Toronto Maple Leafs free agent signings looking good so far

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed several free agents this past off-season, and so far, they are working out nicely for Leafs GM Brad Treliving and company.

The Toronto Maple Leafs top free-agent signings for this season are Chris Tanev, Anthony Stolarz, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Steven Lorentz. All four have looked good so far through the Leafs first four games. They have all been playing well in their roles on this Leafs team under new head coach Craig Berube.

Adding players to your team is always a hit or miss. Last season, Treliving had a significant miss with the signing of John Klingberg, who played 14 games for the Leafs and spent the rest of the season on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). So far, things look good for Treliving and the Leafs, although we're still waiting to see if the signing of Jani Hakanpaa will work out.

Tanev, Stolarz, Lorentz, and Ekman-Larsson have all been hits for Treliving. Even the signing of Max Pacioretty doesn't look bad. With these new players added to the mix and Berube behind the bench, the Leafs look good, but of course, they always do in the regular season. Hopefully, that translates into more playoff success.

Toronto Maple Leafs new guys working out

The best performance so far from the newest group of Leafs is Stolarz. He was signed as an unrestricted free agent (UFA) after helping the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup in 2024. Stolarz signed with the Leafs for $5 million over two years ($2.5 million AAV).

Due to Joseph Woll being unable to play, Stolarz has started three out of four of the Leafs first four games. He has a 2-1-0 record with a 1.70 GAA and a .940 SV%. Both his GAA and SV% are in the NHL's top five for goaltenders who have started at least three games.
(All stats from hockey-reference.com) (All salary cap information from puckpedia.com)

Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Chris Tanev are enjoying a good start to their first season as Maple Leafs. Tanev is the perfect defense partner for Morgan Rielly. He allows Rielly to be more involved offensively due to his stay-at-home style of play. Tanev is averaging 19:53 minutes of ice time and comes as advertised with 13 blocked shots in four games. Last season. Tanev finished with 207 blocked shots.

Ekman-Larsson has three points in four games while averaging 21:50 minutes of ice time. He is becoming the go-to guy on the point for the Leafs power-play. A nice move by the Leafs coaching staff considering Ekman-Larsson's shot and his ability to get pucks through traffic and on the net. He has 15 shots on goal through four games, which is second most on the team, behind only Auston Matthews (19).

Steven Lorentz is a nice addition to the Leafs fourth line. He has a goal and an assist through four games while averaging 11:24 minutes of ice time. His 11 hits lead the team, with Jake McCabe right behind him with ten. Lorentz also has seven blocked shots, which puts him fourth on the team, tied with Simon Benoit. He has found good chemistry with linemates David Kampf and Ryan Reaves, which is noticeable every time they're on the ice.

Hopefully, the new additions will continue to play great hockey and can help the Leafs come playoff time when the games matter the most.