The Maple Leafs are treating their blue line like a work in progress, not a finished product. Darren Raddysh was a useful first step, but Toronto still looks short of where it wants to be on defense heading into the new season.
That’s the bigger point here: one addition doesn’t suddenly solve a group that looks a lot like last year’s version, Emil Andrae included. Chris Tanev is expected back healthy, which matters, but there’s also the obvious question hanging over him - how much can he realistically give across an 84-game campaign?
That’s why the Leafs are still in the market for more. Ideally, they need another defenseman, and a right-shot option would fit best. If John Chayka can pull that off, it would be a major win for the organization.
Erik Karlsson is one name that keeps surfacing. The talk around the Pittsburgh Penguins is that they may not want to keep him this season, and if he truly is available at a reasonable price, he would check a lot of boxes for Toronto. Even beyond Karlsson, another puck-moving right-shot defender would make plenty of sense for the Leafs.
The need could become even more urgent if Tanev runs into trouble during the season. If that happens, Toronto would have to find another shutdown defenseman to step into that role.
So no, the job isn’t close to done. Chayka has to stay active, especially if early-season play from the defense starts flashing warning signs.
Morgan Rielly could also play a big part in easing the pressure. If he gets back to form, he can help cover some of the Leafs’ most pressing needs on the back end. Right now, Toronto needs more puck-moving defensemen, and if Jim Hiller gives Rielly the freedom Sheldon Keefe once did, he could fill that role himself.
The Leafs will still want him to be reliable defensively. But if he’s less restricted than he was under Craig Berube, that would go a long way toward helping the blue line.
Rielly finding his old level wouldn’t solve everything, but it would give Chayka more breathing room while he sorts through the rest of the options.
And if Rielly bounces back while Karlsson somehow joins the mix, Toronto’s defense could look dangerous. That’s only a possibility for now, but it’s one worth watching.
Hiller appears more open-minded than Berube, and he’ll also be working with a more gifted roster than the one he coached in Los Angeles. That’s part of why there’s a real case to be made that Rielly can be at least part of the answer this season.
For now, though, the only real test comes when the puck drops in the fall.
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Auston Matthews remains one of the biggest long-term storylines for the Maple Leafs, even if the present mood around him sounds more relaxed than dramatic. John Chayka recently described him as a happy captain, a small but notable reminder that Toronto still has a franchise centerpiece in place while the bigger questions keep circling around what comes next.
The uncertainty is what keeps this interesting for Leafs fans. There still are no clear answers on Matthews contract future, and with the market constantly shifting around star players and big-money deals, every passing update seems to carry a little more weight. Toronto may be enjoying the stability of having Matthews at the top of the lineup, but the real conversation is still about how long that stability lasts. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Have A Goalie Decision Fans Should Be Watching
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That is where the next decision gets interesting for Toronto. Akhtyamov is viewed as a promising netminder, but he is also blocked by the current NHL tandem of Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz, leaving the Leafs to weigh development against roster needs. How they choose to handle him could say plenty about both their long-term goalie planning and how quickly they think he can help at the top level. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs May Have A Cheap Top Six Fix After All
Vladimir Tarasenko is still sitting out there as an unsigned free agent in early August, which is enough to keep his name in the conversation for a Maple Leafs club that could use another scoring threat in the top six. Toronto has been looking for ways to add offense without making a major splash, and Tarasenkos track record makes him an obvious fit on paper as a player who could add depth alongside Auston Matthews if the price and term make sense.
The catch is the same one that has followed this possibility all summer: the Leafs would need to make the finances work, and Tarasenko would likely have to meet them partway on salary or length of contract. His recent performance has been uneven, so this is not a clean, no-brainer add, but it is exactly the kind of lower-cost swing that can matter if Toronto wants to squeeze more scoring out of its roster without changing the whole shape of the lineup. [Read more 🡒]