What Should the Toronto Maple Leafs Do With Their RFAs?

Connor Dewar

Dewar was acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs at this past deadline for Dmitry Ovchinnikov and a 2026 fourth round pick.

He played in 17 games for the buds, playing primarily on the fourth line in a forechecking/shutdown role. He isn’t called upon to provide much in terms of offense so his five points in 17 regular season games is no issue.

Instead, his value comes mainly through his speed and IQ. He may even be able to provide a touch more offense if given the right role, too.

The fact that the Leafs traded for him only a few short months ago indicates that he is at least tendered a qualifying offer by the Leafs this summer. As I stated before, he has his role and plays it well but does not provide much in terms of offensive production. As a result, I assume he is locked up for a similar caphit he had this year, under $1 million on a short-term contract. 

Noah Gregor

Gregor was a great story this season, coming to training camp on a PTO (professional try-out agreement) and worked his way into a one-year contract for league minimum.

As the season wore on, he appeared to fall out of favor with the Leafs coaching staff. He was a healthy scratch for five of the teams seven first round games and only appeared in six of the team’s final 12 games in the regular season. 

Like Dewar, he primarily played a fourth line role providing forechecking and shutdown abilities, mainly utilizing his high end foot-speed. Unlike Dewar, the fourth line struggled mightily while he was on it and his on-ice results were very poor as a result. This along with his skillset becoming somewhat redundant with the acquisition of Dewar makes me lean towards letting him walk.