The Toronto Maple Leafs Have One Major Issue with Their Roster, and It's Going to be Hard to Fix

This is going to be a pivotal offseason for the Toronto Maple Leafs as they look to potentially move on from superstar winger Mitch Marner.

Getting better is going to be a tall task; however, general manager Brad Treliving is looking in the right places. He has free agents on his radar, and he even has some trade targets to potentially acquire.

However, there is one area of the roster that needs some work, and it is not going to be an easy fix. Ultimately, it is a systemic issue that probably won't get patched up anytime soon.

Simply put, the Maple Leafs have the oldest team in the league. According to Hockey Patrol and Puck Pedia, the Leafs have an average age of 30.9 on their roster.

Some of their oldest players include Ryan Reaves (38), Chris Tanev (35), Max Pacioretty (36), and John Tavares (34). They don't have a ton of young guys, outside of maybe Matthew Knies and goaltender Joseph Woll.

The next oldest team in the league is the Pittsburgh Penguins, and one could make the argument that some of their older guys are their biggest problem, outside of Sidney Crosby.

The Leafs have Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand as candidates for free agency, which is not going to solve any of their age issues moving forward.

However, Easton Cowan might be on the roster next season, which would absolutely provide a nice fix, at least for the time being.

Only time will tell whether or not age is something that Treliving wants to fix this offseason. While it can be good for the playoff experience, it can also leave your team a bit worse for wear.

At the end of the day, the Leafs' fandom just wants a roster that can go on a deep playoff run. With the current Core Four, that simply has not been possible.