No. 3: Sonny Milano
Why is Sonny Milano still un-signed right now?
Coming off a 14-goal, 34 point season last year, the Anaheim Ducks decided not to give him a qualifying offer, making him a free agent. Milano finished with a 14.1 shooting percentage last year, with only 94 shots on net, meaning if given a bigger opportunity, he should be a 20-25 goal scorer.
For example, Michael Bunting finished the season with a 13.1 shooting percentage, with a total 175 shots on net and scored 23 goals. (stats: hockeyreference.com)
Throughout his career, Milano hasn’t been given much more than a third-line opportunity, when he has all of the skills to be a second-line player. Similar to Bunting, if given an opportunity with better player, Milano can produce at a level which will out-perform his contract.
Milano was a teammate of Auston Matthews’ during his time on the U.S. National Under-18 Team and is the former 16th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He’s just another example of a player who a team has under-valued because they didn’t give him the right opportunity, so the Toronto Maple Leafs need to exploit this and make him their second-line left-winger.