{"id":538751,"date":"2026-04-03T16:45:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T16:45:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/538751\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T16:45:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T16:45:16","slug":"friday-four-what-can-maple-leafs-learn-from-recent-retools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/538751\/","title":{"rendered":"Friday Four:\u00a0What can Maple Leafs learn\u00a0from\u00a0recent retools?"},"content":{"rendered":"

There weren\u2019t many concrete statements that came out of Keith Pelley\u2019s press conference from earlier this week. The\u00a0president of MLSE took to the podium a day after relieving general manager\u00a0Brad Treliving of his duties\u00a0to address the\u00a0path for the Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> going forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pelley touched on things like making sure a new front office has a focus on data\u00a0and improving the culture, though much of that was vague\u00a0and\u00a0with the steps of how to get there\u00a0unclear.\u00a0However, where Pelley did leave\u00a0no room for interpretation was\u00a0about retooling the roster. He made it crystal clear\u00a0the Leafs won\u2019t be rebuilding, citing foundational pieces on the roster they can build around in\u00a0Auston Matthews and William Nylander.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a bold proclamation to make without a general manager, and potentially without a president, in place.\u00a0Toronto\u00a0is devoid of draft capital and young prospects,\u00a0has a roster full of holes\u00a0and its biggest star is under contract for only\u00a0two more seasons. Trying to make a bunch of potentially short-sighted moves to get Matthews to extend could be foolhardy and set the franchise back even further if things don\u2019t work\u00a0out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even if\u00a0it does seem challenging,\u00a0organizations\u00a0around the league pull it off all the time\u00a0and make bold\u00a0or under-the-radar moves to get them going back on the right trajectory.\u00a0Let\u2019s look at a few teams\u00a0who have retooled recently\u00a0and what elements or strategies they used to make it successful.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Boston Bruins:\u00a0Don\u2019t settle for just picks<\/p>\n

The Bruins seem like a good bet to get back to the\u00a0playoffs this year after a rare miss last season.\u00a0Part of their resurgence was fuelled by the Leafs themselves, thanks to the\u00a0infamous Brandon Carlo trade at last year\u2019s deadline that is quickly looking like a lopsided win for the Bruins.\u00a0Boston received Toronto\u2019s first-round pick\u00a0this summer, which was only top-five protected. Based on where the Leafs are in the standings, that could end up being a massive\u00a0get for the Bruins\u00a0and something that might have ultimately doomed Treliving.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, the other part of the Carlo trade is what\u2019s helping Boston at the moment.\u00a0The talented, young Fraser Minten also came over from Toronto in the swap\u00a0and he\u2019s\u00a0the Bruins’ No. 1 centre. He\u2019s probably not\u00a0a\u00a0top-line centre\u00a0on a Cup contender, but Minten\u00a0should develop into\u00a0a solid two-way forward,\u00a0nonetheless. They also brought back Casey Mittelstadt and Marat Khusnutdinov at last year\u2019s deadline along\u00a0with Minten. All three\u00a0are\u00a0under 28 years old, playing in Boston\u2019s top six and will finish the season somewhere between 15-20 goals.\u00a0Then there\u2019s Viktor Arvidsson, who the Bruins\u00a0acquired last summer for only a fifth-round pick. That small, low-risk investment has netted them 24 goals\u00a0and counting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Boston used the 2025 trade deadline to get younger and refresh its roster immediately,\u00a0instead\u00a0of\u00a0just pursuing future draft picks. The Bruins haven\u2019t even made the picks they\u00a0got back for Carlo and Brad Marchand\u00a0yet, but Minten, Khusnutdinov\u00a0and Mittelstadt are already helping.\u00a0This is perhaps a misstep the Leafs made a few weeks ago, when they sold off a few pieces\u00a0if they were eyeing a retool.\u00a0The Leafs\u00a0got only picks back for Nic Roy, Scott Laughton and Bobby McMann, instead of at least a couple of players who might be able to contribute\u00a0as early as next season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Toronto could take this lesson\u00a0with it into the off-season, though. If the\u00a0new regime\u00a0decides to move on from Nick Robertson, Matias Maccelli,\u00a0Max Domi or Simon Benoit, let’s say,\u00a0the Leafs could try to target\u00a0a player who has maybe fallen out of favour with their organization instead of a late-round pick.\u00a0Use your scouting department to identify someone\u00a0who freshens up your\u00a0roster, even if they only end up playing in your middle or bottom six. In a retool situation, a player like that will be more valuable than a draft pick that has a slim chance of turning into anything years down the line.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Penguins: Walking a fine line<\/p>\n

