The Leafs were reportedly in on Brad Richards between Friday and Saturday, but since the Rangers snapped him up, Toronto had to come away with something positive in this free agency period and they may have found some good help with Tim Connolly signing a 2-year deal, worth $9.5 million, a $4.75 million cap hit per season.
Connolly was among the top 21 unrestricted free agent players on my list a week ago, but not without a certain injury risk. Connolly played in 68 games for the Sabres in 2011, scored 13 goals and added 29 assists, which are fairly decent numbers, but a groin problem, nasal surgery and a hip injury all cost him games last season. Connolly is a definite talent in the NHL, has great hands and pretty good vision on the ice, but he hasn't played a full 82-game season since 2002, which places a lot of risk on a pick up like this, both for the Leafs and for most poolies.
I have very few doubts about how well Connolly will mesh with possible linemates like Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul or Nazem Kadri, if he can stay healthy, he and his linemates should be able to produce some good offense and points.
| Forwards | Defense | Goalies |
| Phil Kessel | John-Michael Liles | James Reimer |
| Mikhail Grabovski | Dion Phaneuf | Jonas Gustavsson |
| Nikolai Kulemin | Carl Gunnarsson | |
| Tim Connolly | Mike Komisarek | |
| Joffrey Lupul | Brett Lebda | |
| Colby Armstrong | Keith Aulie | |
| Nazem Kadri | ||
| Mike Brown | ||
| Colton Orr |
With Connolly on the books, the Leafs now have nine forwards, six defensemen, two goalies and a buyout projecting an annual cap hit of $49 million. There are some young players in the system that may jump up and take some of the open spots, like Joe Colborne, but we won't know for sure until it happens, so I'm sticking with this number today. It does look like the Leafs are rounding into a more respectable team and that is certainly the right direction for them.
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