After Shanahan’s press conference I cannot recall the last time I felt at ease after hearing any one of the Leafs brass talk about their future plans. With Brendan’s words and sincerity it would seem that some of the nerves from both fans and the media loosened up and there was a glimmer of hope that they might be able to crawl out from the rock bottom phase they have been in since the All Star break.
He was very straightforward with his game plan, which was quite simple - Remove those who are not giving it their all, those who do not want to be here. Replace them with younger players we draft, and or players who want to be here and give it 110% effort.
He referred to the fans a number of times in his presser and was very convincing that he has every one of the Leafs brass on board for the long haul rebuild. The first words that popped out of my mouth were just this; “it’s about time”. Which I’d imagine was the same for some other Leaf fans as we have gone through enough.
Could it be that we have finally hit the point of no return where all the million dollar men running the show have realized things have to change in order to put together a winning team? How many millions of dollars have been lost in playoff revenue, firing a coach, firing a GM, buying a player out, firing staff who still have term…the list goes on!
Now the big question(s) for this summer: who do we keep, who do we trade, who do we draft and of course who will be the GM and coach for this team going forward?
Goalies:
Reimer has one year left on his contract, and Jonathan Bernier is an RFA. Do the Leafs keep both goalies for next year’s battle of the basement, or do they sell off Jonathan Bernier in order to stock pile picks and or prospects for the rebuild? Reimer has such little value at this point; there really isn’t much point in moving him.
Right now the Leafs have Garret Sparks, Antoine Bibeau and Christopher Gibson in the system as potential goalies for the team in the near future. Will any of these goalies have what it takes to become a true number one in the future? I’d say it’s too hard to tell at this point in their career, but there is certainly some potential which opens up the door for moving Bernier in my opinion.
Defense:
The way I see it Rielly is the only defensemen the Leafs should keep without question. He has the potential to be on the top pairing for years to come. Without a doubt Phaneuf is on the trade block and rumors have been swirling since before the deadline. He is signed until 2020-21 at a whopping 7 million a year.
It’s unlikely the Leafs will move Robidas in the off season as he still has 2 years left on his contract, and his veteran presence can and will help the young guns develop and learn some tricks of the trade on and off the ice. His value is quite low at this point, but should peak come trade deadline next season if a team is looking for his services to add some reliable depth for their cup run.
Gardiner could stay or go, his value is there, but it’s not nearly as high as it once was. The smooth skating give away machine needs some direction from the new coaches and hopefully can settle his game down and be more consistent. I think if the Leafs get a good deal with Gardiner involved they will pull the trigger.
Polak has one year left on his contract and will likely be in the same boat as Robidas, and could be sold at trade deadline next season where his value will be high. Brewer will likely be done in Toronto, and Brennan and Erixon are both RFA’s and will likely stay in the system to see how they develop; whether that is on the Marlies or the Leafs.
Forwards:
Where to start…how about Phil Kessel. He’s without a doubt the most valuable player on the Leafs roster whether you like him or not. He has one of the best shots in the league and is a pure sniper; which is something you can’t teach even the best of players. That’s a type of skill you either have, or you don’t. His two way game lacks and his attitude on the ice is somewhat concerning as he seems to lack that extra drive in terms of wanting to be better.
If the Leafs were to win McDavid, do you trade Kessel or do you keep him? Tough decisions ahead for Shanahan…But I think Phil Kessel will be gone unless they win McDavid.
If the Leafs win the McDavid it may be worth keeping Phil Kessel. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Kessel is going to change much, but if you surround him with the godly talent of Connor McDavid who knows what that could bring to the table going forward, after all Kessel is still quite young.
As for Lupul, Bozak and Van Riemsdyk….sell sell, keep. James van Riemsdyk has one of the better contracts in the league for a player of his worth. Sure he had a horrendous second half of the season and seemed to put little effort in, but the whole team was a disaster so I don’t think you want to put too much stock into what you saw out of some of these guys in that time.
James almost scored 30 goals again this season, and is only 25 years old. The Leafs should keep him for next season unless of course they have their socks blown off with a big deal that makes it worth their while.
Trading Lupul and Bozak is a must; this organization needs players who are healthy, and ones who are going to suit their role. Bozak as a number one center is a joke, this kid has some talent; but this sharade has gone on too long and Bozak needs to get traded.
It would be great if they could unload Bozak and Kessel to a team like Arizona or Florida in return for some picks and or prospects. Don’t get me wrong here, Bozak has some value, he is great on the penalty kill and he has lots of success on breakaways and penalty shots; but another year of him in the number one center role may just make me blow a gasket.
Leo ‘the cat’ Komarov is an excellent spark plug for the Maple Leafs and without question should be kept in the lineup. He was a stallion before Ovechkin gave him that cheap shot that put him out of the lineup. His game wasn’t as feisty in the second half, but can you blame him?
Kadri is an RFA after this season and will likely be looking at a salary upgrade. Does he stay or does he go? Well, I want to keep him; he is a feisty player and should be a good second line center for years to come. He needs to mature and work on being a smarter player on the ice. It would be great if just one season he had wingers that stayed healthy and they got to work on their chemistry all season; it’s like an open gate of new wingers every 10 games for Kadri.
Holland has one year left before he is an RFA and should without a doubt be kept on the roster. He makes peanuts and will have one more season to prove his worth; which is great for a rebuilding team. Richard Panik is in the same boat as Holland and has one season left before he is an RFA. Panik may have had one of the better seasons over any of the Maple Leaf players as he had limited minutes, but made the best of them.
Smith, Kozun, Sill, Lindstrom and Bailey will all be question marks going forward. None of them make a million dollars and only Bailey is signed for next season. David Booth will likely find another home next season; unless the Leafs decide to sign him for another million dollar contract.
There are lots of changes ahead, if the onslaught of personnel let go by Shanahan didn’t open your eyes the other day then you will be blown away this summer with the number of modifications to come.
It will be an exciting summer for Leaf fans, as I feel most of us have been waiting too long for this ‘true’ rebuild.
Thanks for reading.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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