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Komisarek reflects on his rough tenure with Leafs

Mike Komisarek

Mike Komisarek #8 of the Toronto Maple Leafs warms up before playing against the New York Islanders on January 24, 2012 at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. (January 23, 2012 - Source: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America)

Mike Komisarek came into Toronto on a five-year, $22.5 million contract, but it wasn’t long before injuries and on-ice struggles caused him to fall in the depth charts and never really recover.

His time with the Maple Leafs ended with the team using one of their compliance buyouts to get out of the final year of his contract.

“I never got out on the right foot (winning just one of the first 13 games)…and it never caught on from there, then the media starts getting on you and the fans start getting on you,” Komisarek told TSN 1050. “But looking back on that decision, this is the place where I wanted to come and turn things around and get into the playoffs and be a key part of it and it didn’t work out.”

Komisarek feels that part of the issue was that he tried to do too much after signing a big contract and that led to him getting caught out of position. On top of that, the scrutiny from the Toronto media might have contributed to the organization’s perception of him.

“The media presence and what is said and what’s written – coaches and people within the organization will never admit that they follow that and that it has an impact on the decisions and what they do, but they get all the clippings every day and they follow exactly what’s going on and how guys are being perceived and what’s being said.”

With that in mind he’s looking to settle into a quieter situation after signing a one-year, $700,000 contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.

“It was definitely a learning experience, but I think I’m better for it today – going through those challenges, those ups and downs the last couple of years,” Komisarek said. "…And I’m looking to have a fresh start in Carolina and bouncing back.”