Boudreau’s Blunt Warning: Maple Leafs’ Overhauled Roster Still Flawed

It’s a new-look group on paper, but will it lead to more success?

The Maple Leafs looked revamped last year too, but struggled mightily with injuries to Woll and Stolarz, along with allowing way too many Grade-A chances. Their defense struggled to shut down opponents, and the Leafs tumbled down the standings. In the end, it was worth it, as the draft lottery luck rewarded them with the first overall pick.

As such, it’s fair to question whether significant change automatically leads to improved results.

Bruce Boudreau Rips Leafs Defence

The Maple Leafs’ revamped defence looks stronger on paper. They now have a true top power-play quarterback in Darren Raddysh, who brings a booming shot from the point—something the team has been searching for for years. Morgan Rielly remains in the mix and has provided steady service to the Leafs over the years. Oliver Ekman-Larsson can still be highly effective, provided injuries and age don’t catch up with him again this season. Jake McCabe offers reliability as a shutdown defender, while the team has solid depth in Troy Stecher, Philippe Myers, and Emil Andrae.

That said, there is still a sense that Rielly could be moved, which would open the door for Andrae to take on a significant role with the team.

The defence seems improved on paper, but according to long-time coach Bruce Boudreau, the Leafs are still too old and not good enough on the backend. Speaking on Leafs Morning Take last week, Bruce Boudreau was asked if the Leafs will make the playoffs. His response is damning:

“I really don’t think they will. I want them to, don’t get me wrong; there’s a big difference there, and I just don’t think their defence is good enough yet. I mean, I think it’s old, and with 84 games, I think it’s going to be tough sledding on those guys. Berube wanted to have a really good defensive team. Hiller and LA had a good defensive team, but I mean these guys have still got to get the puck to the forwards if they want to score, so you’ve got to play a little more upbeat, and I don’t think they can, and that worries me a little bit.”

Moves To Come

Boudreau makes some good points here. The Leafs’ defence is aging, with their top five averaging 32 years old. They also have 38-year-old Bobrovsky in net, which is all worrisome for injury concerns. Boudreau brings up 84 games, which I think is an under-discussed topic heading into the upcoming season. Andrae should help move the puck for the Leafs, but Boudreau does make a good point that the Leafs still lack puck movement from the backend.

It will be interesting to see what the Leafs decide to do with Rielly. They won’t likely get much in a deal, but the Oilers were able to get a young defenceman in Shakir Mukhamadullin for Darnell Nurse, so anything is possible. I am sure they will also stay on the lookout for a big trade, as I believe they need to bring in another top-four defenseman. Already this offseason, they have been linked to Zach Werenski , who nixed a trade to the Dallas Stars and now says he wants to stay in Columbus.

The Leafs will be a team to watch as the offseason progresses and moves into the season. They seem hell-bent on another big trade, and they seem pretty invested in trading Morgan Reilly and also Matthew Knies. A blockbuster including Knies would not surprise me as we move towards opening night.