Brad Treliving & the Maple Leafs rejoice after avoiding horrible disaster in free agency
Photo credit: USA Today
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving made some great signings in free agency and he also avoided a disastrous one as the team had taken a look at Chandler Stephenson.
On the surface, Chandler Stephenson is having a decent season with the Seattle Kraken as he has 23 points in the first 35 games of the season.
Chandler Stephenson struggling with the Seattle Kraken
However, if you dig just a little bit deeper, you will quickly realize that the Kraken Center has been struggling to live up to his $6.25 million AAV deal.
Despite his point totals, he is a -13 on the season, which is pretty horrific if you ask us.
Moreover, his wins above replacement is at an abysmal 1% which is completely unacceptable given his contract and his expected performance.
Stephenson's other advanced stats metrics are also falling short right now, and it just goes to show that the Maple Leafs dodged a bullet.
Many were clamoring for Chandler Stephenson to be signed by the Leafs, but instead, they went with other options.
For instance, during the Summer, Brad Treliving brought in Anthony Stolarz, Chris Tanev, Steven Lorentz, Max Pacioretty, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
These players have provided much more value to the team than Stephenson would have.
While he is producing at a higher rate than the Leafs' third and fourth-line Centers, the defensive play just is not good enough, especially when you factor in the salary.
If anything, fans should be praising Brad Treliving for having the foresight to understand Stephenson would have been a bad fit.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 27 | 105 ANSWERS Brad Treliving & the Maple Leafs rejoice after avoiding horrible disaster in free agency Do you think the Toronto Maple Leafs should have signed Chandler Stephenson? | ||
| YES | 26 | 24.8 % |
| NO | 79 | 75.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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