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5 Former Toronto Maple Leafs Who Could Return in Free Agency

By Stephen Nixon

TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 10: Mitch Marner #16 and Matt Martin #15 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrate a win against the Boston Bruins at the Air Canada Centre on November 10, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Bruins 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 10: Mitch Marner #16 and Matt Martin #15 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrate a win against the Boston Bruins at the Air Canada Centre on November 10, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Bruins 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs – Ron Hainsey (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

#4. Ron Hainsey

Someone call Morgan Rielly and let him know that Ron Hainsey is a Free Agent! Despite the numbers saying otherwise, people still credit Hainsey for Rielly’s success two years ago.

Rielly did have his two best offensive seasons of his career when paired with Hainsey every night, but he also spent most of the past year playing through an injury, and the numbers have always said he does better away from Hainsey.  Still, the freedom of having a security blanket beside him made him able to rush the puck up the ice and create scoring chances.could help him rebound next season.

Although Hainsey is 39-years-old, he still averaged 20 minutes of ice-time per night with the Ottawa Senators, though no one can really say why. The one problem with Hainsey will definitely be his salary. He received a pay-raise last year making $3.5 million and the Senators have more than enough cap-space to re-sign him to the same deal, which is a massive overpayment for what he brings to the table.

If Toronto would even consider this, and that is extremely doubtful, they certainly couldn’t pay him more than the league minimum.

Hainsey is left-handed but is a right-side defenseman and hasn’t been good for years, but maybe the Leafs would like to bring him back for sentimental reasons?

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