With the NHL Expansion Draft, NHL Draft, and Free Agency looming the Toronto Maple Leafs have many options in front of them. Each option could literally take the team into a different direction.
The Toronto Maple Leafs could have used the expansion draft as an opportunity to trade forwards like Tyler Bozak, James Van Riemsdyk, Nazem Kadri, or Leo Komarov to gather even more picks and/or prospects and keep the rebuild humming along.
If you look at teams like Ottawa who will be losing players like Booby Ryan, Tampa Bay just traded away Jonathan Drouin you can see many opportunities for a team like the Maple Leafs.
The Maple Leafs management group could have used this opportunity to restock teams like the defending Stanley Cup Champions who could be losing their 3rd line center in Nick Bonino. How about a Bozak to Pittsburgh deal that would see Kessel reunited with the only center Kessel has ever really excelled with? What could a deal like that net the Maple Leafs? Can you expand upon that and maybe acquire an Olli Maatta?
What if the Maple Leafs called up the almost Stanley Cup Champions in the Nashville Predators and offered up JVR to a team that will lose James Neal in the expansion draft? What could a deal like that net the Leafs?
The Ottawa Senators are about to lose Bobby Ryan and sure could use a JVR. What could a deal like that net the Maple Leafs?
You can see what I cam getting at here. Trades like that stock the cupboard with even more picks than the 7 the Leafs have already for the 2017 MHL Entry Draft. Plus they don’t have a pick in the 3rd round at the moment and have traded away their own 2nd rounder and only have Ottawa’s which is also valuable.
But it seems as though the Leafs have gone the route of being better now and hopefully contending even sooner. By protecting Bozak, JVR, Komarov, Kadri, and Martin the Leafs are showing they want to be good or maybe even better. Keep the veterans even if they are on the last seasons of their contracts and will become UFA’s.
The Toronto Maple Leafs do have a small 2 year window before Matthews and Marner’s Entry Level Contracts expire and will earn big money.
Just food for thought. The draft and Free agency will be interesting.
It feels like the Leafs are working on something big and will be spending money come July 1. Only time will tell if I am correct on my gut feeling. Let’s hope I am.
I do not see any way the Leafs go into next season without acquiring a #1 or #2 defenseman.
I would love to hear your thoughts as well. Feel free to leave your comments.
CHEERS!
Toronto Maple Leafs
Protected players
Tyler Bozak (F)
Connor Brown (F)
Nazem Kadri (F)
Leo Komarov (F)
Josh Leivo (F)
Matt Martin (F)
James van Riemsdyk (F)
Connor Carrick (D)
Jake Gardiner (D)
Morgan Rielly (D)
Frederik Andersen (G)
Available players
Brian Boyle (F)
Eric Fehr (F)
Colin Greening (F)
Seth Griffith (F)
Teemu Hartikainen (F)
Brooks Laich (F)
Brendan Leipsic (F)
Joffrey Lupul (F)
Milan Michalek (F)
Kerby Rychel (F)
Ben Smith (F)
Andrew Campbell (D)
Matt Hunwick (D)
Alexey Marchenko (D)
Martin Marincin (D)
Steve Oleksy (D)
Roman Polak (D)
Antoine Bibeau (G)
Curtis McElhinney (G)
Garret Sparks (G)