Devin Setoguchi recently made headlines because of the leotard-wearing group that included NHLers Kris Versteeg and Jason Demers dancing at his wedding. However, shortly thereafter, this tweet came out.
Taking advantage of a 2nd chance. Devon Setoguchi says he's gone to rehab, been clean and sober for 5 months, close to signing with #leafs
— Glenn Campbell (@CTVGCampbell) August 11, 2015
Setoguchi has played for the San Jose Sharks, Minnesota Wild, Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames in his career. However, last season didn’t exactly go as planned, only playing 12 games for the Flames. He spent the rest of the season down with the Adirondack Flames, only playing 19 games.
If the Toronto Maple Leafs are indeed planning on bringing in Setoguchi, it just goes with what the plan has seemed to be for the past few years. It goes back to Mason Raymond. He was invited to the Leafs on on a pre-season tryout and he turned it into a one-year deal. He went on to have a pretty good season with the Leafs, a season that earned him a three-year deal with Calgary.
A Second Chance
Now, Setoguchi is definitely in need of a reboot to his career. Since leaving the Sharks, he hasn’t really been the same player. He has managed two 27-point seasons (2012-13 and 2013-14) but that’s only 10 points above his rookie point total in a season in San Jose. The Leafs are in the position to help out in this situation.
If you look at the new additions to the Maple Leafs, Setoguchi would fit right in. It’s a group that is looking to prove themselves again, hoping to get bigger contract whether it’s with the Leafs or another NHL team.
Bringing in Setoguchi would also add more insulation for the Leafs. The Leafs could have easily not brought in as many veterans as they did and use their young prospects this season. Instead they have decided to keep their prospects developing in the AHL or junior. Setoguchi would be another piece that would provide further veteran depth for the Leafs.
Could he get back to the production he had with the Sharks? He had 31 goals and 34 assists in his second season in San Jose. He followed that up with 36 and 41 point seasons the next two years. He’ll probably won’t make it back to the 60-point range but getting back to the 40-point range is withing reach. That type of output would be good secondary or tertiary scoring on a better team than the Leafs. If he can have a good season in Toronto, he will potentially have the chance to play for a better team. Let’s face it, if he’s signs with the Leafs, it will be a one-year deal and he won’t be sticking around past that.
No deal has been made as of yet however, so who knows what will actually happen?
