3 Moves The Toronto Maple Leafs Need To Make This Off-Season

After a strong regular season, the Maple Leafs had high hopes for the playoffs. Yet, they of course would blow a 3-1 series lead to the Montreal Canadiens and lost in the first round yet again. This ongoing trend needs to stop, especially when looking at the talent that the Leafs have. This off-season is a rather important one for the team, as they need to build a roster that can succeed in the postseason. Yet, they do have limited cap space, so it may be tough for them.

Here are three potential moves they should make this summer.

Extend Morgan Rielly: Morgan Rielly has one more year left on his current deal, so the team can start extension talks. Given the fact that the Leafs are known for being weak defensively, it is an absolute necessity to get a deal done with Rielly. He is a top-pairing defenseman in this league and will be extremely difficult to replace if he leaves next off-season. If they ever hope to win a Stanley Cup, Rielly needs to be in Toronto for the long-term.

Sign A Goalie: With Frederik Andersen likely testing the free agent market, the Leafs will have to replace him. Jack Campbell showed this season that he is capable of a bigger role, but it would be smart for them to bring in another quality goaltender. Perhaps their best course of action would to form a 1A-1B tandem. It is hard to envision them having the cap space to sign a guy like Philipp Grubauer, but there are cheaper options who can work quite well, too. Perhaps a James Reimer reunion is in order.

Sign Winger: With Zach Hyman's time in Toronto likely over, they will need to sign a replacement. They have been linked to pending UFA Taylor Hall, but there are still other players they could look at as well. Potential cheaper options include Mike Hoffman, Mikael Granlund and Jaden Schwartz.