Toronto Maple Leafs Rumours: The June 2023 Edition

There are plenty of Toronto Maple Leafs rumors in the air this off-season. The NHL draft and free agency period are less than a month away, so it’s not uncommon for the rumor mill to kick things into overdrive.

When a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs doesn’t perform as well as expected, there will always be changes needed to the lineup.

Change is even more avoidable in the salary cap era, as teams can’t afford to keep everyone. Some like to use the phrase “run it back.” Well, in today’s NHL, that is next to impossible. Like every other NHL team, Toronto will look at making changes.

It is harder to predict what changes Toronto might make now that former general manager Kyle Dubas is out and new GM Brad Treliving is in. Every GM has a way of how they want to build their team. Until the first trade or signing happens, Treliving’s plans for Toronto are unknown. Treliving’s first summer as GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs will be busy.

All rumors should be viewed with a grain of salt. Yes, people hear things that might have some truth to them, but that doesn’t mean those things will happen. It’s still early, but here are some rumors floating around Leafs Nation in early June 2023.

Toronto Maple Leafs Rumours

Trade for Connor Hellebuyck

According to Frank Seravalli from the dailyfaceoff.com, the Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the teams interested in Connor Hellebuyck should the Winnipeg Jets place the goaltender on the trade market. Seravalli lists the Ottawa Senators, Los Angeles Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, Vegas Golden Knights, and Pittsburgh Penguins as the teams with interest.

Hellebuyck would give Toronto a Vezina-caliber goaltender, but he only has one year left on his contract with a $6.1 million salary cap hit. I don’t think Toronto trades for Hellebuyck unless there is a contract extension involved. Otherwise, I think they trade or buy out Matt Murray and use the tandem of Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll. (Salary cap info from capfriendly.com)

Shane Doan Joining Front Office

According to Nick Kypreos, there have been rumblings about Shane Doan potentially joining Brad Treliving in the Toronto Maple Leafs front office.

Doan has worked in the Arizona Coyotes front office since 2021 after playing in the Coyotes organization for 21 NHL seasons. The big draw of having Shane Doan in Toronto is the effect it will have on superstar Auston Matthews. Matthews grew up in Arizona and idolized Shane Doan. Having Doan in the front office could help in keeping Matthews in Toronto long-term.

Time will tell if either of these rumours comes true. For now, they are merely speculation.