​The Toronto Maple Leafs have been active this offseason, but there remains one major hole to address. The team has concentrated on adding depth to its bottom-six while also bringing in a star goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky. Yet, Toronto still could use an upgrade at center, since John Tavares is increasingly best suited as a third-line center or a second-line winger at this stage of his career.
Analyst Jonas Siegel of The Athletic noted that with the current construction, Tavares would still be penciled in as the second-line center, which he views as less than ideal. He wrote, “The Leafs GM made center ice a priority this offseason, though I’m not sure that a 1-4 of Matthews, Tavares, Paul, Sissons/Blueger and/or Roslovic is any better than last year’s pre-crash look of Matthews, Tavares, Nicolas Roy, Scott Laughton, and/or Domi. It’s a speedier bunch, and a little deeper in dependable options. … Until proven otherwise, Tavares remains at second-line center, which isn’t ideal as he enters his 18th NHL season. (If there’s a trade deadline need we’re talking about next spring, this is probably it.) But with more trustworthy options behind him, maybe the Leafs can finally lighten his defensive load in a meaningful way and even scale back his minutes slightly.” Despite adding centers Nick Paul, Colton Sissons, and Teddy Blueger, Tavares is still projected to be the team’s second-line center.
Tavares is entering the second year of his four-year contract worth $17.56 million. He posted 31 goals and 40 assists for 71 points in 82 games last season. In response to the need for deeper center depth, Toronto reinforced its center lineup, something general manager John Chayka prioritized. Chayka emphasized the importance of having strength down the middle as a core principle, noting that the team “scoured the center market. It is one of those positions where you never want to be caught in a position where you don’t have enough. Certainly, as we came in here, we felt like we needed to be better. We pursued everything.”
Meanwhile, Leafs’ GM reiterated that significant roster changes were necessary, and he acted accordingly. He stated, “We needed to make some significant changes to the roster construction, I’d say. As I said, we had some roles we needed to fill, and we needed to create some depth. Certainly, through the spine of our team now, we feel a lot better about our center position through the defense.” Toronto is aiming to reach the playoffs next season and return to Cup contention.
Chayka’s offseason moves reflect an overhaul of the Maple Leafs’ roster, with several notable actions shaping the team’s trajectory. Among the key decisions: winning the draft lottery and selecting Gavin McKenna first overall; signing and trading Darren Raddysh to an eight-year, $68 million deal; trading Erik Ersson to the Senators for a 2027 fifth-round pick; and trading Brandon Carlo to the Blues in exchange for the 73rd and 76th picks to improve search engine optimization and overall roster depth.