Maple Leafs in Free Agency: Editor in Leaf Roundtable

Andrew Boehmer:  Michael Stone

The UFA I want the Toronto Maple Leafs to target is Michael Stone.

Ya, ya, I know people don’t like him.  If, however, there is limited interest, maybe the Leafs could get him at a discount.  Maybe sign him to a one or two year contract, and Bob’s your uncle.

I think that big body would help spread the load a bit and he’s mobile enough that he wouldn’t be a liability. If all else fails and the Leafs can’t get a decent UFA or make a trade, resign Polak.

Alex Hobson: Michael Stone

I would love to see the Leafs pursue Michael Stone on a three year deal or around that sort of term.

He is only 26, has good size and is right handed. Stone has a hard shot and can hit.  He is good on the power-play and an offensive threat. He would make a good placeholder in the top four until Liljegren is ready.

D.J Llewellyn: Justin Williams

A UFA I would like to see the Leafs target is Justin Williams.

The chance to add a 20 goal, 50 point player and veteran with his resume is certainly worthwhile on a short deal. His cap hit last year was $3.25 million so he likely won’t cost a fortune, and the Leafs have cap space.

Williams can put up points and has intangibles out the yin-yang for people that desire a leader who can show the the kids how to win.  Williams is a consistent 5v5 scorer, and playoff performer, who drives possession and helps teams win.

The Toronto Maple Leafs should definitely sign him.

Lauren Kelly: Anders Nilsson

The free agent I’d like to see the Leafs target on Friday is Anders Nilsson.

The Toronto Maple Leafs need a backup goaltender and Nilsson put up pretty decent numbers last season in Buffalo. He played 26 games and had a .923 save percentage (a career high).  Consider that  the Sabres were a team that struggled to keep pucks away from the net, and that sounds even better.

Nillson’s current contract was for 1-year, $1-million, and because of his success last year on a mediocre Sabres team, he’ll likely be looking for a slight raise.  The risk the Leafs run into having here is that there’s a chance Nilsson will regress from his career year.

His career save percentage is .908, but it’s still an upgrade from Curtis McElhinney, whose career save percentage is .905. Both goalies also have very similar goals against average stats (Nilsson – 2.94, McElhinney – 2.95), but GAA generally tends to reflect the team’s performance as a whole.

If Nilsson plays the way he did last season, the Leafs will have an excellent backup goalie that they can trust and rely on. If he can’t, then it will hopefully be a one-year contract that won’t do too much damage in the long run.

James Tanner:  Shattenkirk + Yakupov + Thornton

Forget how long it’s been since the Toronto Maple Leafs won a Stanley Cup – when was the last time they were even one of the best teams in the league?

If the Leafs sign Kevin Shattenkirk, they’ll be close to having one of, if not the actual best rosters in the NHL.

Everyone preaches patience and talks as if the Leafs have years to try and get this thing right.

They don’t.

They have two.  They should be smart, but they shouldn’t be patient. The time for patience has passed: While Nylander, Matthews and Marner have the lowest possible cap hits, the Leafs have to go all-in.

I don’t even know how this is a debate.  The Salary Cap has changed how an NHL team builds a winner.  Teams that can have elite talent on entry-level deals have a massive advantage.  If one of those players is Auston Matthews, then doubly so.

Given that you mostly aquire those players by drafting high, and thus being a bad team, most of the  teams that even have these players are not able to compete while their stars are young.

The Leafs, however, were blessed with JVR, Andersen, Kadri, Gardiner.  That is four all-star caliber players in their primes, and on significantly team-friendly contracts.

To combine those players, along with Zaitsev, Reilly and Bozak, with the ‘big three’ making hardly any money, plus having additional cheap/good players in Hyman, Brown, Kapanen, the Leafs are set up to succeed like no team in the history of the NHL’s salary cap era.

The Toronto Maple Leafs would have won their division last season had they had even just neutral luck as far as overtime games are concerned.  They nearly beat the best team in the NHL in the first round of the playoffs and they have a TON OF CURRENT CAP ROOM.

There will never, ever, be a better chance to ice  a stacked team.

That is why they should sign Kevin Shattenkrik.

And Joe Thornton.

