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.