Team: 2024-25 Toronto Maple Leafs

Initial Creation Date: Apr. 22, 2024

Published: Apr. 22, 2024

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

Keefe must go, do everything you can to get Jay Woodcroft

Marner should be on the table, as should Tavares, but ultimately both players have the leverage here, and likely don't accept a trade should one be agreed upon. I'd re-sign Marner for a deal very similar to Nylander, and Tavares can stay on a significantly lesser salary, I'd say max 6 mil and 3 years max unless the cap hit is really low (like 4 mil for 5 years low). This group can win with the proper support and as the cap goes up the 3 11+ milliion dollar salaries plan that they've been trying for years will become more do-able, and Tavares taking less will put him back in the range of Nylander's last deal

If Murray is healthy, go with a 3 goalie rotation but let the hot goalie play

I don't think this team is necessarily better than the current one, but I think the leafs need a transition year, where they have 4 guys making 10+ mil next year so building around the core becomes very hard, but then in the offseason after this upcoming season they can go all-in as long as they don't give Tavares too much money. Players like Jarnkrok and Kampf would be cheaper to dump in a year because whoever would be taking them would get a shorter contract than they would this summer. Give Knies the opportunity to blossom into the star Leafs fans think he can become, give Robertson a proper chance, I personally think he's really good but I don't understand why Keefe doesn't give him chances higher up in the lineup, and see if Liljegren works better in a different system before shipping him off or signing him long-term. I think this team in a perfect universe could top the Atlantic and go fairly far in the playoffs, but every leafs team since 2018 has had that same potential, but the bare minimum should be a wildcard spot and 1st round exit imo, barring crazy injury troubles. The Leafs 1st window with this core is closed now, but as long as they don't blunder over the next year they could open up a new one, possibly without Tavares