Free agency is less than two weeks away and there really isn’t a lot of excitement surrounding it.
When I’d imagine the end of the Core 4 era, it came via trade and offered hope via open capspace, returned assets and a new and more positive look to the roster. However, it’s Mitch Marner’s world and we simply live in it. That is to say that his refusal to cooperate with the team in an attempt to find him a new home over the past calendar year has left the team with the capspace part of my vision, but nothing else. That capspace has been opened during a very poor summer in terms of available free agents, which will hamper Brad Treliving’s ability to “change the DNA” of the team.
I’m also very tired of hearing, saying and typing that DNA nonsense, but I digress.
With so few top 6 players set to hit the open market, coupled with the fact that the NHL salary cap is scheduled to make a couple of big jumps over the next few years, the expectation is that players will receive some contracts that management will regret. That is generally the case anyway, but I believe it will be a little more silly during this year’s silly season.
The Leafs’ main objective appears to be to retain the services of John Tavares, add another centre to provide depth at that position and provide enough quality wingers to run a proper top 9 up front. With that in mind we’ll talk about a variety of options on the wings.
Brad Marchand
The obvious place to start this discussion is with Marchand. What the Leafs are truly looking for is players that can perform in the playoffs and with 10 goals and 20pts in 23 games for the Florida Panthers, on route to winning the Stanley Cup a couple of nights ago, Marchand proved that he is still capable of delivering at 37 years old. The pros to adding Marchand revolve around his leadership, his ability to throw the opposition off their game and his skill and determined play on the ice. The cons, at the moment, are simple rumours. Some are talking about the possibility of Marchand signing a 4 year contract with a hefty caphit. $8M+ per season, if we believe the chit chat, may be something that other teams can consider, but I wouldn’t exactly be thrilled about the idea of adding him at that price for that long. With that said, we all know that things can spiral out of control with those discussions, so it’s possible that he could be had on a more reasonable contract and if that’s the case then I believe he’d be a fantastic fit for a team that needs an extra boost in the playoffs. Either one of a lower dollar amount with term, or lower term with a higher dollar amount works, they just can’t give him a high dollar amount with term.
Patrick Kane
A lot of people are steadfast against the idea of adding Kane. The general consensus appears to be that he’s too much like Mitch Marner and should be avoided. I’d argue that he has won the Stanley Cup three times and knows what’s involved in the process, which makes him nothing like Marner. I’m also curious to know if he’d welcome the opportunity to play alongside countryman and elite goalscorer, Auston Matthews. While Kane has numerous 30 and 40 goal seasons under his belt, he’s primarily been a setup man throughout his career and on paper, that’s the type of player you’d like to see line up alongside Matthews and Knies this season. This type of addition would also allow William Nylander to continue to play alongside Tavares (assuming he’s back), where he has had success over the past few years. Kane is coming off a 1 year deal with Detroit that carried a $4M caphit but it also involved $2.5M in possible performance bonuses. The reason he was on a deal like that has a lot to do with the fact that he had hip resurfacing surgery at the end of the 2023 season. At that time it was unknown if he’d be able to play again and if he could play, just how good could he be? The following season he produced 47pts in 50gp and followed that up by scoring 21 goals and 59pts in 72 games this past year. In short, he isn’t the 90pt player he used to be, but he’s producing offense at a top 6 rate and has always managed to produce in the playoffs.
Rielly Smith
Smith, like Kane, doesn’t appear to be on anybody’s radar, but the Mimico, Ontario native could be a very good addition to the middle 6 forward group. Smith’s production has dropped a little over the past couple of years, but he’s still productive (40pts this past season) at 34 years old and can still draw in on the penalty kill. Also like Kane and Marchand, Smith brings the experience of winning a Stanley Cup, which he did with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023. He was a big part of the Vegas teams that were known for playing a high energy, relentless game and the Leafs could most certainly use more of that.
