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Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas has to be pondering and investigating what avenues he will pursue this summer in a number of different areas to find a pathway to improving his club’s chances of playoff success. In spite of a record-breaking regular season, the Leafs had another early postseason exit. Toronto will likely explore the trade market and/or free agency to find upgrades, but that will depend on what they do with the players currently on their roster.
We look today at the state of the Leafs up the middle.
Toronto has two of the league’s top salaries playing at center in Auston Matthews and John Tavares, and most observers would agree that they are getting their money’s worth. Matthews won the Rocket Richard Trophy for the second straight season with his first 60-goal campaign and the 24-year-old is the heavy favorite to win his first Hart Trophy, while Tavares scored nearly a point-per-game (76 points in 79 games) as the club’s second-line center and a key part of the NHL’s top-ranked power play.
With the recognition that Alex Kerfoot was more well-suited to playing mostly on the wing (and center only when necessary), GM Kyle Dubas brought in free-agent checking center David Kampf on a two-year deal, and the 26-year-old responded with a career-high 11 goals and solid defensive play at even strength and while short-handed.
The fourth line center spot rotated early in the season between the likes of Mike Amadio, Kirill Semyonov, and Alex Steeves, before the now-retired Jason Spezza handled the bulk of the duties. At the deadline, Dubas acquired Colin Blackwell as part of the deal for Mark Giordano, and the former NY Ranger provided speed and a bit of feistiness in a depth role.
There does not appear to be any great need to change in the top three slots, even if there is some concern about Tavares’ skating dropping off, the Leafs team captain is one of the NHL’s best faceoff men and gifted offensive talent, while Kampf is signed for another season at an economical $1.5 million cap hit. The retired Spezza could be replaced by Blackwell (if re-signed) or by Steeves (who scored 23 goals for the AHL Marlies). There could be a need for a bigger physical presence in a depth role, but 6’8… pivot Curtis Douglas is a project that could be some time away.
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