The Toronto Maple Leafs have yet to make significant moves in this summer’s UFA market. Their biggest action was signing former Montreal Canadiens forward Michael Petsetta to a two-year deal. Their most notable trade involved sending right winger Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights on June 30 in exchange for Nicholas Roy.
Jonas Siegel from The Athletic thinks Marner’s exit opens up a need for a strong top-six center. He suggests the Leafs could either bring in a right winger to skate alongside Auston Matthews and John Tavares or reposition Tavares to the wing or center the third line.
The free agent market this year is thin on prime scoring talent, pushing GM Brad Treliving to focus on trades, according to SportsNet’s Luke Fox. David Alter of The Hockey News points out that the Leafs have over $4.9 million in cap space this season, which Treliving might use strategically later this summer, targeting teams with tight salary caps to acquire the players Toronto needs.
Terry Coshan from the Toronto Sun feels Treliving could leverage affordable bottom-six forwards as trade assets. One possibility includes Nick Robertson, a 23-year-old restricted free agent with arbitration rights who stirred attention last summer by requesting a trade.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens remain active in the off-season trade market. Shortly after acquiring defender Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders, they traded blueliner Logan Mailloux and middle-six forward Zack Bordeleau to the St. Louis Blues. Though these moves got positive feedback, they didn’t resolve the pressing need for a second-line center nor replace veteran forwards Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak.
Arpon Basu of The Athletic thinks Canadiens GM Kent Hughes is willing to promote internally in the short term. SportsNet’s Eric Engels believes trying Kirby Dach as the second-line center is the best option, despite Dach’s injury struggles and recent knee surgery. Engels notes Dach lacked talented wingers like Bolduc or Ivan Fedotov to support him last season.
After acquiring Dobson, speculation arose that Mike Matheson might be traded to get a second-line center or winger. However, Hughes said Matheson is staying put, emphasizing the significant minutes he played last season despite being one year away from UFA eligibility.
Fan Take: This summer’s moves highlight how cap space and strategic trades play a crucial role in shaping NHL teams beyond free agency. For hockey fans, these developments could reshape team dynamics and intensify competition, making the upcoming season more exciting to watch.