Brandon Tanev
Whenever you have brothers playing in the NHL, fans make the connection and wonder if it’s possible to have them play on the same team. While that isn’t always something that works, it may be a match made in heaven in the case of the Tanev brothers and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Big brother Chris has proven to be a huge addition to the blueline and it’s expected that Brandon could bring the same type of boost to the bottom 6 forward group. While Brandon has never produced a ton on the scoresheet (career high 35pts), he’s a relentless player that makes life hard on the opposition. It’s players like Scott Laughton and Brandon Tanev that can make your bottom 6 a difficult group to play against, rather than skaters like David Kampf and Calle Jarnkrok, with all due respect to those players, who are fine in their own right. Tanev is used heavily on the penalty kill, which is an area the Leafs could use help in, but is also very willing to throw his body around and block shots, much like his brother. His 6.52 BLK/60 while skating for the Seattle Kraken would have placed 2nd on the Leafs this season, with brother Chris (7.65 BLK/60) placing first. This includes the defensive group, where he would have finished ahead of Brandon Carlo and Jake McCabe, which is very impressive to me. It’s this type of energy that has been missing from the bottom 6 for far too long and it’s players like Tanev that can help right the ship immediately.
Andrew Mangiapane
When it was announced that Mangiapane would test the open market we saw a flood of people stating that Brad Treliving wouldn’t be able to resist signing the former Calgary Flame. Based on that I can only assume they had a very good relationship, but I can’t say I know much about that. What I do know is the simple numbers, that Mangiapane had 55, 43 and 40pt seasons before being traded to the Washington Capitals, where he produced just 14 goals and 28pts in 81 games this past year. He isn’t somebody that has been used as a primary penalty killer throughout his career, nor has he been a top unit powerplay performer, but he does bring an abundance of effort to the ice. While his game is nothing like Brandon Tanev’s, the team could still use a little more urgency at times and Mangiapane can certainly provide that.
Corey Perry
I’m imagining a 4th line of Brandon Tanev, Scott Laughton and Corey Perry and forgive me for being excited. That would be energy incarnate and would represent three players that could all move around your lineup when the need arises. Perry just lost in the Stanley Cup Final for the fifth time in six years and did it with four different teams. There’s a curse following the guy these days, so if he joined the Leafs it might mean they would make it to the Finals and lose… but at least they’d be in the Finals!! At 40 years old Perry just produced 19 goals and 30pts in 81 games, while following that with a stellar 10 goals and 14pts in 22 playoff games. Remind me again why Kyle Dubas didn’t bring him to Toronto when he had the chance? If Perry hits the market and they have the opportunity, they need to get him into a Leafs jersey.
Connor Brown
I needn’t write a lot about Brown, as Leafs fans know what he brings to the table already. He’s a dedicated bottom 6 player that can score, kill penalties and should have never left Toronto. The Dubas years were simply terrible in retrospect.
Justin Brazeau
What’s that saying about not being able to teach 6’5″? Brazeau is a monstrous individual who could bring some scoring to the lineup if he’s in the right situation. He managed 10 goals and 20pts in 57 games with Boston before being traded to Minnesota at the deadline. He didn’t light the lamp quite as much there, with just 1 goal and 1 assist in 19 regular season games, followed by 2 assists in 6 playoff games, but the potential to contribute is most certainly there. Once upon a time Brazeau was in the Leafs organization, where he played 57 games for the Newfoundland Growlers and 22 games for the Toronto Marlies. From there the Bruins scooped him up and helped him develop into a NHL player. I wonder if the New Liskeard, Ontario native would consider a return?
We’ll stop our list here but not because we’re out of viable options. There are various players that could help in one form or another, such as Nikolaj Ehlers, Brock Boeser, Jonathan Drouin and Andrei Kuzmenko, who bring skilled elements to the table. Brandon Saad, Joel Armia, Tanner Pearson and Robby Fabbi are veterans that have all been part of competitive teams and will find new homes or return to their current clubs for next season. Tanner Jeannot and Michael Pezzetta may be available and bring a physical style to the ice, which may be required if Ryan Reaves isn’t in Treliving’s future plans.
Yes, there are certainly options, I simply listed some of the players that I feel would bring a certain spark to the ice that the Leafs are missing. At this very moment, while reserving the right to change my opinion at any time, if I were to envision the ideal addition of wingers to this team on July 1st, they would be Brad Marchand, Brandon Tanev, Corey Perry and Patrick Kane, in that order. Within that group you have skill, determination, grit and a fair amount of pestering. They would bring an energy that the likes of Pontus Holmberg, Calle Jarnkrok, David Kampf and company simply can’t replicate and I think that, above all else, is exactly the kick in the ass that this team needs.