As the 2025-26 NHL preseason is set to begin later this month, the Toronto Maple Leafs will look to gear up and prepare for another Stanley Cup run for the upcoming season. After making several intriguing moves during the offseason, whether it be via trade or free agency, the Leafs training camp roster appear to be more or less set going forward.
However, not all players are as fortunate to have found a home to play for in the upcoming year. In fact, there are actually several former Leafs players that have yet to land a contract with an NHL team with the regular season set to start in about a month’s time. As a result, we will take a look at five notable former Maple Leafs that are still without a job for the 2025-26 NHL season.
Ilya Samsonov, G
No Leafs fan will forget “smiling Sammy” Ilya Samsonov during his tenure with Toronto. Known for his quirky quotes in post-game interviews, Samsonov actually fared quite well in his two seasons spent with the team. During the 2022-23 season, he posted his best numbers of his career with the Leafs by putting up a 27-10-5 record, 2.33 GAA and a .919 save percentage. More significantly, Samsonov helped Toronto get past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in almost two decades.
Despite some regression in his subsequent 2023-24 season with the Leafs, he still managed to secure 23 wins of his own in a tandem with Joseph Woll and Martin Jones as well. Last year with the Vegas Golden Knights, Samsonov maintained respectable numbers as their backup, posting a 16-9-4 record with a 2.82 GAA. With that performance, he shouldn’t have any problem in eventually landing a backup or tandem position with a legitimate team, especially at still the young age of 28. Just that it likely won’t be the Leafs, who already have Woll and Anthony Stolarz set in net.
T.J. Brodie, D
It wasn’t too long ago when T.J. Brodie was considered a bonafide top-four defenseman in the league. But things sure have changed quickly during the past couple of seasons for the 35-year-old veteran. Brodie was a defensive stalwart for the Maple Leafs for the most part during his four-year tenure with the club between 2020 to 2024. Often a mainstay in the Leafs’ top four, his elite shot-blocking ability and smart defensive IQ helped stabilize the back end for Toronto while allowing the team’s offense to flourish. At the same time, Brodie was able to chip in offensively as well, adding eight goals and 74 assists for 82 points over his four seasons with the blue and white.
However, he saw his play have a huge drop off with the Chicago Blackhawks this past season, as the opposition often overwhelmed him, leading to healthy scratches over the course of the year. His 10 points was also his lowest offensive output of his NHL career. As a result, that regression has kept teams at bay at rushing to obtain his services this offseason as he remains a free agent for now.