Ironically, one of the best\u00a0options to lead the Leafs through a retool might be Treliving\u2019s predecessor. Kyle Dubas has done a masterful job putting the Penguins in\u00a0a spot to qualify for the playoffs this spring after three years out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh’s\u00a0and Toronto\u2019s\u00a0situations have some similarities. The Penguins were trying to make the\u00a0team more competitive in hopes of giving Sidney Crosby another playoff run, but while also simultaneously building for the future. Dubas has\u00a0walked\u00a0that fine line\u00a0well\u00a0and the Leafs might have to do something similar when it comes to Matthews. If the idea is to improve the team so Matthews signs an extension, what happens if it doesn\u2019t work?\u00a0You don\u2019t want to invest more\u00a0significant\u00a0draft capital, term or cap dollars in\u00a0the\u00a0team if Matthews ends up leaving\u00a0in a year anyway, and then you\u2019re in an obvious rebuild.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dubas’ Penguins\u00a0still have all their first-round picks\u00a0in the next four drafts and have accumulated a combined\u00a015 selections over the second and third rounds\u00a0over that span, while adding key pieces to the roster at the same time. He\u2019s done so by finding hidden gems and buying low on\u00a0players\u00a0who\u00a0fit into the Penguins’ future timeline, who can also help them today. Drafting\u00a0Ben Kindel 11th\u00a0overall last year didn\u2019t hurt either. Kindel has\u00a0been a huge contributor for the Pens,\u00a0with 17 goals\u00a0and\u00a0holding down a middle-six centre spot all season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"3232 Thoughts: The Podcast<\/p>\n

Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.<\/p>\n

Latest episode<\/a><\/p>\n

As far as the additions go, Anthony Mantha, Parker Wotherspoon\u00a0and Yegor Chinakhov have been found money.\u00a0Dubas signed Mantha to a one-year, $2.5-million deal\u00a0last\u00a0summer, which was a win-win situation\u00a0for the Pens. In a worst-case scenario, Pittsburgh could\u2019ve shipped Mantha off at the deadline for a draft pick, but in a\u00a0best-case scenario, he\u2019s scored 30 goals for the Pens this season and has been one of their best forwards.\u00a0Wotherspoon\u00a0was inked for two years with a $1-million\u00a0AAV and is averaging more than 20 minutes a night next to Erik Karlsson on Pittsburgh\u2019s\u00a0top pair.\u00a0Meanwhile, Chinakhov, who was floundering in Columbus, has scored\u00a017\u00a0goals in 38\u00a0games since arriving in Pittsburgh.\u00a0<\/p>\n

None of those acquisitions were\u00a0risky, cost much or took anything away from the Pens future.\u00a0The Leafs need to look for a few of those this off-season that may come cheap and could have an immediate impact. Someone like Frank Vatrano,\u00a0who\u00a0had 80 goals over the previous three seasons, doesn\u2019t seem to be a favourite of Joel Quenneville’s in Anaheim.\u00a0His ice time and role have dropped significantly.\u00a0Dmitri Voronkov, who has been scratched\u00a0recently in Columbus,\u00a0is a big\u00a0body who can score and is still only 25. Could either of them be had for a reasonable price? Both Voronkov and Vatrano\u00a0could jolt the roster and wouldn\u2019t be anchors if the Leafs have to eventually tear it all down after all.\u00a0<\/p>\n

New York Islanders:\u00a0Flipping a switch overnight<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be blunt. The Isles have really\u00a0only\u00a0turned things around\u00a0because of an improbable lottery win last year that landed them Matthew Schaefer. New York had just a 3.5 per cent chance to secure the No. 1 pick, but the lottery\u00a0balls landed in their favour and now they appear\u00a0to be on a rapid ascension after attaching themselves to Schaefer\u2019s rocket ship.\u00a0The\u00a02024-25\u00a0Islanders\u00a0felt like one of the stalest teams in the league but virtually\u00a0overnight they\u2019ve become one of its most exciting, thanks to Schaefer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The reason I mention the Islanders here is because Toronto\u2019s first-round pick in June in\u00a0tenuously hanging in the balance. If the Leafs fall anywhere outside the top five,\u00a0the pick goes to Boston in the aforementioned Carlo deal, but if they\u00a0sit inside the top five after the lottery, they get to keep it.\u00a0Pelley was steadfast\u00a0in his stance that the Leafs\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0tank, though if you watch the impact Schaefer and Macklin Celebrini have had this season, it seems paramount the Leafs do everything\u00a0they can to keep their selection.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, that would mean\u00a0the Leafs would lose their first-round pick in the 2027 and 2028 drafts if they keep it this year, but it could be worth it. The first few\u00a0projected 2026 picks could be\u00a0major\u00a0difference-makers, and if you\u00a0could\u00a0get one of Ivar Stenberg,\u00a0Gavin McKenna, Chase Reid or Keaton\u00a0Verhoeff, they may\u00a0be able to help the Leafs as soon as next season.\u00a0Banking on one of them now would be a wise move because the next two drafts may not be as deep\u00a0or strong.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a difference between tanking and doing what makes the most sense for a franchise\u2019s long-term future. The Florida Panthers have been beaten up from a long season\u00a0and three deep playoff runs in a row, so they are\u00a0shutting down several key players for the remainder of the season to help ensure they finish in the bottom 10 to keep their pick.\u00a0Those players\u00a0are\u00a0no doubt banged-up, so why not get a look at some younger Panthers and let those established talents\u00a0get an earlier start on the off-season.<\/p>\n

