The Maple Leafs added veterans Max Pacioretty and Jani Hakanpaa Wednesday, but Adam Proteau says Toronto must now make a couple of roster tweaks before the season begins.
The Toronto Maple Leafs made what are likely to be the final off-season changes to their roster Wednesday by signing veteran forward Max Pacioretty to a professional tryout and signing defenseman Jani Hakanpaa to a one-year, $1.47-million contract.
While some Leafs fans hoped the team's changes would be more extensive – and would center around a deal to ship star winger Mitch Marner out of town – the reality is Toronto GM Brad Treliving has addressed every key position. In the process, he made his team better than the one that flamed out in the first round of last season’s Stanley Cup playoffs.
Let’s examine Toronto’s off-season changes more closely.
On offense, Pacioretty and former Florida Panthers center Steven Lorentz aren't locked to make the team since they're only on tryout offers. That said, Pacioretty's agent said he is expected to sign before the regular season starts. If the Maple Leafs add him and Lorentz, they’ll get Cup-winning experience and veteran scoring up front.
On defense, Hakanpaa joins a much different-looking Leafs defense group, and he’ll likely be on Toronto’s final defense pairing.
Treliving also added Chris Tanev to the first defense pair with Morgan Rielly and Oliver Ekman-Larsson to the second or third pair.
And in net, newcomer Anthony Stolarz will work with youngster Joseph Woll. There will be increased competition for jobs at all three main positions, which can only help the Leafs’ bottom line.
That said, Toronto will still have a couple of more changes before the season begins.
As per PuckPedia, the Leafs are over the salary cap ceiling by more than $1.06 million after Hakanpaa’s signing – and that comes before contracts for Pacioretty and Lorentz.
Neither of those veterans will break the bank if they make the team, but it’s almost assured Treliving will have to move out one or two contracts to the minors or elsewhere to make room for the duo.
At the moment, players on the bubble include forwards David Kampf (earning $2.4 million this coming year), Pontus Holmberg ($800,000), Ryan Reaves ($1.35 million) and Connor Dewar ($1.18 million) and defenseman Conor Timmins ($1.1 million). They'll all compete for a depth role in the NHL lineup, but those who trail the rest could be candidates for waivers or trades if the Maple Leafs are committed to accommodating Lorentz and Pacioretty.
In any case, the big picture in Toronto is now clearer than at any point this summer. From this writer’s perspective, the Maple Leafs have improved in goal, on defense and at forward. They may not be an odds-on-favorite to win the Atlantic Division or the Cup, but they do look tougher, smarter and more accomplished than the 2023-24 Leafs.
Now it’s on the group Treliving’s assembled to prove he was right in investing in them.
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