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.