Ann 2UFA Watch: Mike Komisarek Signs With The Toronto Maple Leafs
July 2nd 2009 16:31
Komisarek drops ex-Leafs Darcy Tucker
In a game against the Boston Bruins on November 13 2008, Komisarek decided to drop the gloves against Lucic in order to salvage some pride in what was looking to be a embarrassing defeat for the Habs (Bruins were leading 5-1 at the moment of the fight). Komisarek's action didn't have the intended effect as Lucic suprised him by putting up a great fight, leaving the Canadiens feeling more inadequate than before. The worst part was that Komisarek also injured his shoulder during the fight and missed one month of action.
From that point on, Komisarek had almost no bite to his game. After picking up another injury against the Senators early in 2009, the 2007-2008 Komisarek was completely gone. Without his characteristic physical play, he became a defensive liability in his own end who didn't react quick enough and made the wrong decision more often than not. It got to the point where Mathieu Schneider had to play with Markov in order to let the Canadiens' MVP play at peace.
Despite all those shortcomings, re-signing him was still deemed a priority. Although he has no offensive skills to speak of, his stay-at-home, hard-hitting defensive style fit well with Markov's smooth-skating, offensive-minded style. Unfortunately, interviews at the end of the season showed that Komisarek had already moved on and wasn't coming coming back. Where almost all of the Canadiens' free agents pronounced themselves open to a comeback, Komisarek spoke of his time with the Habs in the past tense – sign of a player ready to play elsewhere.
His decision was confirmed this past week as he received a contract offer from the Habs right after the draft and never bothered responding back, opting instead to test the free agent market. As if not coming back to the team which had drafted and developed him wasn't enough, Komisarek accepted a contract from the Habs' most-hated rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The contract will see him get $22.5 million over a period of five years, an amount not too far off from what Bob Gainey was offering. Looking at who is on the Leafs' roster, there's certain feeling that Komisarek not only defected, but also ran to the Leafs. In Toronto, he won't have to be the team's number-one tough guy and other teams' goons will leave him alone, which wasn't the case in Montreal. I wish him the best of luck but also hope that he stays the same mistake-prone defenseman he was last season. I leave you with a compilation of his best work with the Habs.
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