The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to be the hockey world’s talk after the news that Kyle Dubas will not be returning as the general manager. Now Brendan Shanahan‘s work really begins as this team needs a new management staff along with filling out a roster plus the questions surrounding the core four.
Maple Leafs Need to Fill Out Roster Positions
Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun: Koshan writes whether it was Dubas or as we know now someone else, the Maple Leafs roster needs work before the 2023-24 season begins.
Outside of the Core Four (Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares) and three other forwards, the Maple Leafs do not have a bottom six signed to the roster.
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Matthew Knies, Calle Jarnkrok, and Sam Lafferty are the other forwards signed for the upcoming season. And of course, questions surrounding the core four and whether one gets moved. Even if they do not, the roster needs work, especially in the top six.
On defence, Koshan out of the three defencemen that are free agents, Luke Schenn, Justin Holl and Erik Gustafsson, Schenn needs to be the priority.
With the Maple Leafs up against the salary cap, this team will definitely look different.
Maple Leafs Have Questions With Goaltending Going Forward
David Alter of the Hockey News: Alter writes the Maple Leafs have to really look at their starting goaltenders for next season and what to do with Matt Murray.
The Maple Leafs moved on from Jack Campbell and took a risk trading for Murray. That risk did not pay off. Instead, the team relied on Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll heading into the playoffs. Both are solid options for next year.
However, Samsonov will demand a new contract. Thus in order to free up money are there options to move Murray’s $4.875 million salary cap hit?
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Ilya Samsonov
Alter looks at Samsonov’s deal and what he could make. Good thing Samsonov is a restricted free agent so the team has some control. But he was in Washington and the Capitals decided to move on. Alter predicts a two-year deal for Samsonov between $4.5 million – $5 million a season.
Matt Murray
With Murray, as Alter writes, it will not be easy moving him. His contract is backloaded. He is owed $8 million in real money with the Senators already paying $2 million. So any team that picks him up has to take on the cap hit of $4.875 million and $6 million in real money.
Now the Maple Leafs could add a sweetener to a deal as they did with Patrick Marleau, but that backfired. Toronto could buy him out to solve some of this problem as well. Which is the most likely scenario as Alter predicts.
Joseph Woll
Woll will be on the roster this season with his cap hit and if Samsonov is signed to the two-year deal this will give Woll time to develop and really give the organization a chance to see if he can be a starter moving forward as Alter points out.