Are you a Leafs fan (in Toronto)? I'm asking because it's rare to receive such a neutral, objective perspective on the Leafs (which is, by definition, critical and negative-sounding).
However, I don't agree with what you stated, subsequently: Even some neutral fans have said, 'they just need a 'shutdown' dman...' Imho, they need a number of changes, 'here and there' but obviously, defence is the priority and they can go from there.
The D 'was never good.' That's why I'm puzzled why more fans aren't criticizing Shanahan and LL, who were in charge of improvements but these *changes* were only minor, really. It's great that some of their prospects seem to be panning out but other teams have a good prospect pool, too. Even with Sweeney overlooking the guys he could have had (opted for DeBrusk), the Bruins still have a number of good, young players, a number who are with the big club now and playing against the Leafs.
If you want to say, 'they should have signed a top UFA dman or traded for McDonagh AND NOT signed Marleau', then I think you have something there. These big signings, you have salary contract consequences, so you need to be aware of the ramifications of when you commit to a big money player or contract. Many fans are saying the Leafs lack grit. They do. But, they also lack the building blocks or the vision of choosing raw talent and they have some good pieces. But, they had several years of poor D and they still haven't improved much there. Thus, one has to ask why isn't the criticism there?!? I know the media will only criticize so much because really the Leafs management are getting a free ride. Obviously, the entire team is not made for the playoffs but the D needed more changes than adding Hainsey and a Dermott.