It Could Be Time to Say Goodbye to Your Favourite Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are done for the season. Things didn’t go as planned, which means that plans need to be made to determine what’s next for the franchise.

The  Toronto Maple Leafs organization is poised to undergo significant changes. What that looks like isn’t very clear at this moment. However, all signs point to the exit of some long standing members of the organization.

At his exit interview, standing in front of the media, General Manager Kyle Dubas shared that he hadn’t yet made concrete plans for his future or the sport itself. Dubas said that the year wasn’t easy on his family and he would need to consult with them before making a career decision.

That may have been what was his ultimate undoing in Toronto as just days later he was relieved of his GM duties by President Brendan Shanahan.

It Could Be Time to Say Goodbye to Your Favourite Toronto Maple Leafs

With a search for a new GM and without his friend Dubas shielding him, Coach Sheldon Keefe is also likely to be on the way out. Saying goodbye to both the coach and GM after the organization’s most successful season in 19 years can be difficult. While many, including myself, feel that the Toronto Maple Leafs are better with Keefe, a great deal of the fanbase is expecting big sweeping changes. That would spell the end of Keefe in Toronto.

There are also Leafs players who will be playing for other organizations next season. The two most likely departures are talents who the team would like off the books. Those players are defenseman Justin Holl and forward Alex Kerfoot.

Both men are at then end of their respective contracts. According to Cap Friendly, Holl is earning $2 million and Kerfoot $3.5 million this season. Together, without Holl or Kerfoot, the team could use their money to find someone more valuable. To do so, however, it will put pressure on whomever is running the Maple Leafs to sign some players to bargain bottom salaries.

Saying goodbye to Holl and Kerfoot may not be enough of a dent to changing the on-ice talent that some Leafs fans are hoping to see. There have been calls to oust John Tavares but with his no-move clause, he will finish his contract in Toronto. That means that the franchise has to be prepared to continue paying the team’s captain for two more seasons at an annual cap hit of $11 million.

If there is one player sure to be leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs, it’s forward and tough guy, Wayne Simmonds. After being left out of every playoff game of the Leafs most recent run, it’s clear that the organization doesn’t see him as a valuable member of the team any longer.

The most harrowing thing for Leafs fans is the Auston Matthews situation. If he won’t sign an extension, the Leafs may have to consider a trade.

While nothing is certain as of yet, changes should be coming very soon. It won’t take long before the 2023-24 Toronto Maple Leafs are formed and the feelings of hope and excitement begin to creep back into fans minds.