As July 1st’s Free Agency Frenzy slowly approaches, the Toronto Maple Leafs will have to ponder who among their current 10 UFAs the team will like to bring back or move on from, with the latter seeming the likeliest with most.
The Toronto Maple Leafs currently have just 7 forwards and 6 defensemen under contract for this season from last year, meaning big decisions need to be made prior to an offseason filled with change.
The names potentially back or out the door are headlined by deadline acquisitions Ryan O’Reilly, Noel Acciari, and Luke Schenn along with longer-standing Toronto Maple Leafs in Michael Bunting, Alexander Kerfoot, and Justin Holl.
Losing both ROR and Bunting for absolutely nothing will sting, but it’s necessary as the team has just about $9 million in cap space now, without using LTIR space.
Which Free Agents Should the Toronto Maple Leafs Bring Back?
Many will likely celebrate that the Leafs have already reportedly closed the door on Kerfoot and Holl, perennial whipping boys by the fan base while being hopeful to bring back other names in talks.
Here’s my opinion: the team only needs to explore bringing back two of the 10 names, Schenn and Acciari. I haven’t liked the reports that have been out there regarding the D-man in particular, but the Leafs need to figure this out. Both provide an element to the game the Leafs sorely lack with their ability to be tough to play against, with both players ranking in the top 10 in hits league-wide.
Schenn, who’s first in that category, is currently coming off multiple contracts less than $1 million AAV, meaning a good value contract for the Leafs could be in the works for the right handed D-man.
As for Acciari, he’s coming off a series of contracts just under $2 million AAV, making him a perfect candidate for a bottom six role with the Toronto Maple Leafs if the team can get him under that number.
Acciari also netted six goals including the playoffs in his short stint with the team since being acquired at the deadline. If nothing else, both players have experience playing in the Stanley Cup Finals, with Schenn winning two cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
On top of the on-ice reasons for them coming back, both players have expressed interest in returning to the team, making things even better for a team trying to crunch every number and get value at lower numbers.
As for other names like David Kampf, Wayne Simmonds, Zach Aston-Reece, Erik Gustafsson Erik others, the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to have to move on for several different reasons. Whether it be the cap hit they’ll receive on the open market being too high for them to even consider or it just simply being time to move on from certain players, eight names need to go and eight new names need to come in.
There are plenty of options available in this years Free Agency even at a bargin, but the Maple Leafs need to prioritize good value with their new contracts. After all, the process for resigning both Auston Matthews and William Nylander starts next month, and then in a years time the same will apply to Mitch Marner. Strap in Leafs Nation, this offseason sure seems like it’ll be a wild one.