Buffalo Sabres division rivals’ 2023 offseasons Part II: Leafs falling?
The Buffalo Sabres play the Toronto Maple Leafs four times in 2023. Did they gain ground on their Atlantic Division rival this offseason?
While the Buffalo Sabres watched the playoffs once more, the Toronto Maple Leafs broke their curse of perpetual losing in the first round, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning before they fell to the Florida Panthers. This caused turbulence in the Maple Leafs front office, and general manager Kyle Dubas left the organization.
Enter Brad Treliving, who made some quite questionable moves, to put things generously. Not that he’s giving the Sabres an edge just yet – we will find that out in the regular season. But you can question what exactly Treliving’s logic was this offseason.
For one, his key additions were Ryan Reaves, John Klingberg, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Max Domi. So let’s sum this up for a second: He signed an aging forward for three years in Reaves, plus a pair of underperformers this past season in Klingberg and Bertuzzi.
Bertuzzi went from scoring a solid 62 points in 68 games for the Detroit Red Wings in 2021-22 to scoring just 30 in 50 contests for the Wings and the Boston Bruins last season. He also logged just 19 takeaways and a career low in blocks (22) in a full season since 2017-18. This isn’t to say Bertuzzi can’t rediscover his stride, as he’s been an effective player in the past, but there is no denying he had a subpar year.
Buffalo Sabres division rival may have gotten weaker under Treliving
Max Domi has been a journeyman since his rookie season with the Arizona Coyotes in 2015-16. However, Domi was solid last year, scoring 56 points in 80 games with the Chicago Blackhawks and the Dallas Stars, with eight of his 20 goals occurring on the power play. Domi looked good in the faceoff circle last year, winning 53.7% of his draws. He also played well defensively, logging 65 takeaways.
The Maple Leafs also lost several key players that helped them reach the playoffs yet again this past season including Erik Gustafsson, Ryan O’Reilly, Alex Kerfoot, Noah Acciari, Michael Bunting, Luke Schenn, and Justin Holl. Despite these losses, Toronto still boasts a strong core, but there are a few question marks.
Major questions surround the Leafs
Last month, I wrote a piece wondering about the “holdup” regarding Rasmus Dahlin’s inevitable extension. And I think we’re all also wondering about what’s in store for Owen Power, and whether he opts for a long-term contract or decides to take a bridge deal to better set himself up for a payday when the cap increases.
These are questions most fans of the Buffalo Sabres are asking themselves, which is trivial compared to all the questions facing the Maple Leafs. As it stands, goaltender Matt Murray and blueliner Jake Muzzin are currently on injured reserve, and there is no clear-cut answer for when they may return. Murray’s status is the real head-scratcher, as Hockey-Reference simply has his injury listed as “undisclosed” since Toronto placed him onto the list in late July.
Toronto is also in the process of trying to extend star forward Auston Matthews this season, along with potentially William Nylander. But one look at Toronto’s overall projected cap space via Cap Friendly, and you can see why this is yet another huge question mark.
While it wouldn’t surprise me if Treliving somehow was able to hang onto Nylander, I can’t help but ask myself – at what expense? It’s a situation that I hope Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams doesn’t find himself in. At this point, it’s going to be a chess game to keep Nylander around long-term, as extending Matthews would and should be Treliving’s top priority here.
The Verdict
Right now, I want to say, “Yikes!” But until we see the Maple Leafs go to the wayside in the regular season, expect them to give the Buffalo Sabres all they can handle, as this could be the Leafs last stand unless they make some serious moves in 2024 to keep the band together.
Buffalo also plays them at four distinct times this season, with the first meeting occurring in early November, and the last, on March 30th, when both teams should be playing meaningful games. Toronto blew out the Sabres twice last season, and they will once again bring a formidable unit not only against the Blue and Gold, but when they faceoff against the league’s other 30 teams.
Sabres division rivals’ 2023 offseasons Part I: Florida vulnerable?. light. Related Story
However, given their overall spotty offseason, plus their potential cap issues, and the need to try and extend a pair of core pieces, 2024-25 could be a different story. It’s going to be interesting, to say the least, of how this plays out, but for the time being, let’s focus on the here and now.
Source: Atlantic Division summer outlook: Leafs will try it again, Tampa Bay looking for one more Lightning strike by Mike Harrington, Buffalo News
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)