And Nail Yakupov.

And worry about the consequences when they’re mopping up the champagne.

Justin Cait: Cody Franson

It’s no secret the Leafs are on the hunt for a No. 1 right-handed defenseman (RD). I don’t believe free agency is the place where Toronto will find that guy.

However, there are some good options. One of those options is signing a dependable RD on a short term, low risk contract. While the pool is shallow, there are a few UFAs that could step in and fill the RD void for the time being.

Enter ex-Leaf Cody Franson. After coming off of a season in which he was debatably the Buffalo Sabres’ best defenseman (which, honestly, really isn’t saying a lot), Franson wouldn’t be a terrible Plan B for Toronto.

Franson is a veteran presence that’s familiar with playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs and has assets to offer.  He plays controlled minutes, suppresses shots and creates offense.

Signing a defenseman that will enhance the blue line for the short term could be the silver lining for the Leafs’ potential inability to find their top line right-handed defenseman in a timely manner.

Bruce Harte Ashley: Simon Despres

Toronto Maple Leafs should sign Simon Despres.

I recently did a piece on why the Toronto Maple Leafs should sign Simon Despres. He is a 6’4, 225lb., fleet of foot puck moving defenceman. He is a lefty but moved to the right side meshing with Cam Fowler during the rest of the 2014-15 season and the playoffs.

Not every lefty is comfortable on their off side however Despres is. Due to his physical strength and skating abilities, Despres is comfortable playing on the right.  He would look great alongside Jake Gardiner.

Despres has had some injury problems and was recently bought out by the Ducks.   Nevertheless, if healthy, he is a perfect stop-gap option for Lamoriello.

While Despres is not known for his offensive prowess, from my observations, his greatest strength is his skating and mobility which is excellent for a man of his size. He is a beast at preventing shots. That is the Leafs major weakness.

Above all, Despres has a high hockey IQ. He thinks the game fast and well. While not a physical presence, his skating allows him to recover quickly and break-up zone entries, separate opponents from the puck while turning the play quickly up ice. Using a quick stick and positioning to defend, Despers has a knack for closing down lanes and disrupting the oppositions cycle. Think of a faster, younger  Cody Franson.

The Leafs greatest weaknesses are Simon Despres greatest strengths. His style of play works well with the Leafs up tempo possession driven play of the Toronto Maple Leafs..

John Krpan: Joe Thornton

Some may say a guy like Brian Boyle is who the Maple Leafs need to sign.

They might argue that Matthews is your #1 and Kadri is who you play against the opponents top line. Bozak would be a formidable third line center, and Boyle would bring grit and PK and face-off ability to the fourth line. And they would be right to think like this because it makes sense.

But I think that there is a much larger picture to consider. We all know Matthews is a superstar and is a #1 center already, but what we should consider is having three top line centers to take the pressure off Matthews and take the pressure off Babcock if/when there are injuries. Last season the Leafs lucked out not having many major injuries. We cannot expect the same this season.

What if one of Matthews, Kadri, or even Bozak went down to injuries and missed significant time? Could a Matthews, Bozak, Boyle, Smith grouping get them into the playoffs? I would say that it’s 50/50 at best. And 50/50 is not nearly good enough anymore.

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That is why I say sign Jumbo Joe. Signing Joe Thornton to 2 years (at almost any dollar figure) would create the most dynamic 1-2-3 punch in the entire NHL. If I were Chicago, or Boston, or LA, who would I have Toews, or Bergeron, or Kopitar play against? Matthews? Thornton? Kadri? Really, how could any team match up against those three centers night in and night out?

The number of opportunities created having this dynamic trio would be undeniable and scary. I would dread playing against the Toronto Maple Leafs if I was any other team. It would force teams to either leave one of those great players open all night by pairing them against third liners, or have them double shift players and by the third period they would be exhausted.

Next: Marlies News and Notes

The Leafs have two more years where they can pay a guy (or two) like Joe Thornton almost anything they would want, before having Nylander, Marner, and Matthews all on their second contracts. Matthews, Kadri, Bozak, Boyle is a good idea. But Matthews, Thornton, Kadri, plus a fourth centerman, is elite and Stanley Cup worthy.

Thanks for reading!