Offseason Review: Toronto Maple Leafs

Now that the dust has settled on a wild NHL offseason, let's take a look at how each team did in regards to drafting and free-agent signings. Today, we'll look at the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Another offseason, another summer of questions in Leafs' nation. This team has seemingly been on the rise since 2016 when Auston Matthews first arrived, yet when it comes to the postseason they just can't get themselves over the hump. There has always been a reason of some kind, be it defensive depth, or steady goaltending, but both of those issues seemed to have been resolved heading into the series against Montreal. Yet once again the Leafs did not see the second round. It's hard to know exactly what GM Kyle Dubas should have done over the break to take this team to the next level, but he certainly needed to do something because a few of their most recognizable names were leaving town, and leaving massive holes in the lineup in their stead. This will continue to happen as the salary cap catches up to the Leafs' big contracts. The clock is ticking in Toronto, let's see how they did.

Free Agency:

Jason Spezza and Travis Dermott were both signed well before free-agency, to one- and two-year contracts respectively. A good move, ensuring a veteran who wants to stay and a homegrown rookie remain on the roster. I don't think anyone could argue that these two are the Leafs' problem in the playoffs, and keeping them shows some faith in the team that has played like a perennial contender in the regular season for several years now. Next came the job of replacing Frederik Andersen in the net. Jack Campbell came in and did a stellar job when Andersen was injured last season and has earned the starter's net, but he needs a 1B in his tandem that isn't as prone to injury as the last guy. Someone with a bit of extended playoff experience couldn't hurt either. In comes Petr Mrazek, fresh off three years playing the same role in Carolina, on top of stealing the team a few playoff games as well.

Next, the much trickier issue of trying to replace Zach Hyman up front. Hyman has been a heart-and-soul player in the Leafs' forward group ever since he came up as a rookie along with Matthews and Marner. While not a superstar like the other two, Hyman was the "glue guy" on their line, playing a dirty forechecking game and freeing up pucks for the other two to go to work. Hyman has departed to the Edmonton Oilers, to do the same with their superstars, and in his place, the Leafs signed Ondrej Kase on a one-year contract. Kase is not a bad player, he actually had a pair of excellent seasons in his first couple of years with Anaheim. Injuries have torched his career, and after playing two seasons in Boston he only saw the ice for nine games, putting up 1 assist. If Kase doesn't work out, the Leafs also signed Nick Ritchie to a two-year deal, and if not him, Michael Bunting had an eye-catching breakout season in Arizona last year, and he was also signed for two years. Or there's Josh Ho-Sang, who the Leafs have invited to training camp. Or there's any number of promising young forwards waiting in the pipeline. The Leafs have plenty of options with whom they can replace Hyman, but they don't have a surefire solution. 

After that, Kurtis Gabriel was signed for one year and Alex Kampf signed for two, both forwards but more likely to be depth options in the bottom 6. The Leafs then signed defencemen Carl Dahlstrom, Brennan Menell, and Alex Biega, and Joseph Duzak to one-year two-way contracts, as well as forward Brett Seney, and goalie Joseph Woll.

Grade: C; Adding Mrazek was a good move, this team needs two reliable netminders. Everything after that feels like the consequences of signing their top players to big money. The Leafs are starting to bleed talent, and they don't have the money to replace it. Relying on a scattershot strategy of bringing in a half dozen potential replacements could work out of course, but for a club that needs to start winning yesterday, it's hard to look at their roster and not see this as a worse team than last year.

Draft:

The Leafs had a total of three picks in this draft. The first wasn't until 57th overall, where Toronto selected Matthew Knies. A 6'3" forward from Arizona, Knies is probably the closest thing to a Hyman replacement to get near the Leafs this summer. He's a puck hound, using his speed and size to win possession battles at any cost. He knows how to get strong body position on a defender and uses this mercilessly to jostle pucks loose and set up his teammates. The scoring doesn't exactly leap off the page, 17 goals and 42 points in 44 games with Tri City Storm of the USHL, but those numbers are still pretty good, and at the end of the day, Knies' work ethic is what will win him an NHL job.

The Leafs then watched almost 100 other players get drafted before their next pick, 153rd overall, where they selected Ty Voit, another forward but this one standing 5'10". A native of Pittsburgh, Voit scored 8 goals and 28 points with the Sarnia Sting two seasons ago, but due to the OHL season's cancellation last year, he hasn't played since then. Lastly, at 185th overall, the Leafs drafted goaltender Vyacheslav Peska, who put up a 2.57 GAA and .909sv% in 17 games last year with Ibris Kazan of the MHL. He'll return to play with that team in 2021-2022.

Grade: C+; Drafting Knies may have saved this draft from being a total wash, but he's still a couple years away. The Leafs went all-in on their team last season and it didn't pay off, and this prospect group shows the consequences of that. There are some solid rookies already in the wings in Toronto, and that's a good thing because this year didn't do much to bolster their pipeline.

Overall grade: C+; Not good enough, is basically the best summary of this offseason. This Leafs team is still good, good enough to make the playoffs which is all they need to give themselves a chance, but it's going to become harder and harder for them to maintain that success as their contracts start to come due. Next summer is Morgan Reilly and Jack Campbell, and two years later it's Matthews and Nylander. The Leafs need to shift into high gear and this offseason did little to assist them with it.

What do you think of the offseason in Toronto? 

Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports