Looking ahead for the Maple Leafs: How Auston Matthews & Co. take the next step

As each NHL team is eliminated from playoff contention -- either mathematically or by losing in the postseason -- we'll take a look at why its quest for the Stanley Cup fell short in 2018-19, three keys to its offseason, impact prospects for 2019-20 and a way-too-early prediction for what next season will hold.

What went wrong

What went wrong? You mean, besides the humbling inequity of the NHL's playoff format, in which the team with the fifth-most points in the Eastern Conference was forced to play the team with the second-most points in an opening-round playoff series? A system that has seemingly created a debilitating "Groundhog Day" scenario in which the Toronto Maple Leafs were forced into a first-round matchup with their primary tormentors, the Boston Bruins, only to suffer another soul-crushing Game 7 loss?

Beyond that, the Leafs remain a team that scores a ton of goals (3.49 per game) but gives up too many of them (3.04), and they continue to have issues with shot suppression, as only seven teams gave up more per game than did the Leafs in the regular season (33.1). The acquisition of John Tavares turned Toronto into a three-lines-deep offensive machine, but there's work to be done to get to true Stanley Cup contention level.

Keys to the offseason

The Nazem Kadri question. Kadri is a 28-year-old center who anchors the Leafs' third line. He has put up some stellar numbers the past few seasons and hit the 30-goal mark twice. He wins faceoffs and out-possesses his opponents.

What else does he do? Stupid things in playoff series against the Bruins, apparently, as Kadri followed his three-game suspension for boarding Tommy Wingels last postseason with what ended up being a four-game ban for a hit to the head of Jake DeBrusk this postseason. Kadri has an outstanding contract -- $4.5 million in average annual value through 2021-22 -- and limited trade protection. The question many are reasonably asking: Can he be trusted to avoid taking himself out of another playoff series if the opponents flip his switch to vengeance mode?

Improve the blue line. Morgan Rielly had a Norris Trophy-caliber season. Jake Muzzin played well at 5-on-5 in the regular season. Travis Dermott is 22 and has upside (even with that brutal turnover in Game 7). Beyond that trio, GM Kyle Dubas has some decisions to make with 38-year-old Ron Hainsey, Nikita Zaitsev (signed at $4.5 million through 2024) and Jake "Mr. anything but another Game 7" Gardiner.

Hainsey and Gardiner are unrestricted free agents, and one assumes they'll be gone. Among the defensemen from the system in the mix are Timothy Liljegren, Rasmus Sandin and Calle Rosen. But most likely, the Leafs will need to reach outside the organization to further bolster this group, as they did with Muzzin. (Fire up those William Nylander rumors ...)

The Mitch Marner contract. Auston Matthews got paid, getting a contract extension worth $11.634 million annually through 2024. Marner has more career points (224) than Matthews in more career games (241). He's going to get paid, and he isn't going to take a discount because Matthews got his windfall.

What this contract looks like -- in value and duration -- will determine what happens this summer and in subsequent seasons for Dubas and the Leafs. As it stands, they have some salary-cap questions to answer even before Marner signs: According to Cap Friendly, the Leafs have $3.74 million in cap space for 2019-20, with that elephantine AAV for Matthews hitting the books.

Whither Babcock? Mike Babcock set a standard for coaching salaries in 2015 when he left the Detroit Red Wings and inked an eight-year, $50-million deal with the Leafs. Which is to say that he is now halfway through a deal that ends in 2023. Since Matthews and Marner arrived, he's been the playoff three times and failed to advance three times, losing in Game 7 in consecutive seasons.

His coaching in this Game 7 was specious -- 1:40 of power-play time for Patrick Marleau in an elimination game? -- and his player usage has rightfully come under fire. Obviously, based on his contract, it's difficult to imagine Babcock isn't given more runway here ... but that runway has to be getting shorter after two straight playoff exits to Boston, and Kyle Dubas loyalist Sheldon Keefe incubating with the Marlies. Babcock hasn't been to the second round of the playoffs in a full season since Nicklas Lidstrom retired. This isn't a sermon, just a thought.

Impact prospects for 2019-20

Rasmus Sandin, D, age 19: This has been a season of growth for Sandin, who had a bit of a late start due to injury. He was a solid performer throughout the regular season and only got better as the campaign progressed. Sandin posted 28 points in 44 AHL games this season, was a standout for Sweden at the World Juniors and looks to have maturity beyond his years. With the expected turnover on Toronto's defense, there's at least a chance Sandin could seize a role out of camp, as it appears he has surpassed the older Timothy Liljegren in terms of NHL-readiness.

Jeremy Bracco, RW, age 22: The Maple Leafs and their AHL affiliate deserve a lot of credit for the patient development approach they have taken with Bracco. He was a healthy scratch a lot during the 2017-18 season as he adjusted and learned the pro game. This season, Bracco was among the top scorers in the AHL, with 79 points in 77 games. He has exceptional skills and elite vision, but his overall game needed work. Now he has at least put himself in the conversation to compete for an NHL spot next fall. I doubt he's ready for a full-time role next season, but he is a more serious option for the team.

Realistic expectation for 2019-20

To challenge for the Stanley Cup. That's the expectation every season that Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and John Tavares are on this roster. That's the expectation now that Mike Babcock has this roster on his bench.

And it's realistic. Hey, maybe they will avoid playing the Bruins or, sparing that, have their "Capitals vanquishing the Penguins" moment of catharsis.