Though it has been only a few short days since the Stanley Cup was awarded, much of the hustle and bustle of the offseason is well underway. There are still many weeks until 2024–25 training camps begin, and there will be a slowing stream of roster movement between now and then. Despite this, each team has begun to forge their path towards a shared but mutually exclusive goal.
The Leafs are no different. Through the opening hours of the offseason, the team has made moves to reinforce their group, hoping for what they hope are better days ahead. It is probably a good sign that the Leafs did not throw around as much money as the league’s biggest free agency spenders, but they did make some sizable investments. As the Leafs 2024–25 roster begins to take shape, let’s examine how the team is trying to improve, and what might be one of these schemes to build a stronger team.
Blueline bolstered
Widely considered the Leafs main shortcoming, the blueline was described as needing work anytime that GM Brad Treliving spoke on his vision for next season. Though many fans rushed to dream up blockbuster trades in the days following the Leafs playoff loss, the team has been more measured in addressing these issues.
The biggest signing is Chris Tanev, followed by Jani Hakanpaa. Both are right shots who finished last season on the Dallas Stars, shutting down the previous two Stanley Cup champions on their way to the Western Conference final. Tanev proved his worth once more as one of the league’s premier shutdown defenders, an oppressive defensive force. Tanev will be the best defensive presence on the right side in the Auston Matthews era. On its own, bringing in Tanev improves the Leafs for next season.
Hakanpaa is not of the same calibre as Tanev, though he is a legitimate defensive option on the right side. Like Tanev, Hakanpaa is a good penalty killer, clearly an area the Leafs felt the need to address. With Ilya Lyubushkin signing in Dallas, the Leafs were left with Timothy Liljegren and Conor Timmins on the right side, neither of which have proven to be reasonable penalty-killing options for a team with aspirations of Cup contention.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson is a more well-rounded player, a veteran coming off a Cup win with the Florida Panthers on their third pairing. A former NHL captain, Ekman-Larsson brings a rare resume to the ice. He is probably best served in a complementary offensive role, but has enough experience to play either side of the ice and either special team. In short stints, Ekman-Larsson can fill in any offensive role for the Leafs back end, should injury or suspension befall Morgan Rielly or Liljegren.
Joined by Jake McCabe and Simon Benoit, the Leafs additions give them a more well-rounded defence to work with. There is something injury-proofing built in, but the clear need for defensive options, penalty killers, and right shots was filled. While these roles are not the most widely appreciated, having players to fill them makes the Leafs a much better team. The penalty kill is a hugely important part of a championship calibre team, and a talented offensive team like the Leafs finding a way to excel in this area will go a long way toward regular season and playoff success. The Leafs have at least seven or eight legitimate options on the back end, finally more balanced both in terms of handedness and areas of strength.
Deeper blue
The Leafs were deliberate in building their blueline beyond this, now boasting a handful of potential NHL contributors expected to be outside the NHL roster. Dakota Mermis, who filled in nicely for the Arizona Coyotes the past few seasons, joins Marshall Rifai and Mikko Kokkonen on the left side. Meanwhile, Phillipe Myers joins Nicholas Mattinen and Topi Niemela on the right.
None of these players are guaranteed NHL games next season, but the attrition known as the NHL regular season will force one or two into action for the Leafs, at the very least. Prospects in Kokkonen and Niemela might well be ready to make their NHL debuts, as might the intriguing case of Mattinen, but insulating them with some veteran options ensures that they will do so based on merit rather than necessity. Injury or waiver claim might erode the Leafs depth, but the team has done a lot to build internal solutions to the ever-present issue of blueline depth.
Better goaltending depth
The theme of built-in depth is present once more, as the Leafs reshuffled their goaltending depth in free agency. Around the league, and especially for aspiring contenders, the pressure to have three viable options in net is becoming more important. Goaltending can often be mercurial, even before factoring in the potential for injuries, as most are subjected to a year-to-year variance as well as being at the mercy of the defensive structure in front of them. Ideally, there should be three goalies who could be trusted with a playoff start, but such is a difficult storm to navigate.
Anthony Stolarz joins following a strong season as the Florida Panthers backup. Prior to this, Stolarz had been lost in the league-wide shuffle, bouncing across teams as well as up and down between the AHL. For Stolarz, a stable position with the Panthers was a welcome change, though in truth he had performed well on some of the weaker teams he has played for since his 2016–17 NHL debut. In short, opportunities have been hard-earned for Stolarz, but he has been able to outperform them when given the chance.
The downside here is that Stolarz has only appeared in more than 20 games twice in his career. Even the Panthers, comfortably near the top of the standings all season, only found pure backup usage for Stolarz. Workload has an effect on goaltending performance, even from year to year in extreme cases. The gamble here for the Leafs is that Stolarz can maintain his strong results over the greater usage, that his limited role was born more of reputation than performance.
Even without a best-case scenario, where Stolarz continues his upward career trajectory, he should be a steadying presence as a backup. His $2.5M cap hit is on the high end of backup money for two years, a reasonable gamble for the Leafs, especially considering their more volatile options.
