10 Predictions for the Toronto Maple Leafs Off-Season
No. 6: William Nylander is not traded.
The member of the Leafs who gets the most unwarranted criticism, William Nylander provided some of the league’s best value in 2019-20, en route to a career year.
Pessimists will suggest it is impossible for Kyle Dubas to land a top-four defensemen without moving the 24-year-old, but those people are the same ones who said Dubas cannot sign Tavares. And he did. But with Tavares and Nylander inked, he cannot sign Matthews. And he did. But with those three signed, he will not be able to sign Marner. And he did.
With Brandon Pridham and Dubas in charge, two of the smartest executives in the NHL when it comes to managing the salary cap, it is a completely wrong move to doubt the duo. And why would one of the smartest front offices in the NHL give up on a player who provides this kind of value:
"He's soft and we will never win with him"
— leafsnationnews (@LNNinstagram) September 21, 2020
May I direct your attention to "10th in the NHL in forcing offensive zone turnovers", which translates to "in on the forecheck"... except instead of senselessly banging bodies, he is actually getting the puck and creating chances for.
No. 5: Johnsson out, Robertson in.
It has been widely reported the Leafs are going to look to upgrade their defense this offseason. In any move they make, it is hard to see how it is possible to do so without moving Andreas Johnsson. Some will say move Kerfoot, however, his added versatility in being able to play center or wing makes him more attractive to the Toronto Maple Leafs, in addition to his solid performance during the play-ins.
Johnsson had a tremendous season in 2018-19, playing primarily alongside Auston Matthews. Registering 20 goals and 43 points (stats; NHL.com), Johnsson proved he has the necessary tools to play in any team’s top six. Unfortunately, with Zach Hyman already locked into one of the Leafs top left-wing spots, Johnsson will be battling with Nick Robertson for the final place.
Robertson has shown he can handle important minutes, finding himself playing alongside John Tavares and William Nylander on the Leafs second line in his last game, not looking out of place at all. Furthermore, it is hard to not fantasize about how many goals Robertson and Matthews could score together. The rookie put up a whopping 55 goals for the Peterborough Petes this past season (stats; eliteprospects.com).
Robertson has earned the trust of head coach Sheldon Keefe, and with him making $2.6 million less than Johnsson, the rookie has made the former seventh-rounder expendable.