The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a solid offseason, and some fans believe that this may be the season their team finally makes a deep run into the postseason. While there has been some crushed hope in recent seasons due to the team’s lack of success in the playoffs, the additions of Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson to bolster their blue line have given fans something to cling onto as we head toward the 2024-25 campaign. In this Maple Leafs’ mailbag article, we take a look at questions about the team’s core four, what Alex Nylander could bring to the Maple Leafs’ depth in the future, and finish with some talk about the recent lack of playoff success.
Is There Any Worthwhile Back Story With Alex Nylander Joining His Brother William in the Leafs Organization? Could Alex Be a Salvageable Player? – @MrEd315
The Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, decided to sign Alex Nylander to a contract for the 2024-25 season, sparking conversation from many fans as to why he wasn’t given an opportunity with an NHL team after a strong finish to the 2023-24 campaign with the Columbus Blue Jackets. To answer the first part of the question above, I would assume that while most members of management won’t admit that players have input, this seems like a case where his brother may have pulled some strings. I don’t think they were doing him a favour, but putting the two together in the same organization could give them both a boost of confidence.
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As far as the second part of the question goes, Alex is a really solid player who simply lacks confidence and consistency. We all saw the hot streak with the Blue Jackets to conclude last season, showcasing what he’s capable of doing throughout an entire season. While he may spend the entirety of this season in the AHL, it’s hard to see a world where he doesn’t dominate with the Marlies and earn a shot in the NHL for the 2025-26 season.
Why Haven’t the Leafs Accepted That the Core Four Just Isn’t Working? – @cofredhub
The Maple Leafs will be moving on from John Tavares unless he takes a massive pay cut on his next deal, Auston Matthews is the most electric pure goalscorer we have seen since Alex Ovechkin broke into the league, Morgan Rielly is still a solid top-four defender, and Mitch Marner won’t accept a trade anywhere else, but he still provides a lot of solid two-way play to the Maple Leafs’ lineup. We have seen their lack of production when it comes to the postseason, and it’s clear something drastic needs to change for them to succeed. They did what they could with what they had available, and that’s all you can ask for as a fan.
I agree though, it doesn’t work. I think Tavares is either taking a massive pay cut to stay in Toronto or he’s gone, and by massive I mean he’d have to take around $1 million annually. Marner is someone with plenty of value who could bring back a haul if they decided to trade him, but he doesn’t want to be anywhere else. His loyalty deserves to be rewarded, and I think with the money the team will get from Tavares’ contract being off the books they will be able to bring in some new players to complement the power duo of Marner and Matthews.
Rielly is a weird one. He’s still a solid player and provides enough to their blue line that he doesn’t deserve to be run out of town, but he’s definitely overpaid slightly. However, I think playing alongside a stronger defensive lineup, Rielly will improve in a big way. At the end of the day, I think it will be a matter of waiting until Tavares is gone, and becoming big spenders next offseason during free agency. Maple Leafs’ management knows they need to take some big swings if they want to win, and $11 million in extra cap space on top of an increasing salary cap could benefit them in a big way.
Maple Leafs’ Recent Playoff Failures
To conclude this article, I’ll acknowledge a question from a fan who isn’t a Maple Leafs fan. They asked why the Maple Leafs have been so bad in recent seasons and it’s a simple answer, they haven’t been. It sucks to constantly see them get eliminated in the first or second round of the playoffs, but they’re very dominant in the regular season. It’s a matter of figuring out how they can take that regular season success and translate it to the postseason.
If anyone has questions for a future mailbag, be sure to send them on X. We look forward to seeing any other questions in the next edition of the Maple Leafs’ mailbag, as we hope to do plenty more of these this summer and during the regular season.
