Toronto Maple Leafs preseason departures and arrivals: Have they improved? – The Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

There are, in fact, many ways to measure and evaluate general manager Brad Treliving’s offseason efforts. However, one of the simplest and most straightforward is to simply look at what’s come and gone since we last saw Toronto fall in overtime in Game 7 against the Boston Bruins. Let’s break down who’s in and who’s out at each position, and whether the Maple Leafs are better for it:

Forwards

In: Cedric Pare

Out: Tyler Bertuzzi, Noah Gregor

Treliving’s efforts in the forward corps focused on retaining talent rather than adding players from outside the organization. Max Domi returned on a four-year, $15 million deal, while Connor Dewar signed a one-year deal worth $1.18 million. Newcomer Cedric Pare could help in the depth department, but the 6-foot-4 center has yet to play an NHL game, so he’s not a sure bet. Alex Nylander is currently only under contract with the Toronto Marlies, but an impressive performance in training camp could make him a viable option for the Maple Leafs.

With no disrespect to Noah Gregor, who is leaving for Ottawa, it’s clear that the loss of Tyler Bertuzzi will be felt up front. The physical winger took a while to find his footing in Toronto, but ultimately put up 21 goals and 43 points in 80 games as a top-six fixture. The Maple Leafs probably weren’t in a position to offer him the four years and $22 million he made with the Chicago Blackhawks, but that doesn’t change the fact that he hasn’t been replaced in the lineup yet.

Losing Bertuzzi (and Gregor) without bringing in an established NHL forward means a clear step back at the forward position, at least for now. There isn’t a ready-made replacement for the new Blackhawk in the Maple Leafs’ lineup, but training camp will offer opportunities for players to step up. Nylander could use the opportunity to build on a modestly successful 2023-24 season in which he scored 11 goals in 23 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Likewise, Fraser Minten and Easton Cowan will get a chance to prove they belong at the NHL level.

Just as notable as who Toronto lost this summer is who it didn’t lose. Most importantly, Marner is back after an offseason filled with trade speculation. Plus, Nick Robertson remains a Maple Leaf player despite reports of a trade demand and no desire to sign a new contract as a restricted free agent. The club currently has just under $1.3 million in cap space, which could go toward a new Robertson contract, signing an uncommitted free agent like Nick Cousins ​​or a little wiggle room in anticipation of a trade acquisition.

Defenders

In: Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Dakota Mermis, Philippe Myers

Out: TJ Brodie, Mark Giordano, Ilya Lyubushkin, Joel Edmunson, John Klingberg

In quantitative terms, five defenders who wore the blue and white jersey last season are out, while only four have joined the organization. However, by any other measure, the blue line has improved this summer.

Argue about the term or average annual salary if you want, but Tanev adds a top-tier, top-tier defenseman to the mix. He’s actually older than Chicago-bound TJ Brodie, but Tanev continued to play at a high level between the Calgary Flames and Dallas Stars last season while Brodie showed clear signs of decline. The threat of decline looms over the new Maple Leaf as well, but anything close to his play from a year ago would be a welcome boost to the top four.

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With a fully healthy lineup, Oliver Ekman-Larsson likely won’t crack the top four, but that’s not a major issue when it comes to a player who occupied the fifth spot on the depth chart for the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers last spring. He should offer more, particularly on offense, than Ilya Lyubushkin, Joel Edmundson or any of the departing defensemen. Dakota Mermis and Philippe Myers will likely start the season with the Marlies, but they could ultimately factor into the team’s defensive plans at some point this year.

In Toronto’s case, the defense hasn’t gotten much younger, but a unit that includes Tanev, Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe, Simon Benoit and Timothy Liljegren represents an improvement over a group that relied too heavily on an aging Brodie and Mark Giordano last season. A healthy Hakanpaa would have contributed to that defensive boost, but it’s looking increasingly likely that he won’t be coming to Toronto anytime soon.

Goalkeepers

By: Anthony Stolarz

Out: Ilya Samsonov

The decision to let Ilya Samsonov go in free agency and add a strong, established No. 2 goalie in Anthony Stolarz is a vote of confidence for Joseph Woll. Sure, Stolarz will likely see more action than the 27 games he played as Sergei Bobrovsky’s backup in Florida last season, but the identity of the club’s No. 1 goalie isn’t as murky as it would have been had Samsonov returned.

Whether the decision to bring in Stolarz and hand the reins to Woll is the right one remains to be seen. Stolarz was sensational for the Panthers last season (16-7-2, 2.03 goals-against average, .925 save percentage), but he’s never been in the crease for more than 28 games in a season. Samsonov, on the other hand, will make $700,000 less this season and could certainly bounce back from a disappointing 2023-24 campaign and return to his 2022-23 form (27-10-5, 2.33 GAA, .919 SV%). With Woll coming off an injury-marred 25-game season (from “Brad Treliving: Maple Leafs have to ‘dig into’ Joseph Woll’s history of getting injured,” The Toronto Sun10/05/24), the Maple Leafs are taking a risk by drafting two goalies who have never played even 30 games in an NHL season before.

Maybe Matt Murray can help? The oft-injured veteran was surprisingly re-signed to a one-year, $875,000 deal despite playing just 26 games with the Maple Leafs over two seasons, all of them in 2022-23 (he played three games for the Marlies late last season). Signing a third-line goalie with two Stanley Cup rings seems like a nice luxury, but the most recent of those Cups came seven years ago and Murray’s injury history makes it difficult to know what he might offer this season.

By adding Stolarz and parting ways with Samsonov, the Maple Leafs are betting that the 2023-24 season will be more indicative of what’s to come down the road than 2022-23. If the former Panther Cup champion can translate his success from last season into a larger role this season, Treliving will have made a successful adjustment in goal. But still, much of Toronto’s success between the pipes will depend on the health and performance of its No. 1 option, Woll.

Given this comparative breakdown, it’s hard to say for sure whether the club is (at least on paper) considerably better or worse than it was at the end of last season. Tanev is likely to have more of an impact than any other incoming or outgoing player, but the Maple Leafs also lost their fair share of players who filled valuable roles. No, this probably hasn’t appeased disgruntled fans looking for a more drastic change, but perhaps management is right to continue to believe in the team’s foundation.