One glaring hole on the Maple Leafs roster needs to be filled by Brad Treliving

The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs ended in a dreadful way for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and this off-season, GM Brad Treliving has made it a priority to upgrade the back end, adding Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Anthony Stolarz. Unfortunately, beyond bringing Max Domi back, they haven't made a significant addition up front, and it could end up costing them.

There's still time to make it right, but with training camp just a matter of weeks away, all eyes are on Treliving as he looks to upgrade one spot; third-line center. Thankfully, there's some internal options, with the most popular one being captain John Tavares, who has reportedly been on the verge of a demotion this off-season ahead of potentially his final year in Toronto.

Beyond that, the team could look at Pontus Holmberg, Fraser Minten or Easton Cowan, but ultimately, they need to bring in a free agent after missing out on some top names. Unfortunately, speculation now boils down their choices to the likes of Tyler Johnson or former rival Nick Cousins, so the pickings are slim.

Ultimately, Treliving did a solid job this summer, but failed to address a critical position, and unless he does that over the next few weeks, we may be back in this position asking similar questions a year from now.

Source: Maple Leafs Daily
Maple Leafs running out of time to address an important roster need this summer