5 Moves the Toronto Maple Leafs Should Make This Offseason

The 2013 NHL offseason is young but has already seen a multitude of trades, signings and buyouts as teams desperately try to improve while attempting to comply with a shrunken salary cap. 

The Leafs shouldn't have any issues staying cap-compliant, with about $20 million in cap space according to CapGeek.com, but improvement is a must. Despite a valiant effort in the playoffs against the eventual Eastern Conference champions, Dave Nonis and the rest of the Leafs' management team should not be satisfied with last season's results.

With the offseason activity set to heat up this Sunday in New Jersey at the NHL entry draft, here are five moves the Leafs should make this offseason.

Sign Phil Kessel to an Extension

Since being traded to the Leafs in 2009, Phil Kessel ranks 11th in the league in goals per game according to Hockey-Reference.com—ahead of players like Zach Parise, Daniel Sedin, Jonathan Toews and John Tavares.

Despite what Bruins fans would like you to think, Kessel is a dominant player. He'll never win the Selke Trophy nor will he likely ever have a letter on his jersey, but he scores goals—a lot of them.

In an era when goal scoring is at a premium and close games are the norm, having a guy as potent as Kessel is a luxury most teams aren't privileged to but are always seeking to acquire.

If Kessel is allowed to test the free-agent market next season, he will no doubt be offered a substantial contract—a contract the Leafs would be at risk of not being able to match or simply not given the opportunity to match.

Eliminating this risk by signing Kessel to a long-term contract should be a major priority this offseason.

In the event that an extension can't be reached this summer, the Leafs should explore trading their leading scorer. The reason? After finishing in the top seven in scoring for the second year in a row and scoring four goals and two assists in seven playoff games despite Zdeno Chara being draped all over him, Kessel's value has never been higher.

The gaudy package they sent to the Bruins in exchange for the 25-year-old right winger may look like peanuts compared to what the Leafs could get in return now that he's proven to be one of the game's most lethal offensive threats.

Trading Kessel would be a step back initially for the Leafs, but it could pay off down the road and would be preferable to losing him for nothing.

I'm looking at you, Mats.

Buy out or Trade Mikhail Grabovski

I like Mikhail Grabovski as much as the next guy, but his salary is simply unjustifiable. After consecutive 50-point seasons in 2010-11 and 2011-12, Grabovski was signed to a five-year, $27 million contract extension last summer by former general manager Brian Burke.

The signing was questionable at the time, but after Grabovski's offensive woes and deplorable plus/minus rating in both the regular season and playoffs last season, the contract is now a major eyesore.

Grabovski hasn't been able to take the next step in becoming a first-line center, and with Nazem Kadri locked in on the second line, he is far too expensive as a third-line center.

Buying out Grabovski would save the Leafs $27.5 million in cap space spread out over the next four years, which would be more than enough money to sign a more suitable third-line center.

The Leafs could also explore a trade involving the 29-year-old Belarusian, but it would likely require the Leafs eating some of his $5.5 million cap hit.

Buy out Mike Komisarek

Mike Komisarek struggled to get into the Leafs' lineup last season, and the few times he did dress, he averaged under 16 minutes per game. Komisarek was eventually demoted to the AHL and was never recalled.

Buying him out would not only save the Leafs cap space, but would also give them options on what to do with John-Michael Liles—who could be the next veteran defenseman the Leafs banish to the AHL.

Acquire a 1st-Line Center

Acquiring a first-line center is always easier said than done, but if the Leafs have any aspirations of making it past the first round of the playoffs next season, it's an absolute must.

The good news is there are a few options out there.

Josh Rimer of NextSportStar.com has linked Vincent Lecavalier to the Leafs. At the right price, Lecavalier could be a great addition. He's no spring chicken and may never again play 82 games in a season due to nagging injuries, but he's still a productive player and would add considerable size up the middle.

Overpaying for the 14-year veteran, however, would be a mistake. 

Sportsnet.ca added Sam Gagner as another name that has surfaced as a potential target for the Leafs. I'm not convinced Gagner is a true No. 1 center, but he'd certainly be an upgrade over the current options on the Leafs' roster.

The concern with acquiring the 23-year-old restricted free agent is not only the compensation to acquire his rights, but the price tag to sign him. For a player who's never hit the 50-point plateau, I'm not sure he's worth it.

While acquiring Lecavalier or Gagner could be a step in the right direction, trading for Paul Stastny is the optimal option in my opinion. CBS Sports' Daniel Friedman has speculated that the Avalanche center may be available.

Stastny is a proven producer, is in his prime and possesses the playmaking abilities that Phil Kessel has only dreamed of having in a pivot. Stastny carries a hefty cap hit of $6.6 million, but if management can make the money work, it's a deal worth exploring.

Acquire a Veteran Defenseman

The Leafs defense performed admirably for most parts of last season, but is desperately lacking the stabilizing presence of a veteran stay-at-home defenseman.

Andrew Ference could be the ideal player to fill that void. He's a reliable player in his own end, has some offensive upside, can play 20-plus minutes per game and, perhaps most importantly, he has been to three Stanley Cup Finals in his career.

The Leafs' youth movement has been a breath of fresh air in contrast to the stale rosters compiled 10 to 15 years ago, but at some point management needs to add a few players who have "been there before."

The addition of a defenseman like Ference would help the Leafs on another front. One of the main issues with the Leafs defense last season, according to fans and some members of the media, was the play of Dion Phaneuf. He's not without fault but what people often forget is that Phaneuf is not—and has never been—a defensive defenseman.

Throughout his most successful years in Calgary, Phaneuf was paired with one of the top stay-at-home blueliners at the time in Robyn Regehr. Regehr's defensive responsibility allowed Phaneuf to flourish offensively and take the risks that make him a special player. 

Pairing him with a dependable partner once again could allow Phaneuf to return to his former self.