Dave Nonis suggests that he'll look to the trade market to improve Maple Leafs' roster

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Dave Nonis has a lot of work to do on a roster that, one year removed from taking the Boston Bruins to the brink in an epic first round series, missed the playoffs in ignominious fashion this past season.

In discussing his offseason plans on Sportsnet 590 the Fan Thursday afternoon, Nonis emphasized that he believes the trade market is likely to prove the most fruitful path for upgrading his roster this offseason.

"Between now and the end of June there's going to be lots of players available," said Nonis. "Whether they're going to be fits for us remains to be seen, but there's the general feeling that there are lots of teams that have either cap issues they want to deal with, or have had disappointment like we've had and want to make changes to their roster, that there's going to be options for us to look at there."

Nonis also suggested that two or three players on the Marlies "are close" and will likely be promoted next season, but cautioned that he was unlikely to be a major player in free-agency. "I think there are some short-term free-agents that might be available," said the Maple Leafs executive, "maybe older players that aren't going to be long-term commitments."