Komisarek became expendable because the Leafs — specifically former general manager Brian Burke — made a mistake back in 2009 when they lured the free-agent defenceman away from the Canadiens with a five-year deal worth $22.5 million.
That was about $7.5 million more than the Canadiens were willing to pay because they had a better read on Komisarek’s skill-set. Much of Komisarek’s success with the Canadiens stemmed from his partnership with Andrei Markov. Komisarek was free to hit people and block shots, and it didn’t matter if he was caught out of position because Markov was there to cover for him.
Komisarek didn’t move the puck out of the zone very well, either, but that didn’t matter because he only had to look to Markov.
This is not to say Komisarek wasn’t an NHL defenceman; he simply wasn’t a guy worth $4.5 million a season. But Burke paid a free-agent premium because he only saw that Komisarek was among the league leaders in both hits and blocked shots and fit in with the plan to make the Leafs bigger and tougher.
When the Canadiens visited Toronto last month, a reporter asked Komisarek if regretted leaving Montreal. He smiled as he said: “No.”
It was the right answer. There’s no telling whether things would have worked better here, particularly in light of Markov’s injuries. And while Komisarek isn’t happy on the sidelines, there’s some consolation in the fact he is being well compensated.
When people talk about pro sports as a business, it’s usually in the context of a player being cut or traded. In Komisarek’s case, the business has been favourable to him and he will have collected close to $17 million over the past four seasons.
The hope now is that Komisarek — who is an affable and decent person with a strong work ethic — can get his career back on track. He’ll be reporting to the Toronto Marlies in the American Hockey League and, while it’s likely the Leafs will buy out the final year of his contract this summer, Komisarek will get an opportunity to audition for other teams.
Komisarek might not be as good as the Leafs thought he was when they signed him, but he’s too good to have spent the past 21 games as a healthy scratch.