The more I think about it, the more I wonder if Willie gets moved to C next season. We lose Bozak, Plekanec, and Moore to FA if we don't re-sign them...and after that we don't have any NHL quality players in the system except maybe Aaltonen, but he is untested at this level. I don't see Gauthier in the NHL any time soon, if at all, as a Cup contending #4 center...maybe an extra guy in case of injury. Assuming we keep this Marleau, Kadri, Marner line in tact, maybe something like this? We'll probably patch up the #4 slot with another UFA signing like Moore...but just counting on the players currently likely to be under contract next season...I guess Aaltonen.
I'm not really going to try to guess what Dubas (or whoever GM is) does in FA and with trades...I have a feeling it won't be overly dramatic, more like adding some depth, especially down the middle. I seriously doubt that we'll be packaging away a shitload of young talent (like Johnsson, Bracco, Kapanen, Rasanen, etc + picks) to add a core player. With the roster posted below, clearly additions need to be made, but mostly in terms of depth. We lose three of our bottom six from this season (Komarov, Bozak, JvR), and while Johnsson looks like he could slot in very nicely, we can't really rely on three guys with 0 NHL experience (Johnsson, Aaltonen, and Grundstrom), to fill those shoes seamlessly. I like the direction our D and goaltending are moving in though. Dermott will be pushing for more responsibility next season. He's much better than Zaitsev, and deserves that top 4 spot. We'll see if Polak returns, or if Marincin gets brought in for his PK prowess. Borgman and Rosen will be back fighting for spots. Liljegren has improved leaps and bounds with the Marlies, we'll see what he shows next season. Might turn a few heads. We don't have an incredible top end, but the depth is looking really good. Same in net. Freddy is a great starter, and Sparks is looking great in the AHL, I think he's ready as a backup for sure, and McElhinney has been solid since he joined the Leafs. But yeah, forward is a little bit scary. Losing Soshnikov along with the aforementioned three really hurts. Makes me wonder if we'll consider bringing one or two of JvR, Leo, and Bozie back.
Marleau - Kadri - Marner
Hyman - Matthews - Kapanen
Johnsson - Nylander - Brown
Martin - Aaltonen - Grundstrom
Ex. Leivo
Rielly - Hainsey
Gardiner - Zaitsev
Dermott - Carrick
Andersen
McElhinney