As the NHL season nears, all the analysis, speculation and projections that the off-season brings ultimately boil down to one question: have the Toronto Maple Leafs improved? That’s a tricky question to tackle at any juncture of an 82-game campaign, much less before a single puck has even dropped on the 2024-25 season.
Part of that challenge stems from the fact that there’s no accounting for key, critical factors in performance, such as internal development or decline, injuries and the relative development of the Maple Leafs’ opponents. One thing that could help glean insight, however, is assessing the roster turnover, looking at who’s in, who’s out and who is occupying which roles this season as compared to the last.
Rudimentary and over-simplified? Sure. But it also enables a re-framing of the team based on what they were and what they are now. After all, just because the ‘Core Four’ all remain in place does not mean that the organization hasn’t undergone any meaningful change since last spring’s first-round playoff ouster against the Boston Bruins. As Oct. 9 looms, let’s take a look at who has replaced who in the Maple Leafs lineup and if the club is better or worse for it.
