Maple Leafs Rank as 8th-Most Improved Team in NHL on The Athletic’s List Despite Minimal Moves
On top of bringing back Max Domi and Timothy Liljegren, the Leafs’ most notable additions have been Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Anthony Stolarz in NHL free agency.
Despite making minimal moves, the Toronto Maple Leafs have still addressed their biggest holes found on the blueline and in the crease. While the club brought back forward Max Domi on a four-year, $15 million contract, and re-signed defenseman Timothy Liljegren on a two-year, $6 million contract, their most notable additions were made on the opening day of NHL free agency.
Headlined by Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Anthony Stolarz, these are key moves that have strengthened the Leafs’ lineup in areas needing the most assistance. In a piece written by Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic, though minimal, the Leafs “Look better, and that closes the gap between them and the league’s best considerably”.
Out of the 32 NHL teams, Luszczyszyn has the Leafs ranked 8th with a Net Rating added of +14 – which provides a more comprehensive view of a player's impact beyond traditional statistics and is used to measure a player's overall impact on their team's performance. The ranking focuses primarily on external changes to the roster while balancing out key additions compared to key departures.
Despite losing Tyler Bertuzzi, T.J. Brodie, Joel Edmundson, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Ilya Samsonov, the Leafs appear to have made strategic upgrades that could pay immediate dividends. The emphasis on improving the defense was a calculated decision, and as Luszczyszyn points out, the club improved tremendously on that front. Without a doubt, the Leafs are better equipped defensively as a reliant, strong, defensive core and if health remains unproblematic for their new goaltending tandem, they improve in that area of play as well.
The priority from the get-go was to make upgrades defensively, and now, they have arguably their best-looking defensive structure in the ‘Core Four’ era. Though the team has a void to fill with the exit of Bertuzzi, adding upfront over the coming months will be the shifted focus – preferably at the 3C position and a top-six winger.
When compared to other ‘contenders’ on the list, such as the Vegas Golden Knights (31), Dallas Stars (30), Florida Panthers (29), and the Carolina Hurricanes (28), each club’s roster deteriorated (on paper) in one way or another. However, one could argue though the Leafs’ amount of transactions was minute thus far, the impact of each acquisition is immense – and poised to become invaluable upgrades.
Still, early into the offseason, it will be interesting to see how the coming months shake out for the Maple Leafs. The club is destined to still be in ‘add mode’, specifically to their offensive prowess, and may have to get creative to do so given the cap constraints they face nearly two weeks into July. Regardless, the team looks better equipped to compete with the league’s top contenders, many of whom have seemingly taken steps back ahead of the 2024-25 season.
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