Late last night this tidbit of information hit the waiver wire:
By all accounts things between Werenski and the Blue Jackets are becoming “nasty” after Werenski nixed this deal. The reported centre piece of the trade was 24 year old defenseman Thomas Harley, who would have helped fill the major hole on their blueline that the departure of Werenski will leave behind.
When comparing what the Leafs and Lightning could offer, you have to wonder if Toronto is still behind in this race. JJ Moser would also help the Jackets’ blueline and that could be a major caveat in getting a deal done. While it hasn’t been said outright, it does appear that Columbus GM Don Waddell is looking for a piece in return that plays a premium position, which means a centre or defender.
On the Leafs side of things, they were willing to trade Matthew Knies before the draft if the return was monstrous. Do they view the current Norris Trophy winner as a monstrous return? I’d find it difficult to think otherwise. Also, if it appears that Werenski is backing the Jackets into a corner, is there a route where they have no other choice but to take a fair deal from Toronto, even if it doesn’t exactly match their preferences? Easton Cowan, Ben Danford, secondary prospects such as Tinus-Luc Koblar, Miroslav Holinka or Tyler Hopkins, young roster player(s) such as Nicholas Robertson and whatever picks they have, such as Colorado’s 2027 1st, a pair of 2027 2nds etc, should all be on the table in a deal that sees Werenski head to Toronto.
My personal thought’s are simply that Toronto is still not deep enough in their prospect cupboard to make this deal without including Knies. It isn’t that they wouldn’t include their prospects, it’s simply that they don’t have enough quality to make it make sense for Columbus. Don Waddell has reportedly said that he won’t deal Kirill Marchenko after the winger also informed the team that he won’t be re-signing in Columbus, and with 2 years left on Werenski’s deal, he could opt to keep Werenski until he agrees to widen his list of acceptable teams or move him this time next summer, when his full NMC switches to a 10-team approved trade list. It’s a game of chicken at the moment and I wouldn’t underestimate Waddell at this point in time.
Free Agency – Sergei Bobrovsky
In the meantime, the Leafs have a lot to consider in terms of who to sign in the free agent market. The most noise is centered around veteran netminder, Sergei Bobrovsky.
The contract ask from Bobrovsky was apparently a 6 year pact that would have landed him around $40M, which is similar to what the Florida Panthers gave Brad Marchand last summer. For whatever reason the Panthers are refusing to go down that road this summer. Now that Florida has traded for starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom, it’s clear that the door is shut on a return to the Panthers for Bobrovsky. The Leafs are apparently the frontrunner to secure his services, as most expect him to don the Maple Leaf next season. The contract ask will be much lower than the one he wanted in Florida, but it’s still worrisome that they’re engaged at all. A 2 year deal for the 38 year old would be the maximum length I’d be comfortable with, but a 3 year deal sounds like something that is possible. That AAV attached to it is reportedly in the $6-6.5M range.
I guess the long term outlook here would see Anthony Stolarz removed from the organization somehow (probably to “Robidas Island” considering his injury history) over the next 12-18 months, while one of Dennis Hildeby or Artur Akhtyamov steps into the NHL as their starting goalie within the next couple of years. In that scenario, while you would absolutely expect Bobrovsky to regress, you would likely only need 1-2 years of starter level play before you’d simply be paying him to be a backup to one of the young goalies. Also in that scenario, considering that Hildeby is signed for 2 more seasons, while Akhtyamov is inked to a 3 year deal, you wouldn’t likely run into a situation where you’d be committing large amounts of capspace to your goaltending position.
Lastly, the final scenario would see Dennis Hildeby moved in a trade this summer, which would simply give you a tandem of Bobrovsky/Stolarz, while Akhtyamov continued to develop in the minors. This situation would simply kick your goaltending issue down the road a year. Just as Hildeby’s waiver exemption disappears this season, Akhtyamov’s goes away a year from now. A year is a long time though and anything can happen between now and then. If Anthony Stolarz stays healthy and plays well, he could be moved as a veteran backup, or if things go the other way, he could be a long term injured reserve candidate for the duration of his contract. We’ll simply have to wait to see.
