Leafs Notes: Offseason Wish List
The Toronto Maple Leafs managed to get to the playoffs last season, but didn’t get very far. The hurdle known as the Boston Bruins knocked them out in the first round yet again. The biggest issues with the team going forward are trying to keep the core group of kids together and getting a number one defenseman. It will all need to be accomplished while staying under the cap limit. There are ways to do this and the Leafs are looking to make some trades to get it done.
Here is an offseason wish list for the Maple Leafs:
1) Create Cap Space
This is the very first thing the Leafs are going to have to do before they can even attempt to fill some holes in this roster. They have to land a number one defenseman, re-sign restricted free agents and find a back up goalie. There are some trade options, but the question is what can these players bring back in return and I don’t think any of them will bring in a number one defenseman. The best trade options are Nikita Zaitsev, Patrick Marleau and Nazem Kadri. There is also a possibility of trading William Nylander if he can bring back a good return.
Of the four options, the easiest to move may be Nylander since he doesn’t have a no movement or modified trade clause in his contract. Zaitsev could be a little easier to move as well because he only has a 10-team no trade list in his contract. Kadri also has a 10-team no trade list as part of his modified no movement clause. Kadri may be a little harder to move just because of his discipline problems at key moments during a game or playoff series. The hardest player to move will be Patrick Marleau since he has a full no movement clause and would have to waive it to be traded. The Leafs need to find a way to move one or more of these players to get some cap relief.
2) Keep the Kids Together
The Leafs have three major players that are restricted free agents this summer including Mitch Marner, Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson. Johnsson is arbitration eligible, but he was still a big part of the Leafs scoring depth last season. Marner and Kapanen combined for 46 goals, 92 assists and 138 points in the regular season. Kapanen is going to be the easier of the two to re-sign since he had 20 goals, 24 assists and 44 points, and wasn’t the team’s leading scorer.
It looks as though Marner is going to be demanding a big contract since the he was the team’s leading point getter last season. He had 26 goals, 68 assists and 92 points on the year. Marner contributed in just about every facet of the game including the power play. The forward brings speed and skill to the Leafs lineup, but will it be worth getting a contract done if he is looking to get around $11 million per season. There will be teams out there that offer sheet the restricted free agent and push the Leafs into deciding if he is worth the money to keep.
3) Number One Pairing Defenseman
The Leafs have been lacking a number one defenseman for years, and it has been costing them in the playoffs. The Maple Leafs as a team aren’t very good defensively so a lot of pressure is put on Frederik Andersen to make some saves, and he’s been very good at it. It will cost the Leafs to get a top pairing defenseman since Erik Karlsson just signed an eight-year deal with the San Jose Sharks with an $11.45 million cap hit per season. The best route for the Maple Leafs may be to go the trade route.
Do the Maple Leafs actually have anyone on the current roster that can bring them back a top tier defenseman? There is the Nylander option, which could bring back the return that the team wants and clear some cap space, but do they really want to get rid of a young kid for an older experienced defenseman? Another problem is finding a trade partner to tango with because not many teams are going to be willing to give up a number one guy. They may be able to swing a deal with the Nashville Predators for P.K. Subban, but that would come with a $9M cap hit over multiple seasons.
4) Back Up Goalie
The Leafs currently have a back up goalie on the roster in Garrett Sparks, but he just hasn’t lived up to expectations. In 20 games last season, he had an 8-9-1 record to go with a 3.15 goals against average and a .905 save percentage. There will be some options out there in free agency, but there are a lot of teams looking to add a back up. Another option would be having the young goalies compete for a spot in training camp.
The free agents include Curtis McElhinney, Michael Hutchinson, Calvin Pickard and others. It would come full circle if McElhinney signed with the Maple Leafs again since he played with them during the 2017-18 season. He had a 11-5-1 record in 18 games played. He also had a .934 save percentage and 2.14 GAA, but would he want to play the backup role after coming off of a decent season splitting time with Petr Mrazek in Carolina last season? Hutchinson played okay during his limited time with the Maple Leafs last sesaon, but Pickard had a not-so-hot season last year after bouncing around the League.
