Toronto Maple Leafs: Top 5 UFA’s After Day 1 To Target
UFA Options for the Toronto Maple Leafs :
No. 1 Ondrej Palat
All signs pointed to Ondrej Palat returning to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but now that he’s officially a free agent and won’t be returning to Tampa, Toronto should be all over him.
Toronto’s biggest issue right now is their top-six left-wing position and there’s no better player on the market than Palat.
He has good size at 6-feet-tall, 195 pounds and has a proven track record for performing in the playoffs. With 138 career playoff games, Palat has continued to play a huge part in the Lightning reaching four Stanley Cup Finals’ in his career and he’s delivered in the biggest moments.
Toronto could always use more experience and a winning pedigree and as shown in the past, Palat seems to step up in the biggest games.
It was clear that Tampa’s series against Toronto was their toughest test, besides Colorado of course. So by battling them for seven games, it could help the chances of Palat wanting to join the Leafs, knowing that he could be that player that gets them over the edge.
No. 2: John Klingberg
Toronto is targeting a big right-handed defenseman right now and the best one on the market is Klingberg, who they should be incredibly interested in.
Leading up to the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline, Klingberg’s name was continued to be rumored to the Leafs because it was exactly what they needed. At 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Klingberg not only brought size and some physicality, but he brought offense.
If Toronto brought him in, they could have a great looking defense with the following:
- Morgan Rielly/TJ Brodie
- Rasmus Sandin/John Klingberg
- Mark Giordano/Timothy Liljegren
You’d obviously have to trade Justin Holl and/or Jake Muzzin to acquire him, but it’s worth it. Klingberg is a proven 50 point player and can help your powerplay.
If the Leafs don’t offer him a contract or find a way to talk to him, they are missing out on a great opportunity.
No. 3: P.K Subban
I don’t see a world where P.K Subban plays for another team besides the Toronto Maple Leafs next season. It just makes way too much sense.
He’s from Toronto, just made a bizillion dollars on his last contract and needs to find a team to turn his career around or try to win a Stanley Cup. On a one or two-year deal at a minimum contract, Subban could finally dawn the blue-and-white, compete for a Stanley Cup and then walk his way into another big contract to end his career.
It’s kind of the perfect scenario for both parties.
The former Norris Trophy winner has had a tough few years in the league, but he’s also been playing in New Jersey, which is an awful place to play. Everyone knows that Subban thrives under the spotlight and there’s no bigger market than Toronto, so it’s a perfect match.
Not only would the fans love him, but it would also fill a void in Toronto’s line-up. Subban can be a physical defenseman, but he also has a huge shot from the point, which Toronto needs on their power-play.
Having previously made $9M per year, if Subban was willing to take a hometown discount at $3M or less, he could push Justin Holl out of the line-up and be a big upgrade on him.
Let’s make this happen, Toronto!
No. 4: Dylan Strome
Eric and Marc Staal both signed in Florida on Day 1, so the Strome brothers should have done the same in Toronto, before Ryan signed in Anaheim late Wednesday night.
Dylan is a great player, who was another victim of Chicago’s rebuild. Instead of qualifying him, they let him go and now that he’s a free agent, the Leafs should definitely consider signing him.
The 25-year-old was a former high-end pick (3rd overall in 2015 NHL Entry) who hasn’t quite developed into the player everyone thought he would be. However, after scoring 22 goals last year, Strome is slowly coming into his own and getting an opportunity to play in Toronto’s top-six could extend him into a 30-goal scorer.
Obviously it comes down to price, but Strome would be a great fit in Toronto.
He brings solid size and skill, but could be another value contract who takes a hometown discount to play in Toronto. The Leafs need to continue to flex their muscles that playing in Toronto is a great fit for him, as they look to add to their top-six wing or third-line centre position.
No. 5: Sonny Milano
Milano might be best-known for his baseball goal he scored from Trevor Zegras last year, but he’s more than that one highlight.
Milano’s a player who bounced around the AHL before finally finding a full-time job in the NHL last year with the Anaheim Ducks, where he scored 14 goals and had 34 points.
After finally getting the chance to play every night, Milano proved that he belongs in the NHL and can actually contribute. However, for whatever reason, the Ducks didn’t even qualify him and now he’s a UFA.
Speaking of left-winger UFA’s, It doesn’t make any sense to me that Milano wasn’t qualified, but Ilya Mikheyev, who’s one year older than Milano, who scored 21 goals and had 32 points just signed a four-year deal at $4.75M AAV.
Milano could be a perfect replacement for Mikheyev at a fraction of the price and could probably put up the same point-production as Mikheyev did in Toronto, if he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
I’d expect a few teams to line up for Milano’s services, but Toronto should pitch him that he’ll have a great shot at top-six minutes beside John Tavares and William Nylander and if he takes a discount to come here, it’ll pay dividends to him in the future, exactly like it just did to Mikheyev.
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In terms of value opportunities, Milano seems like a no-brainer for the Toronto Maple Leafs to target.