The Toronto Maple Leafs look drastically different than they did when free agency opened on Wednesday at noon ET, but are they actually better?

That was the big question we tackled to open Thursday’s edition of Leafs Morning Take. With Jay Rosehill away, NHL insider David Pagnotta joined as co-host, sharing the latest intel on the Leafs while pulling back the curtain on how Toronto’s busy Canada Day came together.

By the end of the day, GM John Chayka and his staff had reshaped the roster, adding seven new players through six free-agent signings and one trade. Additionally, they moved Nick Robertson to Pittsburgh. They were busy.

All in all, we both came away with mixed reviews. Given the assets and cap space the Maple Leafs had to work with, they did a solid job of improving their roster. I gave their offseason a B, while Dave was slightly more optimistic, handing out a B+.

Throughout the show, we broke down each of the Leafs’ moves. Personally, I’m excited about the additions of Darren Raddysh and Sergei Bobrovsky, even if he’ll be 38 by the time the season begins. As for the revamped bottom six, I’m taking a wait-and-see approach. How many offseasons has Leafs Nation convinced itself that Toronto’s newfound depth would make all the difference? At the end of the day, the same core is still in place, and that’s what will ultimately define this team’s ceiling. The Maple Leafs are better today than they were a few days ago, but the real question is: by how much? It should make for a fascinating season as they measure up against the rest of the Atlantic Division.

Meantime, Morgan Rielly is still a Leaf, but for how much longer? Pagnotta shared the latest insider intel on the veteran defenceman’s future. While San Jose no longer appears to be a likely destination, Pagnotta believes the Maple Leafs are still actively trying to move Rielly and suggested Anaheim could be a team to watch. He also revealed that someone close to Rielly told him on July 1 that the expectation remains he’ll eventually be traded, although there’s no clear timetable for when that could happen.

Also, Gavin McKenna hit the ice at development camp for the first time—and he already looks right at home in Maple Leafs blue. For those keeping score, he was wearing No. 72, which seemingly settles the debate over who will sport that number this season: McKenna, not Sergei Bobrovsky. Both are studs. Whatever.

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