No. 3: James van Riemsdyk
This is not the first time we've talked about James van Riemsdyk, nor will it be the last, because I'd love to break out that old No. 21 or No. 19 (depending when you bought it) jersey and wear it proudly.
JVR is definitely slowing down, as he only scored 11 goals last year, but there's no reason to believe he can't be a 20-plus goal scorer with the Leafs. As we all remember, van Reimsdyk was a fantastic Leaf as he registered multiple 30-goal seasons. There was nobody better at scoring from tight areas in front of the net and his big body presence was a huge help on the power-play.
John Tavares currently plays that front-net presence, but he could be better suited playing the bumper role instead, if JVR returned. You could put Tavares in the middle, with Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews on both wings, Morgan Reilly up top and van Riemsdyk in-front and have a very successful power-play. That would also allow William Nylander to run the second unit and dominate the opposition's weaker penalty-killers.
We all know that JVR has had chemistry before with Marner, so it would be great to see them back together again. At 35-years-old, you'd have to assume that he'd be incredibly motivated to have one more successful season and try to win a Stanley Cup in Toronto because he's nearing retirement.
A JVR signing would be a welcomed sight for the fans, but I think the dressing room would also love to see it as he was such a great member of the Leafs before and could provide some depth scoring this team is lacking.