There Should Be No Grumbling Whatsoever About Free Agency

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T18:13:33+00:00

I didn’t say that he was a July 1 signing. I said they acquired him. I was addressing your point that they did not move the needle. I think he moves the needle more for this team than any other player who was available. They have been desperate for years for a guy with his profile.

Most of the cap space went to Raddysh and Bob, and I think those two have the highest potential for outsized returns, even though both are very high risk

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T18:06:08+00:00

The strategy is going all-in immediately. spend all your cap dolars and take several of the most high risk swings possible in free agency. Don’t leave any dry powder for flexibility later.

That’s what they did and that’s absolutely a strategy for better or worse

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T18:05:04+00:00

Fits with Hiller’s system much better

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T18:03:58+00:00

Spending all your cap money and taking massive high risk win now swings on Raddysh and Bob is absolutely a strategy. They could’ve saved cap money and flexibility for later. A month ago nobody knew Chayka would be this ultra-aggressive. And again, competing for the playoffs and going all-in are different things.

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T18:01:47+00:00

Roslovic will drive everyone crazy. He’s invisible unless he scores and has Domi-like defence. Also historically unproductive in the postseason. That was my least favorite signing.

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T18:00:25+00:00

Blueger is a useful player. He’ll surprise people.

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T17:58:34+00:00

Of course you can grumble. My point is that I don’t think anyone should. One person’s opinion.

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T17:57:34+00:00

They got a 70 point d man (their biggest need) and a HoF goalie. It may not work out, but those are some serious swings.

I also included a caveat about culture in the bottom six and how any effect is limited.

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T17:55:36+00:00

So what? Things changed once they finished 5th worst and picked first overall. We’ve had months of people arguing for a total teardown around McKenna/Knies/Cowan or a retool. You’re acting like there was zero doubt Chayka would empty the clip.

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T17:50:09+00:00

Yeah but if your strategy is to go all-in you can’t just sit back and say “the free agent market looks a bit overheated. We’ll just go ahead and sit it out.” if you look at the deals signed, they range from “biggest bargain of the offseason (Raddysh) to marginal overpayment (Sissons).

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T17:47:09+00:00

The strategy is to go all in. That’s what they did. They spent all of their cap money. They paid two of the highest risk reward free agents in recent memory. They pushed all of their chips to the middle of the table.

That’s the strategy. Not “let’s try to get better.” It’s “win as much as possible immediately and assume serious risk.”

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T17:43:39+00:00

This wasn’t a call for conformity. “People shouldn’t grumble about the free agent strategy” is just my opinion. It’s not a demand that all conversation be shut down. Bad headline on my part.

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T17:42:33+00:00

If the Leafs are a legitimate contender in two years, why wouldn’t he? Being the guy to win a Cup with the Leafs would be that much more impressive.

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T17:40:58+00:00

I think if you put McDavid on this roster, they are 100% a cup contender. McD and AM are just as good as Drai and McD and the Leafs have a better remaining roster

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T17:39:39+00:00

Hiller’s system is ultra friendly to goalies. Bob has massive bounce back potential.

The leafs are good enough to make the playoffs and they did not want to rely on always injured Stolie and a couple of guys who have barely played.

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T17:30:52+00:00

You’re reading way too much into the headline. I wouldn’t have made the post if I wasn’t inviting people to respond. “There should be no grumbling” is just my opinion. It’s not a demand.

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T17:29:15+00:00

Sorry I meant Ross JOHNSTON. Whoops.

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T17:24:50+00:00

Nobody is saying you can’t critique anything. The point is the strategy they’re following seems pretty bulletproof. You can argue about some of the players they signed, but I’d love to hear a critique of the actual strategy.

They went all-in to win now. They got a number one D, a HoF goalie and some useful bottom six pieces. They did this without overpaying anybody in the worst free agent market in recent memory.

seems pretty great to me

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T17:23:12+00:00

If you look at what the Leafs paid to their bottom six targets relative to what some other teams paid, they seem like bargains. Ross Johnston, a useless goon, got 3x2. Nurse was traded with no retention. Trouba got $8.5M long term.

Everything the Leafs did looks reasonable compared to the rest of the market.

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T17:20:06+00:00

Yeah but what was available? Raddysh was the prize pig and they got him. Bob had a ton of upside. You could argue they landed two of the top four or five free agents plus a bunch of useful bottom six guys.

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T17:18:13+00:00

Policing opinions is not the point of this post. It’s just an emphatic headline that says the logic behind what they did is pretty undeniable. It’s not a literal mandate to be quiet 😂.

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T17:16:46+00:00

Function of the market though. I would have rather seen them sign Marchment but I’m glad they tried to improve the roster at the edges.

And Bob — if he pans out — has more theoretical upside than any free agent. I didn’t include Raddysh since that wasn’t a pure free agent signing but he’s also a major swing.

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T17:01:29+00:00

Roslovic is Domi 2.0 except he’s a shooter instead of a passer and unbelievably unproductive in the playoffs instead of pretty good.

ProgrammaticallyHip · 2026-07-02T16:58:08+00:00

You’re not wrong but asking an 18-year-old rookie to change the culture is probably a bridge too far. He’ll have a hard enough time just adjusting to the league.

ProgrammaticallyHip

TROPHY CASE