The Toronto Maple Leafs had a disappointing finish to a franchise-best season (49 wins, 105 points), falling in seven games to the Boston Bruins in the opening round of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Though the Leafs considerably improved over the last two seasons, their lopsided losses to the Bruins indicates more work is needed to become a legitimate Cup contender.
The Toronto media, of course, has plenty of suggestions.
Jonas Siegal of The Athletic wondered if the Leafs will chase New York Islanders center John Tavares via free agency. While Siegal acknowledged signing Tavares will be expensive, he felt that move would give the Leafs almost unmatchable depth at center.
The Toronto Star‘s Kevin McGran considered Tavares a longshot bet but thinks it’s worth it. If a long-term deal wasn’t possible, he proposed a one-year offer at the league maximum of $16 million.
The Leafs could afford Tavares. Cap Friendly indicates the Leafs could have almost $30 million in salary cap space. That’s assuming the ceiling reaches $80 million as projected for 2018-19, as well as once again placing permanently sidelined winger Nathan Horton on long-term injured reserve.
Pursuing Tavares, however, isn’t necessary. The Leafs already have a talented first-line center in Auston Matthews, who’s yet to scratch the surface of his full potential. Nazem Kadri, meanwhile, slots in nicely in the second-line center spot. If necessary, they can employ William Nylander in the third-line role or pursue more affordable options via trade or free agency.
Matthews, Nylander and Mitch Marner are all due substantial raises by next summer. Chasing an expensive center they don’t need could complicate efforts to re-sign that trio.
Signing Tavares could also hamper efforts to address their porous defense.
The opening-round elimination by the Bruins highlighted an ongoing issue this season for the Leafs. They gave up too many shots-against, their penalty kill was atrocious, and they blew too many leads.
Morgan Reilly is a fine young top-pairing blueliner but his defense partner, the aging Ron Hainsey, is not. Jake Gardiner wore the goat horns for his poor play in Game 7 against the Bruins but perhaps would’ve fared better without being saddled with inconsistent Nikita Zaitsev. Youngster Travis Dermott has promise but plodding workhorse Roman Polak is past his prime.
McGran believes the Leafs must acquire a mobile top-pairing defenseman. Landing Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson or Los Angeles’ Drew Doughty via trade would be too costly. He instead suggested more affordable free-agent options such as Washington’s John Carlson or Detroit’s Mike Green.
The National Post‘s Michael Traikos also advocated for improving the blueline. He proposed shopping one of their good young forwards, such as Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen or Connor Brown, to acquire a better defenseman. Traikos suggested targeting such notables as Vancouver’s Chris Tanev or Calgary’s T.J. Brodie.
Siegal, however, thinks moving Nylander for a defenseman “should be a definite no-go”. He admitted, however, that would make it tricky to determine what type of package the Leafs could offer up in the trade market for a quality rearguard.
Prying Karlsson away from the Senators or Doughty from the Kings is likely a pipe dream. While it doesn’t hurt to at least explore either possibility, a reasonable trade and perhaps a free-agent signing could bring the Leafs a couple of significant blueline upgrades.
Carlson, for example, might cost over $7 million annually but he’d be more affordable than Karlsson or Doughty, who are both eligible for UFA status next summer. If moving Nylander isn’t an option, the Leafs have plenty of good young forwards (Brown, Kapanen) already on the roster and depth in their farm system to package for a good d-man.
The Leafs must also decide what to do with their pending unrestricted free agents. The Toronto Sun‘s Terry Koshan thinks there’s a good chance none of them – Polak, James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak, Leo Komarov, Tomas Plekanec and Dominic Moore – will be back.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported van Riemsdyk would love to stay with the Leafs. It’s difficult, however, to see where his new contract might fit.
Management seemed to make their decision about van Riemsdyk’s future last summer by signing Patrick Marleau to a three-year, $18-million deal. That’s money that could’ve gone to JvR but investing in a veteran leader seemed a better idea.
Sportsnet’s Damien Cox advocated bolstering the Leafs goaltending depth. He suggested promoting Garrett Sparks, giving current backup Curtis McElhinney more work or bringing in a veteran to compete with starting goalie Frederik Andersen.
That’s probably the easiest of the Leafs’ offseason decisions. They’ll likely stick with the current tandem of Andersen and McElhinney for another season in hopes an improved defense reduces their workload.