3 People Who Will Be Gone This Offseason If the Toronto Maple Leafs Lose
By Stephen Nixon
If the Toronto Maple Leafs fall in the First Round this year, expect some big changes this offseason.
After winning their first playoff series in 19 years last season, the Toronto Maple Leafs quickly lost in five games to the Florida Panthers.
They had a brilliant team, but unfortunately fell victim to one of the best goaltending performances in NHL history from Sergei Bobrovsky.
After failing to advance past Florida, many expected changes, but nobody expected that change to be former GM Kyle Dubas.
Reports indicated that Dubas wanted a bigger role in the organization and it seems he lost his job in the aftermath of a power struggle.
As we all know, Dubas eventually got what he wanted from the Pittsburgh Penguins and that organization is in a better place as a result. Moving on from Dubas was one of the dumbest decisions this organization could have made and I truly believe it will cost them in the future, but I digress.
The playoffs have not been kind to the Leafs over the years and since they’ve continued to run each year back with the same core and have continued to lose, I think this is the last year they’re committed to that process. I think if this team fails to advance in the playoffs, there will be big changes with some names we might not expect.
As such, here are three Toronto Maple Leafs that I expect to be gone from the organization next year if the team fails to advance in the playoffs.
The entire city of Toronto is about to be in a frenzy thanks to the Toronto Maple Leafs participation in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.
That much is predictable. What may not be as clear is the success that the team will have in the coming games and whether the Toronto Maple Leafs will put themselves on track to win hockey’s biggest prize.
It just so happens that before the puck dropped for the first time to kick off the 2023-24 regular season, I solicited the services of a local psychic to find out how the Toronto Maple Leafs will fare this postseason.
What was shared was unfortunate news. The fortune teller was very clear that the Buds won’t be raising the Stanley Cup at the end of these playoffs. The truly concerning part of this vision wasn’t just the ultimate goal not being achieved but the accuracy of which this prediction has already come to fruition.
Fortune Teller Predicted Toronto Maple Leafs Playoffs Results
The psychic was correct all those months ago when he foretold that the Leafs would be meeting the Boston Bruins in the first round. That has clearly come true. For the believers reading this, it’s a scary prediction. That’s because the psychic also saw that the Bruins will not just meet the Maple Leafs in the opening round but will actually eliminate them. To make it all worse, Boston, he explained, will eliminate Toronto in a four-game sweep.
It can be easy to dismiss the supernatural. When the news is negative such as it is here, that’s exactly what we want to do. However, we will soon know whether there was true clairvoyance or if the Maple Leafs can find lightning in a bottle and work their way into the second-round.
Though we have never shared the identity of the Toronto-based psychic, it would be great to see him eat his words. It’s up to the boys in blue and white to take to the ice and prove that this hocus pocus is all just a bunch of fog and mirrors and absolutely meaningless.
While the fortune teller may have been correct so far and the Leafs will be in for the battle of their lives, it will hopefully be Toronto who comes out on top and moves on to the next round.
So, before you open your wallet to have your tea leaves explored or your palm read, take a breath to see how this important playoff round unfolds.
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Defensive Prospect to ELC
The Toronto Maple Leafs welcomed to Boston University players into the organization after signing Cade Webber to an ELC, while Sam Stevens signed an AHL deal with the Marlies.
By David Corcoran
Thursday afternoon the news finally came out that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston University defenseman Cade Webber had come to an agreement on an entry level contract.
The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired the 6’7″, 210 lbs defenseman at this past trade deadline from the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2026 sixth round pick.
Webber was previously a fourth round selection by the Hurricanes from the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and he was finishing his fourth season with Terriers. The Canes had until August 15 to sign the Weston, Massachusetts native or he would become a free agent.
If you are looking for offence from the backend, Webber won’t bring that to the team. He is a pure stay at home defenseman that played well off of Montreal Canadiens defensive prospect Lane Hutson.
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Defensive Prospect to ELC
Through his four years with Boston University, Webber collected a grand total of one goal in 123 games. Webber was recognized for his play in his own end by winning the Hockey East NCAA Top Defensive Defenseman of the year this past season.
