Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka said he is not done making moves to improve his hockey club for next season and beyond.
Chayka was hard at work on July 1, the first day of NHL free agency, pulling off a slew of free-agent signings plus make a few trades. The biggest free-agent signing was goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, whom Chayka signed to a three-year, $21 million deal, but he also signed several important depth forwards and made a couple of shrewd trades, as well.
Overall, it was a very successful day for Chayka — but he promises he’s not done, as he continues to try and look for ways to make the Maple Leafs better.
John Chayka Not Done Improving Maple Leafs’ Roster
Speaking on the “Real Kyper and Bourne Show,” Chayka said that it’s his job to make the Maple Leafs the best team they can be, so he will continue to scour the free-agent market and monitor the trade market to see what sorts of deals are out there that can improve his club’s roster and ability to win games next season.
“We think we’ve got some good stability through our lineup now. If we can add difference makers, I think we should always be trying to do that. And it does feel like there might be more liquidity in the market in these July, August months,” Chayka said.
Following all of their signings and trades on July 1, the Maple Leafs are essentially capped out for the time being, as the team doesn’t have much flexibility under the salary cap to add anyone to their roster without trading someone away.
But there are players on the roster, such as Morgan Rielly and Dakota Joshua, who could be traded away if the Maple Leafs need to make room to bring someone else into their locker room.
John Chayka Ready to Make Big Swings
The Maple Leafs GM also said he is not afraid to take big swings for star players, which is why he is said to have made an offer to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Zach Werenski before the Blue Jackets pulled him off the trade block.
“Purely philosophically, I think a general manager’s job is to star-hunt, first and foremost. This game can be changed by a few top players making a big impact on a franchise, so the depth piece matters, how you fill out a roster, how you manage the cap, that’s all necessary but not maybe sufficient. I think about the role of the general manager and their ability to go out and big-game hunt and I think that’s kind of priority No. 1,” Chayka said.
Ultimately, the Maple Leafs won’t be getting Werenski, as he is staying put in Columbus for the time being. But there are certainly other big names out there that could be on the trade block, and there are some big names in free agency remaining, too, so look for Chayka to do everything he can and leave no stone unturned for the Maple Leafs.
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