Toronto Maple Leafs: 6 Remaining Questions Entering 2023-24
By Edward Eng
Toronto Maple Leafs 6 Remaining Questions:
1. With the departures of many key forwards during the offseason, will any of the Leafs’ internal options step up to fill the void?
This past offseason, we saw the likes of Alexander Kerfoot, Michael Bunting, Ryan O’Reilly, Zach Aston-Reese and Noel Acciari all leave the Leafs via free agency, which is equivalent to almost two lines worth of players.
As a result, the Toronto Maple Leafs needed to fill those positions for the upcoming season, and they did so with the additions of Max Domi, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Ryan Reaves. However, the numbers coming in still doesn’t match the numbers going out, which means the Leafs will need some of their internal options to help fill the void.
Among the internal options, Pontus Holmberg got a good taste of NHL life last year, as he tallied five goals and eight assists in 37 games played before he was sent back down to the minors in favour of the trade deadline acquisitions.
So perhaps he will get a chance to regain his spot on the roster this coming season. Also, Nick Robertson has always been knocking on the door the past couple of seasons, but his unfortunate luck running into injuries had set him back each time. Finally back to full health, could this be his breakout season that everyone has been waiting for?
Or perhaps the running favourite among them all is playoff sensation Matthew Knies. After all, he had one goal and three assists in seven playoff games, including setting up the OT winner to help the Leafs finally make it past the first round in almost two decades.
In addition, he plays a power game that complements well with either of the Leafs top two lines, and remains just as effective in a third line checking role as well.
Nevertheless, at least one of them will need to step it up for the team to help make up for some of the lost offensive firepower from the departed players. Otherwise, the Leafs could be in for a long season with regards to providing adequate secondary scoring.