Patrick Kane
There isn’t a lot of noise around any other players, really. While we have heard some names mentioned, none are surfacing as sure fire signings such as Bobrovsky. However, Kane was a name that made the rounds after this…
While this rumour was mostly fan driven, it does make some sense. Kane would be a fit on a line with fellow countrymen Matthew Knies and Auston Matthews, as the two are big bodies that can score, while he is a setup man and PP QB. While it’s true that the team could really use some two-way players in the lineup, there’s still room for more scoring in the top 6 and that will be even more true if there are trades made that contain current roster players. I don’t expect this one to happen, but dismissing it as simply not being a fit is also a little shortsighted in my opinion.
Claude Giroux
Keeping with the theme of veteran options, Giroux would be a fantastic fit with the club right now. Giroux’s ice time was down to 16 minutes a game last season, but he’s still a player that can jump in on your 2nd powerplay and penalty kill units, while making a positive impact. The benefit of the Leafs having so much capspace is that they can offer veterans like Giroux and Kane higher AAV deals with shorter term and that’s exactly what they should do with Giroux today.
Mason Marchment
Apparently the Leafs have a lot of interest in Marchment, but I did read a while back that Marchment isn’t as interested in Toronto. Maybe that simply wasn’t true, but Marchment would be a great fit on the current roster. He’s big, can retrieve pucks, has been a 50pt producer for a few years now, is a player that willingly picks up for his teammates and is known to be a great locker room presence. He’s everything the team is missing and if Kyle Dubas wasn’t so ridiculous he could have been a Leaf for the past 6 years. Literally the only negative thing I can think to say is that the Leafs need right shooting forwards and he shoots left. Outside of that we’ll simply hope that the team ante’s up and lands the 6’5″ winger.
It’s just this writers opinion, but the addition of Marchment could make the trading of Matthew Knies a little more palpable for GM John Chayka. While Marchment doesn’t have the upside that Knies does, he would fill the need for a power forward in the top 6. It’s worth considering.
Eeli Tolvanen
Tolvanen was also mentioned as a player of interest for the Leafs. The 3rd liner is a steady 35-40pt producer and can also play on the PK, which is something the team is in desperate need of. At 27 years of age he’s one of the younger UFAs out there. While Tolvanen also shoots left, he has played RW for a lot of his career, which would fill a need as well. The 5’10” winger would add some defensive acumen, middle six skill and speed to the lineup, which means I can’t find any fault in signing him, if they do.
Boone Jenner
Jenner is another left shooting player, but he has experience at the centre position and after moving on from Nicholas Roy and Nick Laughton last season, the Leafs have holes to fill down the middle. Jenner would bring size, physicality, leadership, PK ability and solid offense to the lineup, which means that aside from his inability to stay healthy, there’s really nothing he can’t do. He’d be a fantastic fit on the Leafs, but there are whispers that he could be Colorado bound.
Noel Acciari
Acciari played 23 regular season and 11 playoff games for the Leafs in 2022-23 and I have to say, I loved him when he was here. The right shot winger is listed at just 5’11” 204lbs, but he’s a very strong, solid customer that would bring energy, penalty killing ability and, if the Leafs can add a little more offense to their bottom 6 that can help him sustain it, some scoring ability. He scored 20 goals and 27pts in 66 games in Florida a long time ago, but nearly surpassed that with 13 goals and 25pts in 67 games this past season. If they could add him to the bottom 6 they’d benefit greatly from his penalty killing ability, but if he could replicate that offense again they’d have a steal on their hands.
Kasperi Kapanen
We all know that Kapanen can skate, but he’s also a solid penalty killer. Now at 29 years old, he plays a more mature game than he did when he was with the Leafs all those years ago. If this team wants to get faster, Kapanen would go a long way towards help them do that.
Brandon Duhaime
Another 4th line penalty killer, Duhaime also brings speed and loves to play a physical game. His 10.51 Hits/60 would have been 4th on the Leafs last season, behind only Dakota Joshua, Steve Lorentz and Jacob Quillan (minimum 23 games played). He’s a fantastic forechecker and puck retriever that will improve the 4th line of any team that he lands on.
