Maple Leafs Report Card for Marner & Salary and Roster Structure are Unsustainable
Plus, what can Leafs fans expect from Craig Berube, the latest news & rumours and more
Welcome to the THW Toronto Maple Leafs Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Maple Leafs writers.
Maple Leafs Catch Break With Devils Signing Keefe
May 23, 2024 by Jim Parsons
Thursday morning, the New Jersey Devils made the news that broke on Wednesday official by hiring of Sheldon Keefe as the team’s next head coach. With a new four-year deal in hand, Devils’ GM Tom Fitzgerald said in a statement, “Sheldon jumped to the top of my list when he became available, and I was thrilled when he agreed to be a part of what we are building here.”
Maple Leafs Could Benefit From Martin Necas Addition
May 23, 2024 by Jesse Courville-Lynch
The Toronto Maple Leafs have returned to the drawing board after another first-round playoff exit. They have already relieved Sheldon Keefe of his duties as head coach and replaced him with Craig Berube, and more moves are expected before the team hits the ice for the 2024-25 season.
4 Maple Leafs Free Agents Who Could Follow Keefe to the Devils
May 23, 2024 by Josh Reinitz
On Wednesday it was announced that New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald chose Sheldon Keefe as the team’s next head coach. Keefe’s hiring was the first item on Fitzgerald’s off-season to-do list, but several remain. Keefe, the former head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, will now get to work assembling a coaching staff and installing a system of play designed to return the Devils to prominence.
The Maple Leafs and the Legacy of the Muskoka Five
May 23, 2024 by THW Archives
Feb. 11, 2012 was a bittersweet night for Toronto Maple Leafs fans. Mats Sundin, the classy and consummate captain, was honoured with his #13 raised to the rafters. A familiar face in Tomas Kaberle took the ceremonial faceoff. The Maple Leafs squad was horribly overmatched on the night, losing 5-0 to the Montreal Canadiens.
John Tavares Needs to Remain Maple Leafs Captain in 2024-25
May 23, 2024 by The Old Prof
In a recent post titled “Do the Maple Leafs Need to Make a Captain Change?” by my colleague Karine Hains, she expressed her belief that it might be time for John Tavares to give up the captaincy of the Toronto Maple Leafs and allow Auston Matthews to become the official captain of the team. This question has sparked interest as the team undergoes the most radical changes in several years.
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Toronto Maple Leafs 2023-24 Report Card: Mitch Marner
May 23, 2024 by JP Gambatese
After back-to-back 95-plus point seasons, Mitch Marner entered 2023-24 with hopes of eclipsing the 100-point mark for the first time in his career. Playing alongside 69-goal scorer Auston Matthews certainly helped elevate those hopes, but injuries limited him to 69 games and he didn’t hit triple-digits. In the post-season, many disgruntled Toronto Maple Leafs fans pointed a significant amount of blame on the series loss against the Bruins on Marner’s “disappointing” playoff run, citing him as a soft player who cannot perform in the playoffs.
Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Holmberg, Berube, Bertuzzi & Robertson
May 23, 2024 by The Old Prof
In this edition of Toronto Maple Leafs News & Rumors, I’ll examine three things happening with the team. First, is Pontus Holmberg emerging as more of a go-to player for the team as he plays in the World Championships? Second, what did new head coach Craig Berube say about what he might consider most important in his press conference on Tuesday? What is likely to happen under his coaching leadership? Finally, how might Tyler Bertuzzi and Nick Robertson be linked as either part of the team’s future or moved on to other teams?
Maple Leafs’ Salary & Roster Structure Are Unsustainable
May 22, 2024 by Karine Hains
For the 2023-24 season, the NHL salary cap was fixed at $83.5 million. The question every general manager faced was: how much should I allocate to each player I have to sign a new contract with? Because that’s what it all comes down to: GMs nowadays better be good at mathematics to ensure their roster fits under the salary cap. What is the best way to build a team? How much should be invested in the offense? And in the defense? What is sustainable? What is not?
NHL Insider and GM Clarify Marner to Predators Trade Rumors
May 22, 2024 by Jim Parsons
The recent speculation about Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner potentially being traded to the Nashville Predators has generated significant buzz. While the rumors make theoretical sense, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun took a look at the speculation and called it “silly season” and noted that several factors complicate the possibility of such a trade.
What Can Maple Leafs Fans Expect From Craig Berube?
May 22, 2024 by The Old Prof
Craig Berube, born on Dec. 17, 1965, in Calahoo, Alberta, had a long career as a left-winger in the NHL, Western Hockey League (WHL), and the American Hockey League (AHL). At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Berube’s career spanned five NHL teams over parts of three decades.
