It is near impossible to predict what the Toronto Maple Leafs will look like when they open training camp for their centennial season six months from now.
Will Jonathan Bernier be their starting goaltender after another subpar season, has Garret Sparks proved that he is capable of being part of the NHL mix at 22 years old or will the organization look elsewhere during the offseason for their future #1.
With the departure of Dion Phaneuf and Roman Polak, will Toronto dip into free agency to add experience to a very young defensive corps (Perhaps even bring the hard-hitting Czech back for a second stint as they did with Daniel Winnik last season), will they trade for a veteran (Kevin Shattenkirk or Jonas Brodin) who could anchor the blueline or will they choose to stick with internal candidates and low-risk options such as KHLer Nikita Zaitsev.
The most interesting situation GM Lou Lamoriello and head coach Mike Babcock will have to address is at center, where the club has not had a legitimate top line answer since the departure of Mats Sundin.
There is no way to know definitively whether Toronto will be in position to draft Auston Matthews or sign Steven Stamkos this July, but let’s say for the sake of argument that one or both things occur.
The Leafs currently have three centers that fit well in second or third line roles in William Nylander, Tyler Bozak and Nazem Kadri. If Toronto adds Stamkos and/or Matthews, Nylander has the versatility to move to the wing, but the organization has made it a point to play the 19-year-old exclusively up the middle in a scoring role with the Toronto Marlies and during his NHL stint.
If the Leafs sign Stamkos to what is expected to be one of the highest salaries in the NHL, Kadri and Bozak cannot play the wing and their contract status becomes a factor to them remaining in Toronto.
Bozak has another two years remaining at $4.2 Million per season, is adept at taking faceoffs and on special teams. Kadri has improved on draws but is still less than 50% and has just 12 goals in a year where he has played primarily on the top line and the first power play.
Kadri is also a restricted free agent this summer and with two years before being eligible for unrestricted free agency, the 25-year-old is expected to be looking for a long-term contract extension that would exceed $5 Million per season.
While Lamoriello and the Leafs have the middle ground of club-elected salary arbitration to get another year out of Kadri, the want to play Nylander at center and the price certainty and fit of Bozak in a depth/checking role would appear to appear to be better fits structurally and financially, which means that Kadri is the most likely of the pair to not be on the roster next season.
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