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The Toronto Maple Leafs have only three picks in the NHL Draft next week in Nashville, but there is the potential for them to acquire more if they move pending free agents like Michael Bunting or Ryan O’Reilly to teams looking to get a head-start on contract negotiations.
Where the intrigue lies for Toronto is whether they can get core-four players locked up on long-term extensions or if Brad Treliving will begin his stint as Leafs GM with a impact move.
It is long overdue that we take some questions from followers on Twitter:
Would a Nylander trade to Calgary make sense , if his contract demand on his next contract is too high?
— Thom C. (@XmannThom) June 24, 2023
A: Had to take this one off the top. The chatter has been focused on Treliving getting Nylander signed to an extension, as the club is also working on getting Auston Matthews extended. Both have indicated they’d like to stay in Toronto, but both also want to get paid.
The Leafs will pay Matthews, and likely make him the highest-paid player in the league above Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6 million, but for Nylander to stay, it is going to have to be at a cap hit in the $8-8.5 million range. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on the recent 32 Thoughts podcast that things could get interesting if Treliving cannot get him extended by July 1.
Calgary does not make sense, because they are unlikely to be a place that can get Nylander extended, but there are other teams that could be interested in him as a long-term commitment.
With Brad stating he wants people to think about the leafs as a whole and not just the ‘Core 4’ - Do you thing he invests in a couple of $3/$4 million dollar type of ‘Names’ to finally support the big guns longer term rather then the cheap open door policy in the dubas era?
— Mike Dotto (@Dotto89) June 24, 2023
A: In theory that sounds great, but the Leafs do not have the luxury of adding a couple of $3-to-4 million players with the core four occupying half of their cap space. Treliving might be able to open up more room by buying out or trading Matt Murray, or moving the LTIR of Jake Muzzin, but to really effect some significant change to the roster, they have to move out a Nylander or Marner and reallocate funds to areas of need.
With Brad stating he wants people to think about the leafs as a whole and not just the ‘Core 4’ - Do you thing he invests in a couple of $3/$4 million dollar type of ‘Names’ to finally support the big guns longer term rather then the cheap open door policy in the dubas era?
— Mike Dotto (@Dotto89) June 24, 2023
A: Starting in goal, Woll is going to be one of the top goalies to start the season in the NHL, since he does not have the ability to go down without clearing waivers. No one on defense (William Villeneuve, Topi Niemela, Mikko Kokkonen) has shown they are ready, but up front, there are as many as four players in Alex Steeves, Bobby Mcmann, Pontus Holmberg, and Nick Abruzzese that could crack the Leafs bottom six with a good showing at training camp.
Thanks Mike! Is there really an appetite to run it back? The core 4 has not accomplished playoff success and Dubas was ready to make a change. But now it’s back to the same even with a new GM?
— David Arulpooranam (@darulpooranam) June 24, 2023
A: The Leafs hierarchy is talking a good game about bringing the gang back, but if they go with the same group and head coach, and slump at any point during next season, the fan base will be breaking out the guillotines. Ownership and management can say all they want about not making decisions about the club based on fan reaction, but no significant change after seven years of failure will make Toronto boil over.
Besides Matthews, which Leaf player will draw the most trade interest from other teams?
— Humphrey Gladstone (@humphreyglad) June 24, 2023
A: I’ll answer it this way, if the Leafs decide to make an earth-shattering roster move, my feeling is that they would get more for Nylander even with one year left than Mitch Marner with two years because Marner is making close to $11 million per season and will be more difficult for any contending team to afford. Nylander scored 40 goals last season and is making under $7 million, so even on an extension he will be making less than Marner.
Treliving seems to value a strong blue line, do you think he prioritizes adding a top 4 d-man to the group and do you think this is where the majority of the cap space is spent this off-season with smaller contracts added to fill out the bottom 6 forward group
— Will (@phaneuc) June 24, 2023
A: The most likely big addition this summer is a defenseman or two with size, whether it be a free agent or trade acquisition. Treliving right now does not have a lot of flexibility, so it will have to be someone who is not ridiculously expensive. Toronto will have to be budget-conscious in some places, that is why Woll at $766,667 for the next two seasons, and Robertson/Knies/ Abruzzese/Holmberg making less than $1 million will get plenty of opportunity.
Treliving seems to value a strong blue line, do you think he prioritizes adding a top 4 d-man to the group and do you think this is where the majority of the cap space is spent this off-season with smaller contracts added to fill out the bottom 6 forward group
— Will (@phaneuc) June 24, 2023
A. Long shot at best. Samsonov for one year and Woll is the likeliest pairing next season.
What are your thoughts on Lafferty as 3C? I believe he played there with Chicago and was productive. Also tonight’s in signing Miles Wood? Brings some bite and a bit of scoring. I think a third line of Robertson/Lafferty/Wood might be interesting
— Scott Gauthier - Advisor, Sun Life (@ScottGauthierSL) June 24, 2023
A: Anything is possible, but Lafferty was pretty strong and feisty playing wing in the playoffs. The Leafs might be able to bring David Kampf back for around the same cap hit, and Holmberg is likely to get another stab at fourth-line center unless Treliving gets a free-agent center for a bargain. Wood would bring size and snarl to the bottom six, but the concern with him has been durability and that tends to get worse as a player gets older.
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