Top-10 Best NHL UFAs for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2022-23

The Toronto Maple Leafs upgraded their roster ahead of the trade deadline. At this time in April, with the trade deadline come and gone, there are just minor tweaks General Manager Kyle Dubas can make to his team before they enter the postseason. Any major additions will need to wait until the offseason.

The Toronto Maple Leafs can make their team even more dynamic by signing an unrestricted free agent (UFA). There are many that will be available this summer but ten of them stand out above the rest as strong fits for the Buds.

Before digging into the list, it’s important to note which players are currently playing on an expiring contract in Toronto. They will be excluded from the top-ten, but that doesn’t mean that Dubas won’t be interested in bringing any or all of them back.

The Leafs have three forwards, two defensemen, and one goaltender who will become UFAs at season’s end. Up front, they risk losing Ilya Mikheyev, Jason Spezza, and the newly acquired Colin Blackwell. Both UFA blue liners are new to the team in Mark Giordano and Ilya Lyubushkin.

The biggest potential loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs would be if their backstop, Jack Campbell, left town. With him being the team’s most reliable stopper, Toronto would need to either shop for a new number one or trust that Joseph Woll is ready for the NHL. Relying on Woll would be an enormous risk as there isn’t evidence yet that he is far enough along in his development to carry the bulk of the goaltending load for the Leafs next season.

With the potential of there being openings throughout the roster, Dubas can turn his attention to filling it in with at least one of the best available players. These are those players.

All player statistics are from Hockey Reference and all contract information comes from CapFriendly.

#10 – Josh Manson

It has become an annual tradition around the NHL trade deadline for Toronto Maple Leafs fans to voice their interest on social media for Dubas to acquire Josh Manson. At the risk of extinguishing social media fodder, instead of waiting until deep into 2023 to make a move for the depth defenseman, Toronto could sign Manson in the offseason.

After eight years with the Anaheim Ducks, Manson was picked up by the Colorado Avalanche a week before the trade deadline. Since the move, he has played primarily on his new club’s second pairing next to Jack Johnson. This season, between the Avalanche and Ducks, Manson has played 53 games and recorded 4 goals and 6 assists.

The rearguard is 30-years-old and shoots right. While he won’t add a great deal of offense, Manson brings valuable defense, making his team more difficult to score on. He is also not afraid to throw his six-foot-three, 218-pound frame around. This season, the Hinsdale, Illinois native has thrown 134 hits.

What may make Manson a more interesting free agent acquisition would be that he is likely to have a smaller cap hit next season. This year, he is earning a $4.1 million AAV. One can debate the value of a shutdown defenseman versus an offensive one, but at the right price, the Maple Leafs would want to absolutely want Manson’s services.

#9 – Ben Chiarot

Ben Chiarot is a similar style addition that Manson would be. Chariot is another player who fans hypothesized as being a trade target for the Leafs ahead of the 2022 NHL trade deadline. Like Manson, he is 30-years-old and stands six-foot-three. Chariot also plays with a bit of an edge, adding physicality to his game. The 226-pound defenseman has thrown 122 hits this season.

Chiarot is a left-shooting blue liner who plays on a top pairing for the Florida Panthers. Looking to win the Stanley Cup, they acquired him via trade from the Montreal Canadiens. This season, between the two clubs, the Hamilton, Ontario born player has collected 7 goals and 13 assists in 59 games. He is also averaging 23:35 minutes of ice-time per contest.

Chiarot has played on both the left and right side, which gives him more versatility in a lineup. This season, he is finishing a three-year contract that carries a $3.5 million cap hit.

Chiarot has already seen his possession metrics improve since moving to Florida. His even strength Corsi rating has ameliorated from 46.0 with the Habs to 61.2 with the Panthers. It’s encouraging when thinking about what Chiarot can do when surrounded by one of the best collection of players in the NHL instead of one of the worst. The Leafs are far closer to the former than the latter, which suggests that if Chiarot has the opportunity to patrol the blue line in Toronto, it could be very beneficial for the team.

#7 – Bryan Rust

Coming off his third consecutive 20-goal season, Bryan Rust is hitting the market at a good time. At 29-years-old, he has proved that he can still produce in a big way. Playing on the Pittsburgh Penguins second line, Rust has racked up 56 points in 47 games. He tucked away 22 goals and added 34 assists.

