The Toronto Maple Leafs will undergo some organizational changes in the wake of another early exit, which will include potential departures, streamlining of the management structure, and roster adjustments. GM Brad Treliving will be reviewing where the club can improve, and most of the focus will be up front, where potentially one-half of the core group will be playing elsewhere next season.
Today, we’ll look at the Leafs future on the left side:
Toronto saw the promise of big winger Matthew Knies come to fruition last season, as the 22-year-old blossomed into a top-line scorer with a physical edge. Knies played all season on the wing with Auston Matthews with Mitch Marner and nearly reached the 30-goal mark and did not see much of a drop-off in the playoffs, scoring five goals in 13 games.
The fourth line role on the left side was filled in nicely by former Florida Panther Steven Lorentz, who came in on a professional tryout contract and added physicality and energy to the Leafs bottom six. The second-and-third-line left wing situation was a hodge-podge most of the season.
Veteran Max Pacioretty was a late addition and signed a one-year deal, and when healthy was effective, but the 35-year-old was out for long stretches. He saved his best performance for the playoffs, where he scored eight points in 11 games. Bobby McMann had an up-and-down season, scoring 20 goals for the first time, moving between lines centered by Max Domi and John Tavares, but he went the last 24 games –regular season and playoffs – without a goal.
Nick Robertson, for the second straight year, played limited minutes because of his spotty defensive play, but the 23-year-old scored when he was given a chance, with 15 tallies in 69 games, but he played only three of the 13 playoff games.
Future Outlook
Based on the comments of GM Brad Treliving at his end-of-season media availability, getting Knies signed to a long-term extension may be the Leafs top off-season priority, especially since Toronto needs to maintain as much continuity as possible on the top line with Marner departing.
All indications from the locker cleanout suggest that Pacioretty will either retire or play for a club closer to home. Lorentz was a useful player and wanted to sign in Toronto to fulfill a childhood dream, so it is likely that the Leafs will offer him a multi-year extension.
McMann is a big body and, in total, had a good year, but the long scoreless drought at the end of the season has to be a concern. The Leafs could be in a position to get him on a less expensive extension if they wanted to be proactive. Robertson is eligible for arbitration, but his size and style do not seem to be a fit with the Leafs head coach Craig Berube. With Marner leaving, you would think that Toronto would give the youngster a chance at playing higher in the lineup where his skill set fits better, but all things point to him being traded over the summer.
