Toronto Maple Leafs: Free Agents the Leafs Should be Looking to Attract
The Toronto Maple Leafs traded Byron Froese and a 2017 second round pick for Brian Boyle on Monday, which could mean big things.
After a lot of buzz around the move, Boyle was able to speak to the media and offer his thoughts prior to joining the Leafs in San Jose. As I was looking into his pressers and reading all about what he could bring to the Toronto Maple Leafs, one thing he said really stood out to me.
Boyle calls going to Leafs an "unbelievable opportunity ... they have some guys who are just phenomenal, phenomenal players"
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) February 27, 2017
From what Boyle has been saying regarding Toronto, it sounds as if he thinks very highly of the team. I found this surprising given the fact that he’s coming from a team like Tampa Bay who has been among the top teams in the league in recent seasons.
But is his reaction really that surprising?
Boyle on Leafs playoff push: "The potential & opportunity is there & the skill level is definitely there"
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) February 27, 2017
It seems as though Shanahan and co. have really put together a team that’s looking good from the inside and the outside. He’s made the Leafs look great, and fellow players are taking notice.
The Leafs don’t just have a plethora of young guns, these young guns are also good enough to be playoff contenders. For players who might be looking to leave their bottom feeding team (TBL just isn’t getting it done this year), what better landing spot is there than Toronto?
So now it seems as though Toronto may be looked at as a hot destination for players to play in. If it’s so great, this got me think that maybe we can attract a few free agents too. But who might the Leafs exactly want to pick up going forward? Well let’s take a look at a few upcoming free agents who the Leaf might want to pursue.
2017 Free Agents:
Kevin Shattenkirk, D, Washington Capitals
Traded from the St. Louis Blues to the Washington Capitals on Monday evening, Kevin Shattenkirk is probably the number one free agent the Leafs should pursue.
The Leafs are lacking a top 2 pairing defenceman–badly. Kevin Shattenkirk can fill that void easily. The Leafs may have missed out in acquiring him before the deadline, but that’s okay, because Washington probably won’t have the cap to sign him either simply making him a rental player.
So far this season, Shattenkirk has 11 goals and 31 assists for 42 points in 62 games. This is certainly impressive for a defenceman. He also averages about 19:51 total time on ice per game. Shattenkirk can definitely be useful in any top four role.
He is only 28 years old, which is a great age for a long term role in our rebuild. If the Leafs can sign him long term to a reasonable contract, it would be more than great for Toronto’s blueline.
Shattenkirk surely wants to win. If he gets a cup with Washington this season, he might be a lot more willing to join the Leafs who are not exactly cup contenders yet. If he doesn’t win, he might still be willing to come to Toronto. We’re a promising team, and players know it. Hopefully he realizes the potential of the Leafs to eventually reach the cup contending position.
Karl Alzner, D, Washington Capitals
Although Kevin Shattenkirk leads the list of top free agent defenceman this year, if the Leafs are unable to snag him, another defenceman from the Capitals could still be available.
Alzner may not have the same top pairing capabilities as Shattenkirk, but he definitely can slot in anywhere in the top 4.
Alzner may only have put up 12 points in 62 games this season, but he averages about 20:10 time on ice per game with a +/- of 26. Keep in mind here that Washington’s defensive core is quite stacked. Alzner maintains these numbers while slotting in behind John Carlson and Matt Niskanen. Impressive.
Alzner can be a great addition to the Leafs if need be. He’s also only 28, like Shattenkirk. If the Leafs can afford taking a bite on him for two to three years, it could pay off well.
Dmitry Kulikov, D, Buffalo Sabres
Kulikov is an interesting case that may get looked over by many teams. He’s not as big of a name as Kevin Shattenkirk or Karl Alzner in this year’s free agent class, but he can definitely still make an impact on a team.
He’s among the youngest free agents this year and that can only be beneficial if the Leafs pick him up. At 26, he still has time to grow into a proper top for defenceman.
Kulikov has been playing all right this season. He only has two points in 37 games, which may not be the greatest offensive stats, but he still plays defence well. In fact, many teams seemed to be interested in acquiring his talents at the trade deadline, but alas he is still stuck in Buffalo. Maybe Toronto’s blueline could use someone like him.
His cap hit right now may be a bit high at 4.5 million per, but I don’t expect this price to alleviate much with his performance this year. In fact, he might be available at a significantly cheaper price, depending on the market for other defenceman. If the Leafs have the cap room to sign him, he might be a good player to take a chance on short-term. A one or two year contract may suffice.
T.J. Oshie, LW, Washington Capitals
I know, the Leafs are looking for defence, but they can look at offence too, especially when you’re not losing any assets to upgrade.
Oshie is a skillful winger, He currently has 24 goals and 19 assists for a total of 43 points in 50 games this season. If he can bring that type of production to Toronto it would be a great upgrade to our offence.
T.J. Oshie can be the perfect top six forward moving forward for a team that wants to compete for a cup. The Leafs want to compete within the next 3-5 years. At 30-years-old, Oshie can be more than useful to play alongside young guns.
Auston Matthews will be our #1 C. He needs a good pair of wingers to develop and perform well. Nylander or Marner might be good matches, depending on where they end up, but that still leaves another winger spot open. Oshie can be just that.
Now I know it sounds ridiculous that Oshie would even want to leave playing alongside Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom for a bunch of rookies. The fact of the matter is that Washington is all in right now. They have a number of free agents at the end of the season, and they can’t sign them all. Oshie might be expendable by them if they have to pick and choose who to keep.
If the Capitals fail to win the cup this year as well, Oshie might feel as though the window in Washington is starting to close. The Caps can’t sign everyone, and their chances may suffer. He could perhaps see Toronto as an ideal location as the Leafs are clearly pushing their potential of turning into an elite contending team.
A three or four year contract would be great. If Washington can’t sign him, hopefully Toronto is attractive enough for him to be willing to join in and do his thing.
2018 Free Agents
John Tavares, C, New York Islanders
Okay this one’s a bonus. Every Leafs fan right now is dreaming of Tavares coming home to help bring a cup back to Toronto. After missing out on the Stamkos sweepstakes, Tavares really isn’t that far off.
It may have sounded absurd to think about before this season, but Tavares coming home may actually be realistic. Like I mentioned before, Toronto is looking much more attractive, and well…the Islanders aren’t really. With questions surrounding their arena, the Islanders status going forward is questionable. On top of that, although they may be trending upwards, it doesn’t look like their ceiling would necessarily be as high as Toronto’s.
I don’t really have to talk about how great Tavares is as the number’s speak for themselves (523 points in 571 games). He is a stud on the ice who seems to be the New York Islanders only bright light at times.
As Boyle stated, Toronto has “some guys that are phenomenal.” Yup, just a few phenomenal guys like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Morgan Rielly, who will all have much more experience than they currently have come 2018. This could seem very intriguing to Tavares if the Leafs are able to dish out a reasonable enough contract offer.
Let me know in the comments who else you think the Leafs should pursue among the upcoming free agents. Also feel free to let me know on my Twitter: @Matt_Rodrigo_