Another early playoff exit by the Maple Leafs is sparking calls for change again from their fans and the Toronto media. Check out the latest in the Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup.
CALLS FOR CHANGE FOLLOWING ANOTHER EARLY LEAFS PLAYOFF EXIT
ESPN.COM: Kristen Shilton pondered possible offseason moves by the Toronto Maple Leafs following yet another early playoff exit. She believes they cannot continue to forge ahead in the same direction yet again.
Shilton wondered if Sheldon Keefe would remain as the Leafs head coach. She also mused over whether there could be changes to the rest of the coaching staff, noting Guy Boucher was in charge of a power-play that went powerless. A decision could also be made to move a member of the roster core.
TORONTO SUN: Steve Simmons wonders what happens with team president Brendan Shanahan when he meets with Keith Pelley, the new CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, to discuss what went wrong this season and his plan to fix it. Simmons believes Shanahan could be shown the door if Pelley “doesn’t hear something reasonable or tangible.”
Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan.
Simmons thinks the future may be more complicated for Keefe than assumed. He pointed to how the Leafs coach adjusted his defense in the final three games of the series. “He brought structure to the group, a game plan, an opportunity to come back. He hasn’t done anything like this in other years,” writes Simmons, suggesting that firing Keefe might be a mistake.
Terry Koshan also pondered what the future holds for Shanahan, Keefe and winger Mitch Marner. He believes general manager Brad Treliving must make a move or two. “That could include firing Keefe and/or asking Marner to waive his no-move clause.”
Treliving can open contract extension talks with Marner, who has a year left on his contract, on July 1. Koshan wondered how those discussions would go after the winger failed to prove his worth in the series against the Boston Bruins.
THE ATHLETIC: Chris Johnston believes time’s up for “The Shanaplan”, referring to the Leafs’ lack of progress over the past five years under team president Shanahan.
The Leafs have invested half their salary-cap space in four core forwards (Marner, Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares). That’s left them little wiggle room to fill out the rest of the roster while stockpiling enough depth to sustain them when one of those four forwards becomes sick, injured or underperforms.
Johnston pointed out the Leafs have stubbornly stuck to their plan under three different general managers and two head coaches. They’ve refused to alter it despite their repeated early playoff exits. “Surely, that game is over now.”
DAILY FACEOFF: Matt Larkin believes it’s the end of an era for the Leafs. “Eight playoff runs since 2016-17. One series win. An 0-6 record in winner-take-all games. Forget keeping the core together. The Leafs as we know it are out of chances. It’s over.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It has to be over. The Leafs can’t come back with the same president, the same head coach, and the same core and expect things will be different next season.
During the first three seasons of those eight playoff runs, the Leafs were a team on the rise led by rising young stars like Marner. Patience was necessary at that time and Leafs Nation happily granted it. They struggled against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the COVID bubble playoffs of 2020 but that was a weird time so it could be written off as a minor setback to be easily overcome.
Things went off the rails for the Leafs when they blew a 3-1 series lead to the underdog Montreal Canadiens in the opening round of the 2021 playoffs. They’ve shown little sign of progress since then. The joy of winning their first playoff round in 19 years last spring by beating the Tampa Bay Lightning quickly soured after being despatched in five games by the Florida Panthers in the second round. This year was just more of the same and there’s little reason to expect that to change next year if they decide to run it back for one more year.
The Leafs changed general managers last year by replacing Kyle Dubas with Brad Treliving. The next change or changes must be elsewhere.
We don’t know right now what will happen but we probably won’t have to wait long to find out.
I’m guessing Shanahan will be allowed to step down as president rather than be fired. Keefe will get his walking papers.
As for the roster, pending free agents Ilya Samsonov, Martin Jones, TJ Brodie, Joel Edmundson, Ilya Lyubushkin and Mark Giordano won’t return. Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi might be willing to stay but that’ll depend on how big an investment the Leafs are willing to make in them.
Matthews and Nylander signed long-term extensions. Unless they want out, they’re not moving.
Marner and Tavares each have a year left on their contracts. Marner is the most likely trade candidate. He will be told they won’t be re-signed, asked to waive his no-movement clause and provide a list of acceptable trade destinations.
They might not have to retain much (if any) of Marner’s $10.9 million cap hit but they won’t get equal value in return. The Leafs won’t be dealing from a position of strength and Marner’s reputation as a playoff underachiever hurts his trade value. However, he could still fetch a decent return that helps them now and over the long term.
The 33-year-old Tavares’ performance has declined to the point where retaining half of his $11 million cap hit probably won’t help his trade stock. A buyout is out of the question for him because it counts as over $10.3 million against their cap for 2024-25. There aren’t any tangible savings to be had.
Those are my best guesses. Feel free to weigh in with your own in the comments section.