The Maple Leafs are investing everywhere except where fans expected

Fans expected Toronto to improve their team by the trade or free agent market but also focused on investing their resources into improving infrastructure.

The Maple Leafs stressed the importance of making big changes this summer when it comes to the lineup, however they also felt that a cultural change inside the organization was also necessary.

Besides John Chayka and Mats Sundin, the team overhauled the majority of the front office and we saw names like Darryl Metcalf, Mark Leach, Brandon Pridham, and Hayley Wickenheiser all leave the team. Surrounding themselves now with a group of people much more familiar with each other, the hope is that it'll pay off now and later on.

John Chayka is rebuilding how the Maple Leafs develop and evaluate players

Over the course of the summer, the Maple Leafs have added Judd Brackett as AGM and Head of Player Development, Freddie Hamilton as Chief of Staff (a new position in Toronto), Jeremiah Crowe as Director of Player Personnel, added Jim Hiller, Daniel Alfredsson, Brad Werenka and John Gruden as part of a brand new coaching staff, and reportedly hired Andy O'Brien as their new strength and conditioning coach.

There was an onus on adding a lot more scouting help too as the team added a dedicated U.S. Director of Amateur Scouting in JP Perpich, while also hiring Dan Palango as Director of Amateur Scouting and Brad Rossen as VP of Research and Development.

The whole goal seemingly from Chayka is to have the minds in place who can inform him of developments, analysis and scouting on a more consistent basis. That means potential fewer mistakes in the draft, or future trades/signings that may occur.

Contrast that to a contract that solely focuses on improving one facet of the lineup but a new group of scouts, analysts, coaches, and trainers can help influence decisions over multiple seasons.

Toronto is betting that better support can improve both the roster and its pipeline

The team already added a slew of new faces to the lineup, so now instead they are focusing on who can better improve that lineup from behind the scenes. O'Brien's hiring for instance is going to be important in preparing Auston Matthews to be fit post-surgery, and though he can't guarantee he's healthy - he can give him advice on workload preparation.

Adding personnel who can assess players and offer adjustments that could benefit them is going to be important for the names like Matthew Knies and Easton Cowan as they continue growing on their NHL journey, and in future time - how Gavin McKenna can become better prepared physically and mentally.

Though this could all be for naught as the players still need to heed any advice given and apply it. These hirings are a great benefit but if they don't end up pushing these players to the next level or create a sense of complacency then it's not going to work.

It's a two-way street however it does rely a lot on the new personnel to be able to quickly analyze the roster and offer any potential changes before the season really picks up.

The changes made by the Maple Leafs have the potential to be a great benefit to the lineup now and later down the line because as new faces come in, those who are already here will be better prepared and able to help others prepare as well.

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