The 2024-25 season is less than two months away, but the Toronto Maple Leafs may not be done making changes to their roster just yet. After another disappointing playoff exit, general manager (GM) Brad Treliving did what he could to improve his roster, particularly on the back end. He added Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and may still add Jani Hakanpaa before the season gets underway. He was also able to bring in goaltender Anthony Stolarz as a replacement for Ilya Samsonov.
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Up front, there weren’t any additions for the Maple Leafs, due mainly to the fact that Treliving’s hands were tied by the NHL salary cap, along with potential trade candidates having no-movement clauses. That said, an addition up front could be coming in the near future based on a recent report.
Friedman Says Maple Leafs Looking for Left Wing Help
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman dropped a rare summer 32 Thoughts column on Sunday, his first in nearly two weeks. As always, he had plenty of interesting information on several of the NHL’s 32 teams. Near the end, he included an interesting note on the Maple Leafs.
“I think there are things percolating out there, including Toronto considering left-wing options,” the highly credible insider wrote.
Friedman always seems to have some credible insight when saying things such as this, and a look at the Maple Leafs roster helps prove his point. On paper, they are set to enter the 2024-25 season with an extremely underwhelming lineup up front on the left side.
As per LeafsNation, the four projected left wingers heading into 2024-25 are Matthew Knies, Bobby McMann, Pontus Holmberg, and Connor Dewar. These are subject to change, of course, as players like William Nylander and Max Domi are capable of playing on the left side, though it points to some overall weakness up front regardless of the combinations head coach Craig Berube decides to go with.
Potential Left Wing Targets
The question now becomes who the Maple Leafs may look to in order to add a left wing that they feel can help their lineup. How they navigate that while dealing with a tight cap situation remains to be seen, but some talented players play, or are capable of playing, on the left side, that will likely be up for grabs.
Some interesting names remain on the free-agent market, including James van Riemsdyk. The 35-year-old isn’t nearly as much of a scoring threat as he was in years prior with the Maple Leafs, but can still provide secondary scoring and is very familiar with the organization and several players.
Others who could be had for cheap on the free-agent market include Mike Hoffman and Max Pacioretty. Both players have seen their numbers drop off, but could see a resurgence ahead. Hoffman’s numbers hit a major decline this past season, though playing on the lowly San Jose Sharks didn’t help. As for Pacioretty, injuries have taken their toll, but having an entire summer to train could allow him to become effective once again.
Several high-quality left wingers are also likely to be moved at or ahead of the 2025 Trade Deadline, including, but not limited to, Nikolaj Ehlers, Andrei Kuzmenko, Taylor Hall, Jason Zucker, and Andrew Mangiapane. That said, while all those players are extremely intriguing fits, Treliving would need to get very creative in order to make any of them work from a cap perspective.
Young Talent Has Opportunity
While management does appear to be looking for external solutions, the Maple Leafs do have some young talent who could prove capable of stepping up and getting the job done. Knies leads that list, as he impressed in his rookie season with 15 goals and 35 points. Fans also shouldn’t forget about Nick Robertson, who remains a restricted free agent (RFA) but if signed, could be in for a big year.
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As great as it would be to add a player mentioned above, particularly one who may be available in a trade, it may prove to be impossible for Treliving due to cap reasons. That may mean the Maple Leafs run into scoring depth issues this season if their young talent isn’t able to step up.
