Mike Babcock, while not GM of the Leafs, has a pretty significant say in what goes on with his roster.
The Toronto Maple Leafs signed Ron Hainsey to a two-year $6 million pact this past summer, but according to Mike Babcock, he was basically a consolation prize - a good one at that.
The Leafs tried to re-sign Matt Hunwick, but he eventually opted to sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins on a 3-year deal, largely motivated by a better salary and a chance to play for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions.
"We were always impressed by him. We tried to sign Hunny again," Babcock mentioned, as reported by Luke Fox of Sportsnet. "He got a better deal here in Pittsburgh. That’s what you gotta do as a player. I was real excited for him when he got a three-year deal here."
"A real intelligent player, good person. I think Hunny was so important for us kinda like Hainsey is. His first two years when we were going through lots of players and figuring things out, he was a real role model for people," Babcock said in regards to the Hainsey acquisition.
"Him and Patty Marleau have been like newfound gold for us," Babcock said. "When you come to a younger team in particular, as a veteran player you have a real quality chance to have a major impact if you’re a good human being and you do it right every day."
Sure sounds like Babcock is happy with the trade-off.