The Maple Leafs Have Both a Youth & a Roster Problem

The Toronto Maple Leafs are getting older. That’s probably not the most shocking thing you’ll hear about this team. The blue line is old, the goaltending is old, and the overall roster is going to be pretty veteran-heavy once the season gets going. But I think there’s another part of this story that is more interesting.

The Maple Leafs may have built a roster that doesn’t leave much room for the next generation. That’s a different problem.

Where will the Maple Leafs’ young players fit in?

There’s nothing wrong with having veteran players. In fact, if Toronto is serious about building a team that can handle playoff hockey, experience can be a pretty good thing. You want players who have been through the wars. You want guys who know what happens when the games get tight. But you also need some young legs coming through the door. And right now, the team may be asking their prospects to wait for that door to open.

Easton Cowan looks like the exception. He had a strong AHL playoff run, played 66 NHL games last season and now looks like he has a real chance to move into the top six. Artur Akhtyamov has also pushed himself into the picture in goal. But what about the next group?

Jacob Quillan. William Villeneuve. Ben Danford. Maybe another Marlie surprises somebody. That's where things could get interesting.

The Marlies won the Calder Cup. That means they have some good players.

The Marlies just won the Calder Cup, so you would think there should be a little pressure from underneath. And maybe there will be. But if the NHL roster is already packed with veterans on contracts that aren't going anywhere, a young player can have a pretty good season and still find himself waiting.

That's why I don't think this is necessarily a criticism of the Marlies. It may actually be a criticism of the NHL roster construction. If a prospect is good enough, you want him to make the team. You don't want to be sitting there in March saying, “Well, there's really nowhere to put him.”

Was Maple Leafs GM John Chayka a little too good in building depth?

And this is where John Chayka could face an interesting problem. The Maple Leafs don't have a bunch of unrestricted free agents coming off the books next summer. So if Cowan, Akhtyamov, Danford or somebody else forces the issue, management may have to create the opening itself. That could mean trading a veteran the team acquired only a year earlier. And I think that's exactly the kind of thing we should be watching.

Chayka has talked about building a roster with different kinds of players and different roles. But a good roster isn't just about the players you have today. It's also about leaving enough flexibility for the players you didn't know would be ready tomorrow. Maybe the Maple Leafs are older because they think this is the right team for this particular moment. That’s fair enough.

But if some of those young players start knocking loudly enough, Chayka is going to have to answer the door. And that could be where the real roster changes begin.