I don't know about the coaching staff but here's where I am:
UFAs:
John Klingberg - Smooth looking, but seems a step behind in processing until he has the puck on his stick; will need more system time, but at least on the PP our forwards are good enough to just adapt to his style and let him cook. Let's see what his injury entails (tightness, day-to-day)
Tyler Bertuzzi - he'll be a good complement on whatever line as a crash/bang winger with a decent pass
Max Domi - Nylander is going to get this guy a nice contract; good zip, good passing vision, will give the PK a workout
Martin Jones - Serviceable, but waiver bait
Simon Benoit - need to evaluate with more time; but if he's just Noah Gregor on the defensive side, that's a win
Ryan Reaves - Rusty, but not as crusty as I expected. He has instincts, just needs to anticipate within our system to overcome his gait's limitations.
Lagesson/Lajoie - *shrug* they're usable, but not noteworthy
Dylan Gambrell - unfortunate injury, hopefully he rebounds later this year and gets skating again
Leaf Draft Picks:
Nick Robertson - Cap-depending, ready for NHL minutes and can offensively drive a third line (will it be consistent?)
Pontus Holmberg - as positionally dependable as ever, but no top-6 offensive ceiling to speak of in the NHL without significant winger help; needs to build strength/face-off skills
Fraser Minten - took a developmental step up, and will be interesting to see where he takes his junior team as the top player; will be vying for NHL time next season
Matthew Knies - Ready to report to the NHL; minor details getting cleaned up with more playing time. Elevates his line like Hyman used to. Will need to watch his penalty discipline on stick work.
Easton Cowan - Hot finish to last season was not a fluke, and will be interesting to see where he takes his junior team as one of their top players. He is a possession driver (transition, checking) but is he an offensive creativity driver? Good time to work on his shot selection and speeding up his release. 50/50 to make the NHL next season but would be better if he could play AHL in 2024/25 (not eligible as far as I can tell).
Ryan Tverberg - limited offensive ceiling, but digs and chases hard
Roni Hirvonen - playing very well for someone who just lost his dad; he'll a decent LW option next year on call up
Joseph Woll - can't just gift him the backup spot, but he hasn't done anything to show he doesn't belong
Topi Niemela - one more year of AHL and strength/conditioning will help him vie for NHL time next year
William Villeneuve - needs more experience and seasoning for a couple years;
Mikko Kokkonen - solid, unremarkable, ceiling might be in the AHL
PTO:
Noah Gregor - Cap-depending, worth a contract as a heavier, less creative Kerfoot replacement for plug and play utility. Got some handles and can third-banana top 6 in a pinch.
Freebies:
Alex Steeves - underrated creativity, team player and coach's reliable guy. Might be too small to spell NHL 4th line minutes for more than a couple of games but if there is a sheltered scoring third line...
Max Ellis - hard for me to tell apart from Steeves. Another one of many Kerfoot clones zipping about.
Conor Timmins - tough break on the (knee?) injury after getting bodied a bit awkwardly; like a RD Sandin in that he is not the fastest and defense is not a forte, but just puts up points by bumping the puck to the right places at the right time (sometimes directly into the net). This injury will likely a) help the cap issues early on, b) help him pass through waivers as he is clearly not new in box, and has tumbled down the stairs a couple of times. I would rather play an EBUG before risking him on waivers though.
Marshal Rifai - the next Justin Holl. It'll take just a little bit more seasoning but he should be a solid bottom-pair option after Giordano retires.
Coaching:
Guy Boucher - I like chaos
Mike Van Ryn - I have no idea what he does yet
