3 Players that will NOT Returning to the Leafs Next Season

The Toronto Maple Leafs face an intense off-season after another year of falling short in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have to deal with the Mitch Marner situation, find a goalie, find several defenseman, look for a diamond-in-the-rough at the NHL Entry Draft, and deal with over 20 organizational free agents.

It is going to be an extremely busy summer.

While we don’t know who the Toronto Maple Leafs will bring in to help the team, we do know that at least three of their current players have played their last game for the team.

I’ve listed three players who will definitely 100% not be returning back with the Leafs for the 2024-25 season.

Samsonov became a free agent at a very wrong time in his Maple Leaf career.

The Russian goaltender was clearly the number two option on the minds of the Leafs faithful after Joseph Woll for Game 7 against the Boston Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but Woll was unfortunately injured.

After allowing a relatively defendable goal by Hampus Lindholm, Samsonov had pretty much no chance of re-signing with the Leafs.

Even in the regular season, when the Leafs were 21st in goaltending, allowing 3.18 goals/game, Samsonov by himself allowed 3.13 goals/game, his worst performance of his career. He said at the end of the season, that he is looking for stability on his next contract by signing a multi-year deal. It’s just not going to happen with the Leafs.

Giordano is the oldest player in the NHL at the age 40.

It is most likely he will retire. His age also likely contributed to his dip in performance from last season. He had just six assists after notching 20 in the previous season. Giordano may be leaving, but he is a favorite amongst Leafs fans. They will surely give him a hearty farewell.

There is a chance he could return as the team’s 7th defenseman, but it seems slim.

Brodie is a bit of both the case of Giordano and Samsonov: he’s aging, and he’s not performing well.

After a rough season that culminated in him being a healthy-scratch for much of the playoffs, it’s highly unlikely that Brodie will return.

He had a great run in Toronto, and he will be tough to replace. His decline was a huge factor in the Leafs failing to be as good last season as they were the year before.