The Toronto Maple Leafs have made some structural changes to the bottom half of their club, adding Dakota Joshua last week in a trade with Vancouver and acquiring Nicolas Roy in exchange for the sign-and-trade that sent Mitch Marner to Vegas, but GM Brad Treliving has thus far only added winger Matias Maccelli as a potential top-six replacement for Marner.
Even if he bounces back from a bad 2024-25, Maccelli will likely not account for half of Marner’s 102-point output, and Treliving has to be worried about the club scoring goals. The hope is that Auston Matthews rebounds from his career-low 33 goals, that William Nylander will score 40 or more for the fourth straight season, that Matthew Knies remains on an upward trajectory, and that John Tavares can continue to defy father time with another 30+ goal campaign, but even if all that occurs, the Leafs might still be looking for more offensive firepower.
The chatter regarding free agent forward Jack Roslovic has died down, the continuing rumors of a Nazem Kadri-to-Toronto trade is never-endingly dumb, and while all that is swirling, the Leafs and winger Nick Robertson are approaching an arbitration hearing.
The hearings are supposed to take place from July 20 to August 4 (uncharacteristically the NHLPA have not announced the dates for the seven restricted free agents) and Robertson, coming off a career-high 15 goals in 69 games, will likely be looking for something over $1 million on a one-year deal, but as with last season under Sheldon Keefe, the 23-year-old had issues with head coach Craig Berube about his inconsistency.
There has been some speculation that Robertson may get moved after his salary for 2025-26 is locked in, but Treliving would be unwise to consider the fact that the diminutive winger has a great shot, can score goals and with more 12 minutes of ice time per night, the former OHL leading goal scorer could score over 20 goals next season, which would help pick up the slack for Marner. If the die is cast and Robertson is destined to be dealt, why is there something that tells me he will go someplace else and be a big-time scorer.
Leafs Prospect Ranked By The Athletic
The Athletic put out their summer list of the top 100 drafted prospects not in the NHL, and not surprisingly, Leafs top prospect Easton Cowan made the list. The 20-year-old winger, who won a Memorial Cup with the London Knights last season, was ranked 48th on the list and was the only Toronto prospect listed.
