Matthews and Nylander went to management with a specific demand and every Leafs fan needs to hear it
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Auston Matthews and William Nylander have demands for how to fix the team, and fans are going to be excited to hear it's exactly what they've needed for years.
It's not too surprising to see that the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking at some big changes this summer. Going from Atlantic Division champs to the basement is not exactly a great look and it brought about serious questions about leadership, coaching, and roster construction.
Obviously there are some seriously talented players on the roster still like Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Matthew Knies, John Tavares, and Easton Cowan; but then you have the Morgan Rielly's and Max Domi's of the world that don't really offer much anymore especially for their price.
They are going to need to make some tough decisions, but they are for the better and it sounds like they are also having to make sure they acquiesce to some demands from their top two players.
Both Matthews and Nylander have demands for the new Maple Leafs front office
TSN's Darren Dreger brought up the fact that both Auston Matthews and William Nylander explicitly stated to management that there needs to be a priority on the Maple Leafs adding both some tougher top-six bodies and some serious puck-movers on the back end:
What I was told...William Nylander and Auston Matthews told both coach and management, look, we believe in this team...we gotta add some players, we gotta bring in a couple dogs up front...and we need two mobile defensemen.
A couple of dogs are exactly who the Maple Leafs need as they have to have a few guys who are willing to not only take a bullet or two for the team, but also inflict a little bit of punishment come playoff time.
But the biggest key might be on the back end, as there's so much that can improve offensively just by virtue of giving Matthews and Nylander the proper players behind them who can effectively move the puck.
It's great to see that the two top stars are taking the initiative and both imploring management to get some better pieces despite perhaps having some conflicting thoughts on next season.
What would the demands from Nylander and Matthews look like?
Well in terms of getting some dogs up front, that could range from getting a star like Brady Tkachuk or Tom Wilson; to going a bit down the list and trying to nab someone like Will Cuylle. You're looking for guys who will sacrifice themselves for not only the captain, but put their body on the line in any regard.
It's a shame Sam Bennett had to re-sign with Florida as he would have been the perfect addition. If they want to splurge this summer they could try and throw a blank cheque at Alex Tuch and see if he'd be willing to jump ship from Buffalo; he also has the offensive and defensive talent to give Matthews everything he needs.
On the back end you're looking at a couple names but the one that has popped up most is Darren Raddysh. A free agent looking for a big payday, his ability to run an offence and give Toronto an actual point threat is invaluable. He finally broke through offensively and his 48 assists will certainly improve Toronto's goal-scoring.
He finished the season with 70 points when his highest was 37; he's shown exactly why he deserves the money. If Bobby McMann was a late blooming forward — Raddysh is his defensive parallel.
Finding someone who can run the power-play, give their stars a chance to thrive and also protect their own end is the key to improving the team overall, and adding those feisty friends up top is only going to make things harder for opponents.
The captain and his crew has demands. It's either follow along, or get ready to walk the plank.
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Nylander and Matthews answered the same question very differently and one of those answers should worry Leafs
Nylander and Matthews answered the same question very differently and one of those answers should worry Leafs
Previously on Hockey Patrol