3 Veterans Toronto Maple Leafs Should Consider Signing
The Toronto Maple Leafs should give these three veterans a chance to make the team
The 2024-25 Toronto Maple Leafs are a work in progress who should still look at bringing in some veteran talent who could help bolster their roster.
Whether it's a PTO or a guaranteed contract, the Leafs have been known to bring in some veteran talent in the summer. Over the years, we've seen Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Jason Spezza and Wayne Simmonds as a few older signings, and this year should be no different.
As it currently stands, the Leafs most veteran forward looks like John Tavares, which is hard to believe. At 33 years old, Tavares is entering his 16th NHL season and has to reach the Conference Finals.
Entering the final year of a seven-year deal with Toronto, nobody would have thought that the Leafs would only have one playoff round win in that timeframe, but here we are.
The Leafs depth isn't great right now but that could change with a combination of young and old. If the team can get a ton of value out of a veteran forward, as well as a rookie, they'll be able to maximize the salary cap, which is something they need to do when they have four forwards making a combined $45M.
As such, let's take a look at three potential veteran forwards who the team could sign for cheap, or even on a PTO.
Toronto Maple Leafs Should Sign These Veteran Forwards: No. 1: Tyler Johnson
I'm incredibly shocked that Tyler Johnson has yet to find an NHL team to sign with, as he seems like a perfect veteran forward to bring into a young, or contending team. With over 700 games of experience, Johnson has been a contributor on two Stanley Cup winning teams and could be a great leader in the locker room.
Depsite his size (5-foot-8, 185 pounds), Johnson has been a solid NHL player for the past decade. However, I think the reason teams have been scared off from him is because of his previous cap-hit.
Coming off a $5M AAV contract, Johnson didn't quite live up to that deal, but it's not like he's going to cost that much now.
Even though he was slightly overpaid, it's not like he was irrelevant. He's missed a few games due to injury, but he still scored 17 goals on a terrible Chicago Blackhawks team last year.
If Johnson joined the Leafs at $1M AAV and was the team's third-line winger/centre, there's no reason to believe that he wouldn't end up being a bigger contributor than Pontus Holmberg or David Kampf.
Anwyays, I think Johnson is being left behind because he's a little older and had a big contract, but if you can get him for a low price, I don't see any harm in giving him an opportunity, especially because he's a proven winner and a four-time 20 goal scorer in the NHL
No. 2: Max Pacioretty
Pacioretty has only played 139 games in his last four seasons, so injury troubles are a huge concern, especially since he'll be 36-years-old during the 2024-25 season, but you could find lightning in a bottle with him.
In 47 games last year with the Washington Capitals, Pacioretty still managed to register 23 points.
The six-time 30-goal scorer is definitely on his last NHL life, but in the right situation, could perform. Who knows if he'd be able to keep up with a combination of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander or John Tavares, but maybe that's all he needs.
He still has a lethal shot and can be a force on the power-play, so taking a flyer on him at league-minimum could be a steal.
As mentioned, everything would have to go right for it work out, but he's only two years removed from being a point-per-game player, while scoring 19 goals in 39 games.
Who knows if the former captain of the Montreal Canadiens would want to join a rival but at this point in his career, I'm sure he wouldn't care.
I'd imagine all he wants is an opportunity and Toronto could provide that, as I'd rather see Pacioretty in the line-up than Ryan Reaves, David Kampf or Connor Dewar.
No. 3: Mike Hoffman
Over the past few years, Hoffman hasn't been the same player that once scored 36 goals and registered 70 points with the Florida Panthers, but he could be a 15-20 goal scorer on the Leafs, if given an opportunity.
Hoffman hasn't scored more than 15 goals in a season over the past three years, but he's also been stuck on a terrible Montreal Canadiens and San Jose Sharks team, who were both some of the worst teams in hockey.
Despite only scoring 23 points last year, Hoffman still finished as the sixth highest scorer on the team. If you compare that to the Leafs, that same point total would have put him 13th on the team in Toronto.
I'm not saying that Hoffman is going to turn back the clock if he joined the Leafs, but the left-handed shot could provide some extra depth at left-wing, but also has the ability to play centre. At this point in his career, I'm sure all Hoffman wants is a chance to play somewhere, and won't be an expensive add, so he could be a great addition to Toronto's line-up.
When it comes to veteran talent, you don't need them to break records, but instead just need them to play solid defense and contribute every now and then. If he were to finish with 15 goals and 40 points in a third-line role, I think it would be a successful campaign, especially if he was only making $1M AAV or less.
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Hoffman is probably my least favorite of these selections, but the Leafs should seriously consider some more veteran talent, as David Kampf and Ryan Reaves are a waste of money on the the team's fourth line.