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The Toronto Maple Leafs Biggest Concern Is Not Nylander

By Jeremy Ridgewell |
TORONTO, CANADA - JANUARY 27: William Nylander #88 of the Toronto Maple Leafs waits for play to resume against the Ottawa Senators during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on January 27, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Senators defeated the Maple Leafs 6-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA - JANUARY 27: William Nylander #88 of the Toronto Maple Leafs waits for play to resume against the Ottawa Senators during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on January 27, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Senators defeated the Maple Leafs 6-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
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The Toronto Maple Leafs and William Nylander will likely agree to a new deal soon.

However, it doesn’t matter if Nylander re-signs for $8 million or $9 million a season. He is not the Toronto Maple Leafs biggest concern.

The Leafs biggest concern is going to be defense and goaltending after this season.

Of the seven defensemen listed on the Leafs active roster, only three are under contract beyond this season. Out of those three, only Morgan Rielly is under contract beyond next season. It is likely that Timothy Liljegren will re-sign after this season when he becomes a restricted free agent (RFA), and top defense prospect Topi Niemela will make the jump to the NHL soon.

T.J. Brodie ($5 million), John Klingberg ($4.15 million), and Mark Giordano ($800,000) will be unrestricted free agents after this season. All three roster spots will need to be filled while also re-signing Liljegren. Jake Muzzin ($5.625 million) will also come off the books after this season. (Salary cap info from capfriendly.com)

As for the Leafs goaltending, Ilya Samsonov ($3.55 million) and Martin Jones ($875,000) will become UFAs after this season. Matt Murray ($4.687 million) will also become a UFA next summer. The only main-roster goaltender signed beyond this season is Joseph Woll.

Many things can change between now and next July. However, the Leafs main focus next off-season will be defense and goaltending.

Leafs GM Brad Treliving could have many intriguing options next summer. Right now, without Nylander signed, the Leafs have $33.4 million in available cap space for next season.

Here is a look at a few UFAs the Leafs could target. Some of these players could re-sign with their current team before next summer. For right now, they are pending UFAs after this season.

Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports /

Toronto Maple Leafs Will Seek Defensemen and Goaltenders Next Summer

Brandon Montour

Brandon Montour registered 73 points last season and will be one of the top defensemen available once free agency opens on July 1st. He will likely be one of the more expensive defensemen. He is a right-shooting defenseman and will be 30 next summer.   (Stats from hockey-reference.com)

Shayne Gostisbehere

Shayne Gostisbehere registered 41 points last season. He will join Montour as one of the top defensemen available on July 1st, 2024. Gostisbehere is a left-shooting defenseman but can play both the left and right side.

Brady Skjei

Brady Skjei registered 38 points last season. He provides offense but also hits and blocks shots. Skjei is a left-shotting defenseman who plays the left side. He could replace Giordano’s roster spot on the Leafs left side. The Leafs could always use a big (6’3, 210 Lbs) defenseman who plays a lot of minutes (20:32 minutes career average).

Noah Hanifin

Noah Hanifin is another big (6’3, 207 Lbs) left-shooting defenseman who can play a lot of minutes (20:04 minutes career average). He registered 38 points, 129 blocked shots, and 76 hits last season. Hanifin is another good option for the Toronto Maple Leafs to add to their left side.

Brett Pesce

Brett Pesce could be the perfect replacement for T.J. Brodie on the Leafs right side. He is a big (6’3, 206 Lbs) right-shooting defenseman who can provide offense but is good defensively. Pesce registered 30 points last season. He also had 110 blocked shots and 60 takeaways compared to 26 giveaways.

Photo Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Photo Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports /

Goalies for the Leafs to Consider

Connor Hellebuyck

Connor Hellebuyck will be the number one goaltender available on July 1st if he doesn’t re-sign with the Winnipeg Jets. He will be 31 years old, so he still has some good years left. He posted a 37-25-2 record last season with four shutouts, 2.49 GAA, and a .920 SV%. If the Leafs want to add a clear number one goaltender, Hellebuyck is the guy.

Ilya Samsonov

Depending on how Ilya Samsonov plays this season, the Leafs could try to re-sign him to remain their number-one starter. He posted a 27-10-5 record last season with four shutouts, a 2.33 GAA, and a .919 SV%. This is another contract year for Samsonov. As a pending UFA, he will be looking to prove himself to the Leafs and the rest of the NHL.

Pheonix Copley

Pheonix Copley posted a 24-6-3 record last season with one shutout, a 2.64 GAA, and a .903 SV% in 37 games for the Los Angeles Kings. That is the most games he’s ever played in the NHL during one season. He will be the number-one starter in LA this season, so we’ll see if his stats improve with more games.

Next. What Almost Everyone Gets Wrong About the Salary Cap. dark

Martin Jones

Although Martin Jones is considered a third-string goalie for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season, he did post a 27-13-3 record last season, though his 2.99 GAA and a .886 SV% were very concerning. He will compete for playing time this season, and if he does well enough, he could be re-signed by the Leafs.

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