Joseph Woll was extended, a year away from his deal expiring. Locked in for the next four seasons, Woll has consistently played well as a Leaf. Quite frankly, Woll might be the Leafs best homegrown netminder in the cap era. Costing just under $770k against the cap this season, and $3.66JM for the three seasons after that, Woll appears to be a fantastic player at a great value. As Treliving and the Leafs try to grow beyond the concept of the “core four” they will need more young players to assert themselves as top-end contributors, and Woll has the chance to have thoroughly done so by the end of this extension.
The issue with Woll is the injury history. Of course, the hope is that Woll is never injured again, but this simply is not realistic. Woll has already missed significant time, as well as crucial moments, due to injury. At the very least, this only serves to underscore the importance of having a third option in net.
Enter Matt Murray, another goalie with an extensive injury history. Murray was much maligned when he was acquired by the Leafs, mostly because of a large cap hit and some recent struggles with the Ottawa Senators. Murray is now on a $875k cap hit, and has been much better during his limited time with the Leafs. In retrospect, many goalies went on to greater success after struggling behind the DJ Smith era Senators.
Murray not only has experience as a starter and a playoff starter, but has two Cup rings. With a rare resume, Murray might be an ideal third string goalie for a contender on a value contract. The risk is the injury history, coming off of a season-long absence, but clearly the Leafs medical staff is as aware of Murray’s health. If Murray is going to author the next chapter of his NHL career, it will start with staying healthy, and the best chance to do that is with the limited usage that he is in line for.
Deep crease
The Leafs drafted a goalie this year, Timofei Obvintsev, who some regarded quite fondly. It was a late flyer, but it underscores an emphasis that Wes Clark and the Leafs scouting staff seem to have in investing in the position with volume. Prospecting and projecting is an exercise in guessing, much less for goalies, a volatility that compounds the importance of the position. Luckily, it does seem that the Leafs work is paying off as two 22-year-old goalies are on the horizon.
Dennis Hildeby and Artur Akhtyamov are both expected to be with the AHL Toronto Marlies this coming season. Both have increased their professional roles over the past couple seasons, and are coming off of strong campaigns in 2023–24. Akhtyamov was VHL goalie of the year and playoff MVP, while Hildeby was the Marlies top option last season. Provided that they keep performing well, both are a strong season away from legitimately sneaking their way into some NHL starts. Perhaps by the end of Stolarz’s contract, one or both of these prospects will be ready for a backup role with the Leafs.
Betting on growth from the forwards
The nature of the Auston Matthews era Leafs is a dangerous forward group, though the team has struggled to score in the playoffs. Even still, on paper, this is the primary strength of the Leafs roster, as well as its primary expense. Their elite talent provides them with a lot to work with, but there is a logjam, a crowded depth chart behind them.
Especially with holes elsewhere on the roster, free agent spending on forwards was fairly unlikely. The biggest exceptions here were the possibilities of re-signing either or both of Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi. While Bertuzzi left for the Chicago Blackhawks, Domi was a luxury the Leafs made a priority to keep. His play improved down the stretch when the moments were largest, and his chemistry with Matthews was undeniable. Domi’s personality clearly fits in nicely with the team and their fans.
Even with Bertuzzi leaving the Leafs depth up front is exemplified by Nick Robertson’s rumoured trade request. Long blocked for icetime, much less the scoring role that he is best suited for, both Robertson and the Leafs have come to understandable conclusions to this point. Team and player might not be a match here, but Robertson does not have much leverage as an RFA. Perhaps Robertson will yet get a chance and excel with the Leafs and the relationship mended, but perhaps he might be a player that other teams are willing to make an offer for.
The Leafs have a number of younger forwards who look to increase their effectiveness this coming season. Matthew Knies is a potential option as a net-front presence on the top power play unit, and should be a favourite of coach Craig Berube. Pontus Holmberg seems to be getting more comfortable in the NHL, and has continued to take strides as a late-blooming prospect. Holmberg is in line to have a more regular role this season, and more importantly, a greater impact on the Leafs play.
Even before considering top prospects in Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten the Leafs have a lot to work with. These prospects will have a tough time earning their way into a regular spot, though their doing so will have many followers leading up to the season. While it is exciting to have young players pushing their way into the lineup, it would not be a slight for either or both to remain off the NHL team this season.
Early offseason grade: B+
In all, the Leafs have built up their depth to the point where there will be several plans before hoping for a breakout season from any of their players. There are a lot of answers built into this roster if and when things go awry. The Leafs have had depth in years past, but the team seems to have more role definition within their depth. Most notable is their continued emphasis on acquiring penalty killers, a vital area of the team that has consistently struggled.
While some of the contracts handed out might age poorly, none seem so egregious that they cannot be manoeuvred at a later date if needed. With enough prospects to warrant some enthusiasm for the future, the Leafs appear to be in a good spot from a long-term view. None of the Leafs moves were shocking or entirely unexpected, but it was clearly a measured approach that had more substance than style.
