This Quiet Strength Could Be the Maple Leafs' Secret Weapon Next Season
Photo credit: TSN via The Toronto Star
If there's one thing the Maple Leafs gave this season it's a much deeper lineup and for The Hockey News' David Alter; it might be the key to their success in 2025-26.
There's a lot of discussion around whether or not the Toronto Maple Leafs made the best moves possible this offseason.
They added a ton of depth but missed out on names like Nikolaj Ehlers for their top-six, and Andrew Mangiapane and Brandon Tanev for the bottom-six.
Toronto's Bold Strategy Prioritizes Depth Over Star Power
With some more moves to make still, there's also a question of whether or not this team can handle the playoffs down a superstar, and if that depth was really going to help or if the signings were more hopeful than practical.
For The Hockey News' David Alter, he believes that the Maple Leafs' depth on the cheap is one of their key assets, and the management of the salary cap and who they brought in is quite important:
Do good things come in threes? The Maple Leafs sure hope so and who they acquired; guys like Dakota Joshua, Matias Maccelli, and Nicolas Roy, they all come at a salary cap hit in the $3-million range.
Prior to this season the most the Leafs had when it came to guys who were making $3-million; only three players and that was last season. Otherwise it's one or two.
With Mitch Marner gone, the Leafs are utilizing the cap to load up on depth, and they've got four forwards, two defensemen, and one goaltender who make in the threes.
So while they lack Mitch Marner and his star power, they hope the depth will compensate, it's a different strategy but for the Maple Leafs who have struggled in the playoffs for how many odd years? Good luck may come in threes this time for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Prior to this season the most the Leafs had when it came to guys who were making $3-million; only three players and that was last season. Otherwise it's one or two.
With Mitch Marner gone, the Leafs are utilizing the cap to load up on depth, and they've got four forwards, two defensemen, and one goaltender who make in the threes.
So while they lack Mitch Marner and his star power, they hope the depth will compensate, it's a different strategy but for the Maple Leafs who have struggled in the playoffs for how many odd years? Good luck may come in threes this time for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
But is that depth going to be enough?
Why Toronto's Depth Can Pay Off Long-Term
But while losing Marner is a tough pill to swallow, a playoff winning team isn't one built on one player, but success by committee.
Look at the Florida Panthers; yes they have superstars like Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, Aaron Ekblad and Matthew Tkachuk but their back to back Cup wins had a lot to do with guys like AJ Greer, Tomas Nosek, Evan Rodrigues, and Nate Schmidt.
It's the gritty, hard-nosed, almost reckless style of play that helps teams win championships, and switching out a sometimes complacent Marner with a group of tougher and hungrier players is going to lead to a lot of benefits.
Also come playoffs, it's not like Toronto has to rely on names like Ryan Reaves or Calle Jarnkrok, but can instead put in gritty guys like Michael Pezzetta, Travis Boyd or Vinni Lettieri.
Craig Berube has a lot of options to choose from, and he can decide who fits best; which means that making sure home-ice advantage is a priority.
But regardless, losing Mitch Marner is going to hurt when it comes to scoring a ton of goals, though with this new rag-tag group of players; one or two goals might be all they need.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 30 | 763 ANSWERS This Quiet Strength Could Be the Maple Leafs' Secret Weapon Next Season Do you think the Maple Leafs' depth will help them get through the playoffs? | ||
| Yes | 534 | 70 % |
| No | 229 | 30 % |
| List of polls | ||
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