It’s August and hockey sites are running out of ideas. The signing of Ben Danford on Friday was nice because it let fans know that Brad Treliving is still in the office or is at least thinking about how to improve the Leafs while sunning on a yacht in Fiji, but we are nearing the point where we devolve into 2026 Olympic Team debates and making our annual case for why Alexander Mogilny should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame. All of this will happen, but not today. Here are the half thoughts that are delaying the discussion about David Kampf’s role on Czechia’s Olympic roster.

Let’s start with the fact that I really like Patrik Laine and appreciate how open he has been about what he’s gone through. I also think 40 goal scorers can benefit the Maple Leafs. All of that being said, I don’t think the Maple Leafs provide the best environment for a player working through mental health concerns.

The high expectations that will be placed on Laine, the number of microphones in his face, and the lack of anonymity that comes with being a hockey player in Toronto might not be the best fit for Laine and I wonder if the Leafs would find themselves on Laine’s 10-team no trade list.

Of course, Laine knows better than I do regarding the best environment for him. Maybe what I view as unique Toronto stressors looks like an interesting challenge. I’m not sure the present treatment of either Mitch Marner or John Tavares has NHL players excited about playing in Toronto. And again, that’s not to say that neither Marner or Tavares should be above criticism, it’s just the size of the Leafs fan base and volume of media coverage that amplify things.

Besides, Laine is going to the Hurricanes for Martin Necas.

It feels like I use this space for talking about trading David Kampf and Calle Jarnkrok regularly. With that comes the usual notation of my belief that Calle Jarnkrok is a strong player but one the Leafs don’t particularly need at the moment, and David Kampf’s contract is a bad idea, but the team still needs some centre depth. Between Pontus Holmberg, Fraser Minten, and Connor Dewar the Leafs should be capable of moving on without these players, and freeing up cap space by moving them could benefit the Leafs, assuming that there is someone to spend that cap space on (recognizing I’ve already questioned the idea of going after Laine.)

The Leafs have different situations regarding each player. Presumably, Jarnkrok could be dealt as an asset, while Kampf would straight up be moved to shed salary, and the Leafs would be paying a price to do so. Given that there isn’t a sense of urgency around this yet, Jarnkrok might be the better option even if he only represents $2.1M of cap relief.

The Penguins, Avalanche, Blackhawks, Blues, Sabres, Utah Hockey Clubbers, Blue Jackets, Sharks, Canadiens, Flames, and Ducks all have available cap space that won’t be impeded by having restricted free agents to sign.

Sacrificing depth for the sake of cap space that will go unused doesn’t make a whole lot of sense though, and that’s where the Leafs need to look at teams like the Golden Knights, Capitals, Oilers, Predators, Flyers, etc. to see can be obtained to make them cap compliant and make the Leafs better in the process. A lot of these clubs will also have LTIR situations that they will be leaning on, so how much of a desperate market exists remains to be seen.

What is pretty evident is that the Leafs aren’t the only team in the NHL that hasn’t accomplished nearly as much as they should during the offseason and as a result NHL GMs might have to start doing their least favourite thing and make some trades.

Okay, so not fully a “best shape of his life” article, but The Hockey News has taken a look at Timothy Liljegren’s offseason workout under the guise of this being a “make it or break it” season for him. While I don’t think there is any risk of Liljegren “breaking it,” this season does present a unique opportunity for a one time high ceiling prospect to make good on his potential under a new coach. So much of Liljegren’s time in the AHL/NHL has been spent with Sheldon Keefe and Craig Berube is a chance to find a better fit and possibly move up in the lineup.

I purposely avoided Timothy Liljegren in the shed salary section of this post despite the fact that he could absolutely fall into that category or at the very least the Leafs could look at moving him for someone more experienced or slightly better and more expensive. The reason beyond that is the appeal of what Liljegren can do under a new coach. And if Liljegren is putting in the work to take his best shot at a bigger role in training camp, this is probably a better outcome than chasing after a defenceman that another team is willing to sell.