After 2 straight seasons in the playoffs, and with a round won in each of them, the Leafs are hoping to take that next step and push into the group of serious contenders. To get there, the focus this off-season was in shaving some cap room to add more depth. Last year the team struggled to get 3 strong lines, nevermind 4. This year they have addressed the forward depth by trading RW Brock Boeser but replacing him with 2 RW's which improves the scoring depth. Ryan Spooner brings experience and playmaking and Brendan Perlini brings a swiss-army knife assortment of skills including back to back 23+ goal scoring seasons. The biggest loss was now retired, Vezina-nominated netminder Erik Ersberg who was nothing short of spectacular in his 2nd go around with the Leafs. The team hoped they have filled that giant hole with the addition of Pavel Francouz. The 36 year old has been consistently good throughout his career, and with the resigning of Eddie Lack, the team feel confident that goaltending will not be their Achilles heel. The team strength however is defense. Despite waiving veteran Erik Johnson in a cap-cutting measure the D-core looks very good, and the potential is outstanding. Jussi Valimaki in just his 2nd season got a Norris finalist nod, and former 1st overall pick Owen Power goes into his 2nd season with a ton of upside. Factor in veteran's Jonas Brodin and Aaron Ekblad, and the top 4 stands with just about any other team in the league. young monster Mathias Samuelsson also made the team out of camp, and has the potential to be a top shutdown player in the future.
9/6/2023 - 390 words
