As the NHL season nears, all the analysis, speculation and projections that the off-season brings ultimately boil down to one question: have the Toronto Maple Leafs improved? That’s a tricky question to tackle at any juncture of an 82-game campaign, much less before a single puck has even dropped on the 2024-25 season.
Part of that challenge stems from the fact that there’s no accounting for key, critical factors in performance, such as internal development or decline, injuries and the relative development of the Maple Leafs’ opponents. One thing that could help glean insight, however, is assessing the roster turnover, looking at who’s in, who’s out and who is occupying which roles this season as compared to the last.
Rudimentary and over-simplified? Sure. But it also enables a re-framing of the team based on what they were and what they are now. After all, just because the ‘Core Four’ all remain in place does not mean that the organization hasn’t undergone any meaningful change since last spring’s first-round playoff ouster against the Boston Bruins. As Oct. 9 looms, let’s take a look at who has replaced who in the Maple Leafs lineup and if the club is better or worse for it.
In: Chris Tanev, Out: T.J. Brodie
Back in July, our own “Old Prof” performed a detailed analysis of Chris Tanev vs. T.J. Brodie, comparing one gritty 34-year-old veteran defenceman to another. Pointing to being superior defensively in both actual and expected goals against despite playing for a weaker team, the Prof ultimately concluded that Tanev was a considerably better player at this stage. The East York native has continued to improve into his mid-thirties, while Brodie clearly demonstrated that he had lost a step last season, even as he averaged 21:43 of ice time to finish second among Leafs’ skaters.
If Tanev’s play doesn’t crater in light of his move from the Dallas Stars to Toronto, then this marks a clear positional upgrade for the Maple Leafs. Based on Brodie’s level of play last season, the new Chicago Blackhawk certainly would not have been entrusted to occupy a slot alongside Morgan Rielly on the team’s top defensive pairing, which is exactly where Tanev is expected to debut.
In order to bolster their blue line with Tanev, the Maple Leafs had to offer a six-year deal, which will…
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