No Need for Toronto Maple Leafs to Sign Any Other Free-Agents

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be starting training camp in the next couple of weeks, and leading up to the new season there are many questions people have about this team.

For the most part, talk of the Toronto Maple Leafs has centered on their choices for goalies in 2022, as well as the continued hold-out of Rasmus Sandin, who is still without a contract, and even if he had one, would be without a spot to play.

The Leafs are over the cap, need to sign one of their best young players, and do not seem to have a spot for him to play.

But other than that, they are pretty much set.

Though Sonny Milano and Evan Rodriguez are still available to be signed, and though many people would like to see the team add a few more names to the roster, I think they are set as far as free agency goes.

The Toronto Maple Leafs Don’t Need to Sign Anyone Else

The Leafs should have  a pretty solid low-event shutdown line with Pierre Engvall, David Kampf and Calle Janrkrok.

But while that line should do well shutting down other teams, it will not score much, and therefore the Leafs have to ice an un-traditional fourth line.

It needs to have offensive upside, and it should be able to play more often than a typical fourth line, since the Leafs 3rd line is very fourth-line like already (in that it is an offensive blackhole).

Not that Milano or Rodriguez aren’t good players, because they are, but I don’t see them as a fit on this team.

The Leafs have Alex Kerfoot in the second-line left-wing spot, but he can easily be traded, and likely will be, as soon as Nick Robertson wins that job, which I believe he will.

With Robertson on the second line and Kerfoot gone, I still don’t think the Leafs need to sign anyone else.

Nicholas Aube-Kabel is a solid candidate for a breakout year, and could easily be one of the NHL’s best fourth liners.

Adam Gaudette has upside, he is only 25 and once scored 33 points in 59 games for Vancouver a few years ago.

I highly doubt Wayne Simmonds or Kyle Cilfford will win jobs out of camp, but they will at least try to play, and will add some competition to the festivities.

Joey Anderson is 24 and he was pretty decent in the AHL, and still has a shot at being a decent pro.

Nick Abruzzese was drafted in 2019 and already played nine games last year, scoring one goal. He didn’t look out of place, and offers a lot more upside than anyone else here except for maybe Aube-Kabel.

So even if Nick Robertson and Alex Kerfoot are not in the mix, there are six solid options for a role on the Toronto Maple Leafs fourth line (Abruzzese, Anderson, Aube-Kabel, Clifford, Simmonds, Gaudette).

There are also longshots in Alex Steeves, Pontus Holmberg and Roni Hirvonen.   That means there are at least nine players + Robertson/kerfoot who could end up on the Leafs fourth line. (And that assumes the defensive line mentioned previously remains in tact).

With that many options, there is no need to bring in more borderline guys to compete for jobs. I wouldn’t hate the acquisition of any of the best UFAs still available, I just don’t really see the need for it.  The fact is, the Leafs need  to get value from some rookies playing ELCs and it’s about time they started to transition their solid prospect group to the NHL.