Toronto has yet to announce the Jani Hakanpaa signing, plus they still need to extend Nick Robertson, Connor Dewar, and Alex Steeves.
The Toronto Maple Leafs made several moves when NHL free agency opened up earlier this month, mainly to try and give themselves a boost on defense. But with all the additions, upfront and on the back end, has it been enough to say they’re a better team than last season?
As of writing this on July 15, Toronto has $955,333 of cap space, according to PuckPedia. And that’s without having Nick Robertson, Connor Dewar, and Alex Steeves — each are restricted free agents who have been qualified by the Maple Leafs — locked into deals for next season.
Some believe Toronto shouldn’t be done with making moves, though. There’s the big elephant in the room with Mitch Marner, however, I would guess that he remains with the Maple Leafs for the upcoming season.
Robertson reportedly requested to be moved elsewhere. Yet, with a new coach in Craig Berube behind the bench, I believe there’s ample opportunity for the 22-year-old to grab a spot within the forward group this year.
The depth could use tinkering with players like David Kampf, a reliable centerman in the faceoff dot who only had eight goals and 11 assists in 78 games, taking up $2.4 million in cap space.
Calle Jarnkrok only had two more goals than Kampf, but had none in the playoffs against the Boston Bruins. Could his $2.1 million salary be shipped out before training camp begins in September?
Both have a 10-team no-trade clause, meaning they can somewhat dictate where they could go if Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving decides he wants to make a move. The question remains, though, of what’s out there.
Toronto’s defense has improved with Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson added to the mix. There are mixed reactions to how the Maple Leafs’ back end looks. Some say it’s a step back from last year, but I’d argue it’s been upgraded.
Another route the team could go down for shedding cap to add to their roster is shipping out one of Timothy Liljegren — who just signed a two-year, $6 million extension — or Conor Timmins, two players who could be on the outside looking in as the season gets underway.
