Ex Toronto Maple Leafs Who Might Come Back:
No. 1: Alexander Barabanov
Remember when the Leafs signed Barabanov in April, 2020 and the entire Leafs community was excited about his skillset? The 25-year-old at the time was supposed to come in and be a wrecking ball for the Leafs, who was also going to provide skill up-front.
At $925K, he was the perfect player for the Leafs, as all signs pointed towards him out-performing that contract, similar to someone like Michael Bunting, currently.
Well, April, 2020 was a weird time and Barabanov only played 13 career games with the Leafs, before getting traded to the San Jose Sharks. In those 13 games, he only registered one assist, so it wasn’t a great debut, but he’s hit his potential now in San Jose.
In 120 games, he has 19 goals and 69 points, proving to be a very effective player. The Sharks gave him a two-year-deal worth $2.5M AAV, with a modified no-trade-clause, so they really hit the jackpot with him, unlike Toronto.
However, the Sharks are terrible and his name has been brought up as a potential trade target. As a result, the Leafs could bring him back with hopes that he’ll be the player they thought they were getting when they originally signed him in 2020.