The Toronto Maple Leafs have re-signed Colton Orr for two more years.Orr's current contract was just about to expire and the winger from Winnipeg, Manitoba was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in July.
The fourth-line player appeared in 44 of the Leafs' 48 games this season and also dressed for all seven playoff games against the Boston Bruins, but rarely saw the ice. However, he did manage to rack up 18 minutes in penalties in the postseason series.
Orr led the NHL in penalty minutes this season with 155. He was also a plus-4 player. He also had 13 fights during the season, which was one less than B.J. Crombeen of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who led the league with 14 fighting majors.
Orr played an average of just 6:23 per game during the regular season and managed to score one goal and three assists for four points. He was used primarily as a checker and an enforcer or policeman. While Orr has managed to land himself a little job security for the next two years, he’s going to have to take a pay cut.
The new contract will see him make $925,000 a season, which is less than he earned this year. Reports say he made about $1 million in the 2012-13 campaign, but the Leafs are trying to save money where they can since the NHL salary cap will be dropping to $64.3 million for the 2013-14 season.
The team also has some other free agents they’d like to re-sign, such as center Tyler Bozak. They could also free up some salary cap space by buying out a couple of players’ contracts.
Other unrestricted free agents this summer include Clarke MacArthur, Mike Kostka and Ryan O’Byrne. The club also has some restricted free agents to sign in center Nazem Kadri and defensemen Carl Gunnarsson and Cody Franson.
Orr joined Toronto via the free agent route back in the summer of 2009. He made his NHL debut in the 2001-02 season when the Bruins signed him as a free agent. He also had a stint with the New York Rangers after leaving Boston. In his 10-year career, he has managed to score 12 goals and 12 assists for 24 points. He has served 1,076 minutes in penalties.
The Leafs also took care of some other business on June 14 by signing minor-league goaltender Drew MacIntyre to a two-way deal for one year at $600,000. MacIntyre will be paid more if he plays with the Leafs and less if he plays with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.
The 29-year-old goalie played 21 games with the Marlies this season and posted an impressive 13-5-3 record as well as a miniscule goals-against-average of 1.83 goals and a save percentage of 93.1. He went 5-4 in the postseason with a save percentage of 91.3. MacIntyre has appeared in just four NHL games during his pro career.
For the latest odds on NHL hockey please visit http://sports.visitorium.com/bet365/
