Breaking Down The Offseason Moves for the 2024-2025 Toronto Maple Leafs

First off, we need to see what went out and was brought in for the Maple Leafs this offseason.

D Chris Tanev
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson
D Jani Hakanpaa
G Anthony Stolarz
D Dakota Mermis
D Philippe Myers
F Alex Nylander

F Kyle Clifford
D Mark Giordano
D John Klingberg
D Joel Edmundson
D TJ Brodie
D Jake Muzzin
D Ilya Lyubushkin
F Tyler Bertuzzi
G Ilya Samsonov

That's a lot of flowing parts, and a quick glance at the roster shuffle shows the mindset of GM Brad Treliving and coach Craig Berube: Hit Big. Be Big.

The additions of Tanev and Hakanpaa help immensely as the Leafs lacked any shutdown defensive measures last season and the reliance on Klingberg, Edmundson and Brodie who all had brutal seasons hurt them big time. With Tanev at 6'2 and Hakanpaa at an astounding 6'7, they bring a menacing presence to the Leafs defence. Not to mention the Leafs hoping they can reclaim some OEL magic as well from their new defenseman even if it's a glimpse of old.

Anthony Stolarz is an immediate upgrade over Samsonov, and brings a Championship winning mentality to a team who is just settling into their own with a new #1 goaltender in Joseph Woll. Though signed as a backup, he could see heavy minutes if Woll struggles or goes down with injury. Stolarz this past season posted a 16-7-2 record to go along with a 2.03 GAA and .925 save percentage as a backup; very strong numbers compared to Samsonov who had a 23-7-8 record with a 3.13 GAA and .894 save percentage.

The recent addition of Nylander through the Marlies helps increase the Leafs depth, and giving him the ability to flourish (maybe not alongside brother William, but in the same game) could be a key signing that is talked about for the entire season. Nylander found his footing last season with Columbus after being acquired from Pittsburgh, scoring 11 goals and 4 assists including the fastest hat-trick in Blue Jackets history. Leafs fans hope that he can continue this style of play and provide an offensive spark to their bottom-6.

The Maple Leafs clearly had a gameplan in mind this offseason with their attention drawn to big beefy bodies who can dish out and receive hits, block shots and intimidate opposing players while also adding by subtraction by eliminating the issues that plagued the Maple Leafs so much last season.

It will be fun to watch, just make sure you've got your popcorn. It's almost showtime.