Toronto Maple Leafs

After a somewhat promising start to the season, the Maple Leafs went in a total freefall where everything went wrong both on and off the ice, leading to many changes already at management level. Now the team is apparently in rebuild mode, but with the term "rebuild" being very vague it is not clear just how far they will go to strip down the roster. Plus, some players own unappealing contracts so it is not clear if a deal that makes the Leafs happy will be reached in all instances.

Like the Sabres, the Leafs were big players during the NHL lottery draft sitting in the fourth-overall slot heading in. Ultimately, they ended up standing pat when it was all said and done, leaving them out of the mix to land McDavid or Eichel. Beyond them, there are still many great prospects available that will help the Leafs improve down the road.

The three prime candidates to land in Toronto are Dylan Strome, Mitch Marner and Noah Hanifin. One will likely be selected by the Arizona Coyotes with the third-overall pick. Due to the Leafs having needs across the board, they will probably not have any positional preference going in. Regardless of who they select, that pick is unlikely to play a major role in Toronto in 2015-16.

On the roster, no player drew more attention than Phil Kessel. He had a terrible second half and finished with just 61 points, his worst total since 2010 which was his first in Toronto. His 36 assists were close enough to what we are used to seeing, while his 25 goals stand out as the elephant in the room when looking at the struggles of the two-time 37-goal scorer. He still shot a ton, as his 280 shots on goal ranked sixth in the league. This total was just short of his 305-shot average which over the previous four full campaigns. Clearly, he was still trying to score goals and was simply unlucky scoring on just 8.9 percent of his shots. As a comparison, from 2011-12 to 2013-14 Kessel's shooting percentage fell between 12 percent and 12.5 percent each year. If his shooting efficiency was at that level this year he would have finished with 34 goals, an improvement of nine tallies.

With that said, it is still not clear where Kessel will play next year. He could get traded sometime this summer or the Leafs could keep him around next year while continuing to wait for a suitable deal to develop. If he does indeed leave Toronto, his absence will create a huge gap at right wing and some players will benefit. Until we know what the Leafs get in return it is not clear who will be able to seize the opportunity. Looking at the current roster, college free agent signing Casey Bailey could be given a chance to shine. Keep an eye on the free agent market this summer because if another Mike Santorelli emerges in Toronto next year he could be put in a much more offensive-minded role.

Sticking with the forward group, Nazem Kadri will be a very interesting player to follow next season. The former seventh-overall draft choice struggled this year with 39 points, his lowest total since becoming a full-time NHLer, and ran into some trouble with the team. While his stock is low at the moment, he is still young (turns 25 in October) and had a tremendous campaign after the lockout in 2013 with 44 points in 48 games. Cleary, he is capable of much more offensively and depending on who owns Kadri in your fantasy league this could be a good time to buy low. Sometimes people take negative perception too far and simply want to rid themselves of their controversial players. If you are willing to step forward and take a bit of a risk, you may be rewarded with a strong contributor on your fantasy squad.

On defense, the guy to watch is captain Dion Phaneuf. Like Kessel, he is also rumored to be on the trade block. If he is shown the door, it would leave youngsters Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner as the top dogs in terms of power play utilization, barring any other big changes this summer. On the surface, this would be very appealing for fantasy owners but putting it all on the shoulders of young defensemen can lead to some very mixed results, as seen over in Edmonton with Justin Schultz. Meanwhile, Phaneuf's potential departure would put Roman Polak in a more important defensive role, which could add to his multi-category value in leagues that count PIM, hits and blocks.

In goal, it should be status quo as Jonathan Bernier should return as the team's top goalie. While the 26-year-old has shown signs of brilliance in Toronto, his fantasy value could hit rock bottom if the Leafs open the floodgates and start pushing every veteran they can find out the door. He is still young enough to be seen as a starter for many more years, but he may not be much more than a late-round filler in most fantasy drafts for the foreseeable future.

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