3 Moves the Toronto Maple Leafs Need to Make in the Off-Season
After yet another series clinching game for the Toronto Maple Leafs that ended in heartbreak we ask ourselves what is next with this team heading into the off-season?
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost yet another series but this time to the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Hats off to Columbus they played a great series especially their goaltenders, but Toronto was the better team and should’ve won this series.
However with that being said, we ask ourselves what moves do the Leafs need to make to get over the top . So here are three priorities for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the off-season.
3. Re-sign Ilya Mikheyev and Jason Spezza
At my number three spot I have two players that the Toronto Maple Leafs desperately need to re-sign in my opinion, Ilya Mikheyev and Jason Spezza.
Now we all know what kind of seasons these two players had for the team and they were both great seasons, especially for Mikheyev who ended his year short due to injury yet had a very productive first half and Spezza who was in and out of the lineup under Babcock and played a limited role until Keefe came on board still contributed a fair amount.
Ilya Mikheyev 2019-20 stats -39 GP – 8 G – 15 A – 23 PTS – 54.61 CF% (Stats from NHL.com)
Jason Spezza 2019-20 stats – 58 GP – 9 G – 16 A – 25 PTS – 54.55 CF% (Stats from NHL.com)
The reason why these two players are important to lock up for next season is strictly for secondary scoring and for depth on this team.
Both guys can play up and down the lineup but will more than likely be between a 2nd line player and a 4th line player most nights.
I know that Mikheyev didn’t have the greatest series against Columbus but he is still a great player and I believe due to his play against Columbus his extension won’t be as expensive as we thought it would be during the regular season.
For Spezza I would love this guy to come back to his hometown team to try and compete for another Stanley Cup, however seeing him hang his head on the Toronto Maple Leafs bench after their loss to Columbus hit me hard because it’s sad he hasn’t had a chance yet to raise the cup yet.
He wont be expensive at all and I could see him signing for around the same amount he signed for during the 2019-20 season ($700K).
MONTREAL, QC – FEBRUARY 08: Mitchell Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period at the Bell Centre on February 8, 2020 in Montreal, Canada. e. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
2. Shed Some Salary
At my number two spot I have one of the most important things that the Toronto Maple Leafs need to do during the off-season, and I think they will more than likely address it in my opinion and if they don’t I will be genuinely shocked.
They need to shed some salary one way or another,.
We all know the Toronto Maple Leafs are a great team already, but what could put them over the edge and actually could make them compete for a Stanley Cup is shedding some salary and addressing the blue line.
A lot of people say they have one of the worst blue lines in the league and I’m here to disagree, i’m not saying they have one of the greatest either but it defiantly isn’t one of the worst they are more in the middle in my opinion but when they are healthy.
However to address that blue line and make significant changes they will have to move on from a player or two. Here are a list of forwards I could see the Toronto Maple Leafs trading away to either shed salary or shed salary and get help on the blue line in the same trade.
Alex Kerfoot (3.5M), Andreas Johnsson (3.4M), Kasperi Kapanen (3.2M)
Some will suggest that they should go ahead and trade Marner or Nylander you spend years looking for pieces like this, and they are not even in their prime yet.
However if the trade is right and it’s in the Toronto Maple Leafs favour I say why not. Although I say the best pieces to move on from right now is probably Johnsson, Kerfoot, and or Kapanen.
This team also needs some depth on the blue line too, so if they can manage to either trade for or sign some depth defensemen in free agency to help solidify the blue line that’ll be an extra boost.
DALLAS, TX – JUNE 23: (l-r) Kyle Dubas and Brendan Shanahan of the Toronto Maple Leafs .. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
1. Bring in a top Pairing Defensemen That can Play With Morgan Rielly
At my number one and final spot on the list I have also one of the most important things that the Toronto Maple Leafs need to address this off-season, and it is bringing in a top pairing defensemen that can play big minutes and be paired with Morgan Rielly.
Although the only way of this happening is if the Maple Leafs do number two on this list which is shedding some salary.
On top of the team needing a top paring defensemen that can play with Rielly they also need depth on the blue line too. They will more than likely be losing Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci in free agency so the other guaranteed full timers next season are some combination of Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin, Justin Holl, Mikko Lehtonen, Rasmus Sandin and depending if Travis Dermott gets locked up or not.
Here is a small list of top pairing defensemen and some depth defensemen I would like the Toronto Maple Leafs to look at and try to target, but again some of these will only happen if major change happens and they shed some salary to bring in salary.
Next. Ranking the Leafs Blue Line with Advanced Stats. dark
Alex Pietrangelo, Josh Manson, Damon Severson, Brett Pesce, Radko Gudas, Dylan DeMelo, Justin Braun and the list could go on.
Any of these guys should be a good fit for the Leafs.