Toronto Maple Leafs

[2014olympicgold]

47 days until July 1st and that is a big day for the organization.

Today we get the postmortem presser for the team. I believe it's on right now.

But you need to figure out your managements future, then deal with Matthews future, then if he doesn't want to return deal with finding a trade with potentially a new GM doing it. And if he doesn't want a deal, you have Nylander there too. And Marner's NMC kicking in July 1st that you can explore. Wow 47 busy days.

What I want to see:
- Dubas back. I have a lot of faith in him, and I can see him growing as a GM. But he needs to want to come back too since he's a UFA
- Keefe gone. The team needs a new voice and I did not like the system in place after a while. You replaced his assistants this past offseason, he isn't staying.
- Core 4. Starts with Matthews signing something July 1st. If he isn't, I'm exploring a deal June 28th. Same with Marner sadly due to his NMC. I want both back, I really like them. But this is a HUGE crossroads coming up. Nylander I'm also asking "what is your dollar" and if it's reasonable and doable after the Matthews/Marner stuff is dealt with then I want him back. But it's dollar dependent.
- Woll and Samsonov as your goalies for 2023/24. Murray Bought out (pretty low cap penalty)
- Team needs speed. If you aren't fast you better be heavy. If you aren't heavy you better be fast. And The Leafs are neither.
- I don't know how, but the "nothing happens when on the ice" defense in Brodie, Gio, and Holl (nothing happens on his best days) isn't how you go about things now. Mobility and activation is how you counter act some offensive flaws, and the Leafs can't do that. The Leafs D is built with breakouts to the forwards and allow the forwards to do things. In the playoffs, when there's no room for 3 guys to do things, the D need to help create space offensively. I don't know what you do there, but if you can't create forward speed with Matthews/Marner/Nylander moves, address that on the defensive end with new D or a new coach philosophy.

Tough week coming up, I think we see management/coach casualties before the end of the playoffs.

[2014olympicgold]

Also Leafs end of season presser had Gio talk, and then nothing since.

Shanahan won't address the press today but will tmo. Today will be Dubas, Keefe, and Players.

[2014olympicgold]

Luke Fox is tweeting some players responses to questions, so I'm assuming the presser is back on. But it's not on TV/TSN online like the Gio interview 2hrs ago was.

Dubas and Keefe will address the media later today.
Shanahan will address the media tmo. To note, Shanahan was side-by-side with Dubas in last yrs presser.

ROR said he wasn't dealing with a major injury. His finger felt fine. Will shift focus to FA in the coming weeks as he's still processing the loss.
Gio said he wasn't dealing with an injury.
JT was asked about his NMC and said "I love it here...I want to be here." open to moving to the wing more and wants to be captain.

[hockeyrobot]

Eeeeeeeeeeeeek. Flames asking permission to speak to the Assistant GM.

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toront...randon-pridham

[2014olympicgold]

Eeeeeeeeeeeeek. Flames asking permission to speak to the Assistant GM.

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toront...randon-pridham

What I wouldn't be opposed to would be a Shanahan walk away, Dubas to President, Pridham to GM.

Dubas does a lot of President like stuff when it comes to off-ice-secondary things. But Pridham def deserves an NHL shot if he chooses too.

[2014olympicgold]

Matthews would like a deal done before next season.

[Axeman33]

Matthews would like a deal done before next season.

Of course he does. Now ask him how much he's going to want on his next contract.

[2014olympicgold]

Of course he does. Now ask him how much he's going to want on his next contract.

Ya lol.

I wonder what his value is really. MacKinnon is the top paid player at 12.6m, McDavid is 12.5m, I don't honestly know what he can ask for. It starts with a 12, and might go to 13.

Nylander is probably 9-10m. I think the Devils want to get Jesper Bratt at around $8m and he's an RFA.

[blayze]

I'm sure AM will be the highest paid player in the league after this next contract. Pretty much how it always goes with these marquee players.

[hockeyrobot]

I'm sure AM will be the highest paid player in the league after this next contract. Pretty much how it always goes with these marquee players.

And I'm sure the final four of Dallas/Seattle, Vegas, Carolina and Florida is really going to do wonders for the salary cap in the coming years............................................. .................................................. ..................

.................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ........

