According to James Mirtle and Jonas Siegel, the Toronto Maple Leafs are preparing to spend this offseason. In their latest podcast, The Leaf Report, they talked about what they believe the Maple Leafs will do this offseason.
They also mentioned that the team was in on Jacob Markstrom and was believed to have offered the Calgary Flames their first-round pick as part of the deal. Unfortunately, the Flames, like the New Jersey Devils, offered better and ultimately went with the Devils package instead.
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After that trade was made, there was a report that the Maple Leafs were closing in on an extension with Joseph Woll to be their new starter and would sign a tandem goalie to be his backup. This unfortunately puts Ilya Samsonov’s return to the Maple Leafs to bed, and he will have to look elsewhere for a new job.
Players of Interest for the Maple Leafs
After Mirtle and Siegel mentioned the Markstrom trade, they went on to talk about the Maple Leafs’ players of interest this offseason. An area of need that they feel the Maple Leafs will address is their blue line. It is the biggest talking point amongst the fan base, as they feel they need to worry about that instead of the forward group.
Mirtle and Siegel talked about Chris Tanev and how he will be the top target for the organization this offseason. The team has been linked to him since around Christmas last season. It makes a ton of sense since the Maple Leafs’ general manager (GM), Brad Treliving, has a relationship with Tanev and was the one who signed him when he was the Flames’ GM. Tanev would fit very well with Morgan Rielly on the top pairing and would give him a reliable partner. Depending on what the Maple Leafs do and who else they sign, they may be able to slot Tanev in on the second pairing alongside Jake McCabe.
Another player that was mentioned was Dakota Joshua, since he had a relationship with Craig Berube during their time with the St. Louis Blues. However, he signed an extension with the Vancouver Canucks. Other names included David Perron, Matt Roy, Jake DeBrusk, and Brandon Montour.
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Two players from that list that make the most sense for the Maple Leafs would be Roy and Perron. Perron, 36, is a veteran who could help the Maple Leafs’ forward group. He, like Joseph, has experience under Berube from their days with the Blues, but he also plays with his heart on his sleeve. Although he isn’t the biggest player, he has no issue defending his teammates, like he did with Dylan Larkin against the Ottawa Senators.
Roy, 29, has the chance to be a top-two defenceman for another NHL team. After playing under Los Angeles Kings’ legend Drew Doughty, he is ready to make the most of the next opportunity he gets. If the Maple Leafs do pursue him in free agency, they may have to overpay a bit, but they would be upgrading their defence core from last offseason. Much like Tanev, Roy would fit on either the top pairing or the second pairing, which will definitely improve the Maple Leafs’ defence core.
Only time will tell what the Maple Leafs will do in the coming days. There is a lot of speculation circling Mitch Marner and whether they will move on from him. If they do, it will likely mean they will spend even more money on free agents this summer. With him off the books, they will have a projected $18 million to work with.
