Between last night’s reported trade agreement to send Nikita Zaitsev to Ottawa in exchange for Zaitsev’s younger and arguably worse clone in Cody Ceci, Mitch Marner‘s ongoing contract negotiations and the bevvy of spaces left open on Toronto’s roster, this summer will not be a quiet one for Kyle Dubas.
At least, it shouldn’t be. The Maple Leafs need to improve. They need to evolve.
Even when deciding not to account for the fact that Justin Holl is their top RHD at the time of publication, the Maple Leafs were an undoubtedly flawed team dating back to last season, when they suffered a third game seven defeat by the Boston Bruins in the first round.