The contract is a two-year entry level contract that would carry a salary cap hit of $875,000 in the NHL, which comes with an $87,500 signing bonus and a salary of $70,000 a year with the Marlies. A pairing of with Topi Niemelä and Webber could be fund to watch.
This isn’t the first time the Maple Leafs have used a draft pick to acquire an NCAA player that was drafted by another team, but unlikely to sign. In 2015, the team acquired Zach Hyman who was drafted by the Panthers, but was not going to sign with Florida so the Maple Leafs scooped him up.
While it is likely that Webber will join the Toronto Marlies for the remainder of the season, nothing has been confirmed as of yet. However, whether he joins this week or in the fall he will have some familiarity as Thursday evening the Marlies announced that they had signed Webber’s Boston University teammate Sam Stevens to a one-year AHL deal that starts next season which also comes with an Amateur Try-out for the remainder of this season.
Stevens is an undrafted 23 year old from Montreal, Quebec that played five years with Boston University where he recorded 26 goals and 24 assists in 142 games. Prior to playing at B.U., Stevens came up through the USHL.
Toronto Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 1 Is a Complete Mystery
T.J. Brodie was a long serving top four defenseman for the Maple Leafs, but now finds himself likely watch Game 1 from the pressbox
By David Corcoran
The 2023-24 season was fun for Toronto Maple Leafs fans as we watched Auston Matthews chase 70-goals and William Nylander chase 100-points.
Both forwards would come up short and in reality both story liners were just a distraction to get through the season. The constant regular season success has led fans to believe that even if the Toronto Maple Leafs finished with a 125-point season in the standings no one would care.
All most fans wanted was the season to end and the real challenge to begin.
Tonight the Leafs will take on the Boston Bruins in game-one of their opening round series, and as of now, the Leafs lineup is a bit of a mystery.
Toronto Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 1 Is a Complete Mystery
The Leafs practiced yesterday, and if the lines they used in practice hold for tonight, TJ Brodie will be a suprise game-one scratch.
As for William Nylander – he wasn’t in practice, but was in the building. Will he dress? Will he sit? No one knows.
The Leafs already have a disadvantage against Boston in goaltending and defense, so being without William Nylander will be a terrible blow to their chances of winning.
The Leafs have one of the weaker blue-lines of any playoff team. Formerly strong members of the defense corps TJ Brodie and. Mark Giordano have declined heavily this year and both appear to be starting the playoffs in the pressbox.
Recently I looked at what the ideal six defenseman for the first game of the playoff series would be, which would include Morgan Rielly with Ilya Lyubushkin, Jake McCabe and Simon Benoit together with the final pairing being Timothy Liljegren with Joel Edmundson.
If Friday mornings skate is indicative of what we will see Saturday night those will be the exact pairings as Jonas Siegel posted Keefe’s six during practice.
It looks like TJ Brodie will be the odd man out in Game 1 against the Bruins.
Leaf D pairs at practice:
Rielly — Lyubushkin
Benoit — McCabe
Edmundson — Liljegren— Jonas Siegel (@jonassiegel) April 19, 2024
Proceed With Caution with Ilya Lyubushkin
The Leafs are replacing Brodie with Lyubushkin and this is a dubious concept at best. Lyubushkin should not be given an extended rope when playing in this series. Many had hoped that the Maple Leafs were getting another version of Luke Schenn when they acquired the 6’2″ Russian defenseman, but that has not been the case.
Lyubushkin does bring a physical style to his game, but even in his declining years TJ Brodie is likely still better overall.
There has been too many occurrences since being re-acquired where Lyubushkin has made baffling plays with the puck which have resulted in high end scoring chances and goals against. If he can’t simplify his game, there is a strong chance that Brodie gets back in the line-up.
The Leafs don’t need Lyubushkin to worry about making plays, keep it simple and punish the Bruins players below the hashmarks. All of this won’t even matter if Nylander can’t play. The Leafs desperately need their superstar winger to take full advantage of the only area where they are the superior team.
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