Équipe: 2022-23 Maple Leafs de Toronto

Date de création initiale: 11 juill. 2022

Publié: 12 juill. 2022

Mode - plafond salarial: Basique

When I thought we would be getting Murray, I thought at the very least Ottawa would be retaining 50%, not to mention them retaining 25% and a third team doing 50%. But with this awful contract, cheap moves have to be made. We need a cheap backup that can be somewhat relied on to play 30-40 games, and then we have to get depth scoring.

Kevin Lankinen has played more than 30 games in each of his 2 first seasons in the NHL, and he has posted decent numbers on such an awful Chicago team. Most of the goals he allows are from the slot, so playing for the Leafs would mean that he if facing less opportunities. He would be decent if Murray gets hurt for a while. Also, Woll/Kallgren are decent 3rd/4th strings.

While Muzzin is still a decent defenseman, he doesn't have a spot on this team anymore, and I think that the Murray contract is evident of that. There are too many holes to fill for Dubas to justify keeping him on this roster, especially with him blocking Sandin. I personally think he will waive his NTC, not only because Dubas will ask, but he is too proud to be put on waivers at this point in his career. He is still a top-4 defenseman on most teams, and if paired with a decent skater/puck mover, he will play his role perfectly and be a mentor for the younger guys. He is also only owed $6M for the next two years.

Sandin is getting a contract similar to that of Adam Boqvist (3x$2.6), and he will need to be paired with a defense-first RD. Lyubushkin played well with him last year, and due to the price tag, I think he is the perfect fit.

The middle 6 is the biggest question for this team offensively, and I think that - at least to start the year - Tavares and Nylander should have their own lines. Robertson and Puljujärvi can prove to be good fits for JT, as they can get the puck out of the corners and in front to JT. Also, if Puljujärvi can be even half-decent at finishing, he should score at least 20 goals. Robertson should score anywhere from 15-25 goals and he probably hits 40 points. For the third line, I think that Strome is the most likely option, and he will be getting a fair amount. Edmonton is getting rid of Foegele because they need the money elsewhere, so he could have good value for the Leafs' third line. He should be getting 15-ish goals and could potentially hit 40 points.

The 4th line is essentially a shutdown/checking line, and adding Bjugstad as a potential resurgence option for cheap is something to think about. If he doesn't work out, the scratches are all young, cheap options with decent upside.

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