Rust stands 5-feet-11-inches tall and weighs 192-pounds. He will be entering his ninth-year in the NHL and has played all of them for the Penguins. Rust’s time with the team has been good to him. He has had the opportunity to hoist Lord Stanley’s Mug twice. That means, not only does Rust have significant offense in his toolbox, but also a wealth of valuable NHL experience.

The Toronto Maple Leafs would benefit by adding the talented right-winger to their lineup. Centered by John Tavares, Keefe could shift William Nylander to the left side and slot Rust (who also has experience playing left-wing) in his place.

It would make the team’s second-line far more dangerous. That trio could be just as dynamic as the Leafs top line.

Rust is coming off a four-year, $14 million deal with a yearly average of $3.5 million. It will be interesting to see what he is able to land in his next deal and whether the Toronto Maple Leafs scoop him up. Though it would be odd to see Rusty don any color other than black and yellow, the blue and white would definitely suit him.

#6 – Nazem Kadri

Nazem Kadri is a name the  Leafs and their fans know very well. He was a favorite in the city despite finding ways to be suspended. Kadri was suspended five times at critical moments. He received a three-game-suspension for interference in November 2013, four was handed out for an illegal check to the head in March 2015, four more for cross-checking in April 2016, three games for boarding (April 2018), and five for cross-checking in April 2019.

Kadri spent 10 years in Toronto before he was traded to the Avalanche in a blockbuster deal. The center’s move to Mile-High City has been very beneficial for him as he’s recorded his career best numbers. This year, he has registered 26 goals and 57 assists for a total of 83 points in 65 games.

Kadri is now 31-years-old and will have the opportunity to get himself a raise. This season, he is being paid $4.5 million as part of the six-year $27 million contract negotiated by former Maple Leafs General Manager Lou Lamoriello.

The reality is that thanks to Kadri’s production, he’s likely priced his way out of Toronto. Even if he wanted to return, the only way to get the London, Ontario native back to the Big Smoke would be for him to take a hometown discount. There’s no reason to believe that that would happen considering that it took Kadri to leave the Leafs to elevate his game to another level. However, if there is a way to reunite the Maple Leafs with their 2009 seventh-overall draft pick, it would drastically improve team production.

#5 – Darcy Kuemper

If the idea of the Leafs signing Fleury is exciting, then imagine how much better the team would be if they could have an equally talented goaltender who is six years younger. Darcy Kuemper would be an enormous upgrade in the Maple Leafs crease. Bringing him to Toronto is a possibility thanks to his two-year, $9 million contract, which is set to expire.

After five years with the Wild, a stopover with the Los Angeles Kings, and four years in the desert with the Arizona Coyotes, Kuemper has spent this season thriving with his fourth NHL club, the Avalanche. He has been phenomenal, winning 31 of the 47 games he started. Kuemper has posted a 2.37 goals-against average along with a .924 save percentage.

Kuemper has had an excellent career. Selected in the sixth round by the Wild (161st overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, he has far exceed expectations. There was a time even playing in the NHL was a long shot, but Kuemper has been so strong that he’s even received votes to win the Hart and Vezina trophies, though he hasn’t won either one. For his career, the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native has a 2.45 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.

It’s going to take a big cheque to bring Kuemper to Toronto. It would certainly mean that Campbell has not re-signed and likely that the team has also managed to trade Mrazek and his $3.8 million cap hit. That would open up space for the Leafs to have a true number-one goaltender.

#4 – Claude Giroux

It has been five years since Claude Giroux scored north of 30 goals in a campaign, but he has still been consistently productive. This is why the Panthers swung a deal to bring him to Sunrise, Florida.

Now in his 15th season in the NHL, Giroux has a collected 904 career points on 291 goals and 613 assists. This year, he has recorded 18 goals and 29 assists in 62 games. At age 34, it appears as though Giroux has a lot of hockey left in the tank. With experience playing both center and on the wing, there is a lot he has to offer next year’s club.