Curtis Douglas
Another tough customer that was traded by Kyle Dubas, the 6’9″ 243lb Douglas is just 26 years old and is a willing combatant. He won’t wow you with offense, but on the off chance that the team is looking for a pugilist, he’s available and he won’t cost you a ton of capspace.
Mario Ferraro
A lot of what they do on the blueline hinges on Zach Werenski and Morgan Rielly. If they trade for Werenski they simply won’t need to add much on the back end. There’s also word that Rielly is unlikely to go anywhere, as the team simply hasn’t gotten any offers worth considering. While the fanbase sees Rielly as a cap dump, it doesn’t appear that the Leafs do.
If they miss on Werenski (which is very likely) and can move Rielly, then Mario Ferraro may be my top target for the blueline. He’s a player that’s in the mold of Chris Tanev and Jake McCabe, in the sense that he plays the game from a defense first standpoint, in which he blocks a lot of shots and isn’t afraid of the physical aspect of the job, but he can do a reasonable job at moving the puck out of their own zone as well.
Logan Stanley
Let’s keep in mind that most of this only makes sense if they move on from Morgan Rielly.
Logan Stanley would fill a spot on their left side, which would likely be on the 3rd pair. He played well in Winnipeg this season before being dealt to the Buffalo Sabres, where he didn’t fit in as well. The 6’7″ 235lb defender is very willing to pick up for his teammates and despite his size he isn’t inept at moving the puck up ice. You won’t mistake him for Zach Werenski, don’t get me wrong, but he makes a good first pass and would add some much needed size to the back end. Your entire blueline can’t be just puck moving defenders, so I believe there is room for Stanley in this mix.
Rasmus Andersson
The addition of Andersson would stock the Leafs’ right side for years to come. With RD Darren Raddysh and Chris Tanev already signed long term, Andersson would provide the team with more quality depth on the back end than we’ve ever seen before. Andersson can do it all as well. He blocks a ton of shots, can play on the powerplay and penalty kill, he can be paired with any type of defender to make a solid unit and the Leafs have the capspace to sign him long term. At just 29 years old (he’ll be 30 in Oct), he still has lots of miles to go as well. There are reports that Andersson and the Knights have a handshake agreement on a deal already and the Knights simply have to open capspace to make it official, but if that isn’t true then it’s hard to dislike the idea of this addition.
The Ideal Scenario
This is obviously an opinionated look at things and my ideal scenario isn’t one that will happen, due to the fact that it would take a ton of trades in order for it to become reality. However, if Chayka could sign Sergei Bobrovsky, Mason Marchment, Logan Stanley, Eeli Tolvanen, Boone Jenner and Noel Acciari, while also dealing for Zach Werenski and dealing away Morgan Rielly, I believe they’d end up with a team that could really contend.
That’s far, far too much to ask for, I’ll admit. I’d settle for a fraction of that.
This scenario would likely mean losing Matthew Knies as well, but as they say, you have to give to get and it’s a rare thing for a Norris Trophy winner to become available and it’s even more rare that they’d have the Leafs on their short list of teams they’d be willing to go to. Werenski nixing a deal to Dallas makes this seem like less of a long shot and more of a possible reality, so if I’m Chayka I’m hammering out a deal as quickly as possible this morning so that I can make my UFA signings make sense. If Chayka would like a suggestion, I’d simply offer up Knies, Dennis Hildeby, Nicholas Robertson and Colorado’s 1st round selection in 2027 for Werenski and if Waddell says no then you simply walk away. Knies is 100% the best player they can get out of either of Toronto or Tampa Bay, even if he doesn’t play a premium position, so Waddell would have to consider it in my opinion.
After Werenski, the least likely part of all of this is probably dealing away Morgan Rielly. Unless they start to view him as a salary dump and one in which they’re willing to retain part of his $7.5M caphit, then it’s more likely than not that Rielly stays in Toronto. If they are willing to bite the bullet and move on there, then adding the size, pugilism and defensive play of Stanley makes a ton of sense to me. Especially if you’re in a situation where you just added the elite puck movement of Werenski and Raddysh over the past few weeks.
Either way, this should be an entertaining day as the roster takes shape for the 2026-27 season and beyond.
Happy Canada Day everyone!!