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3 Depth UFA’s Toronto Maple Leafs Should Still Target

By Stephen Nixon

VANCOUVER, BC - MAY 03: James Neal #18 of the Edmonton Oilers skates with the puck during NHL action against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on April 16, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - MAY 03: James Neal #18 of the Edmonton Oilers skates with the puck during NHL action against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on April 16, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /
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Nick Ritchie, Toronto Maple Leafs
BOSTON, MA – MAY 29: Nick Ritchie #21 of the Boston Bruins checks Scott Mayfield #24 of the New York Islanders  (Photo by Rich Gagnon/Getty Images) /

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.

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