Major Update to Maple Leafs Roster Ahead of Camp

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Maple Leafs aren’t done adding to their roster.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had an active offseason, but it appears they aren’t done.

The Maple Leafs dealt Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade in their big offseason move. Toronto also added the likes of Mattias Maccelli, Nic Roy, and Dakota Joshua to the forward group.

Yet, the Maple Leafs could still use another top-six forward, and NHL insider James Mirtle of The Athletic expects Toronto to add another forward before training camp.

“The front office is still looking for that upgrade up front,” Mirtle wrote. “I don’t expect Matias Maccelli, Roy and Dakota Joshua to be it for forward add. Especially considering at least two of them should be in the bottom six. And the biggest reason Carlo could go the other way: Toronto doesn’t have a lot else to trade. And, a huge RD has a lot of value for other teams.”

Mirtle points to Brandon Carlo as a potential trade chip for the Maple Leafs to acquire a forward.

The Maple Leafs also have a plethora of defenseman. So trading from an area of strength makes sense for Toronto to add an impact forward.

But, with training camp set to open up this month, time is running out for the Maple Leafs to make a move for the season opener.

Maple Leafs Want Another Puck-Moving Defenseman

Not only are the Maple Leafs looking to add an impact forward, but Toronto could also use another defenseman.

Despite the Maple Leafs having nine NHL-caliber defenseman, Mirtle believes the team is looking for an upgrade.

Mirtle believes Toronto is looking to add an impact puck-moving defenseman, which could mean the Maple Leafs trade away a defenseman.

“The other thing is the Leafs have six pretty solid established NHL D right now in Chris Tanev, Jake McCabe, Morgan Rielly, Carlo, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Simon Benoit,” Mirtle wrote. “They’d like to somehow get another puck mover back there, which would mean moving one of the more defensive types out.

“Part of the reason they got hemmed in against the Panthers in the playoffs was their inability to handle Florida’s forecheck, and that comes back to the Leafs’ struggles breaking out, moving the puck and maintaining pressure in the offensive zone,” Mirtle added. “Treliving and Berube have to solve that somehow, or they’ll just be hoping to get luckier next spring.

Toronto has Rielly, Carlo, Ekman-Larsson, Tanev, McCabe, and Benoit as its six defenseman. Henry Thurn, Philippe Myers, and Matt Benning will compete for the seventh defenseman on the roster, with the other two going to the AHL or being trade candidates.

Toronto Linked to Jack Roslovic

If Toronto does add a forward in free agency, it could very well be Jack Roslovic.

The Maple Leafs have been linked to Roslovic all offseason. It had been rumored that Toronto needed to move some salary and players out before signing Roslovic, which still is the case.

Roslovic could compete for a top-six role with the Maple Leafs and add some secondary scoring to the roster.

Roslovic recorded 22 goals and 17 assists for 39 points in 81 games last season with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Cole Shelton Cole Shelton covers the NHL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has covered pro and college sports since 2016, including bylines at BJ Penn, USA Today, SB Nation, Rotowire, Canadian Baseball Network and more. More about Cole Shelton