Acquiring some assets and on the lookout for a puck-moving defenseman and a gentle top-six center must be the Toronto Maple Leafs MO this offseason
Jonas Siegel of The Athletic: On the issues with the thought of the Toronto Maple Leafs tearing it down and rebuilding is that they owe the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers their first-round picks. In the event that they finish in the highest 5, they keep their pick this yr, but then owe their 2027 and 2028 firsts. In the event that they finish sixth or higher, their 2026 goes to Boston and 2027 to Philadelphia (top 10 protected, else an unprotected 2028).
Auston Matthews and William Nylander have full no-movement clauses. In the event that they agreed to a trade, they might pick their destinations, and the return can be impacted by that.
What could a change behind the bench do for this roster with a number of tweaks? Pete DeBoer?
A rebuild-retool hybrid option and persuade Matthews to stay around. Trade Oliver Ekman-Larsson and/or Brandon Carlo within the offseason to get younger assets and picks.
They may look to accumulate in free agency or trade, a puck-moving top-four defenseman and a gentle, dependable top-six center.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have big decision in pending UFA defenseman Darren Raddysh
Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times: Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman and pending UFA Darren Raddysh has already put up 60 points, and if he gets to July 1st, there shall be loads of interest. The Lightning could also be concerned about overpaying him, but it surely’s hard to see them letting him just walk.
Finding a comp for Raddysh isn’t easy, and GM Julien BriseBois has been hesitant to offer him a contract extension offer. He began the season on their third pairing and was a healthy scratch during their first 13 games of the season. Raddysh and J.J. Moser have formed their top-pairing for a great a part of the season.
Raddysh is an undrafted, late bloomer, and there is no such thing as a guarantee he can keep this offensive production up. The Lightning do have the salary cap room to make something work with $15.2 million in projected cap space.
Some project Raddysh near a $7 million salary cap hit, but can’t see the Lightning going that top. They might be within the $4 to $5 million range on a long-term deal.
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