After a 2nd straight playoff appearance, and 2nd round knockout, the Leafs hope to both continue their playoff streak and get to the Conference Finals next season. In a conference stacked with good teams, even a playoff berth is far from a guarantee, and the job gets tougher with team MVP and Vezina Candidate Erik Ersberg calling it a career. Going into next season the club has no senior goalie on the roster and the best prospect, Ukko-Pekka Luukkenen does not look ready yet for more then backup duties. The other big challenge in the off-season is the re-signing of several key RFAs. Jack Eichel, Logan Brown, Brock Boeser and Aaron Ekblad all need new contracts and it will be complicated to get them all signed and still have money to improve the team. The Leafs really struggled with their forward depth last year, particularly because they were so close to the cap, they couldn't necessarily dress the optimal bottom 6. On a brighter note, the team does have 3 1st round selections this year which will help to restock the farm system that has been steadily dipped into over the past couple of years, and both Nick Robertson and Olvier Wahlstrom up front and Mattias Samuelsson on the blueline (as well as the aforementioned goalie Luukkenen) all are well positioned to challenge for a roster spot.
4/8/2023 - 232 words
