The Toronto Maple Leafs are getting ready for a big offseason following another postseason letdown. Toronto dropped Game 7 at home to the Florida Panthers, and they now face the reality of the roster heavily changing next season.
The Maple Leafs have a few key players entering into free agency, and the front office will need to figure out how to manage everything. One of the biggest reasons that Toronto ultimately fell to the Panthers was the play from the defenseman.
The Maple Leafs' defenders struggled to push the puck up on offense, limiting the overall chances the team had. One way to fix this could be by looking at defender Noah Dobson of the New York islanders.
Dobson is scheduled to be a restricted free agent this summer and could be a massive addition for Toronto. Joe Yerdon of Bleacher Report listed the Maple Leafs as a landing spot for the defender.
"He generates offense and handles the puck with ease. Rielly is still good and capable of that for Toronto, but it was hard to see him struggle to do that against Florida in the second round....fixing that issue with Dobson would be a dream for Leafs management."
The former first-round draft pick had a solid 2024-25 season, scoring 10 goals and 29 assists for the Islanders. His ability to help generate offensive scoring chances could make a big difference come playoff time for this team.
No matter what the Maple Leafs do this summer, changes need to be made. This unit can't afford to keep messing around, and the fans have started to get frustrated by the lack of playoff success year in and year out.
More must-reads: