Toronto Maple Leafs Summer Time Player Movement Checklist: Who Stays + Who Goes
The Toronto Maple Leafs once again finished the season with a disapointing performance that is guaranteed to lead to change.
And, as is annual tradition, the Toronto Maple Leafs management ended the season with a nonsensical press conference where they make vague promises and allude to changes in the most non-specific way possible.
The Leafs already fired their coach, and while they've yet to hire one, that is likely to come before any players are signed, traded or otherwise moved.
The Leafs are in a state of flux, and only one player is absolutely not going anywhere. The rest of them? We'll have to wait and see, but that doesn't mean we can't guess.
Toronto Maple Leafs Summer Time Player Movement Checklist: Who Stays + Who Goes
Auston Matthews: He isn't going anywhere, and even the notoriously bad management of the Toronto Maple Leafs isn't going to trade him.
Matthew Knies: He's a potential star player on an entry-level deal and about to take on a much bigger role. He might not be "untouchable" but he's the next best thing.
Mitch Marner: Despite some of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard, or had, he's not going anywhere either.
Player Movement Checklist
William Nylander: Shoudla traded him instead of signing him, but what's done is done and he's not going anywhere either.
John Tavares: He's underrated, and his decline is vastly oversold. Still not going to be able to trade that contract, but even if they could, they wouldn't. All four of the Core Four will be back, and that's a good thing.
Tyler Bertuzzi: The Leafs need to make changes somewhere and he's approaching 30 and will want a raise and a longer committment even though he makes too much money as it is. He will sign elsewhere.
Max Domi: He will also sign elsewhere as the Leafs realize they can't bring back the exact same team and have very few options for change. He's also crazy overrated by the fanbase and so one-dimensional that he makes it hard for a coach to dress a balanced lineup.
Nick Robertson: He'll be back in a more prominant role taking over for Domi or Bertuzzi.
Bobby Mcmann: Cheap goal-scorers don't grow on trees, so he'll be back.
Pontus Holmberg: He'll be back, but hopefully on the fourth line because the Leafs could really improve their 3C situation. I like Holmberg but he's easily one of the worst 3Cs in the NHL and if the Leafs want to contend they can improve here.
David Kampf: He'll be gone. Terrible signing, and hopefully someone will take him. It's never a good thing to have the NHL's highest paid fourth liner on your team.
Player Movement Checklist
Ryan Reaves: Hopefully he retires, but either way, Treliving has to figure out how to get out of this as he certainly can't play on the 2024-25 Toronto Maple Leafs. He'll likely be back for training camp but won't make the team and will go play in the AHL a la Kyle Clifford.
Noah Gregor: No.
Connor Dewar: Yes, he'll be back.
Calle Jarnkrok: He's got to go. He doesn't score enough for what he's paid, the Leafs obviously need more offense from the bottom of their lineup and he's not helping. He won't be back.
Morgan Rielly: He won't be traded. The Leafs are desperate for more puck-movers so they aren't getting rid of their best one.
TJ Brodie: He won't be back, obviously since he was scratched in the playoffs.
Jake McCabe: He'll obviously be back. The Leafs blue-line stinks and he's not only good, but he's extremely cheap for what he does. Other than Matthews he might be the least likely player to be traded on the entire roster.
Timothy Liljegren: He's a bit underrated because he's the kind of player you only notice when he screws up, but he can move the puck and he's cheap. Also, he's a great third pairing guy and a possible top-four player, so he's back almost certainly.
Conor Timmins: He makes more than the league minimum but they wouldn't play him even though he had great stats when he did play and even though the team was desperate for puck-movers. He won't be back.
Ilya Lyubushkin: It was so unbelievably misguided to trade for him then use him on the top pairing. I think the Leafs will probably want to sign him, but with Benoit already here it seems unlikely because you just can't have so many bad puck-moving defensemen. He won't be back.
Joel Edmundson: He is one of the worst players in the NHL. He won't be back.
Again, he's a player I could see them wanting to sign, but the team would have to be delusional not to realize how much it hurt them having all these guys who can't pass or skate.
Mark Giordano: He is not coming back.
Simon Benoit: He'll be back, even though he shouldn't be. It was a mistake to pay him over the league minimum. Then again, maybe he will keep improving.
He went from one of the worst players in the NHL two years ago to being a top-six defender on a playoff team. The only problem here is that he can't play top-four and I think you'd want a better 3rd pairing than Benoit-Liljegren.
Martin Jones: Why would he be back? Good question, but it's the Leafs so I'll predict he does come back for reasons only Brad Treliving will know.
Ilya Samsonov: He is not coming back. If you bet a million dollars that he would not come back, the payout would probably only be five cents, because that is how high the odds are that he's gone.
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Joseph Woll: Obviously back.