Be sure to like HockeyBuzz on facebook! For the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter In the wake of the Toronto Maple Leafs early exit for the fourth year in a row, GM Kyle Dubas faces another offseason of uncertainty and a fan base eager for positive results. In spite of expressing confidence in the club’s core group, Dubas faces a number of decisions necessitated by contracts expiring and a need for improvement. The Leafs got started reshuffling the roster with the trade of Kasperi Kapanen to Pittsburgh last month, but more changes may be coming.
The area of much focus is the right side of the blueline with Cody Ceci and Tyson Barrie headed for unrestricted free agency. With Morgan Rielly and Jake Muzzin occupying the left side of the top four and signed for multiple seasons, youngster Rasmus Sandin likely making the NHL roster next season, and the addition of KHL free agent Mikko Lehtonen, the question before Dubas is where does Travis Dermott fit into the Leafs blueline equation. The 23-year-old was a second-round pick in 2015 and completed his third year in the NHL last season playing mostly a bottom-pairing role. Dermott is a gifted skater, possesses good instincts, had the best plus/minus (+14) among Toronto defenders during the regular season, and was pressed into a top-four role when injuries struck the Leafs blueline before the pause, but his offensive numbers (4 goals, 7 assists in 56 games) were not up to expectations.
12 years as a Leaf and the 11th captain in franchise history, Darryl Sittler’s class and leadership replicated those of other Ontario-born predecessors like Apps, Kennedy and Armstrong.
— Paul Hendrick (@HennyTweets) September 18, 2020
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