You may have noticed that the Leafs have a very good lineup. Teams that usually finish near the top of the league in the standings usually have one of these. You may also have noticed that the lineup is still better, not to mention that with players departing like O’Reilly, Bunting, Kerfoot, Holl, Schenn, and more, there are some definite gaps in the lineup card as well. You need to process. That’s not a bad thing because departures like Kerfoot and Holl free up a lot of money spent at the bottom to rank higher on the depth chart.
Others like Ryan O’Reilly are left agonizing a bit more because he can definitely be an option to tackle the areas the Leafs need to focus on. Unfortunately, he also faces some risks associated with his age and injury history, plus there doesn’t seem to be much desire to play in Toronto cheaply, so it’s best to consider a couple of other options.
As I see it, the paper has three basic needs. The realities of the players that may be available, the assets the Leafs will part with, and of course the salary cap will limit the extent to which all of these areas can be addressed, but hopefully the Leafs will continue to gradually move toward being a Stanley Cup caliber team.
Priority 1: Physical / Skill forwards for the best six
Matthew Kniss has already addressed some of this with the Leafs as he looked comfortable in the role in the playoffs. The departure of Michael Bunting means the Leafs lose a bit of edge there, but it’s clearly not the size. Knies and Bunting have a knack and that’s something to keep. Nick Ritchie had the size, but he didn’t fit in the skills department in the Leafs and the same can be said ex of Wayne Simmonds and David Clarkson. Finding the right balance will be important, and the Leafs should consider any forward positions as both Tavares and Nylander have shown comfort moving to the left wing if needed.
As for who is available to fill the need… we can probably rule out Pierre-Luc Dubois. He’s going to this unfortunate combination of pricey and want to play somewhere else. There’s also the fact that he’s called twice in trade and adding a higher maintenance player to an already stocked squad isn’t ideal.
When it comes to free agency, a player who I think might really fill the needs is Jason Zucker. Zucker isn’t a huge player, but he managed to finish 30th in the top 30 goalscorers list last season while scoring 27 goals. His health is better, and in addition to hitting and scoring, Zucker knows how to hold the puck and play in his own area. It may be the most achievable option.
If you’re looking at deals, the player you’re likely dreaming of is Travis Konicney, and with the Flyers selling talent for futures it might be the right time to make it happen. Plenty of trades the Flyers are looking to win back their paychecks, this could also be an opportunity for the Leafs to offload a contract that frees them up for other moves or they can take advantage of being on teams that don’t. You don’t need to take a player back to Philadelphia and walk away from a prospect and pick him up.
Other interesting options: Scott Lawton, Jack McBain, Ivan Barbashev
Priority 2: Top Four Defensman (ideally Morgan Rielly’s partner)
With TJ Brodie entering the final year of his contract and the Leafs benefiting from playing Rielly with a strong home stay like Luke Schenn in the playoffs, it will be interesting to see what the Leafs do in terms of the blueline this offseason. The name that definitely stands out is Dmitri Orlov, checking every required box except for the fact that he plays on the left side, but it looks like we’ll be dealing with other names popping up as options soon enough.
With the Blues needing to get someone off the blueline and Torey Krug not budging, the door is once again open to considering Colton Parayko as a possible option for Toronto.
The fact that Matt Doumba is available and has been in his share of the Toronto rumors shouldn’t be lost on anyone, as even if he isn’t your first choice (or your 20th choice) he is a player to watch.
And with the Flames likely to see an exodus of players, it will be interesting to see if Brad Treliving sticks with those he knows, a strategy that seemed to benefit and hinder Kyle Dubas during his tenure as Leafs GM.
Noah Hanifen doesn’t really seem to fit the bill for what the Leafs are looking to add to Blueline, but he’s certainly the name from Calgary that’s most widely circulated. Players like Weegar, Andersson, and Tanev would be better suited, but Andersson and Weegar are two of the Flames’ locked-in long-term players who are unlikely to go anywhere.
Priority 3: Third Line Center
It was a nice luxury for Ryan O’Reilly to be the Leafs’ third line center for such a brief period of time. The flexibility to move him up in the lineup was nice too, but in general, a move towards a situation where the third line can be a solid all-situation line rather than a neutral zone stalemate would benefit the Leafs. The departure of Kerfoot and Kampf begins to push the Leaf in a direction where further offense can and should be encouraged.
Third line position options are a bit more plentiful, but they come with a wide range of price tags, risk, and upside.
Jonathan Toews is an option if you want to see if there’s any hockey left in it at this point. Toronto is definitely making a reputation for itself as a pre-retirement destination and Toews may well find his way here too.
JT Compher has had a bit of a breakout season in Colorado and could be on the radar for a role like this but he’s also likely looking for a payday look that’s risky until he shows he can replicate his success.
What I keep coming back to is that Ryan O’Reilly really could be the best fit for the Leafs and even if the Leafs aren’t their first choice, it’s worth trying to keep him.
How do you handle all three situations?
If the foliage is going to be this successful, that likely means two things need to happen.
- Matt Murray is either traded, BUY or LTIR.
- The Leafs will need a fourth line relying heavily on the Marlies’ promotions or the league’s minimum salary players who may appear through free agency later in the summer.
Getting a minimum of Bobby McMann, Pontus Holmberg, and Sam Lafferty seems to be a necessary part of doing that work, as is getting some usable hockey from Nick Robertson, if he’s not traded.
The Leafs seem to be well positioned defensively and that’s really a big part of how Toronto can establish a more dominant group of nine forwards and four defensive tackles heading into next season.