2021-22 Maple Leafs depth chart: Why the Leafs gave Travis Dermott 2 years — and what comes next - The Athletic
There was some commentary among Leafs Nation on Thursday that the deal was overpriced. Based on comparables I looked at earlier this summer, I was expecting Dermott to come in around $1.3 million on a one-year deal.
CapFriendly has a good list of comparable players and the deals they signed. What stands out immediately is that Dermott has played more games than almost all of them, something that could be a factor in an arbitration case.
This is the first time Dermott was eligible for arbitration, which is a big reason he was able to negotiate a lot more than he did last summer, when he took a bargain-basement deal for less than $875,000. That just wasn’t going to happen again.
If Dermott would have elected for arbitration, the Leafs could have asked for a two-year award, and I suspect it would have ultimately come in slightly under the $1.5 million number. But arbitration always comes with uncertainty. And sometimes it comes with hurt feelings.
The other factor here is the Leafs have to submit their protected list for the expansion draft next weekend (July 17). As part of that, they need to expose at least one eligible defenceman, and before the Dermott signing, the only way they could have accomplished that was by exposing Justin Holl.
A reading of the tea leaves indicates that the Leafs will protect four defencemen in the expansion draft, which is set for July 21. My guess is they’ll protect Holl because he played a much bigger role than Dermott last season, which would leave the Kraken’s decision down to basically Alexander Kerfoot or Dermott.
Dermott didn’t play a whole lot under Kraken coach Dave Hakstol, who ran the defence for the Leafs as an assistant the last two years. The GM and front office ultimately make the selection, but I have to imagine the coach has some input, especially when it comes to players he’s familiar with.
It really comes down to whether Seattle feels Dermott has the potential to be a top-four D at some point.
The Leafs still do — or at least a very versatile No. 5. That’s part of why they were comfortable giving him the two-year deal with a raise despite the fact he played just 13 minutes a game and produced six points last season.
Even if he doesn’t play in the top four, however, he’s making the salary of a fifth or sixth defenceman. He can play left and right D, which the Leafs need, given Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin and Rasmus Sandin are almost exclusively on the left side.
