The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming off their most successful season in more than a decade. Now the focus shifts to the future and building on what they have done to this point. Auston Matthews led the way for Toronto as one of three rookies to finish with more than 60 points last season. The Maple Leafs also received solid contributions from their veteran players with James Van Riemsdyk and Nazem Kadri both topping the 60-point mark. Toronto has assembled one of the most talented young cores in the entire NHL. Now they will have to build around that core group in order to take another step forward next season. Here is a look at the Maple Leafs offseason plan.
3 Things The Maple Leafs Have To Work On
1. Build Around The Youth
Matthews is set to make under $1 million in base salary figures over the next two seasons. The same is true for both Marner and William Nylander. With under $3 million committed to three 60-point players, the Maple Leafs will have plenty of cap space to build around their youth. Kadri, Van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak will all be back at reasonable prices next season. That leaves Toronto with three spots in its top-nine forward group that could be open to competition. The Maple Leafs can afford to be aggressive in free agency with the chance to add a couple of established veterans to the fold. T.J. Oshie and Alexander Radulov are at the top of the list of free agent forwards. Justin Williams and Patrick Eaves are quality options as well. Toronto could also opt to explore the trade route. The Maple Leafs have plenty of options following a successful rebuild. Now it’s time for them to build around their youth and establish a roster that can contend for the Stanley Cup.
2. Add A Pair Of Defensive Defensemen
Toronto has the cap room to add to its extremely talented forward core. While it makes sense to solidify their scoring punch, the Maple Leafs must also address their defense core. Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner and Nikita Zaitsev are all signed. Alexey Marchenko and Martin Marincin are under contract but Toronto should want to upgrade. Kevin Shattenkirk will command a massive free agent contract but the Maple Leafs would be smart to pass on him. Shattenkirk looked very average for the Washington Capitals in the playoffs so it doesn’t make sense for Toronto to overpay for him at this point. The Maple Leafs would be better off exploring an option like Karl Alzner. The veteran defenseman is big, tough, experienced and can play tough minutes on the top pair both at even strength and on the penalty kill. Alzner is the best defensive defensemen that will be available on the open market. Ron Hainsey, Brendan Smith and Kris Russell are among the other names that the Maple Leafs should consider. Rielly, Gardiner and Zaitsev are all capable puck-moving defensemen that can play top-four minutes. Now Toronto must surround that group with capable veterans that are at their best in their own end.
3. Find A Capable Backup Netminder
Frederik Andersen proved he is the answer for the Maple Leafs in net this season. Even with all of the young talent on the roster, Andersen was Toronto’s best player many nights. He went 33-16-14 with a 2.67 GAA and a .918 save percentage during the regular season. He maintained a decent .915 save percentage in the playoffs against the top-seeded Washington Capitals. The issue for Toronto is that they don’t have a capable backup goaltender. Curtis McElhinney had a 2.85 goals against average during the regular season and there would be major concerns if he was forced to carry the load for the Maple Leafs if Andersen was injured. Toronto will have the opportunity to find a capable backup netminder to replace McElhinney this offseason.
Key Free Agents
There is a good chance the Maple Leafs bring back Zach Hyman and Connor Brown as restricted free agents this offseason. It won’t surprise anybody if they pass on Brian Boyle and Roman Polak. Toronto could find capable replacements for both of its unrestricted free agents. McElhinney is also set to become a UFA, which will make it easier for the Maple Leafs to replace him this summer.
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