The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a pretty mediocre summer, to put it politely.
While I think the Toronto Maple Leafs are primed to succeed next season, their summer moves were too low-risk for my blood, and when they did get risk, as with Chris Tanev, the rewards didn't seem high enough to justify the move.
I would have liked to have seen Mitch Marner re-signed, a big trade to bring in a top goalie and some fireworks at the draft.
It's not that I think the team has done poorly, it's that they were already a team bordering on being great and I would have liked to have seen a more aggressive approach to the off-season.
That said, I have some advice for the team that I'd like to share now, in point form.
Some General Ideas and Advice for the Toronto Maple Leafs
1. Sign Mitch Marner right away. It's only going to get more expensive and there is no way he can be traded.
2. Change Mitch Marner from a right-winger into a Centre.
3. Get rid of David Kampf. He costs too much money for a fourth liner. Pay someone else to take him if necessary.
4. Also get rid of Calle Jarnkrok and Ryan Reaves. They are not worth their contracts, they are taking ice-time from younger and better players who have more upside. They represent quite a lot of cap-space combined.
5. Get that Jani Hakanpaa contract cancelled and count yourself lucky. That was a bad deal.
6. In fact, stop throwing money and NTCs at players who don't deserve it. Stop paying replacement players like Simon Benoit more than the league minimum.
7. Stop drafting guys in the first and second rounds with low ceilings. Fraser Minten is a nice player, but drafting a player with a worse chance of making the NHL, but a higher chance of being a superstar would have been better.
8. Make sure Max Domi spends every minute of the upcoming season on Auston Matthews wing.
9. Make sure that Easton Cowan is on the opening night roster.
10. Change the goal song to Reign in Blood, by Slayer. This is the most obvious move of all!
11. Take those god-awful advertisements off of your uniforms and helmets. They look awful and make your franchise seem cheap and desperate. The Toronto Maple Leafs should be above such things.