Three UFAs The Toronto Maple Leafs Should Try to Sign

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a new GM, but so far Brad Treliving has not made a move.

Next year’s Toronto Maple Leafs roster is set to be a lot different than this years squad that made it to the second round for the first time since 2004.

With the Leafs most likely not bringing back Alexander Kerfoot, Justin Holl and Michael Bunting, it leaves the Leafs with an opportunity to spice things  on their roster.

In addition to those three, there are seven other UFAs, and a host of questions about the roster and even established core players could be traded depending on how contract negotiations go.

Suffice to say, it will be a busy summer.

One thing that held Toronto back in the playoffs was the mixture of guys who can both score and lay the body.

In order to have success in the postseason, you need a perfect combination of both to have a chance to win the Stanley Cup, and this year, I don’t think the Leafs had that.

So, I will be giving my opinion on some UFA’s the Toronto Maple Leafs should go after who I think will fit in the system not only during the regular season, but in the playoffs as well.

Toronto Maple Leafs UFA Options: Ivan Barbashev

Ivan Barbashev was someone who Kyle Dubas supposedly tried to acquire in the Ryan O’Reilly trade back in February, and looking back on it now, it is extremely unfortunate that Dubas could not get him in the deal.

Last season, Barbashev recorded a career-high in points with 60, his previous best being 26.

Before being traded to the Vegas Golden Knights, he had 29 points in 59 games with a struggling St. Louis Blues team.

However, once arriving in Sin City, Barbashev made an immediate impact, putting up 16 points in 23 regular season games.

His great production continued into the post season as he tallied 18 points in 22 playoff games en route to winning his second Stanley Cup of his career.

Barbashev won his first Cup in St. Louis back in 2019, but only had six points in 25 games during that cinderella run.

During this years postseason, it became aware that he did not fear from laying a big hit or getting into scrums, as seen when Barbashev laid a revere-hit on Radko Gudas, taking him out of play.

Doing that to someone Gudas’ size is extremely hard to do, and Barbashev made it almost like his signature move, reverse-hitting anyone that got in his way.

This is one of the players that the Toronto Maple Leafs desperately need, and hopefully Brad Treliving can pull this one off. (stats hockeydb.com).

Corey Perry

Ah yes, Corey Perry. Arguably one of the most hated men when facing the Toronto Maple Leafs, or any team for that matter.

I always say that Perry is the type of player that you hate to play against, but would love to have on your team.

Although he is 38-years-old, Perry has proven that he still has it when it comes to scoring points, and making other fans in the NHL hate his guts.

Perry is a smart guy, he lures you in to take a penalty and bullies you whenever he has the chance to rough you up, as seen when he dropped the gloves with Justin Holl in game two of the Leafs/Lightning first round matchup.

But despite the Lightning losing that series, Perry was one of the only bright spots on Tampa, putting up five points in six playoff games. In the regular season he even scored 25 points in all 82 games. In the 2021-22 season,  he hit 40 points for the first time since 2018.

Perry wouldn’t be brought in for his scoring ability, he would be brought in as a grinder to rough teams up and draw penalties, but the scoring is still there, making him someone that I believe would not only make the Leafs better, but make them extremely hard to play against, something this team has not had in so long.