It appears that two Toronto Maple Leafs forwards will be testing free-agency next Monday.
Wednesday afternoon, The Athletic's James Mirtle joined the JD Bunkis Podcast where the two made some statements about a pair of forwards potentially joining the Toronto Maple Leafs this off-season.
Many speculated whether or not Tyler Bertuzzi and/or Max Domi would be returning to the Leafs, but if you listed to the audio, Mirtle and Bunkis both made comments that they were likely being replaced.
This makes sense since the team has had nearly two months to negotiate new contracts and they still aren't signed with Free-Agency just about to open.
It Appears That Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi Will Test Free-Agency Market
Both Domi and Bertuzzi appears to want term and the Leafs are looking hesitant to give it them. This makes sense though, since both players signed one-year deals last year with the express interest in cashing in on a year in Toronto.
From the Leafs perspective, it doesn't make a ton of sense to lock up two guys heading into their 30s when they have so many great forwards on the way up.
One idea to replace that Mirtle and Bunkis brought up is David Perron.
The question is what type of player are you getting with David Perron and at what value. The now 36-year old has, for the most part has been able to maintain his game. Over the last two-seasons in Detroit he recorded 103-points while scoring 41 goals. He is now suited more to the third line and you would likely not want to give him much more than what the team paid Max Domi this past season.
Perron has played for head coach Craig Berube in the past as the two won a Stanley Cup in 2019 together and he is a proven playoff performer collecting 38-points in his last 47 games. The Kyle Dubas years had the team keep bringing in unproven veterans, while this forward has been there many times before.
The second name brought up by Bunkis and Mirtle was Jake DeBrusk who has appeared to want out of Boston for sometime and now has the opportunity to test free agency. The second generation NHLer is known as a hard nosed power forward and is coming off his first full 80-game season. DeBrusk has had three 20-goals seasons and finished one shy of that mark on two other occasions. Over an 80-game span the Edmonton native has averaged 24-goals.
Again the question is how much are you willing to commit to paying another forward as the big hole is on defense. If they could get DeBrusk on a term similar to what they paid Bertuzzi last year the team should be all in on him, however with Casey Mittelstadt recently signing for almost $6 Million a year and being a fraction of the player DeBrusk is you have to wonder how much more he will receive on the open market.
If Brad Treliving can work some magic and get these two players in the neighborhood of what he paid Domi and Bertuzzi this past season they should be all over getting those players.