Free Agent Focus: Toronto Maple Leafs

Free agency is now just a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens.  There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well.  We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Maple Leafs.

Key Restricted Free Agents

D Timothy Liljegren – Liljegren would best be served to play on a team’s third pairing but given the lack of right-handed defenseman for the Maple Leafs this season he was thrust into second-pairing duty quite often and averaged nearly 20 minutes of ice time per game. That number dwindled to just 17 minutes per game in the playoffs as Liljegren appeared to lose the trust of former Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe. Liljegren draws a lot of criticism for his lack of detail with the puck on his stick as evidenced by his giveaway numbers (40 giveaways in 55 games), but he plays in all situations and is a good offensive producer on the powerplay. The 25-year-old will be looking for a sizeable raise on his previous $1.4MM AAV and should easily double that figure on a multi-year agreement.

F Nicholas Robertson – Robertson was a victim of Toronto’s cap crunch last season on more than one occasion and found himself playing in the AHL despite being one of the Maple Leafs’ better offensive producers in the bottom six. The 22-year-old registered 14 goals and 13 assists in 56 games despite playing just 11:23 a game and could be in line to see time in the top six next season if the Maple Leafs are unable to slide another high-priced forward into the lineup. Robertson is a good forechecker despite being on the small side at just 5’9” and 178 pounds, and he is also a strong play driver who can create scoring opportunities off the rush. Robertson will be looking at a bridge deal this summer and could come in at a figure around $1.5MM per season.

Other RFAs: F Connor Dewar, F Max Ellis, F Noah Gregor, D Maxime Lajoie, G Keith Petruzzelli, F Alex Steeves

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Tyler Bertuzzi – Bertuzzi had some struggles adjusting to life with the Maple Leafs and was much better in the second half of the season. The Sudbury, Ontario native finished with 21 goals and 22 assists in 80 games while providing solid work in the dirty areas of the ice-extending shifts along the boards and going to the net for rebounds. The 29-year-old settled for a one-year $5.5MM contract last summer and will be looking for term this time around. While he has shown that he can provide better than secondary scoring and is a decent skater with a physical element to his game, it’s hard to imagine him receiving a raise on a multi-year deal, but he could receive a similar AAV on his next deal. It’s also difficult to see him re-signing in Toronto given their laundry list of needs and pending salary cap crunch.

D T.J. Brodie – It’s hard to project what T.J. Brodie’s next contract will look like given that last season was a tale of two wildly different trajectories. Brodie was very good in the first half of the season, but appeared to lose a step down the stretch and only found his way into one playoff game for the Maple Leafs. During the regular season, the 33-year-old tallied a goal and 25 assists in 80 games while playing almost 22 minutes a night, but his finish to the year mirrored the previous season where his play also dipped, largely due to injury. Given the fact that the Chatham, Ontario native has lost some foot speed and has shown signs of wearing down the last couple of years, it’s hard to envision him being back with Toronto or topping his previous $5MM AAV. Brodie is still a capable third-pairing NHL defenseman and will likely get a multi-year deal this summer.

F Max Domi – Domi was another new addition to the Maple Leafs who struggled to fit in this past season. He started the year on Toronto’s third line but worked his way into the top six as the season inched on and injuries began to pile up. The 29-year-old fit in well with the Maple Leafs’ elite scorers as his quick pace and ability to distribute the puck allowed him to give Toronto’s scorers some good looks. Domi seems like the likeliest to return to Toronto as he has expressed an interest in doing so and figures to fit in the Maple Leafs’ salary cap structure. Domi posted nine goals and 38 assists last season in 80 games while playing up and down the lineup and should be in line for a multi-year deal above $4MM per season.

G Ilya Samsonov – Samsonov did not provide the Maple Leafs with consistent NHL goaltending this season and was barely able to hold onto an NHL spot. However, he was a much different goaltender in the second half of the year and finished the season sporting a 23-7-8 record with a 3.13 goals-against average and an .890 save percentage. Despite his better results in the backend of the season, Samsonov was still prone to giving up bad goals and had a hard time tracking pucks in traffic. He is simply not a goaltender the Maple Leafs can count on as a number-one netminder and will find an NHL job elsewhere this summer on a short-term deal.

Other UFAs: F Kyle Clifford, D Joel Edmundson, C Dylan Gambrell, D Mark Giordano, G Martin Jones, D John Klingberg, D Ilya Lyubushkin, G Matt Murray

Projected Cap Space

The Maple Leafs project to enter the offseason with roughly $18.5MM in available cap space which looks like a sizeable amount on paper given that the team’s top stars are already locked into contracts for next season. However, Toronto has a big hole to fill in their top-6 forward group as well as two holes in the top-4 of their defensive unit (one of which could be filled by Liljegren). The Maple Leafs also need to address their goaltending situation which has been a letdown in many of their early playoff exits. All of that will take up most of the remaining cap space available and could make it difficult to add depth to the bottom of Toronto’s lineup, which has been another area of concern for a top-heavy lineup. The team will also have to factor in several pending extensions to forwards John Tavares and Mitch Marner as they are both a year away from unrestricted free agency and have to consider Matthew Knies and Joseph Woll who will be restricted free agents next summer as well.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.