Giroux will be in demand this summer. On 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggested that the Ottawa Senators will be in play once free agency opens. He explained that Giroux has been “doing his research on Ottawa.” There have been other rumors circulating about the forward’s next potential landing spot, with the Senators name continuing to be raised. That doesn’t mean that joining the Leafs is out of the question though the thinking from insiders is that Giroux could be a valuable presence for a rebuilding franchise.

Giroux is currently playing in the last year of his eight year, $66.2 million contract. He’s earning an AAV of $8.275 million. That’s far more than he is likely to receive for both term and value in his next deal. That will make Giroux a more affordable option for any suitor.

#3 – Evgeni Malkin

Getting Evgeni Malkin into the NHL was a difficult task, but once he arrived, he showed the world that he was one of the premiere talents on Earth.

After being drafted second-overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Malkin’s KHL club, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, had no interest in letting him leave Russia.

It took a tournament in Helsinki, Finland to get Geno out of the country and into hiding. With the world searching for him, when Malkin next publicly reappeared, it was in America with the passport Magnitogorsk once locked away.

Now, at age 35 and having played 16 seasons for the Penguins, Malkin is a future hall-of-fame inductee. He has played 972 career games where he has potted 441 goals and assisted on 698 more, earning a total of 1139 points.

The former 50-goal scorer may not be producing at the same rate as he once did but he is still greater than a point-per-game player. This season, in 32 games, he has recorded 35 points on 17 goals and 18 helpers.

Malkin is finishing up a monster contract. It is an eight-year deal worth $76 million. That’s an average annual salary of $9.5 million. With Malkin on the back end of his career, he will not be getting anything near that level of compensation. It will be interesting to see what the superstar’s next contract entails as well as where he decides to sign. Perhaps, this will spell the end of his time in The Steel City.

#2- Filip Forsberg

Once free agency opens, agent J.P. Barry and his firm CAA Hockey will be fielding phone calls from across the league for their client, Filip Forsberg. He is going to be an enormous addition to whichever team lands him next season. The 27-year-old Swedish center has hit his stride in the NHL at just the right time.

The Nashville Predators GM, David Poile, locked down Forsberg for six-years on a contract that pays him $36 million, $6 million annually. Currently, it looks like an incredible deal. That’s because Forsberg has been on fire. Not only has he collected a total of 318 points in 533 games, but
this season, he has tucked away 37 goals and 29 assists in 54 games.

If the Toronto Maple Leafs want to add the sniper, it would come at more than just a monetary cost. Forsberg will get a monster deal in the offseason. In order to fit that new contract under the salary cap, the Leafs would need to make space for it. In fact, the most likely scenario to make things work would be for Toronto to trade William Nylander.

Taking Nylander’s $6,962,366 contract off the books would give the Leafs a lot of flexibility. If it was a move Dubas wanted to make, it would allow the team to recover valuable assets while replacing their winger with a star player like Forsberg.

Forsberg would be the Leafs second choice when free agency opens. If he was interested, the Leafs could trade Nylander to sign the top-available free agent.

#1 – Johnny Gaudreau

There have been a lot of excellent players that the Torotno Maple Leafs would love to see on their roster next season. Many of whom can expect to see bidding wars for their services. None should be more in demand than Johnny Hockey.

Having played for the Calgary Flames for his entire nine-year-tenure in the NHL, it’s hard to imagine Johnny Gaudreau playing anywhere other than Cowtown. That can be a real possibility this summer.

In Gaudreau’s 587 career games played, he has registered 201 goals and 384 assists for 585 points. This season, in 67 contests, the left-winger has 91 points on 31 goals and 60 helpers. Just like with Forsberg, this production couldn’t come at a better time.

Gaudreau will be looking to increase his compensation next year. Currently, he is being paid $6.75 million. At age 28, he should be able to get himself a substantial raise in free agency. That’s because Gaudreau is in the mix to win the Hart Trophy.

Adding the superstar to the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup would make the team even more dangerous. Gaudreau’s ability to create offense off the rush would mesh greatly with other Leafs forwards. Playing him alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner could very likely create the best line in hockey. Alternatively, Gaudreau could play on the second line with Tavares, creating a lethal one-two punch.

It will certainly be an interesting offseason for the Toronto Maple Leafs. With all the talent that will be available once free agency opens, there is sure to be a mad scramble as general managers try to get their man. Hopefully, Toronto will get theirs.