Toronto Maple Leafs Need to Address Forward Depth

The Toronto Maple Leafs should address their need for forward depth at the NHL trade deadline on March 3rd. They will need it for the playoffs and next season.

According to capfriendly.com, the Toronto Maple Leafs have seven pending UFA forwards out of the 13 on their active roster.  Kyle Dubas could address the team’s need for forward depth next season by acquiring a forward with term instead of a rental for this year’s playoffs.

As for re-signing some of the pending UFAs, Dubas should focus on Michael Bunting first. However, Bunting is not the only one Dubas should try to re-sign. David Kampf should be re-signed for the right price, as he is an important piece to Toronto’s bottom six and penalty kill. I also think one or both of Dryden Hunt and Zach Aston-Reese should be brought back as depth pieces.

Gone from this year’s lineup will be Alex Kerfoot, Pierre Engvall, and Wayne Simmonds. Kerfoot and Engvall have likely priced themselves out of Toronto, while Simmonds is likely to retire but remain in the organization in a new role, much like Jason Spezza did this season. Those roles will need to be filled, but Dubas can address at least one of them at the trade deadline.

Toronto Maple Leafs Should Target Forward Depth at Deadline

I have compiled a list of players with at least one more year left after this season. The asking price for each player will vary, so I won’t get into the specifics of acquiring them.

Victor Olofsson – Buffalo

Victor Olofsson has one more year left on his contract after this season. His salary cap hit is $4.75 million, which is a bit steep for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but Dubas could try to get the Buffalo Sabres to retain some of the deal. Olofsson has 18 goals and six assists for 24 points in 43 games this season. He registered 20 goals and 29 assists for 49 points in 72 games last season.
(Stats from hockey-reference.com)

Ryan Hartman – Minnesota

Ryan Hartman has one more year left on his contract after this season. His $1.7 million salary cap hit would be much easier for Dubas to handle than some other contracts. Hartman missed six weeks after getting injured on October 30th in a fight against Jarred Tinordi. He has five goals and eight assists for 13 points in 22 games this season. There is a lot of promise with Hartman after his 34 goals and 31 assists for 65 points last season.

Scott Laughton – Philadelphia

Scott Laughton has three more seasons left on his contract with a $3 million salary cap hit. Laughton has 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points in 41 games this season, putting him on pace to set a new career high for points (33). He is a hometown kid who could flourish on the left side of John Tavares if given a chance.

These three players, I believe, would help the Toronto Maple Leafs this year and beyond.