Quick takes on the Leafs offseason

It's going to be a busy offseason for Leafs management.

It's that time of year again where the Armchair GM web tool on CapFriendly is getting a ton of traffic from jaded Leafs fans who are once again looking for answers after yet another first round exit.

Here are some quick takes on the Leafs offseason:

Who has Domi returning? Is Tavares along the wall on the second line? Did you trade Marner to Nashville because everyone else has him going there?

At the end of the day, all this 'playing GM' stuff does is provide a sense of therapy because we'd all rather be full of anxiety in front of a TV watching the Leafs battle the Rangers in the third round.

Instead, we're wondering whether Juuse Saros is the savior between the pipes or if Seth Jones on a good team like the Leafs will be a difference maker on D. Now granted, it does feel a bit different this time around. I mean, it certainly appears from a distance that management has finally come to terms when it comes to the core.

Just listen to the tone and tenor to the end of season Leafs presser and Brendan Shanahan's reluctance to double down on a core that has continued to disappoint year after year. That, and the hiring of Craig Berube as head coach signifies to me a culture shift that will include significant roster change in the coming weeks ahead.

The Leafs will need another goaltender to play alongside Joseph Woll because there's not a soul alive who would confidently predict Ilya Samsonov returning. On defence, other than Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe and Simon Benoit, there's question marks and a LOT of open spots to fill. And up front, the biggest question mark is of course, Mitch Marner. Oh, and let's not forget the centre depth. Cue Phil the thrill... it's not good eh!

With that being said, embrace the crazy offseason ahead. It's going to be a wild ride. In the meantime, continue to follow us on X!