No one is advocating for losing intentionally, although the Leafs could be using this same strategy\u00a0as the Panthers\u00a0in some situations. Matthew Knies has been battling something all season that gets better rest, so why\u00a0not give him a night off here and there, and see what you have in a couple of AHL players.\u00a0Or, better yet, do John Tavares and Nylander still need to be playing 20-plus minutes a night in a lost season?\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Leafs are\u00a0three\u00a0points up on fifth-to-last, even after winning three of their past five games.\u00a0While there are no guarantees in the lottery, giving themselves the best odds at landing\u00a0a top-five pick over the final half dozen games\u00a0could be pivotal to the future of the franchise.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Florida Panthers: Being bold\u00a0and aggressive<\/p>\n

OK, hear me out on this one.\u00a0The Panthers might not be the first team that comes to mind when you think retool, but they are arguably the best example of it in recent memory. A retool doesn\u2019t just have to apply\u00a0to a team that has taken a step back\u00a0and Florida\u00a0reshaped\u00a0its roster over the past few years despite being a perennial playoff team.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Panthers general manager Bill Zito took over before the 2020-21 season\u00a0and\u00a0has consistently been adding to the roster ever since.\u00a0He started by\u00a0signing Carter Verhaeghe for pennies on the dollar, bought low on Sam Bennett and claimed Gustav Forsling on waivers. But even though the Panthers were improving quickly, Zito wasn\u2019t satisfied.\u00a0After winning the Presidents\u2019 Trophy\u00a0following the 2021-22 campaign, he replaced head coach Andrew Brunette\u00a0with\u00a0Paul Maurice and traded a 115-point player in Jonathan Huberdeau\u00a0for Matthew Tkachuk. If that\u2019s not a retool, I don\u2019t know what is.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Granted, Florida did a lot of its heavy lifting in a different landscape.\u00a0The Panthers built much of their roster through trades and free-agent signings, capitalizing on players teams had to offload in a flat-cap world.\u00a0Free agency is becoming thinner and thinner every year,\u00a0with\u00a0teams\u00a0prioritizing keeping their own players, and with the cap now rising, there will be fewer impact cap casualties\u00a0for organizations to pounce on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still,\u00a0Zito\u2019s bold mentality can still be channelled today.\u00a0Despite having some success,\u00a0he\u00a0didn\u2019t believe the Panthers couldn\u2019t\u00a0win the Cup with the status quo\u00a0and wanted to create a different culture. Since then, Florida has been\u00a0unstoppable in the playoffs and has become the toughest team to play against.\u00a0Trading Huberdeau was risky but Zito obviously felt\u00a0it\u00a0was worth it. The new front office\u00a0in Toronto\u00a0will have to ask similar questions. Can the Leafs still win by building a team around the foundational pieces Pelley was referring to?<\/p>\n

Someone like Nylander\u00a0has been polarizing throughout his time with the Leafs.\u00a0Nylander possesses immense skill and talent but\u00a0will\u00a0his\u00a0indifferent and\u00a0nonchalant\u00a0nature\u00a0at times\u00a0conflict with\u00a0the\u00a0new culture a front office will try to create?\u00a0He has full trade protection,\u00a0and this isn\u2019t to advocate for a deal,\u00a0though he\u2019s closing in on 30 and would\u00a0undoubtedly return a haul if he was available. If the Leafs could make a hockey trade involving Nylander and return a top-pair defenceman and\u00a0a young second-line centre, is that something they would consider?<\/p>\n

These are uncomfortable conversations, but the Leafs\u00a0are in the position they are in now\u00a0because they\u2019ve been petrified of change and leaned on complacency.\u00a0Florida has gone the opposite route and the Panthers’ boldness\u00a0in\u00a0overhauling their roster has\u00a0taken them to another level.<\/p>\n

Anytime you make significant changes within your organization, it\u2019s going to come with risk, and the Leafs will have to decide how much of it they are willing take.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There weren\u2019t many concrete statements that came out of Keith Pelley\u2019s press conference from earlier this week. The\u00a0president…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":538752,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5106],"tags":[5,20,5172,4,66,31,5171],"class_list":{"0":"post-538751","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-toronto-maple-leafs","8":"tag-hockey","9":"tag-maple-leafs","10":"tag-mapleleafs","11":"tag-nhl","12":"tag-toronto","13":"tag-toronto-maple-leafs","14":"tag-torontomapleleafs"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116341790258401922","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=538751"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538751\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/538752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=538751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=538751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=538751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}