Editor In Leaf
Fansided

5 Former Toronto Maple Leafs Who Could Return In Free Agency: Part 2

By Stephen Nixon

TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 27: Tyler Ennis #63 and Patrick Marleau #12 of the Toronto Maple Leafs chat prior to play resuming against the Edmonton Oilers during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 27, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Oilers 6-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 27: Tyler Ennis #63 and Patrick Marleau #12 of the Toronto Maple Leafs chat prior to play resuming against the Edmonton Oilers during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 27, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Oilers 6-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
Toronto Maple Leafs
TORONTO, ON – JANUARY 9: Sam Gagner #89 of the Toronto Marlies fires a shot on goalie Ivan Kulbakov #31 of the Utica Comets during AHL game action on January 9, 2019 at Coca Cola Coliseum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Graig Abel/Getty Images) /

#4. Sam Gagner

Gagner is coming off a three-year deal with an annual cap-hit of $3.15M. Unfortunately for him, he’s never going to see money like that again, but for the Leafs sake, he could be a diamond in the rough.

Gagner never played a game for the Toronto Maple Leafs but he did play 43 games with the Toronto Marlies. The 31-year-old centre is only two years removed from scoring 10 goals and 31 points in the NHL and could be a good addition to the fourth-line. When Gagner was originally sent to the minors, he never reported to Vancouver’s AHL team (Utica Comets) because he wanted to be play closer to home. That’s why the Marlies were able to grab him.

The London, Ontario native seemed to enjoy his time with the Marlies and you’d have to imagine he would love to come back home if he could. Depending on what type of offer he gets around the league, he would probably choose the Leafs over any other team if the money was similar.

At this point in his career, he’s an NHL fourth-line player or a star first-line AHL player, so if he’s interested in staying close to home, Toronto could be a perfect spot for him.

Home/Editorials