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Toronto Maple Leafs Roundtable: The Right Next Steps

By Mike Stephens

TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 6: William Nylander #29 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates with the puck against the Detroit Red Wings during the third period at the Scotiabank Arena on December 6, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 6: William Nylander #29 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates with the puck against the Detroit Red Wings during the third period at the Scotiabank Arena on December 6, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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RALEIGH, NC – DECEMBER 11: Toronto Maple Leafs Right Wing William Nylander (29) skates with the puck during a game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC on December 11, 2018. (Photo by Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC – DECEMBER 11: Toronto Maple Leafs Right Wing William Nylander (29) skates with the puck during a game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC on December 11, 2018. (Photo by Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Hey, so William Nylander is a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs once again.

That’s pretty great, right? Only, now that William is back in the fold, what happens next? Are the Leafs relatively set to forge ahead with the roster they have? Or are some additional moves needed to truly push this team over the top?

That just happens to be the question of our latest roundtable. This week, the EIL staff put their heads together to answer:

With Nylander back, what move should the Leafs make next? 

The answers may shock you. Or they won’t. Who’s to say? We’ve never met.

Personally, the only moves the Leafs need to make are ones that can be done internally.

Toronto’s cast of core and supporting pieces both land right up there with the best in the league, if they don’t actually lead the pack already. Adding a marquee name mid-season would be great (*cough* Alex Pietrangelo *cough*) but likely can’t be done without shedding some of that depth. And given how that depth is arguably the Leafs’ biggest strength at this moment, Kyle Dubas would be best not to detract from it.

Really, my ideal moves are simple.

Call Trevor Moore up and have him slot onto the 4th line wing instead of Frederik Gauthier. Sit Ron Hainsey for the odd night, preferably back-to-backs, in favour of an actual puck mover in Calle Rosen. With the playoffs having been firmly in the bag by the deadline, why not give Rasmus Sandin or Mason Marchment – any prospect, really –  a shot in the big leagues in order to gauge their current progress.

You know, anything along those lines. These moves don’t shatter the Earth or clog headlines, but they will assuredly help the Leafs in the long run and potentially even give them an immediate boost.

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