Maple Leafs hopeful Berube hiring, Tanev acquisition help spark deep run

After the NHL Draft, free agency and other offseason moves, NHL.com is examining where each team stands in preparation for the 2024-25 regular season, which starts Oct. 4. Today, the Toronto Maple Leafs:

2023-24 season: 46-26-10, third in Atlantic Division; lost in Eastern Conference First Round

Key arrivals

Chris Tanev, D: The 34-year-old defenseman, who was acquired in a trade with the Dallas Stars on June 29 for forward Max Ellis and a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, signed a six-year, $27 million contract on July 1. Tanev, who is expected to provide stability, physicality, and a conscientious defensive presence, had 19 points (two goals, 17 assists) in 75 regular-season games for the Calgary Flames and Stars last season. ... Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D: The 33-year-old signed a four-year contract on July 1. He had 32 points (nine goals, 23 assists) in 80 regular-season games for the Florida Panthers last season and six points (two goals, four assists) in 24 Stanley Cup Playoff games, helping the Panthers win their first Stanley Cup championship. Ekman-Larsson should give new coach Craig Berube another option to use on the power play, with 186 of 471 career points coming on the man-advantage. ... Anthony Stolarz, G: The 30-year-old signed a two-year contract on July 1 after going 16-7-2 with a 2.03 goals-against average, .925 save percentage and two shutouts as the backup to Sergei Bobrovsky in Florida last season. ... Craig Berube, coach: The Maple Leafs hired the 58-year-old on May 17 to replace Sheldon Keefe, who was fired on May 9 after five seasons. Berube, who was fired as coach of the St. Louis Blues on December 12, 2023, is 281-190-72 in 543 regular-season games with the Philadelphia Flyers and Blues, who he led to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2019.

Key departures

Tyler Bertuzzi, F: He signed a four-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on July 1 after getting 43 points (21 goals, 22 assists) in 80 games last season, his first with the Maple Leafs. ... Joel Edmundson, D: He signed a four-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings on July 1. He did not have a point in nine regular-season games and had one assist in seven playoff games after being acquired by Toronto in a trade with the Washington Capitals on March 7. ... Ilya Lyubushkin, D: He signed a three-year contract with the Dallas Stars on July 1. He had four assists in 19 regular-season games and three assists in seven playoff games after being acquired by the Maple Leafs in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 29. ... Ilya Samsonov, G: He signed a one-year contract with the Vegas Golden Knights on July 1 after going 23-7-8 with a 3.13 GAA and .890 save percentage in 40 regular-season games. He was also 1-4 with a 3.01 GAA and an .896 save percentage in five Stanley Cup Playoff games. ... Sheldon Keefe, coach: The 43-year-old went 212-97-40 in the regular season and 16-21 in the playoffs, winning just one series, over his five seasons with the Maple Leafs.

On the cusp

Fraser Minten, F: The 20-year-old, who was selected by Toronto in the second round (No. 38) of the 2022 NHL Draft, earned a spot with the Maple Leafs out of training camp last season but played just four games (no points) before being returned to Saskatoon of the Western Hockey League, where he had 38 points (19 goals, 19 assists) in 36 regular-season games and 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in 16 playoff games. ... Easton Cowan, F: The 19-year-old, who was selected by Toronto in the first round (No. 28) of the 2023 NHL Draft, was one of the last cuts from training camp last season. Cowan had 96 points (34 goals, 62 assists) in 54 regular-season games for London of the Ontario Hockey League and also led the team in scoring during the playoffs with 34 points (10 goals, 24 assists) in 18 games, helping the Knights win the OHL championship. Cowan received the Red Tilson Trophy as most valuable player during the regular season, was named to the OHL and CHL First All-Star Teams, and won the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award for playoff MVP. ... Cade Webber, D: The 23-year-old was acquired by Toronto in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes on March 7 for a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. He signed a two-year, entry-level contract on April 18 after completing his senior year with Boston University, where he had six assists in 38 games. ... Dennis Hildeby, G: The 22-year-old, who was selected in the fourth round (No. 122) of the 2022 NHL Draft, was recalled from Toronto of the American Hockey League on several occasions last season but never got into a game. Hildeby was 21-11-7 with a 2.41 GAA, .913 save percentage and four shutouts in 41 AHL games.

What they still need

After reshaping their defense, the Maple Leafs could look to add a veteran left wing. Matthew Knies, Bobby McMann, Pontus Holmberg and Connor Dewar have combined to play just 430 NHL regular-season games.

They said it

“One of the things we really wanted to focus on over the course of the summer was trying to augment our defense and we thought we did that. ... We’ve got a group of defensemen and I’d rather have too many than not enough.” -- general manager Brad Treliving

Fantasy focus

The Maple Leafs added pieces to their defense corps this offseason by signing Tanev and Ekman-Larsson. In terms of point production in fantasy, Ekman-Larsson is a player to monitor. He had 32 points (nine goals, 23 assists) in 80 games last season with the Florida Panthers, and his fantasy upside will increase if he sees time on the second power-play unit. Tanev, who is a category coverage player, was tied for third in the NHL in blocks last season (207 in 75 games). -- Anna Dua

Projected lineup

Matthew Knies -- Auston Matthews -- Mitch Marner

Bobby McMann -- John Tavares -- William Nylander

Pontus Holmberg -- Max Domi -- Calle Jarnkrok

Connor Dewar -- David Kampf -- Ryan Reaves

Morgan Rielly -- Chris Tanev

Oliver Ekman-Larsson -- Timothy Liljegren

Simon Benoit -- Jake McCabe

Joseph Woll

Anthony Stolarz