3 Toronto Maple Leafs Fighting to Keep Their Job Next Year

The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to look a little different next year with a few individuals currently fighting to keep their jobs.

It’s no secret that the Toronto Maple Leafs roster is going to turnover next year. Over the past few seasons, that’s pretty normal for the franchise, as the core has stayed put with the bottom-six and goaltenders changing on a frequent basis.

There are currently 10 pending UFA/RFA’s within the team’s 23-man roster, so there will be plenty of decisions to make. Even though the player(s) may have the opportunity to leave at their free will in the offseason, I’d still consider these players fighting to keep their job.

As a free agent, you want to capitalize and make as much money as possible, but usually, winning has a big influence on that decision as well. If you can make the most money and play for a winning franchise, then that’s the best case scenario.

If you compared this roster prior to the NHL Trade Deadline to after, it looks much different. A few pieces went out, but there were more in-coming as names like Ryan O’Reilly, Noel Acciari, Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty, Luke Schenn and Erik Gustafsson came in, bumping a few players down the line-up.

At this time last year, Wayne Simmonds and Kyle Clifford were two physical pieces the Leafs thought could make a difference in a series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but this year, the newly acquired players will get that task.

Toronto’s depth has now made it harder for a few fringe players to keep their jobs next year, but here are three members of the Toronto Maple Leafs fighting to keep their job for the 2023-24 season.

Toronto Maple Leafs Fighting to Keep Their Jobs: No. 1: Justin Holl

It’s crazy to think that Holl has been in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization for the past eight years and to see where he’s come. After joining the Toronto Marlies in the 2015-16 season, Holl quickly turned into a rising star in the AHL and one of Kyle Dubas’ favorite pupils.

When Holl was eventually called up, head coach Mike Babcock didn’t feel the same way and benched him for the majority of the season. That type of treatment would drive any player nuts, but he stayed the course and once Sheldon Keefe was introduced as the new coach of the Leafs, Holl was in the line-up every night.

However, as we look at the Leafs roster next season, Holl is without a contract and is the team’s No. 6 or No. 7 defenseman. He’s clearly fighting for his job and his career within Toronto’s organization may be over before we know it.

Holl will be rotating in-and-out of the line-up for the last regular season games and more than likely again in the playoffs. As previously mentioned, Dubas has always had a soft-spot for Holl, so if he can play his way into the top-six and show he can be a steady defenseman for a long playoff-run, then Toronto will want him back.

However, if he falters and falls outside of the top-six, then it’s very plausible that Holl will be with another organization next year.

No. 3: Kyle Dubas

Working in management would be so stressful because you have no control on the outcome of the game.

You can trade or sign the best players in the world and look great on paper, but at the end of the day, it’s up to those players to perform to their standards, and if they don’t, it’s on you.

It’s a harsh business, but that’s the reality of what’s going on with Kyle Dubas right now.

If it was up to me, I would have signed Dubas to an extension months ago, but the organization is clearly making him sweat. He’s built a winner before with the Toronto Marlies and that hard-work continued when he was named GM of the Leafs. Throughout his tenure, this team has been the best regular season team in franchise history year-after-year, but they’ve yet to get the job done in the playoffs.

If the team falters again and loses in the First Round, he’s probably getting fired, which is unfair. He addressed previously issues at this year’s Trade Deadline and has constructed the best roster this franchise has seen in 20 years.

From an executive standpoint, it feels like Dubas is doing his job, but he unfortunately can’t fire all 23 players after a bad loss and start over. As a result, although Dubas technically isn’t “playing” for his job, he’s definitely “working” for it and hopefully the players reward him for his hard work.

There’s a lot of terrible executives in the NHL, but Dubas isn’t one of them and it would be a shame if he wasn’t the leader of this team to start the 2023-24 season.