It took me less than six months to turn on Dave Nonis.

I initially called Nonis a "good hire" in January—despite believing Brian Burke deserved at least one more year at the helm—based on his conservative approach in Vancouver. Nonis didn't sign any albatross contracts in Vancouver, letting a declining (yet still popular) player like Ed Jovonovski walk and balking at Anson Carter's inflated demands even after he finished a (Sedin-created) 30-goal season. He stole Roberto Luongo from Florida and refused to gut the farm system (Alex Edler and Ryan Kesler) for Brad Richards, ultimately costing him his job.

But that conservative approach has been replaced by pure insanity in Toronto.

According to Darren Dreger, the Penguins have offered Letang a hair over $7 million a year for 8 years. But it might not be good enough to keep the defenceman in Pittsburgh, and initial rumour mongering has linked Letang to the Leafs.

Although Letang is a very good player, he has no history in a shutdown role, and the Leafs desperately need a strong defensive upgrade beside Dion Phaneuf to get the most out of their captain. That isn't to say Letang can't perform in that role, but when you have to gut your farm system and shell out huge money to get a player, you want to be reasonably sure he's capable of what you need, and not a $60+ million gamble.

A No. 2 defenceman is the biggest priority for the Leafs, even more so than the never-ending search for a No. 1 centre, mainly because Phaneuf didn't have a particularly good year in 2013 and the deficiencies of the top pair were on full display.

In part, Phaneuf's failings were because Randy Carlyle gave him a purely defensive role the likes of which has rarely, if ever, been seen before. To make things worse, half the season he was playing with AHL players. However, Phaneuf is a quality defenceman, he just needs to be surrounded by other quality defencemen so the hardest defensive duties don't fall on his shoulders alone. Try playing huge minutes against John Tavares and the elites of the league with Korbinian Holzer strapped to your back.

Finding a No. 2 defenceman isn't going to be easy for Dave Nonis. Teams are always searching for top-4 defencemen and guys capable of playing 22+ minutes in a shutdown role aren't just sitting around on the waiver wire. Looking around at the No. 2 defencemen in the league, and finding out how their teams acquired them, could provide insight into how Nonis might go about finding a partner for Phaneuf.

The Leafs have reportedly made no progress on signing a new deal with soon-to-be free agent Tyler Bozak, and could conceivably trade his negotiating rights to recoup some value. For the Leafs, centre-starved for years, losing Bozak would not be a bad thing.

For the first time in years, the Leafs will hit free agency with money to spend. Unfortunately, this year's free agent crop is missing out on big name talent, and the areas the Leafs most need to improve, centre and defence, are practically barren. But there is a player practically made to play in Toronto, a folk hero in waiting, one even with Darcy Tucker crazy eyes.

Toronto-born David Clarkson, who grew up idolizing Wendel Clark, will definitely be on Dave Nonis' shopping list if he hits free agency, and for good reason.

It's not often that an elite No. 1 centre hits the open market, and the Anaheim Ducks made sure it won't happen this year, giving Ryan Getzlaf an 8-year deal worth $8.25 million a season.

Getzlaf now owns the fourth highest cap hit in the league, tied with Eric Staal and behind Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, and Sidney Crosby. That's big money, especially for a player coming off a down season. But Getzlaf has already proved that last season was an anomaly. He's tied for fifth in points with 29, and is on pace to register the best season of his career—a career in which he's only failed to break a point-a-game three times, two of which were his first two seasons.

Throughout his career, Getzlaf has been a dominant two-way centre; coaches aren't afraid to start him in the defensive zone and he's even being used to kill penalties under Bruce Boudreau. He is a puck-possession beast that plays a physical game. If there is any player worthy of huge money, it's Getzlaf.

But regardless of Getzlaf's ability, $8.25 million is a huge number that elicits a strong negative reaction. However, despite its humongous size, Getzlaf's deal is fair market price for a No. 1 centre about to become an unrestricted free agent.

For as long as the need for a No. 1 centre has existed, Leafs fans have looked to July 1, 2013 and dreamt of Ryan Getzlaf. But with Nazem Kadri's emergence, this off-season's game plan might be changing.