Toronto Maple Leafs: Every Pending UFA in the Metropolitan Division

Patrick Marleau of the Pittsburgh Penguins (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Patrick Marleau of the Pittsburgh Penguins (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Jesper Fast of the New York Rangers skates against Morgan Rielly of the Toronto Maple Leafs while Frederik Andersen looks on (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

New York Rangers

The other team from New York also has UFAs on their roster. New York Rangers actually have three players who can walk away from the team. One of whom was included in one of the top five trades of decade.

Greg McKegg

Former Toronto Maple Leafs center Greg McKegg spent the season in the middle of the Rangers fourth line. Since leaving Toronto, McKegg has played for four different AHL teams and five NHL teams. He has found a way to maintain value and keep being recalled to the majors.

With the Rangers, McKegg played 53 contests and picked up nine points on five goals and four assists.

He did that while playing an average of just 9:34 minutes of ice time. Being a hard worker on the ice and never giving up on a play has allowed McKegg to have a shot at returning to the NHL next season.

Jesper Fast

A larger impact player with the Rangers will also be hitting the market. That’s their assistant captain, Jesper Fast.

His usage in New York has been curious. Fast’s best attribute is his defensive abilities. A player like him would be best served to play on a grinder line of the bottom six. Instead, Fast spent more of the season with linemates Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome.

This miscast may be corrected on Fast’s next contract. He clearly serves a great deal of value but because of his position in the lineup, he wasn’t helping the Rangers in the way he should. At 28 years old, he would look good on the Leafs penalty kill and third line.

Micheal Haley

The last UFA with the Rangers is Micheal Haley. His career is in jeopardy after having bilateral muscle core surgery.

The team never announced a timeline for his return. He played in 22 games this season and picked up a single point off a goal he scored. Going into the offseason on the IR, hopefully Haley recovers in time to find himself a new deal.