Did Toronto Advance to Defensive Status?

Are Maple Leafs Better Guarded Wiser?

The Toronto Maple Leafs did a lot of work on Day 1 of Free Agency. In addition to improving their defense with the additions of Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the Maple Leafs also needed to improve their scoring.

NHL Rumors: Brandon Montour Talks Toronto Maple Leafs Early Free Agency

Ilya Samsonov would not be recalled even after his performance in Game 7 in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Boston Bruins. Toronto extended Joseph Woll and added Anthony Stolarz and retained Matt Murray as a third option.

TSN Hockey Analyst Frankie Corrado joins TSN SportsCenter to discuss trending topics in the NHL. One of them was the status of the goal of the Toronto Maple Leafs and whether it was an improvement from last year with their new tandem in town.

NHLRumors.com Transcriptions***

Host: “As for Toronto, of course, they lost Ilya Samsonov, but they got Anthony Stolarz, and they hope that Joseph Woll will get better. So the Maple Leafs offense has improved from last year whether it's hot or not.”

Frankie Corrado: “I will say it feels like a shake-up, but it has the potential to get better. The numbers have the potential to be better than they were last year. Who would have thought that Ilya Samsonov's game would fall off a cliff last year? That was not good for the team. Joseph Woll played well in his role. But still, the waiting position never felt so strong.

Can Craig Berube Get The Leafs To Play Different Come Playoff Time?

Now, if Joseph Woll can stay healthy and Anthony Stolarz can make the jump from being a career backup to a suddenly 1B guy, this newly rebuilt blue line in front of those guys might give them a better chance to do just that.

So, while on paper, I don't see it as an improvement per se, it might look like an improvement when all is said and done. And the team plays better in front of the strikers.”

There will be questions surrounding the Maple Leafs' goaltending and, of course, their core if they fail to go far in the playoffs.