Toronto Maple Leafs: Top 10 Available NHL Free-Agents
No. 10: Freddie Andersen
Why not start with a familiar face in goaltender Freddie Andersen?
For five seasons, Andersen was the Toronto Maple Leafs starting goaltender before being joining the Carolina Hurricanes.
Not only was Andersen the Leafs starter, but over the past 33 years, since 1990, only Felix Potvin has had a longer reign in net. Andersen sits sixth all-time in games played for a Leafs goalie.
Paired beside Antti Raanta, the duo had a strong season, ultimately just falling short of the Stanley Cup Finals.
It’s very unlikely that the Leafs would target Andersen, but his stats were pretty good with the Hurricanes over the last two seasons and a new GM could bring back an old flame.
Could Andersen Come Back to the Toronto Maple Leafs?
I mean, why not? He is indisputably one of the best goalies in franchise history.
Health has been his biggest concern, especially in the playoffs, but if the team traded away Matt Murray, he could be a good replacement for a somewhat similar price.
With Joseph Woll set to be the main goaltender for the Leafs next year, Andersen would be a great 1A/1B, as that duo would be even better than what they had this year with the combination of Ilya Samsonov/Murray/Woll.
It’s a stretch, but he’s the best goaltender available this offseason, so he should be talked about.
No. 9: Patrice Bergeron
Despite being 38-years-old, Bergeron won his sixth Frank Selke Trophy this week, as the league’s best defensive forward.
In my opinion, Mitch Marner probably should’ve won this year, but kudos to Bergeron.
Bergeron has spent his last 20 years in Boston, so it would be shocking if he signed with a different team, but how much better can Boston’s season get than last year?
They were the greatest regular season team of all-time, but found a way to lose in seven games in the First Round.
They went from being the Stanley Cup favorites, up 3-1 in the series against a second wild-card team, but still lost.
It’ll be tough to return from that, but he’ll more than likely rejoin Boston if he decides not to retire, which is likely what is going to happen.
This list isn’t about who’s projected to sign in Toronto, but rather the best possible UFA’s so although Bergeron probably won’t join the Leafs this offseason, he’s still one of the best free agents out there this summer.
No. 8: Tyler Bertuzzi
Bertuzzi’s an interesting name this offseason because it’s unclear what his market value will be.
He’s a former 30-goal scorer, so team’s will be interested, but how much would they be willing to pay for him?
The 28-year-old missed some action last year and has had some injury troubles in the past, but his style of game would be beneficial to the Leafs.
He’s been rumored to the organization for awhile now, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see if there’s interest in him again.
The left-winger would look really good in the Leafs top-six because, not only can he score, but he plays with an edge that this team truly is missing.
There’s not much sandpaper in Toronto’s line-up at the moment and it’s hard to find that tough player who can also contribute offensively, so there could be an appetite for him.
As previously mentioned, his price-tag will be very interesting because I can see him making anywhere between $4-7M based on offensive output over the years, but I figure something around $5M x 4 years would make a lot of sense for a player like this.
I wouldn’t have any issue with the Leafs being in on this player, but as of right now, I don’t see how they could fit him under the cap.
Bertuzzi is an excellent candidate to get massively overpaid with a very regrettable contract on July 1st.
No. 7: Dmitri Orlov
Talks between the Boston Bruins and Orlov have seemed to go sideways, so expect Orlov to be one of the best defenseman available on July 1st.
Toronto should be desperate for a top-two/top-four defenseman and Orlov would be someone who fits that mold perfectly.
During the Kyle Dubas era, Dubas loved his defenseman to bring the puck in and be great skaters. He preferred players who got the puck up the zone quick and weren’t stuck in their own defending, which is exactly the player Orlov is.
Who knows what Treliving is looking for now, but any GM in the league would take Orlov on their team. He has an offensive upside and is a previous Stanley Cup winning defenseman, which is never a bad thing to bring in.
He’s solid offensively, but defensively he’s just as good and would immediately jump into the Leafs line-up as one of their best defenseman.
With an ability to eat up a lot of minutes, Orlov should be high on Toronto’s to-sign list, as he would make this team better immediately.
He is also 31 years-old, so he is likely to decline during his next contract, and that contract is likely to carry a high cap-hit. This might not be the most prudent move, but the Leafs are in win now mode, not win down the road mode.
No. 6: Jason Zucker
With the arrival of Reilly Smith, it seems more likely the Pittsburgh Penguins will not re-sign Jason Zucker this year.
The 31-year-old right-winger is incredibly underrated and a few years of injuries made him fly under the radar.
Offensively, he could always score and that was on full-display last year, as he registered 27 goals and 48 points.
Goals are always a hot commodity in the NHL, but based on his age and health issues, there’s a chance that someone could sign Zucker to a cheaper contract than maybe what he’s deserved.
For the past few seasons, the Leafs left-wing position has always been one of their weaker spots, so Zucker would be a great fit there.
Similar to Bertuzzi, even on a cheaper contract, it doesn’t feel like the Leafs are going to value a winger high on their list this year and would be better focused on a defenseman, so I don’t expect Zucker to sign in Toronto but he should be someone who gets scooped up quickly.
