What kind of changes do the Toronto Maple Leafs need to make?
The Toronto Maple Leafs have disappointed the blue and white faithful once again failing to win a playoff series which they haven’t done so since 2004. Going into the season, the Leafs were one of few favourites to win the Stanley Cup, but the whole season was mired with inconsistency.
With another early playoff exit, changes are inevitable and need to be made. One thing that is certain though is that there will be no coaching change as Sheldon Keefe has been on the job for less than a year and the inconsistency and early playoff exit can’t be blamed on him.
Kyle Dubas is also safe from being dismissed as despite him handing out large contracts and despite the team’s post-season failure, he has a great connection with president Brendan Shanahan and has done a good job managing the roster. He should be safe for at least one more season.
Toronto Maple Leafs Off-Season
If changes aren’t going to be made to the coaching staff and front office, that means that something is going to have to be done with the product on the ice.
While the salary cap hasn’t been set for the 2020-21 season, it could very well remain the same ($81.5 million) due to the Coronavirus pandemic affecting the league financially. This spells trouble for the Toronto Maple Leafs who are tight against the cap.
Assuming the salary cap remains the same, the Leafs will have under $6 million to spend on free agents and for trade purposes. That’s without mentioning that all of Jason Spezza, Ilya Mikheyev, Travis Dermott, Kyle Clifford, Denis Malgin, Frederik Gauthier, Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci are all in need of new contracts.
Despite defense being a weak link on the team, Barrie didn’t live up to expectations in Toronto and will probably not be offered a new contract for multiple reasons. The same goes for Ceci who can be replaced with one of the Toronto Maple Leafs young defencemen in Rasmus Sandin or Timothy Liljegren.
While those two defencemen can walk, the same can’t be said for Dermott. Dermott is a young player who’s an integral part of the team and showed that during the qualifying round. Dubas needs to aim to get him on a deal for a few years but for as cheap as possible. Dermott should be able to command a deal in the $1.9-2.3 million range on a yearly basis.
Out front, new contracts may be given to both Clifford and Mikeheyv as well. Clifford made $800,000 this season and will surely be looking for a pay raise on his new contract. The Leafs should be able to afford him as he shouldn’t be too expensive, but re-signing him will cost them a second round draft pick, as a condition of the trade made earlier this year to acquire him.
In his first season in the NHL, Mikeheyev tallied 23 points in 39 games and was a valuable depth forward. If Dubas can get him on a two-year deal for a small amount, say $1.1 million a year, it would be a win-win situation for both sides.
Spezza was brought in at the league minimum so they had a veteran presence on a young Leafs team. He was a solid player for team and has said he wants to return.
Then there’s Malgin who the Leafs traded for, and Gauthier who’s been apart of the organization for a while. Both are depth players who, if re-signed, won’t get much beyond the league minimum.
Making Trades
As the Leafs will have very little money to spend on free agents, trades will most likely need to be made to bring change. While Auston Matthews who’s the face of the franchise and hometown boy John Tavares are off limits, there has been speculation that the Toronto Maple Leafs could look to move one of Mitch Marner or William Nylander for a large package that includes defencemen, prospects and picks, but this seems extremely unlikely.
With the core likely to stay intact, one of Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johnsson or Alexander Kerfoot will have to be moved. The preference is probably to keep Kerfoot as he is a valuable third-line center and while it would be great to keep the other two, one or even both have to be moved to address the blue line.
Johnsson is set to make $3.4 million with Kapanen coming in at $200,000 less. The only way Dubas most likely moves either of them is if the Leafs get a quality, young, controllable, cheap defensemen and possibly some draft picks as well.
Whatever Dubas decides to do, changes need to be made to stop the repetition of what’s been going on in the past four years.