Be sure to like HockeyBuzz on facebook! For the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter
The Toronto Maple Leafs 2020-21 season in spite of winning the North Division and individual honors such as Auston Matthews winning the Rocket Richard Trophy and being nominated for the Lady Byng and Hart Trophies has to be considered a dismal failure, as the club suffered their fifth straight opening-round defeat in the Stanley Cup Playoffs under the administration of Team President Brendan Shanahan.
The Leafs are in an enviable position that many NHL clubs wish they were in with a pair of top-line centers in John Tavares and Matthews up the middle on their top two lines, but that comes at the cost of more than 27% of the $81.5 million salary cap.
The dilemma entering next season is who GM Kyle Dubas and head coach Sheldon Keefe will use to center the third and fourth lines. Alex Kerfoot had a decent regular season playing up the middle and on the wing and registered six points in the playoffs filing in for Tavares after his injury in Game 1.
Kerfoot with two years remaining at a $3.5 million AAV is likely to be a cap casualty (either unprotected or traded), forcing Dubas to look for depth candidates up the middle if there are doubts that he can be replaced internally.
Pierre Engvall shifted between wing and center last season, but has often confounded Keefe with his inconsistency. The big Swede’s speed and wingspan are intriguing as a checking line center, but it is likely that Dubas will look for some insurance in the form of a low-salaried veteran.
Jason Spezza centered the fourth line at times last season, but the Leafs preference appears to be play the 38-year-old on the right side, which could give 25-year-old Adam Brooks a chance at consistent playing time after scoring four goals in 11 games last season.
Possible options for help up the middle could be re-signing of Nick Foligno, who played center at times in Columbus and filled in for Tavares after his injury and former Leaf Tyler Bozak, who missed 25 games last season with concussion issues, but filled the third-line center role in Toronto adequately before signing a three-year deal with St. Louis in 2018.
*******
Lot’s of â¤ï¸ for the 💙ðŸ¤
— Norman James (@IamNormanJames) April 26, 2021
Convo on Podcast.#theleafsconvo https://t.co/Xdn3CDLVCI