[Belexus75]

I'm sure AM will be the highest paid player in the league after this next contract. Pretty much how it always goes with these marquee players.

i think he will be if he stays in Toronto cause they are just that dumb imo...im a fan, and i do like a player but to me he is outside top 5 in NHL atm overall in the carrier and probably closer to 10....he should be at 11mil at most but we all know it wont happen...

what i do hope for, but probably wont happen, is Matthews signing before July 1st or leafs pulling off a blockbuster as i dont think he is a leaf in July of 24 if he does not sign before July of 23rd

[blayze]

i think he will be if he stays in Toronto cause they are just that dumb imo...im a fan, and i do like a player but to me he is outside top 5 in NHL atm overall in the carrier and probably closer to 10....he should be at 11mil at most but we all know it wont happen...

what i do hope for, but probably wont happen, is Matthews signing before July 1st or leafs pulling off a blockbuster as i dont think he is a leaf in July of 24 if he does not sign before July of 23rd

Marner signed at 11 mil back in 2019 so that's not happening.

All they can really do is trade Willy, which I wouldn't do since he was their best performer this year (reg season and playoffs) and his cap hit looks like a steal now

The only real move they have is to can Keefe imo... doesn't really make sense to overhaul management with 1 year left in our window, if anything they'll do the overhaul next year

[2014olympicgold]

Marner signed at 11 mil back in 2019 so that's not happening.

All they can really do is trade Willy, which I wouldn't do since he was their best performer this year (reg season and playoffs) and his cap hit looks like a steal now

The only real move they have is to can O'Keefe imo... doesn't really make sense to overhaul management with 1 year left in our window, if anything they'll do the overhaul next year

I think Keefe is gone. He's doing is presser right now, and he's getting kinda choked up whenever he's talking about the 4.

[2014olympicgold]

Dubas is talking now about his future. He's citing he'll talk to his family first about where they are as a family as it was a taxing yr on them.

Dubas was asked why Shanahan isn't there. And He said it's because he made all the decisions and he doesn't feel like he needs someone up there to shield him.

Chris Johnson directly asked "do you have the commitment in staying here" and Dubas dodged the question by saying he needs to talk to his family. But did say he is either in Toronto or nowhere.

Dubas talking about time off and his family makes a lot of sense really. He's been essentially working non-stop since 2011 as the GM of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (and was an agent even beofre that) and has tried to grow a family during that time, and for a GM, there is never a summer off like players. He's 37 with 2 young kids. I totally understand his train of thought there with himself taking a step away from the sport.

He did add though on a potentially trading one of the Core Four or a seismic roster move this summer, Dubas pointed toward Florida's calculated Tkachuk trade last summer. "I wouldn't take anything off the table at all."

[2014olympicgold]

What's some fans checklist for the team over the next 34-ish days (draft and July1st)?
Here's what I'm hoping for:
- GM hired. I want this done ASAP so decisions on Keefe can happen.

- I would like Keefe gone. I want a coach that will get his D involved more and moving more. Something that really upset me in the 2 rounds this yr was how the Leafs D would just back right up. And they gave the puck to the forwards and didn't push much offensively. Brodie, McCabe, Schenn, and Gio are all too defensive with 0 interest to activate and when McCabe did, it was just at the wrong time.

- I understand a trade of Marner/Matthews/Nylander but I am not moving them if you get a new coach. I think you do have something there, BUT...

- Speed needs to be injected into this team. If you keep the 3 guys, you need speed somewhere. That can come from signings, trades or just a new philosophy on D. If you can get them moving more in the offensive zone, and willing to activate are be more all over the place, you can artificially inject speed into the team. This won't matter much in the regular season, but creating holes for the forwards by moving D around offensively is needed for a group of forwards who can't do it on their own.

- The Leafs have cap space, but you can't tie up a lot of dollars on someone who won't work. So if you spend big on 1 guy and hope rookie depth fills the holes you can't be wrong. I have faith the Leafs have guys who can help fill the depth, they need to find the right guy to play C2. Which, isn't out there on FA if you want speed. I'm looking at William Karlsson of Vegas and a potential cap dump. He has a 10team NTC, and his wife (and new baby) are Vegas natives, so I would assume his MNTC likely includes all 7 Canadian teams. But someone like that could work. But also could be too fast to work with JT as the LW. It's a weird situation there. Unless you go Matthews/JT and Marner/C2. Shrug, I dunno on that.

- Run with Woll/Samsonov as your GA/GB in no specific order. But if Samsonov wants too much, there's some guys out there in Andersen and Jarry who had injury seasons that could be gotten on the cheap. Kallgren is a UFA too. So you do need to address a 3rd string option.