In contrast, a lot of free agent options will still be coming off the table. It was very unlikely that Nick Schmaltz was going to reach free agency and he didn’t. An ideal fit for the Leafs at centre behind Auston Matthews was equally an ideal fit to stay in Utah and as we highlight some of the options for the Leafs below, it’s a safe bet that any player worth being excited about has a current team that will also be benefiting from the increased salary cap in their attempt to re-sign them.
The good news is that this isn’t it. The cap going up also means that teams might be more open to buyouts and free agency could improve that way. There are also the restricted free agents that don’t receive qualifying offers to consider and given that the Leafs need to look for youthful options and player that play like they have something to prove that might be a way to go that benefits Toronto too.
For now, we just have the unrestricted free agent list, and from it, a handful options worth considering at the Big Fish, Plan B, and Interesting Gamble levels that could work for the Maple Leafs.
Big Fish
The well known players that are presently available seem like they’ve all been targets of the Leafs at some point or another.
Alex Tuch hasn’t been re-signed by the Sabres yet and given that it hasn’t occurred yet, he is certainly worth considering from the Leafs side of things as a scoring winger with size checks a lot of boxes, but how much any American born player is making Canada their priority landing spot is always in question. Toronto might not be far from home or far from where he is right now, but borders matter as does the hassle of immigration, etc. Tuch would likely require one hell of a payment from the Leafs even if he does address some needs, his contract might prevent them from accomplishing other upgrades that are required.
Acquiring Rasmus Andersson will be a lot easier than watching Brad Treliving try to pry Andersson out of Calgary.. And after the Golden Knights signing the Maple Leafs big free agent last summer, this would be a fitting response.
Not entirely different from Andersson is Mario Ferraro of the Sharks. Ferraro’s age is a bit more Leaf friendly at 27, he’s a left shot though which isn’t the priority (though you could argue that skill is the priority.)
The increased success of the Sharks would be a pretty good reason for Ferraro to not be in play. As would the fact that most of their blueline is up for free agency and they will need someone to play the position besides Dmitri Orlov.
If Ferraro wants to test the waters the Maple Leafs can float an offer and cross their fingers that playing in his hometown is something that Mario Ferraro wants to do.
Lastly, Boone Jenner might be a little older than some of the other players listed so far and certainly isn’t the flashiest of options, but deserves some consideration based on how thin the centre market truly is and the Leafs need to get Auston Matthews back to prioritizing offence over being the go-to defensive centre option for the club.
Jenner is capable defensively, he’s been a leader, and can put up some points. He’d be a good, slowish veteran despite the fact that the Leafs should be prioritizing youth and speed.
The Blue Jackets have a lot of the same type of player with Sean Monahan, Charlie Coyle, Cole Sillinger, and Boone Jenner. Coyle might be the logical option to move on from first, but that doesn’t mean that Jenner himself might be ready to experience a change in scenery after spending his entire career in Columbus. There is no guarantee that Columbus will move on from either Coyle or Jenner, especially now that they are on the cusp of being a playoff team, a rare occurrence for the franchise.
Plan Bs
The reality is that much like last summer, free agency is going to largely be a scramble to overpay for middle of the road options and that is largely where this group comes in. Most of them will receive paydays beyond their worth and Max Domi might start benefitting from a better by comparison situation as the going rate for 0.5 point per game players could push $5M AAV this summer.
That’s where a player like Mason Marchment could land, but if the Leafs have a plan in place for his use, perhaps it’s the bullet you take. The idea of having Marchment and Dakota Joshua both missing the mark on the same type of role would be crushing for the Leafs, but Marchment’s success after his move from Seattle might prove that he can deliver in situations perfectly tailored to him and exceed what Joshua can do in the same opportunity.
Bobby McMann is even more of a known quantity to the Leafs and if he can’t get the payday he was hoping for elsewhere, coming back to the Maple Leafs might be his best option and not the worst option for the Maple Leafs as along as they stay true to overpayment avoidance. The Kraken will try to re-sign him, the Oilers will be interested, and I’m sure if McMann plays his cards right, someone will offer him a regrettable amount of money.
Eeli Tolvanen, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Jack Roslovic are two other middle of the road options that need to be considered. Roslovic, a friend of Auston Matthews, was pretty close to becoming a Maple Leaf and it’s worth considering that it is still a possibility.
Tolvanen, well…he’s just under the radar enough that maybe there won’t be a sticker shock when it comes to his asking price. Tolvanen being one of the younger UFAs also makes him a potential option to throw some term at to get a better price.
As for Bjorkstrand, it’s not that there is anything particularly exciting about him, just that excluding him from the list doesn’t make sense when his numbers are similar and he’s only slightly older than Roslovic.
On the defensive side of things, Jamie Oleksiak, Carson Soucy and Brett Kulak are some defensive options that could make sense for the Leafs depending on what they are looking to accomplish on the back end. If Toronto attempts to cash out on Rielly or Ekman-Larsson, or is ready to move on from Benoit or Carlo, these are likely targets that offer no frills defence at fair prices.
Interesting gambles
Without a doubt Patrik Laine is the most interesting unrestricted free agent this summer. It is likely that some team will be presented with a great buy low option on him and whether it works out or not, they’ll deserve credit for taking a chance and giving Laine his shot.
Laine’s time in a fishbowl market like Montreal and with an intense fanbase in Winnipeg might have him soured on the idea of even considering Toronto as an option and that’s why no one should blame the Leafs if they miss out, it’s easy to see where Laine wouldn’t view them as a fit.
That being said, if he is interested in Toronto, no one else in free agency has the upside he does.
Stuart Skinner is another buy low candidate to look at and if the Leafs are able to deal one of their goaltenders for a helpful return, Skinner is a talented enough goaltender that the right goaltending coach can work with. The Leafs need a netminder that can take starts, and Skinner’s durability at least comes in better than either Woll or Stolarz’ and his age could give the Leafs a longish run as a decent 1B or backup.
Kailer Yamamoto isn’t anything particularly exceptional and is certainly undersized. That said, he brings some bottom six offence and more importantly is capable of being a puck carrier/distributor on lines that historically are dump and chase or bust. On a cheap deal, Yamamoto brings more a skill fit for the bottom six than the Leafs have with players like Max Domi or Nick Robertson, and Yamamoto will likely be cheaper.
Carl Grundstrom is another former Leaf worth revisiting. A bottom six crash and banger that showed brief flashes of brilliance in L.A. might be another cheap bottom six option that allows the Leafs to sink more money into fixing their blueline and top six forward group.
And the last one here is Ville Heinola. He’s always looked strong on the Manitoba Moose but the Jets organization has been reluctant to give him much of a look at the NHL level. You could argue that they know better than anyone what they have, but you could also argue that now that Heinola is available someone should take a look at the former first round pick before he’s completely done with the NHL. As the Leafs sit today, Heinola getting a chance to compete for a spot on the Leafs roster is a reasonable thing to do and much like with Laine, why not take a chance on a Finn that Winnipeg gave up on (offer also applies to Brad Lambert.)
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