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The Toronto Maple Leafs clarified a number of situations leading up to the NHL Draft in Nashville on Thursday, including the status of their head coach, a couple player signings, and the status of a couple of the core-four group.
1. Leafs GM Brad Treliving confirmed on Tuesday that Sheldon Keefe will return as head coach and that he hopes to get him, Auston Matthews and William Nylander re-signed in the near future. Treliving cited Keefe’s relationship with the players and their belief in him as a good coach as a reason for bringing Keefe back for a fifth season.
Analysis - Not shocking based on the lack of trigger pulled right after Kyle Dubas and the Leafs went their separate ways that Keefe would be back and extended, but Treliving’s optimism regarding getting Matthews and Nylander signed to extensions will depend on them taking deals that are considered team-friendly.
There have been indications that Matthews is willing to take slightly less on a new deal to make it more possible for them to add players and keep others in the fold, but there is still some doubt whether Nylander and his camp is willing to do the same.
The New Jersey Devils finalized an eight-year deal with winger Timo Meier on Wednesday with an AAV of $8.8 million. Meier’s goal production is nearly exact to Nylander in their three peak offensive seasons (30, 35, 40 for Meier, 31, 34, and 40 for Nylander). That means that Treliving should use Meier’s deal as a template, with Meier getting more money based on his being a more physical and consistent player.
If Nylander is asking for more than that and Treliving cannot get him to sign on the dotted line, then the Leafs may begin to consider trading the 27-year-old with one year left on his current deal.
2. The Leafs signed center David Kampf to a four-year, $9.6 million deal ($2.4 million AAV).
Analysis - Although he’ll never be a big scorer (11 and 7 goals over the last two seasons), Kampf has been a dependable two-way bottom-six center, faceoff specialist, and penalty killer since being brought to Toronto by Dubas, and is someone that Keefe trusts up the middle. The deal is reasonable ($900,000 pay increase per season) based on the expected cap increase of $3 to 4 million in 2024-25 and the same the following year.
3. Leafs announce the signing of center Pontus Holmberg to a two-year, $1.6 million deal ($800,000 AAV).
Analysis - Holmberg played well in a fourth-line center role in his first season in North America (13 points in 37 games) and just as well in a higher role with the AHL Marlies. The 24-year-old is waiver exempt next season and can freely move up and down from the minors, and the Leafs rewarded Holmberg with a one-way deal. This signing does not close the door on Treliving bringing back Noel Acciari and/or Ryan O’Reilly.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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