Toronto finally fixed the problem fans complained about for a decade

For years, fans were frustrated with the lack of support for Toronto's star players, but John Chayka put an end to that with his offseason spending spree.

The sentiment around Leaf Nation for the past nine seasons is that while they have had a group of star players to help carry the bulk of the workload, those stars haven't necessarily had the support below them who could take some of the harder minutes away or who provide specific roles - while actually contributing in other areas.

That seemed to change this summer after John Chayka took over as GM. Stripping the team down, he used a variety of trades and signings to transform the lineup into a group that still held onto their stars, but added a slew of hard-working, defensively sound role players who can help turn the tide of any game.

John Chayka decided to spread out his budget as opposed to focus on one star

The Maple Leafs still splurged this offseason, adding both Sergei Bobrovsky and Darren Raddysh however they didn't really go after another star despite there being players like Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko still available.

Instead, Chayka committed roughly $16.5 million in combined annual cap space to Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger, Brandon Duhaime, Jack Roslovic and Nick Paul.

Sissons, Blueger, and Paul are all versatile defensive forwards who can play both centre and wing, kill penalties, play tough defensive matchups, and provide better exits out of the zone. Roslovic is a multi-time 20-goal scorer who is familiar playing with Auston Matthews while also offering a scoring threat in the bottom-six.

Duhaime is going to be more of an energetic and physical player who uses big hits and intense forechecking to turn momentum in Toronto's favour, and could soon endear himself to the fans with his hard-nosed and passionate style of hockey.

Toronto's stars still need to pull their weight despite the new additions

But the stars can't necessarily take a backseat knowing that they have a lot more support down the lineup. In fact, that should increase their intensity and allow them to pressure teams a lot more, knowing they can switch off to more defensive players if things get hairy.

Auston Matthews has to become a 40+ goal threat once again, and William Nylander needs to keep up his elite production. John Tavares has to fight against time and prove that at 35 he can still be an above average offensive contributor, and Matthew Knies needs to take that next step from great power forward to elite.

Morgan Rielly also needs to showcase a bit of his old form as well, though with Raddysh coming in and taking a lot of responsibility off Rielly's shoulders, the right situation could see him thrive.

They're still going to need to carry the bulk of the offensive load though, as the additions brought in aren't exactly offensively dominant (minus Roslovic and Paul to an extent). Newcomer Gavin McKenna will also help out in that regard, but as an 18-year-old he shouldn't be expected to immediately jump in as a top star.

The effect of Toronto's offseason is clear: the stars should no longer have to carry as much of the defensive and matchup burden themselves.

That does not guarantee more offence, but it gives Matthews, Nylander, Tavares and Knies a better chance to spend more of their energy doing what Toronto actually needs them to do, score.

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