Zucker has long been an underrated player and if the deal is reasonable he could provide excellent value.
It will be interesting to see where he ends up.
No. 5: Matthew Dumba
For the past few seasons, I’ve continued to advocate that the Toronto Maple Leafs number-one priority should be Matt Dumba, because I love his style of play.
Not only can he be a physical force, but he contribute offensively from the blue-line.
It’s unsure that he should be your number-one defenseman on a Stanley Cup winning roster, but he’d definitely be a top-pair player on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In my opinion, the right-handed shot defenseman would complement Morgan Reilly perfectly, so based off price, Dumba should be someone they seriously consider.
Costs are obviously tight with the Leafs, but Dumba is someone that you should invest in because he will help this team get better immediately.
Who knows what they’re going to do with the Matt Murray contract, but getting rid of that salary in-return for signing Dumba would be a great move by the organization, if they could pull it off.
Dumba feels like a natural fit to head north and eventually become a Leaf, so hopefully Treliving has him near the top of his board.
No. 4: John Klingberg
After being one of the biggest name defenseman during free agency last year, Klingberg took a one-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks and delayed his big pay-day.
This might have been a mistake because he had an absolutely awful season.
He was a little forgettable in Anaheim and then again in Minnesota, after being traded, but he should be a popular player on July 1st.
The 6-foot-3, 190 pound defenseman has all of the tools that Toronto, and many others team value.
Obviously, his size is an important piece, but offensively, he’s elite. It’s been roughly three years now, but his play during the NHL Bubble, helping the Dallas Stars reach the Stanley Cup Finals proved his worth.
He had four goals, 21 points in 24 playoff games and played a ton of minutes during their big run.
They ultimately lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Finals, but he was spectacular.
Klingberg signed a contract worth $7M last year, but after a weak season he may be available much cheaper.
The Toronto Maple Leafs desperately need help on their blue-line and should shed some salary up-front if it means bringing in Klingberg.
No. 3: Vladimir Tarasenko
Tararsenko would look unbelievable in a Toroto Maple Leafs jersey, but it’s not happening.
However, let’s chat about him anyway.
Despite having a few injury scares over the past few seasons and a down-year, it’s not going to stop anyone from paying Tarasenko.
He’s a little under a point-per-game in his career, but in 12 seasons, he’s scored 30 goals or more six times.
That number includes three years where he played 38 games or less, so realistically, when he plays more than 80 percent of the games, he’s going to score 30 goals.
That type of consistent production is hard to find in the NHL, and as a result, he will get paid a monster number.
If healthy, Tarasenko can help any team’s offense and it’s worth the money.
But how much is an oft injured scoring winger worth when he’s 31 years-old? A fully healthy Tarasenko coming off a solid year would be one thing, but it’s hard to judge what he’s worth today.
It’ll be very interesting to see what the final contract value is for him, but unless it’s at an extreme discount, there is not much chance he ends up playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
No. 2: Ryan O’Reilly
Please come back to the Leafs O’Reilly, we need you!
For those of you who aren’t big O’Reilly fans, I just don’t get it.
When you think of what you’re ideal hockey player is, I think of O’Reilly.
He may not be the fastest player, or will never lead the league in points or goals, but he has an incredible hockey IQ, but more importantly is a warrior.
The former Conn Smythe Trophy winner brings it in the most important games and we got to see it first-hand this year with the Leafs.
Sure, the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, but they did win their first playoff round in 19 years! O’Reilly had a big part in that, as he was tremendous during Round 1.
Clearly, the entire team ran into a brickwall against the Florida Panthers, but overall, I thought O’Reilly was one of the team’s best forwards. He made one of the dumbest plays I’ve ever seen one game, but besides that, I was very happy he was on the Leafs and not playing anywhere else.
O’Reilly has talked about wanting to re-sign in Toronto and I hope he does.
The price-tag will be pricey, but based on his few months with the Leafs, it’s possible that a hometown discount applies.
No. 1: Patrick Kane
He may be 34-years-old and he may have played terrible when he was traded to the New York Rangers, but the name recognition of Patrick Kane still applies to make him No. 1 on this list.
With 1237 points in 1180 games and only two years removed from a 92-point campaign, Kane should still be given a big contract and be the hottest ticket in town.
During his tenure in Chicago, Kane won every award you could think of, including three Stanley Cup’s and a Conn Smythe Trophy.
That leadership and experience is so valuable to an organization, especially one that is trying to get over the hump for the first time.
Could Kane work in Toronto? Absolutely!
But I don’t know how the money works.
Like many of the other free agents, the only way the Toronto Maple Leafs could sign them is if they got rid of someone like Marner, but I’m not trading Marner to bring in a 34-year-old Kane.
Next. 3 Possible Nylander Destinations. dark
Kane will most likely stay in a big market, so expect him to even return to the Rangers or find the spotlight in Los Angeles, but it won’t be with the Toronto Maple Leafs, unfortunately. Despite having hip surgery in the offseason, expect a big contract for Kane wherever he ends up.