An Outsider's Perspective: James Mirtle

In this edition of An Outsider's Perspective, we chatted with James Mirtle.  Mirtle currently covers the Toronto Maple Leafs for The Globe And Mail.  Occasionally he can be caught blogging at mirtle.blogspot.com and can be found on twitter @Mirtle.

JM:  Everyone knows the Leafs are in for a tough year. That's really by design. You don't trade one of the highest scoring players in the NHL the last six years (Phil Kessel) for a pick and prospects and expect to get immediately better.

A lot of these players were brought in on one-year deals. A couple received two years. If we don't include Marner, there's no term there, and it's unlikely more than one of them is around when the Leafs hope to begin trending upward.

I won't be surprised if they flip most of these players for draft picks or prospects in February and March.

JM:  Babcock obviously does. He got an eight-year deal for enormous term in order to be the coach here in Toronto for a long, long time. He's already been intimately involved in some of the decision making process, and from what I've heard, the staff is very impressed with his dedication etc.

Whatever success this version of the Leafs regime has is going to come with Babcock as coach.

Lamoriello's more complicated. I can see this going [one of] two ways: a) he meshes well with the Leafs staff, the rebuild goes according to plan and the roster steadily improves, and he eventually moves into a senior advisor type role. b) that doesn't happen and it doesn't end well for Lou.

Much like Columbus, the Avs' big splash this off-season came in the form of a trade when they dealt Ryan O'Reilly at the draft along with Jamie McGinn for Nikita Zadorov, Mikhail Grigorenko, J.T. Compher and the 31st overall draft pick.  What was your initial reaction to the trade?

JM:  I'm grouping these two things together for obvious reasons... if we're looking at this as simply O'Reilly for Soderberg, the Avs lose. O'Reilly's a better player, even at the higher price point. He's younger. He's better defensively. He brings a lot to the table, more than I think he was able to show in Colorado, at times. There's a reason a lot of teams wanted him, even at that huge salary.

But - and this is important - these are two deals where it's going to take years to see what the futures turn into.

In the near term, this situation won't make Colorado better. The way they win giving up on ROR is if Zadorov, Grigorenko etc. turn into difference makers down the road. In the NHL these days, it's often about finding your window -- the period when you feel your roster is at contender level -- and building to that window. The Avs' isn't next season.

JM:  I liked Beauchemin in Toronto, even though the general consensus was he struggled here. He's been a good No. 2ish defenceman for a long time now. But he's 35. There were signs last year with the Ducks that was catching up with him, and fewer and fewer blueliners are excelling into their late 30s in the NHL. And, let's be honest, the Avs blueline needed more, especially if you believe (as I do) their possession issues are going to be a critical part of getting better.

Comeau has bounced around a little, but he's a fine fit as a top nine forward and that's a contract he should easily live up to.