3 Big-Name Free Agents That the Toronto Maple Leafs Should Pursue, 2 to Avoid

Brandon Montour

The name Brandon Montour had once been a favourable target for the Leafs way back in his days with the Anaheim Ducks.

Together with the bruising Josh Manson at the time, they were two prime targets that Toronto failed to land during their rise to prominence back at the beginning of the Auston Matthews era.

Nevertheless, Montour ended up going to the Sabres instead in a trade near the deadline in 2018-19. It was there where his career appeared to have fallen off a cliff as a result.

Struggling to provide any type of impact with Buffalo for two seasons, Montour finally got his chance to revitalize his career in 2021 when he was dealt to the Panthers for a third-round pick.

Boy, did he take full advantage of his new opportunity with his new club as he has flourished under the Panthers’ system ever since. Not only did it resurrect his career, he has gotten even better as he put together a surprising offensive outburst in 2022-23 when he posted 16 goals and 73 points.

In addition, he had become a main staple in the Panthers’ top-four in their back end in helping the team on their recent successful playoff runs.

With the Leafs having a massive exodus of players from their defensive corps this offseason, getting Montour now in his prime and fully-matured form would be even more invaluable to the team right now.

Added to the fact that he is a right-handed shot, which the Leafs desperately lack, he could be the solid complementary partner for Morgan Rielly for years to come.