3 Upgrades Toronto Maple Leafs Need In The New Year

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a good record, but many aren't particularly happy with how the season has gone overall. There have been some key injuries and the team will need some upgrades if they are to push further into the playoffs than last season. Here's where they start.

Top-4 Defenseman

The Maple Leafs are without Jake Muzzin for the entire season, that much has been clear for a while. After making an offseason move to fill a hole with John Klingberg, he should now miss the remainder of the season, or close to it. This not only opens up cap room, but forces the Maple Leafs to look for an upgrade on their defense. On top of Klingberg's injury, Mark Giordano is out for a while too. The back-end has been holding together for now, but that won't do in the playoffs.

Forward Depth

The Maple Leafs can score, but the fourth line doesn't look that impressive. Come playoff time, they will want some more experience and proven production. I'm not thinking that Bobby McMann gets in too many games. I would add someone at a low price for the bottom-six, but not necessarily the fourth line. One of the third line players could even shift down. It opens up different line combination opportunities.

Goalie Depth

The goaltending of Toronto has been shaky at best this season. Ilya Samsonov lost the starting job with his struggles, while Joseph Woll, the presumed starter, is injured. He doesn't have a return date and right now, the third string goalie Martin Jones has to start since Samsonov is nearly unplayable at this time. What if there's another injury? The Maple Leafs won't be able to afford that since there's no more backup in the minors. Goalie depth is key here. The season can't be sunk because they can't make a save and there's no help.