The 2016-17 season is full upon us. The Leafs top prospects will be in town -- and Niagara Region -- next week.

We'll get to see Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner scrimmage, twice. That should be a treat, a chance to see if the two top prospects mesh.



Free agency today should answer a few questions about the Maple Leafs.

I was at a fun event the other night, Puck Talks, where I was asked what I thought of the Leafs. I'll share my prediction with you.

Today's free agent signings will not be spectacular. You could probably almost assign "will be traded for a second-round pick" to any of their names.

The Leafs will be good -- at least better than last year -- off the top, buoyed by youthful energy. They'll drop back a bit by November. Spin their wheels in December. And by January it will be clear they will not be a playoff team, and start one more teardown to try to land a top five pick.

There might be some disagreement at the top, but everyone will get over it. Mike Babcock will want to win and Lou Lamoriello will probably side with Brendan Shanahan's "Shanny-Plan," as Lamoriello called it at the draft.

To the mailbag, the last one of the season. It's been fun talking to you like this. I feel like the mailbag has grown into it's own little community. The questions are good. And I appreciate good spelling and grammar. (Questions with bad spelling and bad grammar typically don't get answered.)

QUESTION: Happy Canada Day everyone. Hi Kevin. How do you think that Leafs did at the draft and what would you grade their efforts? Selecting Auston Matthews was a no brainer. But there were a couple of players that I am scratching my head over. But it seems like a few teams drafted off the board per se. I am glad that the scouting department saw a need on defence and drafted a couple of big boys. I am happy to see the team upgraded the goaltending‎ with the trade for Fredrik Andersen. And I am kind of glad that we did not sign Steven Stamkos. His salary would have equalled a couple of good young players and probably changed the plans of the team to be a play off team quicker. Any idea in what kind of free agents that Private Lou may be chasing? Have a great weekend.

Rick P

ANSWER: Happy July 1 right back at you. Only time will tell, obviously, how the Leafs did. I'm glad they went abroad in a big way. The Leafs have not historically mined Russia all that well. It shows me Mark Hunter has an open mind and can see past the CHL. It's also very interesting that the Leafs chose five overage players. That's a trend these days, glad to see the team is on it. As for free agents, hang on. It could be a bumpy ride.-

QUESTION: Does Don Meehan hate the Leafs ?

Ian McL.

ANSWER: No. In fact, he's a season-ticket holder.

Hi Kevin

QUESTION: Is it just me or does Auston Matthews have a look of and a similar demeanour to Milos Raonic? I assume that by the time you have to submit your column tomorrow the Free Agency period will not have opened so do you see the Leafs going after a defenceman ? How do you see the Leafs D lining up in the fall.

Thanks, Troy B.

ANSWER: I've heard the Matthews-Raonic thing. Don't see it myself. Yes, I think there's a free agent defenceman in the Leafs future. Until then, it's Rielly-Hunwick, Gardiner-Carrick, Marincin-Zaitzev, Corrado as the extra.

QUESTION: Hi Kevin,

Do you think the taxation variance situation is a big enough issue to eventually cause noise amongst Canadian teams and some US based teams, to somehow try to get the NHL to move to a uniform tax level regardless of team location?

Is it really only being mentioned lately because of the caliber of free agent Stamkos is, or will teams begin viewing the taxes of their region as a competitive advantage or disadvantage when competing for free agents? From a competition perspective it doesn't seem fair that a team has to offer a higher salary to a player (and thus take a higher cap hit) because salaries are taxed more heavily in their region/

Thanks

Peter K

SIMILAR QUESTION: Florida's tax situation has been noted several times over the past while before Stamkos's resigning. Notably, the $8.5 million payout from Tampa would have had to be roughly $11 million from other teams. Does this not give Tampa and Florida an unfair advantage with respect to the cap? If the money those two teams pay out is worth about 30% more than the money other teams pay, then it effectively makes their cap 30% larger, no? Isn't this one of the reasons why all teams pay in USD, so that Canadian teams can play on equal terms? I would expect the players' union could have a beef with the situation as well, because if a player - like Stamkos - accepts less money to play in Florida knowing the tax situation, but then gets traded out of state, he has just taken a 30% pay cut. Has there been any discussion to address the situation? Say, a tax-adjusted salary cap, so that the after-tax money is what gets applied to the cap? Or is that taking the cap complexity way beyond comprehension?

Cheers,

David

ANSWER: From what I know of Gary Bettman, the more complex he can make something, the better. That said, I don't think he's going to change the cap to adjust for income tax rates. Players will find a way to live with it.

QUESTION: OK – so we didn’t get worse by not signing Stammer so I’m disappointed but we do retain that CAP space. But if not signing Stammer is a good thing why is your colleague at the Star suggesting other less worthy UFA’s are worth signing (Zwolinski) – I don’t like any of them for the money and term you’d have to put out – are you on board with signing them – if so why (or why not)?

Gerard MacA

ANSWER: The draft class is an unusual one in that there are no real must-haves. I think the Leafs will add Daniel Winnik/Shawn Matthias types that can be flipped at the trade deadline for picks.

QUESTION:Hi! All of this talk about it not being the “right time” to sign a Stamkos-type player leads to a couple of points. First, Stamkos is only 26 and figured to be very helpful whenever the “right time” is. Second, who is to say that when this nebulous “right time” comes, a player of Stamkos’ ability will be available to sign?

I am hoping for a young, hard-working and fun-to-watch team in 2016-17 at least on the periphery of the playoffs. Given what has happened with the Oilers and their “Plan,” speeding things along a bit might not have been such a bad thing.

Sincerely, James D.,Endicott,NY

ANSWER: Good points both. In the end, even Stamkos wasn't available. He never actually made it to free agency. But I don't think the Leafs are speeding the plan along. That said, John Tavares is a free agent in two years, right about the time the Leafs should be getting good.

QUESTION: Happy Canada Day Kevin,

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Which Leaf is on the BBQ duties at your family picnic? Who wins the sack race and the egg toss competition? And of course, there is the Canada Day parade and we need a candidate to sit in the convertible that best represents the organization. Who would that be?

Have a good one.

Scot in Norway currently visiting Canada

ANSWER: Enjoy Canada, Scott. I recommend the poutine, back bacon and chicken and waffles on a stick. Leo Komarov is providing the music. Nazem Kadri has taken over barbecuing duties from Tyler Bozak. William Nylander is combing his hair. A lot. Phil Kessel is still donating the hot dogs. I've got Joffrey Lupul providing the adult beverages. Mike Babcock is encouraging everyone to have a good time. Lou Lamoriello is upstairs, watching from his den, about to make Stephane Robidas an offer he can't refuse. Morgan Rielly is the designated driver.

QUESTION: Hi Kevin, You mentioned the advantage the Lightning had with Stamkos in that there are no State taxes in Florida. What you failed to mention is that a player playing and living in Canada makes 33% more when his US Dollar salary is converted to Canadian funds.

His $8.5 million is the equivalent to $11.3 million Canadian. I’m sure he would have made out just fine!Paul L

ANSWER: True, but now Stamkos has even more US$ to convert to Canadian when he comes home.

QUESTION: Happy Canada Day.

Now that Stamkos has re-signed in Tampa Bay and that drama is over, what do you think are the chances that James van Riemsdyk is traded before the coming season? Do you think the Leafs could get Hampus Lindholm for him from the Ducks, one for one, or is that just wishful thinking? If not, what do you think would be a reasonable return?

Best regards,

John H

ANSWER: I think it's least likely that James van Riemsdyk will be traded. He's a unique talent -- big, strong, fast and can score -- and reasonably cheap. If they traded him, they'd have to go out and get a player like him back. I don't see the point.

QUESTION: According to generalfanager, Nathan Horton has a no-move on the 2016-2017 year of his contract with the Leafs but just a limited no-trade clause in 2017-2018. Does that mean the Leafs need to protect him in next year's expansion draft or does the fact that he is on long-term injured reserve exempt him?

Thanks, Carl

ANSWER: Players with limited no-moves can be put on waivers and it is the contract stipulations that are in place the following season that matter, as I understand things. So the Leafs dodge a bullet there, and do not have to protect Horton.

QUESTION: Now that so many teams have won this coming year's Stanley Cup by tanking, by drafting one player, by signing whomever as a UFA on Friday, which teams are going down and staying there for a while because their players are old, they're stuck with bad contracts, they've traded away too many assets to win now?

Nick M., Winnipeg

ANSWER: It's a little early to answer that question, Nick. I imagine by the end of today there'll be some questionable deals. But one team that stands out above all is Columbus, with five no movement clauses, including to David Clarkson and Scott Hartnell. Those two will have to be protected in the expansion draft.

QUESTION: Kevin - many thanks for the mail bag this season. You said it would end around July 1st, but I would lobby for keeping it going. There still has to be a bunch of "can Marner play for the Marlies questions left."

The talk about Jim Benning potentially being fined for tampering is hard to believe. I know it's a rule, and most leagues have and enforce it, but it's wrong. If someone is asked "would you like to have player X on your team", I'd like an honest answer. If a team official is going to get fined for answering, then the reporter shouldn't be allowed to ask the question, and that's even more wrong. Maybe that rule had a bit of validity years ago when players didn't move much, and we didn't have 24x7 updates on everything, but it should be dropped from every league's books.

What's your take?

Thanks Barry P

ANSWER: Sorry, Barry, this is the last mailbag of the season. Summer beckons. A fellow has to get some time off. As for Benning, you're right, as a journalist, we want honest answers. But league rules are league rules, and he broke them. You can't have owners and GMs surmising aloud how much they covet other team's players. It's a distraction for the player.

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