If the Toronto Maple Leafs want to drastically improve their roster next year, it's going to have to be via trade, not free agency.
The 2024 NHL Free Agent list is pretty thin this offseason, with the only star player being Steven Stamkos, who I can't see joining the Toronto Maple Leafs. The organization tried to sign him eight years ago, but Stamkos made the right choice to stay in Tampa Bay, ultimately winning two Stanley Cup's.
I guess there's a world where Stamkos would want to come home and try to win a championship in front of his friends and family, but I don't know why he'd want that stress after having it so good in Tampa Bay. The Lightning are near the end of their dynasty run, so they could be looking at a rebuild soon, but as long as they continue to have Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Victor Hedman and Stamkos, they'll have a legitimate chance.
For this exercise, I'm going to assume Stamkos doesn't sign in Toronto and will try not to get too extreme with my predictions. I could pull off some crazy trades and have this team looking incredibly different next year, but I really don't think they change much. At the end of the day, there's really not a whole lot that they can do, unless Mitch Marner and John Tavares waive their no-trade clauses.
Toronto Maple Leafs 2024-25 Roster Will Improve By Standing Pat
Alright, let's take a look at how things could look next year, starting with the forwards:
- Nick Robertson-Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner
- Matthew Knies -John Tavares-William Nylander
- Easton Cowan—Fraser Minten - Bobby McMann
- Pontus Holmberg – David Kampf – Calle Jarnkrok
First and foremost, the Leafs should re-sign Nick Robertson, who's been way too underutilized by Sheldon Keefe. Robertson is an elite talent, who needs to play with elite players and a year beside Matthews and Marner will do wonders for him, plus he's an RFA, so he'll be a cheap player to re-sign.
Here's where things get fun for the Leafs. Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten are ready for the big leagues and can be a huge help for this team, as their productivity will outweigh their contracts tremendously. Having two young talents like this, alongisde Robertson and Knies makes the Leafs so much better next year, for very little money.
As for the defense, the team will have some money to add two UFA defensemen, with Alec Martinez and Chris Tanev being at the top of their priority list. Both players are veterans, who can provide some stability in big moments and will help the roster.
- Morgan Rielly - Jake McCabe
- Simon Benoit - Connor Timmins
- Alec Martinez - Chris Tanev
Last but not least, is goaltending:
- Joseph Woll
- Anthony Stolarz
Florida will have a hard time re-signing Anthony Stolarz and after a great year with the Panthers, the Leafs should look to scoop him up to play alongside Joseph Woll. After getting injured, again, Woll has proven that he shouldn't be a true number-one, but instead needs some stability alongside him, which Stolarz can provide.
As you can see, the Leafs roster will improve from them not doing anything with additions of Cowan and Minten, but if they really want to make a difference, they need to trade one of Marner or Tavares to shake things up. However, it doesn't feel like that's going to happen and the only major change this offseason will be the firing of Sheldon Keefe.