Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun: Making significant changes or blowing up the Toronto Maple Leafs roster would be the wrong move.
If they were to fire GM Kyle Dubas or coach Sheldon Keefe, would that guarantee better playoff results?
John Tavares may not be an $11 million player but he’s got a no-movement clause and isn’t going anywhere.
Of the four, William Nylander would be the likeliest to move but would the Leafs want to trade him and his $6.8 million cap hit?
Pending UFAs include Jack Campbell, Ilya Mikheyev, Jason Spezza, Colin Blackwell, Mark Giordano and Ilya Lyubushkin.
Pending RFAs Ondrej Palat, Pierre Engvall, Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren.
The Maple Leafs would be able to get by, by trading Alexander Kerfoot and Justin Holl.
Re-signing goaltender Jack Campbell should be their top priority as there aren’t a lot of viable options out there. They also need to find a way to move Petr Mrazek‘s contract.
If they are able to afford him, they should bring Mark Giordano back. It would be nice if they could re-sign Ilya Mikheyev but that seems unlikely. Jason Spezza should be hired for an off-ice role if his playing career is over.
James Mirtle of The Athletic: Blowing up the Toronto Maple Leafs after a 115-point season doesn’t really make sense.
Bringing back Sheldon Keefe next year over someone like Barry Trotz is a bit of a decision. Can’t see Kyle Dubas not giving Keefe another shot after the season they had. Believe that the Leafs players still believe in both Dubas and Keefe.
The Leafs may not blow it up but there will be changes made to try and improve on this year. They have limited salary cap space with seven or eight roster spots open with $11 million in cap space.
Petr Mrazek‘s contract needs to be moved.
John Tavares has three years left at $11 million and a no-movement. Since he’s likely not going anywhere, they need to get more out of him. Defensively his line was outmatched by the Lightning.
