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The Toronto Maple Leafs had a successful first day of free agency, adding defensemen Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Jani Hakanpää to positions they needed to fill. They also re-signed Timothy Liljegren. Toronto also found its goalie tandem, which the team will have set for the next few seasons with Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz.
I think the Leafs should/will focus on their forward lines next. The club lost Tyler Bertuzzi, who signed a four-year, $5.5 million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks, the only piece they lost in the forward group. Meanwhile, forward Nick Robertson will not re-sign with Toronto and has requested a trade.
Toronto must look to add players on the left wing alongside John Tavares, William Nylander, and their third-line center. Max Domi re-signed with the Maple Leafs on Sunday and played most of the third-line minutes last season but was bumped up to the first line with Auston Matthews, where they found chemistry quickly.
The Leafs’ bottom-line centers are David Kämpf, Connor Dewar, and Pontus Holmberg. With Fraser Minten and Easton Cowan waiting in the wings, they could be options for the Leafs in the open positions. However, general manager Brad Treliving says, “We still want to add at forward. Minten and Cowan must prove they can play in the men’s league. We’re open to prospects earning a role but don’t want to gift them spots at camp.”
The Leafs could look into the trade market for the third-line center position. A player who comes to mind is Ross Colton of the Colorado Avalanche. Toronto and Colorado could be a perfect match, as the Avalanche have only $300K in cap space. If the Avalanche were to trade Colton, they would free up $4 million in cap space. Colton signed a four-year, $4 million contract last offseason. A potential trade between the Leafs and Avs could involve Nick Robertson plus a pick or prospect for Colton. It would be perfect for both teams as the Leafs get a third-line center, and Robertson gets a fresh start elsewhere. This would also mean Toronto would have to look at finding a trade partner for David Kämpf, who makes $2.4 million, and Calle Järnkrok, who makes $2.1 million.
Vladimir Tarasenko could be a potential fit for the second-line left wing for Toronto. The 32-year-old is coming off a 55-point season with the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers, where he scored 23 goals and had 32 assists. In 24 games in the playoffs, he scored five goals and four assists for nine points, helping the Florida Panthers win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Tarasenko is still a great shooter, is good defensively, and can help Toronto.
Tarasenko does have a connection with Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube, with whom he won a Stanley Cup in 2019, with the St. Louis Blues. Toronto has $955K in cap space, and they still have to sign Connor Dewar, who is an RFA. Toronto does need to add to their top six, and Tarasenko makes a lot of sense for them. They would have to make a trade to free up cap space, and signing Tarasenko to a potential one-year or two-year contract at $3.5-$4 million could be a home run for Toronto.
