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The Toronto Maple Leafs faced an offseason with key players entering free agency and not a great deal of space under the salary cap to either re-sign or replace them. GM Kyle Dubas was not in a position to bid for big names on July 28, but needed to replace big contributors like Frederik Andersen and Zach Hyman.
The left side could be the position that will be the difference between the Leafs ultimate success and failure for the 2021-22 season, as the club saw the departure of Zach Hyman to the Edmonton Oilers and trade deadline acquisition Nick Foligno signing with the Boston Bruins.
Hyman’s consistency and complementary offence alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner will be missed, and the Leafs tried to bring back Foligno but were outbid by their Atlantic Division rival and instead went with more cost effective options and may be depending on a young prospect to fill the void.
Once again, Dubas opted for players he is familiar with, signing ex-Soo Greyhounds Michael Bunting and Nick Ritchie to two-year deals. Bunting broke through after three solid offensive years in the AHL with Arizona last season, scoring 10 goals in 21 games playing a top-six role and his feistiness may see him replace Hyman on one of the top two lines.
Ritchie is a big body who can play physically while kicking in some goals. The 25-year-old scored a career-high 15 goals in 56 games with the Bruins last season, so it is possible that he will play with either Matthews or John Tavares, but his skating ability may hinder his ability to play high in the lineup.
Nick Robertson could challenge for the spot on the roster if he has a good training camp. The 19-year-old posted 16 points (5 goals, 11 assists) in 21 AHL games (which is impressive when you consider that in a normal year he would not have been able to play there), but he was injured twice last season, so questions about his durability will be sure to come up.
Pierre Engvall should be a fit as the checking line left winger, unless a decision is made to shift Alex Kerfoot to the wing in the top six, then it is possible that the big Swede will be moved to the middle. If the additions prove to be not sufficient, it is possible that Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe will shift one of William Nylander, Ilya Mikheyev or Wayne Simmonds to the left side.
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— Norman James (@IamNormanJames) April 26, 2021
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