The Comings and goings of the Toronto Maple Leafs season: Has it improved? – Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs
We're approaching the countdown to the final month before training camp for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the roster looks set to come into focus. Mitch Marner looks set to remain a Leaf as he enters a contract year, while Jani Hakanpaa is unlikely to join him. There are, of course, training camp battles to be decided, depth roles to be decided and lines to be shuffled, but the foundation of the club appears to be set as we head into the 2024-25 NHL season.
Now, your feelings about the team's offseason may coincide with how much you felt the need to change after the Maple Leafs fell in Round 1 for the seventh time in the last eight seasons. If you were hoping for a big change, then changing the captain and adding a defense and a backup goaltender while keeping the “Four Four” is probably not exciting. If, however, you took the more measured approach of hoping that general improvements in areas of weakness could improve a team with untapped talent, then you're probably happy with the front office's work. Maybe he's worried about the money and time given to 34-year-old Chris Tanev.
In fact, there are many ways to measure and evaluate general manager Brad Treliving's offseason efforts. Another simple and straightforward option, however, is to look at what has come and gone since we last saw Toronto kneel in overtime in Game 7 against the Boston Bruins. Let's break down who's in and who's out in each area, and whether Map Leaf is better at it:
Forward
To: Cedric Pare
Outs: Tyler Bertuzzi, Noah Gregor
Treliving's efforts regarding companies moving forward are focused on retaining talent rather than adding from outside the organization. Max Domi was brought back on a four-year, $15 million deal, and Connor Dewar signed for one year at a $1.18 million salary. Newcomer Cedric Pare could help in the depth department, but the 6-foot-4 center has yet to suit up for the NHL game, so he's not sure. Alex Nylander is currently only under contract with the Toronto Marlies, but a good performance in camp could make him a viable option for the Maple Leafs.
With no disrespect to Noah Gregor in Ottawa, it's clear that the loss of Tyler Bertuzzi will be felt going forward. The versatile winger took a while to find his place in Toronto, but he ended up scoring 21 goals and 43 points in 80 games as a top-six starter. The Maple Leafs probably weren't in a position to give him the four years and $22 million he earned with the Chicago Blackhawks, but that doesn't change the fact that he hasn't been traded.
Losing Bertuzzi (and Gregor) without bringing in a proven NHL forward means a clear step back in the forward position — for now, anyway. No one is ready to replace the new Blackhawk on the Maple Leafs roster, but training camp will give players opportunities to move forward. Nylander could look to build on a successful 2023-24 season that saw him score 11 goals in 23 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Likewise, Fraser Minten and Easton Cowan will have a chance to prove themselves at the NHL level.
Most notably, who Toronto has lost this summer has not lost. Most importantly, Marner is back after a season filled with trade speculation. Additionally, Nick Robertson remains a Maple Leaf despite reports of a trade demand and has no desire to sign a new contract as a restricted free agent. The club currently has less than 1.3 million dollars in cap space, which can be included in Robertson's new contract, sign a free agent like Nick Cousins or a small break in anticipation of a trade acquisition.
The protectors
In: Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Dakota Mermis, Philippe Myers
Out: TJ Brodie, Mark Giordano, Ilya Lyubushkin, Joel Edmunson, John Klingberg
Statistically, five defenders who wore blue and white last season left, and only four joined the organization. However, by any other measure, the blue line has improved this summer.
Adjust for term or average annual salary if you will, but Tanev adds a top class, top defenseman to the mix. He's actually older than Chicago-bound TJ Brodie, but Tanev continued to play at a high level between the Calgary Flames and Dallas Stars last season, while Brodie showed clear signs of decline. The threat of relegation awaits the new Maple Leaf as well, but anything close to his level of play from last year would be a welcome upgrade for the top four.
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With a fully healthy roster, Oliver Ekman-Larsson probably doesn't make the top four, but that's not much of a problem when it comes to the fifth-ranked player on the depth chart for the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. last spring. He should contribute more – especially on offense – than Ilya Lyubushkin, Joel Edmundson or any of the other guys out there. Dakota Mermis and Philippe Myers are likely to start the season with the Marlies, but they could eventually contribute to the team's defensive plans at some point this year.
In Toronto, the backfield hasn't been particularly thin, but the unit that includes Tanev, Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe, Simon Benoit and Timothy Liljegren represents an improvement over a team that relied heavily on the aging Brodie and Mark Giordano last season. . A healthy Hakanpaa would add to that defensive reinforcement, but it looks like he may not be in Toronto anytime soon.
Goalkeepers
In: Anthony Stolarz
Out: Ilya Samsonov
The decision to move on from Ilya Samsonov in free agency and add a solid netminder, established No. 2 in Anthony Stolarz serves as a vote of confidence for Joseph Woll. Sure, Stolarz is seeing more action than the 27 games he got backing up Sergei Bobrovsky in Florida last season, but ownership of the team's No. 1 goaltender isn't as problematic as it would have been had Samsonov returned.
Whether the decision to bring in Stlarz and hand the reins to Woll is the right one remains to be seen. Stolarz was impressive for the Panthers last season (16-7-2, 2.03 goals-against average, .925 save percentage), but never took the crease more than 28 games into the season. Samsonov, on the other hand, will make $700,000 less this season and can certainly shake off a disappointing 2023-24 campaign and return to his 2022-23 form (27-10-5, 2.33 GAA, .919 SV%) . With Woll coming off his 25-game injury-hit season (from 'Brad Treliving: Maple Leafs must 'catch up' on Joseph Woll's injury history,' The Toronto Sun05/10/24), the Maple Leafs are risking going with two goaltenders who have never played 30 games in an NHL season before.
Maybe Matt Murray can help? The injury-hit veteran surprisingly re-signed a one-year, $875,000 contract despite managing 26 games with the Maple Leafs over two seasons, all through 2022-23 (he played three games for the Marlies late last season. ). Hiring a third-string goaltender with two Stanley Cup rings seems like a nice luxury, but the most recent of those trophies came seven years ago and Murray's injury history makes it difficult to know what he can contribute this season.
By adding Stolarz and parting ways with Samsonov, the Maple Leafs are banking on 2023-24 being a bigger indicator of what's to come next than 2022-23. If the former Cup-winning Panther can carry his success from last season into a bigger role this season, Treliving will have made a successful transition to scoring. But regardless, much of Toronto's success between the pipes will come down to the health and performance of their No. 1 option, Woll.
Given this comparative breakdown, it's hard to say with any certainty whether the club (on paper, at least) is better or worse than it was at the end of last season. Tanev probably has more impact than any other player coming in or out, but the Maple Leafs have also lost their fair share of players who filled key roles. No, this probably didn't please the disaffected fans who wanted a big change, but maybe the management is right to keep believing in the base of the club.
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