No. 1: Ryan Getzlaf
The 36-year-old centre from Regina, Saskatchewan hasn’t nothing left to prove and has all the money in the world, so why not sign a league-minimum deal to win a Stanley Cup in Toronto?
Getzlaf can still be an effective player on a very good team. He would essentially be everything that Leafs fans hoped Joe Thornton would be, if he did sign in Toronto. Throughout his entire career, he’s always been a great playmaker, so he’d be a welcomed addition to the Leafs powerplay, or someone who could help get youngster Nick Robertson involved.
Also, if Sheldon Keefe wanted to get Auston Matthews a second assist-man, Getzlaf could be a good fit for a few minutes a night beside him and Marner.
Getzlaf has made over $90M in career earnings, has won a Stanley Cup and gets to live in California every day. It’s unsure at whether or not he’d want to trade in the beach for the cold winter in Toronto, but if he still has a desire to win, the hockey capitol of the world could be a nice fit for him to end his career.
Every other big-name veteran has yet to get the job done in Toronto, but Getzlaf could be the guy to change the narrative.
It’ll be interesting to see if any of these players on the list will be willing to take a pay-cut to join the Toronto Maple Leafs, but hopefully one of them do, and this team can finally get back to their winning days.