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Toronto Maple Leafs: Revisiting Some 2020 Offseason Predictions

By Jordan Maresky

DALLAS, TX - JUNE 22: General manager Kyle Dubas of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks on during the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - JUNE 22: General manager Kyle Dubas of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks on during the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Mar 6, 2020; Anaheim, California, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs   Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2020; Anaheim, California, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs   Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Prediction #5:

William Nylander is not traded.

What Actually Happened: William Nylander was not traded.

As the Leaf 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. On a very affordable contract of $6.9 million over the next four years, Nylander has one of the NHL’s most valuable contracts.

Pessimists suggested it was impossible for Kyle Dubas to land a top-four defensemen without moving the 24-year-old, however, on day one of 2020 free agency, the Leafs GM inked renowned defensive defensemen, TJ Brodie, to a five-year contract.

Simultaneously, the Leafs added incredible goaltending depth and added different play styles to their bottom-six, all while keeping Nylander a member of this team. 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 incomprehensible that people continue to doubt this duo.

Prediction #6:

Johnsson out, Robertson in.

What Actually Happened: Johnsson was indeed traded, however, Robertson’s future remains up in the air.

Andreas Johnsson was Traded to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forward prospect Joey Anderson.  Johnsson has left Toronto as one of the greatest seventh-round steals in Leafs history.

Every since Johnsson and Kapanen signed a  team friendly short-term contract extensions, it was clear that they represented a level of flexibility for the Leafs in managing the salary cap. Sure enough, the emergence of Nick Roberts and Ilya Mikheyev, as well as the signing of Alex Barabanov, made them expendable.

Dubbed ‘Mango’ by the locker room and soon followed by the Leafsnation, 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 got the necessary tools to play in any team’s top six.

And while we still do not know what the future holds for Robertson, if it is in the OHL, AHL, or the NHL, you can be sure the Toronto Maple Leafs 2019 second-round pick is looking to make a significant impact. Although in a very small sample size, Robertson showed he can handle important minutes, finding himself playing alongside John Tavares and William Nylander on the second line, not looking out of place at all, during game four of the Leafs play-in series.

The optimist in me would love to see Robertson lineup alongside Matthews and Nylander on the Toronto Maple Leafs first line. Putting up a whopping 55 goals in 46 games this past season in the OHL, it will be dangerous to see what a duo of Robertson and one of the best goal scorers in the league, if not the best, could do together.

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