Rumor: Zach Bogosian walking away from the Maple Leafs.

A tough break for the Leafs.

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HockeyFeed
Published 2 years ago
Rumor: Zach Bogosian walking away from the Maple Leafs.
Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI/Getty

For a long time in the National Hockey League there has been a perception that Canadian teams have a difficult time attracting free agent talent to their respective organizations and quite frankly I do believe there is some truth to that. It can be particularly frustrating for fans who often see some of their favorite players walk away to greener pastures, and it would appear that fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs are about to be the latest victims of this phenomenon.

There have been some rumblings for some time now that veteran defenseman Zach Bogosian has not been particularly enamored with the way he has been forced to lock down due to some of the harsh restrictions imposed by the Ontario government, something the Maple Leafs themselves have absolutely no control over, and it would appear that the level of discomfort this has brought him has been enough to push him to seek employment elsewhere.

On Monday Kevin McGran of the Professional Hockey Writers Association reported that he has been informed that Bogosian will not be returning to the Leafs, something that makes sense given that we are rapidly approaching the opening of free agency on July 28th. The veteran defenseman had initially come to Toronto on a deal that seemed quite favorable for the organization given their cap situation, a one year pact that carried a cap hit of just $1 million per season. I think you would be hard pressed to argue that the Leafs did not get their money's worth, and I suspect that they would have been happy to welcome Bogosian back on a similar deal this time around as well.

Unfortunately through no fault of their own it would appear the Leafs have once again been handicapped by the government when it comes to signing, or in this case re-sining, free agent talent in the NHL and if it was enough to effect Bogosian you can be sure that word has gotten around the league and to other pending free agents by now. 

Whether or not this will only impact the Leafs and the Ottawa Senators, due to Ontario's particularly restrictive measures during the lockdowns, or if it will impact all Canadian teams in this upcoming free agency period remains to be seen.

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