Former NHLer Chris Pronger breaks down the Maple Leafs' biggest problem
Photo credit: James Guillory - USA Today Sports
The Maple Leafs have several key problems to address and Chris Pronger broke down exactly what's been on the minds of the fan base fans for years.
In Kyle Dubas' defense, when he signed John Tavares to his lucrative 7-year deal, the salary cap was supposed to continue to grow. Unfortunately, COVID-19 ravaged the league, forced it to shut down for a time, and then it re-opened with a stagnant cap that was several million dollars less than what it supposed to jump to. That, in it of itself, was the downfall of the Toronto Maple Leafs' roster construction.
The Leafs found a way to make things work by keeping their Core 4 locked in this entire time but it has led to very little on-ice success, which has then translated to the hockey world being able to mock, laugh at, and point out their biggest flaw.
Hall-of-Fame defenseman and former Stanley Cup champion Chris Pronger recently joined "The Cam & Strick Podcast" to discuss a myriad of topics, including the Maple Leafs and why they have yet to make the waves in the postseason. The problem? Roster construction.
"It's all going to depend on what they do with the roster. They're going to do something. They clearly can't come back with the same roster. You can't pay 4 forwards over half the cap. So if you do that and you have two good defense pairings and two good lines on the other team, they cancel out, now who's going to score? And I understand people are going to say, well defense hasn't been an issue, but scoring was too. If you don't have depth scoring in the playoffs - you might be able to win in the regular season but in the playoffs you're not winning... If you live and die by the power play and you don't get power plays, how are you going to win."
Paying Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares a large portion of the team's salary cap has, of course, hurt their chances to address depth and secondary scoring. As Pronger points out, if Matthews, Marner and Nylander are being cancelled out by the opposition's best and aren't contributing on the scoreboard, then you need depth scoring, which they unfortunately don't have an abundance of.
Leafs general manager Brad Treliving did not address his depth scoring this summer in a head scratching move but the idea remains that he's either confident in his in-house options or he will peruse the market for a late-summer signing like Max Pacioretty.
The Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers for example were built on superstars but had an abundance of riches in depth all throughout the lineup, which was a key component as to why they went as far as they did last year.
It's going to be very interesting to see how Treliving handles the cap situation this year - and next summer - when Marner and Tavares are due for new contracts that could once again put a wrench in their roster construction.
Source for the interview: The Cam & Strick Podcast
Chris Pronger breaks down the Leafs roster issues
Chris Pronger breaks down the Leafs roster issues
| POLL | ||
31 AOUT | 301 ANSWERS Former NHLer Chris Pronger breaks down the Maple Leafs' biggest problem What is the Maple Leafs' biggest roster issue? | ||
| Lack of depth | 61 | 20.3 % |
| Too much reliance on the Core 4 | 111 | 36.9 % |
| Goaltending | 61 | 20.3 % |
| Lack of a star defenseman | 68 | 22.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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