The Toronto Maple Leafs are more than one or two players away from being a serious playoff contender in coming seasons. Frankly, fans should focus on 2016-17 rather than this upcoming season, as the club will be hard-pressed to be competitive next season.
Young players like Morgan Rielly must be nurtured, and players like Nazem Kadri and Jake Gardiner deserve more time to continue in their development. Younger players like Josh Leivo and Frederik Gauthier are going to be knocking on the door to get regular NHL duty soon, but patience must be the order of the day for the entire organization.