From Beauchemin to Stalberg, we're taking a look at and grading (please read the criteria below) the 2009-10 season for every player who laced 'em up for the Maple Leafs for a significant number of games during the campaign, with an eye towards 2010-11. That means only guys that are still property of the Maple Leafs. We're doing this in concert with Maple Leafs Hot Stove. Next up, Jeff Finger the wildly unpopular cap anchor.
Jeff Finger
#4 / Defenseman / Toronto Maple Leafs
6-1
205
Dec 18, 1979
Years in the NHL: 4
Became a Leaf: Signed July 1, 2008 in a truly baffling deal.
Contract Status: 2 more years in a 4 year deal; $3.5M cap hit
Today's Maple Leaf Hot Stove's turn. Alec Brownscombe will be taking the reins.
A former 1999 eighth round pick, Jeff Finger came to the Leafs via unrestricted free agency as a 29-year-old who was skating in the ECHL the last time Toronto made the playoffs. After his first steady NHL season with Colorado in ‘07-08, Cliff Fletcher rolled the dice on a $3 million-per-year raise for the journeyman that will cost the Leafs 3.5 million against the cap annually until 2012. Fletcher obviously thought there was a lot more to come from Finger in his late development as a two-way defenceman, but let’s just say on that fateful day in July, 2008, the optics weren’t good.
Read the Full Profile at Maple Leafs Hot Stove and come over the jump for more.
Audience Participation
Rate Finger below on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) based on his performance relative to his potential and your expectations for the season - if he had the best year you could have imagined him having, give him a 10; if he more or less played as you expected he would, give him a 5 or a 6; if he had the worst year you could have imagined him having, give him a 1.
The Discussion
If you were Brian Burke, how do you approach Finger’s contract going forward?
Has Finger played his final game in a Maple Leaf jersey?
Eye-Candy
How would you rate Jeff Finger's 2009-2010 season?
| 1 | 108 |
| 2 | 75 |
| 3 | 100 |
| 4 | 66 |
| 5 | 43 |
| 6 | 20 |
| 7 | 8 |
| 8 | 0 |
| 9 | 0 |
| 10 | 9 |