The Toronto Maple Leafs have made tremendous strides this offseason. John Chayka has pulled off as close to a complete retool as possible without actually doing it.
Yes, many of last year’s pieces remain. But the Maple Leafs GM has done a great job of cutting out pieces needing an upgrade. There are a couple other pieces that could use an upgrade. And that’s why the Leafs are far from a finished product.
Toronto hardly has the type of roster it would like to have. If Chayka’s moves blow up in his face, the Leafs are staring at another playoff miss. But even if everything went exactly according to plan, the team will still need pieces.
Really? Well, how about another top-six center, a scoring winger, and potentially two more solid bottom-six pieces. If Jack Roslovic works out, well, there’s the scoring winger. If Gavin McKenna lives up to the hype, that’s a bonus. And unless John Tavares takes a summer holiday at Shangri-La, he’ll need to find a way to be the second-line center the Maple Leafs desperately lack.
Then, there’s the blue line. Oh boy, the mostly veteran back end seems held together with bubble gum and duct tape. Chris Tanev is a question mark. Darren Raddysh will need to prove he’s the real deal. Meanwhile, Morgan Rielly’s decline will hopefully revert now that Craig Berube is out of the picture.
Those are all major question marks that the Maple Leafs can only answer by playing on the ice.
In short, the Maple Leafs could end up needing multiple blueliners to fill in the blanks if the current corps fails to keep it together.
Chayka Keeping Dry Powder in Case Something Comes Up
It seems that the savviest GMs are the ones holding on to as much ammo as they can. The reason for that is that, when deals come up, it’s the teams with the pieces to pull them off that benefit.
It’s like sitting on piles of cash as an investor. While it may seem counterproductive to stuff the mattress with cash, said resources become incredibly useful when the market tanks. At that point, savvy investors can pick up valuable assets on the cheap.
That’s what Chayka gets. After leaving the Arizona Coyotes, he went into the business world. Now that he’s back in the NHL, Chayka has likely transferred that thought process into the way he’s running the Maple Leafs.
It’s been evident in his decisions.
It’s also the reason why Chayka has held off massive deals.
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Maple Leafs Will Be Looking to Reel in a Major Fish
If the season tanks for a couple of teams out there, the Maple Leafs could be looking to horn in. Toronto was one of the major players for Zach Werenski. If the Blue Jackets’ season goes down the tubes, wouldn’t it be reasonable to think that Werenski’s name could come up again?
What happens if the Minnesota Wild can’t extend Quinn Hughes?
Could the Maple Leafs become players for other pieces out there? Could the Red Wings, for instance, turn to Dylan Larkin and work something out with Toronto?
Those are all suppositions, of course. There is nothing solid to suggest that Hughes, Werenski, or Larkin, for that matter, will be heading to Toronto anytime soon.
But it doesn’t mean that Chayka isn’t positioning the Maple Leafs for a blockbuster to end all blockbusters.
Maple Leafs Aren’t Even Close to Being Finished Product