Top 3 Non-Core Players the Toronto Maple Leafs Can’t Do Without
The Toronto Maple Leafs season may be over but it doesn’t mean the team needs another rebuild.
Sure, the Toronto Maple Leafs season was a disappointment but there are plenty of positives to take from it.
If the qualifying round was a Best-of-Seven against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Leafs most likely would have won the series. They outplayed the Blue Jackets but were snake-bitten so many times.
The Leafs had a number of scoring opportunities that either hit the post or were miraculously saved by Columbus. Either way, at the end of the day, the team lost and Leafs fans will have to wait at least one more year to lift the Stanley Cup.
Despite another year of heartbreak, the Leafs roster should stay fairly intact heading into the 2020-21 season.
On the current roster, there are eight pending Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA) or Restricted Free Agents (RFA) and it wouldn’t be shocking if five of them returned.
However, with Alexander Barabanov, Mikko Lehtonen and Nick Robertson all scheduled to be on the Leafs opening night roster next year, there will be plenty of competition at training camp to decide who starts.
Here are the top three players the Toronto Maple Leafs must resign.
#3. Kyle Clifford
The Ayr, Ontario native is set to become an UFA and although the team has great forward depth, they need to resign Clifford.
When you dissect the Leafs roster, they already have nine forwards that can score a minimum of 20 goals per season, but they’re lacking toughness. It’s great to have so much scoring depth, but you can’t be an All-Star team in the playoffs.
Obviously the objective of the game is to score more goals than the other team but at the same time, you need a Clifford type of player when the game gets tough.
Just look at his impact during the qualifying round against Columbus. The fourth-line was arguably the second best line for the Leafs.
Clifford was a huge reason for that success because he wasn’t afraid to hit anyone and worked harder than almost any other Leaf every shift he had.
Kyle Clifford with a big hit to start the game. 💥#NHLonSN pic.twitter.com/WHlrWraZlZ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 4, 2020
Just look at the hit in the Tweet above. I’m not saying the Leafs won this game because of Clifford’s hit, but they definitely didn’t lose it because of this.
It’s a moment like this where Clifford can deliver and give his teammates a spark during a playoff game.
#2. Travis Dermott
After Jake Muzzin went down to injury, Dermott was asked to play a bigger role and he unfortunately didn’t perform to his highest capabilities.
That’s not his fault though. Dermott is best suited as the fifth or sixth defenseman on a really good hockey team with potential of being a top-four player.
Rasmus Sandin and Lehtonen are bound to be in the starting defensive-core next year, which means Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin, Travis Dermott and Justin Holl will most likely be the top-six defensive group next year.
The Leafs need to re-sign Dermott for two reasons.
- There’s no better option with a higher upside in the system right now than Dermott, especially since he’s an RFA and they should be able to get him signed at a decent price.
- As a young defenseman with a ton of potential on a good contract, Dermott will be a great trade-chip if they ever wanted to try to acquire another player.
As for number-one, having Dermott on your defensive-core is not going to hurt you. It only starts to hurt you when he’s forced into playing top-line minutes, which he wasn’t ready for yet.
Number-two is where it gets interesting. Hypothetically, let’s say Dermott gets a raise to $3 million per season for three more seasons. Within that contract, Dermott will most likely be underpaid.
Although it’s always best to have a player exceed their contract, it creates a trade-chip which could help the Leafs acquire a key defenseman.
When the Leafs acquired Jake Muzzin, it took a first-round pick and two prospects, but imagine what type of return you could get by shipping Dermott, another forward and maybe a prospect or draft pick? The Leafs may be able to steal another top-two defenseman from a team with a trade package like that.
#1. Jason Spezza
There’s arguably no other player that showed their worth to return more than Spezza during the qualifying series.
Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner and John Tavares are all supposed to lead the Leafs in scoring and be the best forwards every night. A 36-year-old making $700,000 per year is not supposed to be in that category, but that’s exactly what Spezza was during the qualifying series.
"Jason Spezza just did not want our season to end today."
— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) August 8, 2020
Daddy has a dream, and he won't let it go without a fight: https://t.co/qXGGsvhWKW #LeafsForever #CBJ pic.twitter.com/Iyy8xkFEA8
Spezza record zero goals and zero points in five games against Columbus, but he showed his leadership and dedication to this team with his fists.
With the season the line, Spezza dropped the gloves and fought Dean Kukan, holding his own the entire fight.
Besides Clifford and Muzzin, there really isn’t another player on the Leafs you’d expect to fight. So, the fact that the veteran forward more known for his hands being used to score goals was the one that stood up for his team, gave the Leafs a huge spark.
The aging forward showed the Leafs that he still had plenty left in the tank and was a very valuable fourth-line player. There are a number of replacement players the Leafs could find for the fourth-line but when times get tough you need a player that’s been through everything.
Spezza’s played in 85 career NHL playoff games and the only thing missing on his resume is a Stanley Cup ring. He purposely came to Toronto to win a championship in his hometown and you know he’s going to do everything to make that happen.
With an estimated career earnings of $88 million Spezza doesn’t need a big contract ever again.
Top Fore! Toronto Maple Leafs Golfers. dark. Next
The Leafs should continue to sign Spezza to a one-year $700,000 every season until he retires because he’s a huge piece on and off the ice.