Huge Signing Up North

There's no doubt that the Toronto Maple Leafs have a goal in mind. Like every team, they want to win a Stanley Cup. And why not, Toronto has been waiting the longest. The Leafs haven't won the Cup since their last title all the way back in 1967. Toronto is hoping to change that in the near future, locking up their offensive core. They've already signed, Tavares Matthews, Marner to long term deals. now they add William Nylander to that list. Nylander signed an eight year extension with Toronto worth $92 Million.

There's no doubt Nylander has major offensive upside and this is a good deal for him. But it leaves one to wonder.

Toronto has a lot of money locked up in only a handful of guys that they're trying to build around. I get that. But in the salary cap era, that not really gonna help bring a title to town. Especially with bigger pieces still needed by the Leafs if they're going to make anything happen come spring time. The core four that the Leafs have, which is now Tavares, Matthews, Marner and now Nylander will be eating up over $40 million of Toronto's cap space starting next season.

Look, there's no doubt that Nylander is worth his paycheck. He's become an elite level player in this league. 484 points in 558 games in the NHL for Nylander. The last two years have seen him hit 80 points or more, including a 40 goal season last year. He's well on his way to that again this year, with 54 points in 37 games, as of this writing. They guy has finally hit his stride as a scorer at this level and will help keeping the Toronto offense moving.

That's an issue though. I'm not taking anything away from what the Leafs can do as an offensive hockey club. There's no doubt that they've got the horses to put the puck in the back of the net. That's never been called into question. What is being called into question is the paydays here. Toronto has a lot of money locked up into four guys. None of it is locked up into reliable goaltending. Which, as we all know, is critical come playoff hockey. That's what's been holding the Leafs back on long playoff runs for a long time. Its been either in net or on the blueline.

Now why is this story a big deal? Well the obvious reason is the Leafs lock up a star. But it also goes to show a model of what the Leafs feel they need to do to win. Look at what the Lightning have done over the years. The Bolts have built long term playoff success by not only keeping the core stars, but being able to build around them. Toronto hasn't done that and won't be doing it really. That's what's going to be holding them back. They had better try and find help through say the draft or a trade to fix or mend or whatever you want to call it the goaltending and defense.