3 Depth UFA’s Toronto Maple Leafs Should Still Target
During the first leg of free agency, the Toronto Maple Leafs signed nine players, but within those deals, only one of those names were notable.
The team solved their goaltending issues by acquiring Petr Mrazek immediately, but they still have some unanswered questions in their lineup.
David Kampf and Michael Bunting will have a strong possibility of making the opening night roster, but that’s not going to make this team a Stanley Cup favorite. Obviously, those two could surprise and delight everybody, but this team still needs to make another addition or two.
As of right now, the team is right up against the salary cap. However, they could easily shed a few million dollars by sending down a player or two and/or trading a current roster player.
Based on some of those other free agency additions, Pierre Engvall, Alex Kerfoot and/or Ilya Mikheyev should be concerned at whether or not they’re going to be part of Toronto’s future. The Leafs added a potential third-line centre replacement for Kerfoot in Kampf, while Bunting is almost guaranteed a role somewhere.
As such, it’ll be very interesting to see what Sheldon Keefe and Kyle Dubas have planned for this roster on opening night.
It would make a ton of sense to find another top-six left-winger who can play with the core-four and another depth defenseman, but they’ll have to do it very cheaply.
Here are three depth UFA’s still available that the Toronto Maple Leafs should target.
No.1: Nick Ritchie
It’s going to be hard to find a replacement for Zach Hyman, but Nick Ritchie could be that player.
Ritchie is coming off a $1.5M AAV contract and could potentially be up for a raise after a 15-goal campaign. It’s hard to say how much of a raise he would get, but if he’s available for $2.5M or less, he’d be a good fit with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The former 10th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft has a lot more skill than he’s shown at the NHL level. During his junior career, Ritchie was a 39 goal-scorer one year, but he was also an enforcer.
At 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, Ritchie is your typical power forward who can use his big frame to drive the net, or to drive opponents crazy. A player like this would fit perfectly beside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.
Not only would Ritchie be the physical player who can retrieve the puck for the dynamic duo, but he has good enough hands to finish himself. As mentioned, there are not too many players who can replace what Hyman brought, but based on Ritchie’s credentials, there’s no reason to believe that he can’t be 90 percent as good as Hyman was.
Obviously his size and ability to score is crucial, but he’s also from Orangeville, ON, so the idea of playing in front of his friends and family could be a real treat for him. Michael Bunting signed for less money to come to Toronto, so maybe Ritchie would do the same.
No. 2: Jordie Benn
After losing Zach Bogosian during free agency this offseason, the Toronto Maple Leafs should look to replace him. Although they have a number of young players in the organization who could fill his role, an established NHLer is better suited for that position.
Jordie Benn is your typical stay-at-home veteran defenseman. He never scores, but he’s tough to play against. At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, he has good size and is someone who’s not going to hurt you defensively.
As the fifth or sixth best defenseman, Benn would be great in Toronto.
Benn isn’t going to be a shutdown defenseman who plays more than 15 minutes per night, but he’ll be able to provide some depth penalty kill minutes and leadership. With over 500 games in the NHL, Benn is solid player to have on your roster.
Based on his productivity over the past few years and the fact that he’s been on three teams in three years, he’s probably going to be cheap.
At an annual of AAV of $1.5M or less, Benn would be a good fit on this team and would be someone that the Leafs should target.
No. 3: James Neal
After getting bought out by the Edmonton Oilers, the Leafs could get James Neal on a very cheap contract.
It wasn’t that long ago that Neal was scoring 20 goals per season in his sleep. The former 40-goal scorer was lethal on the powerplay and played with an edge that made him a fan favorite.
Having grown up down the road from Toronto in Whitby, ON, Neal may not have any better options than the Toronto Maple Leafs.
James Neal, bought out by EDM, is a defence-first bottom six forward who doesn't really score goals anymore. Kind of a dramatic difference from earlier in his career... #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/Oz9ZEXrr0o
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 27, 2021
As shown by the graphic above, the 34-year-old is more of a fourth-liner now who is pretty good defensively. He’s clearly not worth the $5.8M he was previously making, but on a one-year $1M contract, he could be worth signing.
Neal has a ton of playoff experience (110 games) and has been to the Stanley Cup Finals twice in his career, but has yet to win. He’s getting close to retiring, so he’d more than likely sign a discount deal to play for a contender.
Next. 3 Left Wingers Leafs Should Sign. dark
If he can find some scoring touch on the second powerplay unit, or find some time beside the core four in Toronto, he could revitalize his career for one more season. It may be a stretch, but on a similar deal to Corey Perry or Jason Spezza, Neal can bring a ton of value to a roster, and the Leafs should seriously consider signing him.