|
Leafs to face difficult questions after another early exit |
|
|
|
|
|
Be sure to like HockeyBuzz on facebook!
For the latest Leafs updates or on Twitter
Had the Toronto Maple Leafs received the favorable bounce of a ping pong ball to select first overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, it would have served as a temporary relief to the list of problems facing the club in the wake of another playoff disappointment.
Team President Brendan Shanahan, GM Kyle Dubas, head coach Sheldon Keefe and a number of players are scheduled to face the media via conference call on Wednesday after losing to Columbus in the qualifying round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but after an early exit for the fourth season in a row, simply owning the responsibility for failure (which Shanahan and Dubas have done the last two locker cleanouts) will not suffice.
Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford not only called into question his team’s efforts after losing to Montreal, but recognized that changes need to be made to a club that won two Stanley Cups in the last five years.
The reality that the salary cap will not increase for the foreseeable future will force Dubas to move out a salary to open up room to re-sign RFA’s Ilya Mikheyev and Travis Dermott, but the Leafs GM has to recognize that his current roster construction is flawed and that the only way to rectify that is to move a player with a large salary to address their areas of need.
In his
31 Thoughts column Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman rightly points out that a move of a core player is not without risk, but the reality is that there must be a change made.
*******
Is Kasimir Kaskisuo saying goodbye? The goalie took to Twitter to thank the city of Toronto on Tuesday after being one of the Leafs two extra goalies in the bubble.
Kaskisuo spent most of the season with the AHL Toronto Marlies and made his NHL debut in November. The University of Minnesota-Duluth alum has been a member of the Toronto organization for five years and with youngsters Joseph Woll and Ian Scott vying for playing time next season, it is possible that he will not receive a qualifying offer from the Leafs.
*******
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact” button at the top of the page.*******
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»