Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 players who are likely to leave in the offseason

Ilya Mikheyev

The Maple Leafs will probably look to use a large portion of their cap space this summer to improve their defense and part of this includes letting go of Ilya Mikheyev.

Mikheyev is 27 years old and has not played an NHL shift with another team. He has improved each year and had his best season in 2021-2022 for the Leafs. Despite his progress, the Maple Leafs have a high powered offense and used over 40 percent of their salary cap for their top three superstars.

Auston Mathews, Mitch Marner and John Tavares are all set to make over $10 million next season and William Nylander is set to bring in almost $7 million. The team will inevitably have to replace either Mikheyev or Alex Kerfoot to adequately pay for their defensive and goaltending pairings and Kerfoot is the more reliable option.

Kerfoot played in every single game for the Leafs this season and broke out with a career-high 51 points. He also finished with the highest plus-minus of his career and stayed out of the penalty box. Kerfoot is an expensive player but his impact for the leafs second line is clear.

The Maple Leafs have plenty of young talent and seem confident that William Nylander and Alex Kerfoot can fill the skates of Mikheyev’s departure in the offseason. Otherwise, a trade could be in order to move one of the Maple Leafs top-six forwards.

Petr Mrazek

The last player on our list had an extremely disappointing season and he’s the highest-paid goaltender on the roster. Petr Mrazek played in 20 games this season and finished with the worst save percentage and highest goals allowed per game of his career. The Leafs goalie also finished the season with no shutouts.

Petr Mrazek has two more years remaining on his contract with Toronto but the $3.8 million cap hit should be reason enough to move him in the offseason.

Mrazek is 30 years old with plenty of experience in the NHL and in the playoffs. At his best, Mzarek finished with a save percentage of 92.3 percent with the Hurricanes in 2020-2021. The team will likely trade him in the offseason for a couple of picks or developing prospects.

This should be a very active offseason for the Maple Leafs after their early playoff exit. Expect some new depth pieces, new defensive pairings, and especially a new netminder at the start of next season. The front office will be doing everything in its power to bring hope to a fanbase currently in agony. Things may feel gloomy in Toronto but if the young core is retained, this team will be competing for a title for years.