For all of Dubas faults he has left this team in a good position to take another step if the next GM isn't hasty and insistent on blowing things up (which based on Chris Johnston's reporting it doesn't sound like Shanahan wants either). Leafs have the cap space to make major improvements, but the current status of the Leafs isn't terrible. Leafs goaltending situation for one is the most promising it's been in a while with Sammy and Brick Woll guarding the pipes. Need to send Murray to Robidas Island to rectify that mistake and make room for our new dynamic duo in net.
On the defence the Leafs are still in a good spot but are getting older and need an infusion of young talent that is available. Rielly will hopefully have a healthier season and will bounce back, McCabe is already good and should improve with a full training camp and season to get used to the new coaches system. Big concerns are Brodie and Giordano, both of whom got exposed bad this postseason. At least Gio has the excuse of being close to 40, Brodie we've gotta hope was injured because he's too important still to take a step back next season. We also had a left-shooting defenseman ready to replace Gio but the organization decided to trade him for... reasons. Leafs will hopefully re-sign Schenn to continue to be a steady physical presence. Liljegren under a new coach should be given the chance to flourish and usurp Brodie as our best right-side defenseman. Timmins will need to be given opportunity to play and improve too as he's now the new Sandin in that he's a skilled offensive defenseman who needs work on his defensive game, though he has better physical tools than Rasmus does.
Outside of the organization there's not a ton on the free agent market. Orlov is the best name out there for sure but by nature of the market he'll be expensive. Gavrikov is also out there if you want someone bigger and meaner but it sounds like he and LA will settle on a contract soon. Leafs do have the Bruins 1st rounder and if they are able to send Murray to LTIRetirement, could use that to acquire a defenseman.
Up front, still have Matthews, Marner, and Nylander who can produce at an elite level. Would include Tavares but at his age I'm weary of a potential drop off despite how consistent he's been. Infusing Knies into this lineup will be huge given his skillset and offensive prowess. I still also have hope for Nicky Bobby turning things around (a new coach capable of cultivating young talent at the NHL level would go a long way). The bottom six right now only has Jarnkrok and Lafferty as locks to return. Of all our pending forward free agents Acciari is the one who I want back most. O'Reilly despite having similar strengths and weakness as John would be good to bring back as the 3C but he might price himself out. Kampf if he's willing to take another low cost contract I'd bring back, and if not Holmberg is ready to step in anyway and honestly we might be better off letting Kampf walk, it's not like he was all that great after Engvall left. ZAR was fine but I'd want someone with more physicality willingness to go to battle, like Simmonds but someone who can actually be an everyday NHLer.
Intriguing players outside of the team are thin much like defensemen. Bertuzzi and Killorn jump out, but Killorn's age and Bertuzzi's non-existent defensive game are both reasons to be cautious, but they each play a physical mean game we desperately need, especially in the top 6. Again, Leafs could/should dangle the 1st rounder from the Sandin trade for an upgrade up front. Whoever the Leafs target they have to have some bite to them, like the GM we're currently searching for apparently. Don't want/need another soft tweener, no offense to Kerfoot who capped off our stunning Game 4 comeback in Round 1.
The lineup I'd like with players I'd want to return to the Leafs looks like this:
Knies-Matthews-Nylander
Jarnkrok-Tavares-Marner
Robertson-O'Reilly-Acciari
Lafferty-Kampf-Holmberg
Rielly-Schenn
McCabe-Liljegren
Giordano-Brodie
Timmins
Samsonov
Woll
My what I feel pessimistic outlook on contracts for our UFAs and RFA Samsonov would leave the Leafs with roughly $5 million in cap space, enough for an impact forward or defenseman depending on who you want to target (the available money is even larger if O'Reilly walks). I'd personally use that money to go after a forward and increase the teams toughness up front, either via trade or free agency. I think with McCabe and Schenn on the back-end there's enough grit there that you don't need to go looking for it, if anything the target should be a high-end defenseman if you're going to look to improve the defence at all. If the Leafs can get a scoring forward with grit we'd be looking at:
Knies-Matthews-Nylander
Bertuzzi/Killorn-Tavares-Marner
Robertson-O'Reilly-Acciari
Lafferty-Kampf-Jarnkrok
Rielly-Schenn
McCabe-Liljegren
Giordano-Brodie
Timmins
Samsonov
Woll
This lineup would provide the Leafs with ample skill, toughness, and youth that they so desperately need. Put a coach behind the bench who's got an actual clue and we're
