Leafs: Impressive Season a Precursor to Future Success

The 2016-2017 Leafs will be remembered for shocking the world by making the playoffs and testing the President Trophy-winning Capitals. Next season’s squad will be even better, but they’ll be shocking no one.

After surprising fans and critics alike by making the playoffs one year after finishing 30th in the NHL Standings, the Toronto Maple Leafs went on to perform admirably in a hard-fought series with the Washington Capitals. While no one expected the Leafs to defeat the Capitals in round one, they proved to be a determined group, pushing Washington to overtime in five of the six contests.

Alas, it wasn’t enough, and the Leafs fell in overtime in Game 6. After the final whistle blew, fans at the Air Canada Centre and around the country stood and cheered for their team, a team of young superstars and steadfast veterans who simply refused to take no for an answer all season long.

Now that the the ‘pain’ of which Mike Babcock warned us has come and gone (did it ever even arrive?), and the love affair with this past season has ended, the real work has to begin. The rumoured four-year rebuild has taken a giant leap forward, and a decline next season is the last thing anybody wants.

While it’s completely adequate to assume the Leafs are going to be better next season due to the growth of young players and the addition of a few solid NHL veterans, nothing is guaranteed in this league. I am very confident in saying the Leafs will be back in the playoffs next Spring, but injury trouble and dreaded sophomore slumps may throw a wrench into things.

So what must the Leafs do not only to make it back to the playoffs, but to become a legitimate contender next Spring? First, they need to sure up their defence.

Several free agent options including Kevin Shattenkirk, Michael Stone or Karl Alzner could all add a boost to the Bud’s blue line. Although Alzner has his critics, he’s the player I’d like to see the Leafs target.

He’s a shutdown guy with an offensive touch that can slot in nicely behind Morgan Rielly, Nikita Zaitsev and Jake Gardiner on the back end. He’ll also be much more affordable than the likes of Shattenkirk.

Secondly, the Leafs could use a veteran forward who can provide some secondary offence. It would be great to see the Leafs target a high-end offensive talent such as Joe Thornton or T.J. Oshie.

However, they’d likely have to move somebody such as James van Riemsdyk out in order to accommodate those guys under the cap. A much more cap-friendly signing would be holding onto Brian Boyle, who performed admirably after arriving in Toronto.

Although Boyle won’t put up big offensive numbers, his affect on the young Leafs was evident down the stretch drive and in the playoffs. He’d be a great piece to have back in the fold next season.

If somehow Lou Lamoriello and the Leafs’ brass can find a way to bring in a major name like Thornton, I’m all ears. However, let’s not give out multi-year deals to aging veterans who are well past their prime, because this cast of youngsters are all going to be due for big raises in a couple of years.

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Lastly, the Leafs’ rookies need to avoid setbacks, and continue upward on their developmental curve. There’s no denying this team was carried by their abnormal group of rookies.

Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander all over-performed in their inaugural campaign, and other rookies such as Zaitzev and Connor Brown played pivotal roles as well. A key factor in the Leafs getting better next season, will be all of these young players taking another positive step.

These players won’t be fooling anyone again. They’ll need to find new, creative ways to get their offence and given what they showed me this season, I’m ever confident they’ll be just fine.

You can expect much of the same from established guys such as Nazem Kadri and van Riemsdyk, and Frederik Andersen‘s steadying hand between the pipes should remain a constant. In addition, their special teams will likely remain impressive given the fact Babcock’s systems worked well this season, and the majority of special team players will still be with the Leafs.

Next: Boyle Open to Returning to Leafs

Indeed, there seems to be nowhere to go but up for the Leafs, especially if they address the three key areas outlined above. While us fans might simply be hoping for a return to the playoffs, next season’s team might have even heftier expectations for themselves.