With most of the offseason moves made by NHL clubs in the month of October, it is a good time to take a look at the Toronto Maple Leafs and how they are situated at each position for the 2020-21 season. GM Kyle Dubas was extremely busy in free agency and shook up a number of areas of the Leafs roster, but we will have to wait until next January or February to see if those changes will result in more success.
While the Leafs moved out wingers Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen to clear cap space to address the defense, they left the club’s strength up the middle relatively untouched with a pair of top-line quality centers in Auston Matthews and John Tavares, and Alex Kerfoot on the third line. The only change was the departure of Frederik Gauthier after he was not qualified and the signing of 41-year-old Joe Thornton to a league-minimum one-year deal.
Matthews posted a career-high 47 goals (one behind David Pastrnak and Alex Ovechkin) before the league was paused in March, while Tavares missed time with a hand injury but still averaged just under a point-per-game. Head coach Sheldon Keefe relied on his duo more than Mike Babcock and increased their ice time in the regular season and qualifying round, so you can expect more of the same in 2021.
Kerfoot struggled in his first season with the Blue and White, precipitated in part by a facial injury suffered early in the season. The 26-year-old was shifted to the wing when injuries necessitated and scored only nine goals in 65 games but played better when fully healthy against Columbus.
The Leafs finally recognized that it was time for Gauthier experiment to end, since “The Goat” never used his size as an advantage and was too slow to be an effective role player. Thornton likely slots in on the fourth line with Jason Spezza playing the right side, giving Toronto an extremely experienced and creative line that could provide matchup problems to opposing teams.
*******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:
»