The newly appointed general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Brad Treliving, has some difficult decisions to make this offseason. There are William Nylander and Auston Matthews’ contract extension negotiations, as well as 10 unrestricted free agents (UFA). Those UFAs include Ryan O’Reilly, Noel Acciari, Luke Schenn and Michael Bunting, who all had very important roles during their time with the Maple Leafs. With a good amount of cap space and roster openings, Treliving has the ability to make this team his own in his first offseason.
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Yes, there are going to be some similarities between the team next season and last season, but Treliving has the freedom to look at free agents on the open market to change the culture of the team. He has a history of allowing his younger players to develop and get a chance on the NHL roster. With that, it is a good time to look at a few players from the system who could crack the Maple Leafs’ roster in 2023-24.
Alex Steeves
Alex Steeves, 23, had a great season last year with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL). In 65 games he scored 19 goals and 32 assists for 51 total points. He quickly became a main piece of the Marlies roster and a valuable prospect in the Maple Leafs’ system. Next season, Steeves could make a case for a bottom-six spot in the NHL, as the organization is going through a changing of the guard. He can be a 20-point player with the Maple Leafs, as well as replace Alex Kerfoot in a penalty-killing role.
The Maple Leafs will need to cut costs in all areas, so allowing some top-level talent from the AHL to make the jump to the NHL will give the team some cap relief. If they do part with the aforementioned Kerfoot, then Steeves has the skill level and the versatility to replace him in the lineup. Although he lacks NHL experience, he has the tools to be a solid everyday player for the Maple Leafs in 2023-24.
Pontus Holmberg
Pontus Holmberg, 24, was a role player for the Maple Leafs for a period of time during the 2022-23 season. His stint with the team seemed to have impressed the coaching staff, as he was able to gain their trust and play in more high-leverage moments in the game. In his 37 games with Toronto, he recorded five goals and eight assists for 13 total points. However, it wasn’t his point production that was put on notice, but rather his attention to detail. He is a very efficient penalty killer, as well as good in the faceoff dot, which are very useful qualities to have. The reason why he returned to the AHL with the Marlies was due to the trades that were made at the deadline. There were so many bodies on the NHL roster, which meant that his time with the big club was over.
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Although Holmberg was sent down, his quality of play didn’t drop off in the AHL. In 38 games with the Marlies, he had 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points. He also played a big role in the postseason; in seven AHL playoff games, he scored six goals and two assists for eight points. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Maple Leafs do re-sign him that they start Holmberg in the NHL next season on the fourth line. Regardless if they bring back David Kampf or not, he adds center depth to the lineup, which can allow other players like Kampf to move over to the wing, giving them another option in the faceoff circle. He could have a lengthy NHL career ahead of him if he can keep playing at the consistent level that he did this past season.
Nick Robertson
Nick Robertson, 21, has been plagued with the injury bug every season of his professional career. The latest injury was to his shoulder, which saw him miss the rest of the season as well as the entirety of the postseason. There has been some speculation that his name has been on the trade market, but if Toronto does decide to keep him, look for him to make the team out of camp. In the past, he has always been the player on the outside looking in after training camp, and as a result, starts the season in the AHL. However, this season could be different for two reasons. One, Matthew Knies takes the pressure off of Robertson to be the next saviour of the team, which can allow him to start on the third line and worry about his game.
Secondly, the salary cap. This should have been the reason why he made the team out of camp the previous seasons, however, if he is healthy, it will be why he does this season. Toronto needs all the cap space they can get to make some moves this offseason. If they can carry Robertson, Holmberg and Steeves on their roster, that could be less than $2.5 million for all three of them combined, which can allow the Maple Leafs to spend that money in other areas such as Ilya Samsonov’s next contract. As for his play, he has a lethal shot that needs to be used more. If he is healthy at the start of the 2023-24 season, it would be smart to let him start on the third line and let him be the shooter on it. It would allow him to gain confidence in his game and also makes the Maple Leafs’ roster deeper. He could be a player that finds his game on a line with O’Reilly (if he is re-signed), who does all the small things on the ice very well.
It would be in the Maple Leafs’ best interest to allow some of their younger players to leap into the NHL next season. If you look back at past Stanley Cup winners, they have some makeup of homegrown talent. Yes, Toronto has that, but not enough. If they give their guys a chance, it not only allows them to develop their talent in-house but also provides the team with a good amount of cap relief that they wouldn’t have if they brought back a portion of their UFAs for their bottom six.