (I do not like the Chandler Stephenson signing, while I am surprised Brandon Montour's playoff performance did not cost him in free agency)

• Bruins (Both the Lindhom and Zadorov signings have tons of risk. This, combined with losing Debrusk, is tough)

5. The jury is out for me in regard to what the Blue Jays should do with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette.

Keep Guerrero Jr., who at long last has returned to an elite bat, and trade Bichette, who looks destined for second base a lot sooner than anyone probably thought.

You can do a lot worse than starting your rebuild with a 25-year-old, elite bat in your lineup.

6. The Kings adding DeMar DeRozan is fun, but the reality is, between him and Domantas Sabonis, their two best players cannot shoot threes or play defence.

Impossible to win that way.

7. thoughts on Canada's historic win over Venezuela on Friday...

• Canada's best game at Copa America to date. A close game on paper, but the reality is, Canada ran them out of the stadium. In terms of pure speed, Canada is as fast as any team in Copa and one of the faster teams in the world.

• It was not just Canada's speed, either. Their defence, on transition and set pieces, was world-class. Enough good things cannot be said about the duo of Moise Bombito and Derek Cornelius.

• If the biggest individual positive from the 2022 World Cup was the play of Ismael Kone, it is surely Jacob Shaffelburg at Copa America in 2024. From a Toronto FC castaway to an emerging star on the national team. An upgrade over Liam Millar, to say the least.

• Surely, at some point, Jonathan David is going to have a breakthrough game for Canada. The near-misses, for a world-class striker, can only last for so long.

• A year ago, John Herdman left the program. In the fall, Canada lost to Jamaica, forcing them to play a one-game play-in to even qualify for Copa. Then entered Jesse Marsch. Oh, do the Americans ever wish they hired him?