Remaining Free Agents Offer Intriguing Choices For Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are over the salary cap right now, but teams can go a full 10% over the $82.5 million limit in the summer, and that means it’s at least technically possible for them to sign other players. (Note that this was written before any of these players signed, so please excuse anything that goes out of date between submission and publication! Thanks).
The Toronto Maple Leafs roster currently has zero needs, but no one is ever going to turn down the chance to get better, so if there is something out there that makes sense, it could happen.
Say what you want about their goalie situation, the Leafs have taken care of it. Their defense includes nine NHL players, including the recently signed Jamie Been and Victor Mete, as well as the soon to be signed Rasmus Sandin.
On forward, the Leafs have their top six locked down (pending Kerfoot’s future) and about 10 people competing for the three spots in the bottom-seven not already occupied by Pierre Engvall, Calle Jarnkrok, David Kampf and Nicolas Aube-Kubel.
Despite this roster – which is designed at the bottom end for maximum flexibility and internal competition – being mostly complete, there are still interesting UFAs out there, so let’s check them out.
Toronto Maple Leafs and the Still Available UFAs
Phil Kessel
The 34 year-old ex-Toronto Maple Leafs Franchise Player is not coming home.
While I personally would relish the chance to see one of my all-time favorite players back in the blue-and-white, there is simply too much baggage here.
Not only is there a past relationship fraught with hurt feelings and disappointment, but there is the Iron Man Streak.
Kessel, who ironically joined the Leafs while injured, has not missed a game since his first one for the Leafs. He is second all-time and hoping to outlast Keith Yandle to become the NHL’s Cap Ripken Jr.
The Leafs aren’t signing a player they can’t scratch, since their whole thing right now is roster flexibility, which just means having enough NHL players on the roster, while also being able to promote prospects who deserve it.
Kessel certainly does not fit this plan.
PK Subban
He’s 33. If he wanted to sign for the league minimum and play on the third pairing with Mark Giordano, I would like that very much, as long as Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren were in the top four.
But the Leafs current top-four includes Jake Muzzin and Justin Holl.
Oh and there is the fact they signed Benn and Mete.
There is no indication this could ever happen, and in fact there seems to be several major obstacles, but I’d still love to see Subban in Toronto.
Patrice Bergeron
Until he re-signs in Boston, I am allowed to dream.
Signing Patrice Bergeron would instantly make the Toronto Maple Leafs the best team in the NHL. They might already be that, but if they added Bergeron there would be no argument. Even at 36 Bergeron remains an elite two-way player.
Bergeron is coming off an age-defying 65 points and 25 goals in 73 games where he also earned the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive player.
The possibilities with Bergeron in this lineup are limitless, and sadly, likely never going to need exploration. Still, until he signs…..
Loui Erikson
No
Anton Stralman
Not unless you also have a time machine.
Calvin De Haan
A good depth player if you could sign him for the minimum, which you can’t, which is why he is probably still available. Leafs don’t need a lefty anyways.
Nazem Kadri
I wish a reunion was in the cards.
Kadri is from London, which essentially makes him a home town kid. The guy hated leaving, and probably would love to come back. The Leafs blew it in rushing him out of town (what are a couple team deflating suspensions in elimination games between friends?) and a reunion would be better than the time Cito Gaston got re-hired by the Blue Jays.
In reality, the Leafs had to trade Kadri – there is not a player on any team in any professional sport who could cost his team two x playoff series by getting suspended and not get traded.
People always act like the Leafs traded an elite player for some spare parts, but Kadri’s value was super-low when he got moved. He did have a great contract, but he was a major liability, which he proved by getting suspended in the playoffs with his new team.
Kadri – who came about as close to being suspended a fourth time when he got into it with Jordan Binnington in the Semis – had one of the least likely breakout seasons (he was 31) of all-time this year. His next contract is likely to be really bad.
As for the trade, the Leafs got a year of Tyson Barrie, and they swapped Kadri for Kerfoot who is younger, cheaper and better at defense. Kadri’s best feature – scoring on the power play – wouldn’t help the Leafs anyways, but at this point I know better than to think the subtleties and details will make a difference to the perception.
Who knows? Maybe there will be a happy ending! Nazem – who I refuse to believe cares too much about money, but know for a fact has a massive ego – could take a discount on a one year deal and come win at home, proving he was the missing piece all along.
What’s that? No I do not have sunstroke! Next player…..
Victor Rask
On a different team he might be an interesting reclamation project, and in fact could even provide the Leafs with value on the league minimum, but how many of these guys do you need and does he even have any ceiling left?
Paul Stastny
If you want to know why no one has signed this brainiac, maybe this is why.
I know hockey players tend to do the bare minimum in school, if they even go, but I would not welcome Mr. Stastny on this team under any circumstances. When I think of all the times this player has been venerated for his leadership, I realize what a joke that term is in this sport.
Ryan Murray
Coming off a one-year deal where he won the Cup with Colorado, however he only played in 37 regular season games, broke his hand and missed the playoffs.
An ex-# 2 overall pick, Murray may have some untapped talent, but as a lefty the Toronto Maple Leafs likely have no interest.
Zach Aston-Reese
Aston-Reese is one of the NHL’s best defensive bottong-of-the-lineup players, and is a master of scoring chance prevention. The Leafs already have Matthews, Marner, Engvall, Kerfoot, Jarnkrok and Kampf, so their defense among forwards is already close to the best in the league.
Aston-Reese would be a great signing, no doubt, but you have to wonder how many role players the Leafs can give guaranteed minutes too before they shoot themselves in the foot and block the high ceilings of their younger players.
As a player, Aston-Reese is a solid choice. On this roster, however, his skill set seems redundant.
Sonny Milano
A great passer with strong defense and a killer mullet, Milano is a player who has it all. He’s cheap, he’s got some upside and he sounds like a player the Leafs would covet. Again though, it just seems like the Leafs already have several versions of this player as well as an impetus to give ice time to some of their recent draft picks.
Lawson Crouse
I specifically remember when Crouse was drafted 11th overall in 2015 that some lunatics actually thought he was a better choice than Mitch Marner. It hasn’t worked out well for Crouse, but he’s been stuck in Arizona his entire career.
He just scored 20 goals in 65 games, he brings that power-forward game the Leafs do not have, and he is only 25.
I am seriously intrigued, but why isn’t a 6’4, 215 LBS power-forward, with pedigree, coming off a 20 goal season still unsigned, in the NHL, a league that almost fetishizes most of those things?
That seems like a big red flag, but if there is nothing to it, the Leafs should jump all over this.
Evan Rodrigues
A good player who had a great year, Rodriguez seems like the classic case of a player wanting to be paid for finally breaking out vs teams being wary it was a one-off.
The Leafs already had him, so I doubt they will be bringing him back, plus, they have a hundred guys with a higher ceiling who need a chance. He’ll help some team, just not likely the Toronto Maple Leafs.