3 Veteran UFA Defenseman Toronto Maple Leafs Should Sign
No. 3: Brandon Montour
The former second-round pick’s career hasn’t panned out as great as many thought it would, be in the right role, Montour is a very serviceable player.
During his junior career and time in the American Hockey League, Montour showed a ton of offensive upside. He looked like a powerplay specialist and was someone who produced at almost a point-per-game pace.
Montour was a consistent double-digit goal-scorer, so many hoped that would translate to the NHL level. During his 293-game career, Montour has yet to have a double-digit goal-scoring campaign, and his best statistical season came in 2017-18 when he had 32 total points.
Although he’s faced some injury concerns, he hasn’t lived up to the expectations from his early career.
Despite the offensive issues, I don’t think Montour’s NHL career is finished yet. On a cheap contract, as a third-pairing player, Montour could be successful again. If he was given a role on the second powerplay in Toronto, it may help get his confidence back and his offensive numbers could rise on a team that’s so skilled.
Montour grew up roughly 1.5 hours away from Toronto, so it’s safe to say that this was his hometown team growing up, so playing back near home could something that excites him.
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On a one-year $1M deal, Montour could be worth taking a flyer on this offseason.