Toronto Maple Leafs

Which vets will Leafs keep or add to help their young core? Vegas dealing D
June 20, 2017, 2:52 PM ET [183 Comments]
Mike Augello
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The Toronto Maple Leafs march to the postseason was due in large part to a group of rookies enjoying success much sooner than many expected, but it was also due to veterans James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak, Leo Komarov, Matt Hunwick, Roman Polak and late season addition Brian Boyle contributing and providing guidance and support.

GM Lou Lamoriello faces a difficult task this summer, as these six players are either entering the final year of their contracts or will become unrestricted free agents on July 1. He and head coach Mike Babcock will have to determine whether bringing these players back will benefit the young core of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander or if the club can improve their chances of being competitive by adding other veterans available via free agency, trade or through Vegas in the Expansion Draft.

Van Riemsdyk scored 29 goals last season and is the Leafs best offensive weapon on the left side, but the question is whether the Leafs want to extend the 28-year-old or if he will accept a more team-friendly salary as Nazem Kadri, Nikita Zaitsev and Morgan Rielly have done.

Bozak had a career-high 55 points and Komarov was an important cog on Toronto’s checking line. With the injury to rookie Frederik Gauthier, the free agent status of Boyle and the lack of depth up the middle in the organization after Matthews and Kadri, it is hard to imagine the Leafs parting with Bozak. Komarov provides grittiness that is not in ample supply and his experience is valued by Babcock and his teammates.

Hunwick and Polak’s contribution became more evident as last season evolved and the veterans were trusted by Babcock to be the top penalty killing tandem down the stretch. Hunwick is 32 and still a good enough skater to stay with the pace of NHL, but interest in free agency from teams looking for a cost-effective bottom-pairing option may offer him more term and money than the Leafs will.

Polak suffered a broken leg early in the first round series vs Washington and is expected to be fully healed and ready to play by training camp, but there were concerns about the 31-year-old’s mobility before the injury.

Boyle’s experience and ability to win face-offs had a positive impact on the Leafs after being acquired from Tampa at the trade deadline, and the big center is open to coming back to Toronto, but the 32-year-old is looking for more than a one-year commitment on a new deal.

“There’s interest from me (in coming back to the Leafs) and we enjoyed our time.” Boyle said on TSN 1050’s Leafs Lunch . “I’m a product of the Maple Leafs right now and you have to wait and see. Every GM has decisions right now. Right now it’s between Rick Curran (Boyle’s agent) and Lou (Lamoriello).”

Decisions made on internal options will ultimately affect what the Leafs do externally. If they move van Riemsdyk for defensive help this summer, the Leafs have a number of short-term options to plug in as a top six forward.

Ilya Kovalchuk appears intent to return to the NHL, but the asking price for the 34-year-old winger would have to come down a bit to be in the Leafs price range. Veterans Patrick Marleau, Justin Williams, Jarome Iginla and Shane Doan are all 35 and over, but could be attracted to the prospect of playing in Toronto with a chance to win and play with Matthews or Kadri.

Marleau still has not signed a new deal with San Jose (where he has played 19 seasons) and has averaged 26 goals the last four seasons, Williams is a winner of three Stanley Cups (Carolina and Los Angeles) and scored 24 goals with Washington last season. Iginla has slowed down and his goal total dropped to 14 after three straight 20+ goal seasons, but the 39-year-old future Hall of Famer played for Babcock on Team Canada in 2010 and may have something left.

Doan was informed by the Arizona Coyotes that he would not be offered a new contract on Monday. The veteran winger had his worst goal total in 17 years, but the 40-year-old (who is the idol of Scottsdale native Matthews) indicated that he is not ready to quit.

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One interesting note out of Las Vegas, Golden Knights GM George McPhee said that he has completed at least six trades thus far and will be working on more before he makes his selections at 10am on Wednesday.

McPhee stated that he plans of claiming a bunch of defensemen and some will be moved in a trade. The Athletic’s David Alter reports that one of the GM’s that McPhee plans on speaking with is Lamoriello, who encountered travel issues getting to Nevada on Monday.

If the Leafs are looking to Vegas to be the middle man in a trade, the likely targets are 22-year-old Matt Dumba or veterans Dan Hamhuis (who played for Babcock on Team Canada in 2014) or Marc Methot.