On Sunday night, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman put out a rare summer edition of his 32 Thoughts column, signifying that nature is healing and that hockey season is fast approaching. As usual, the column was full of insights across the NHL, but one that caught the attention of the Toronto market was this nugget on the Maple Leafs towards the end:
“31. I think there are things percolating out there, including Toronto considering left-wing options.”
Short, sweet, and just enough to get everyone talking. That Toronto could use a little more depth at left wing is hardly shocking news, as the position has been a weak point for the team for what feels like an eternity. But with just a few weeks before opening night, what paths are available to them to bolster that lineup spot?
Sort Things Out With Nick Robertson
Perhaps the most straight-forward path that the Leafs have here is to figure out a way to get Nick Robertson back in the fold. Robertson, 22, requested a trade earlier this offseason, hoping for a change of scenery after several up-and-down years with the big club, never fully getting a big-minute opportunity and often seeing his seasons get derailed by injuries.
At the same time, this feels like the worst possible time for him to make this decision. The shift from Sheldon Keefe to Craig Berube gives him a fresh slate in terms of winning a coach’s trust, and there may not be a better place for him to attempt to produce. Robertson was already one of the league’s most efficient goal scorers last year, scoring at a 20-goal pace while playing just 11:23 a night and not getting significant power play time, and with the team lacking depth in his position, they’re likely to rely on him this year should he be willing to play.
Robertson has a bit of leverage here as a restricted free agent, meaning he doesn’t have to sign and play for the Leafs if he doesn’t want to. But they can also take their time in moving him, which given that the market for undersized, not-fully-proven forwards isn’t exactly a hot one, they have no incentive to rush this.
Getting the two sides together and preparing for one more push to co-exist would go a long way for both player and team.
Skim The Free Agent Market
Today marks eight weeks since free agency opened up on July 1st, which unfortunately means that most of the top talent has been spoken for. On the flip side, the players that are available are likely to come in at a reduced cost compared to the bidding wars that occur on opening day.
According to PuckPedia’s dashboard, the top of the left winger class that’s still on the market includes:
| Player | ’24 Team | GP | G | A | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James van Riemsdyk | BOS | 71 | 11 | 27 | 38 |
| Mike Hoffman | SJS | 66 | 10 | 13 | 23 |
| Max Pacioretty | WSH | 47 | 4 | 19 | 23 |
| Dominik Kubalik | OTT | 74 | 11 | 4 | 15 |
| Alex Barabanov | SJS | 46 | 4 | 9 | 13 |
It’s not the most inspiring class, with a combination of three late-stage veterans and two players who had craterous years on bad teams. Van Riemsdyk had the most successful year of the group and his return would make a nice story in Toronto, but it’s tough to say he’d be the same net-front presence he was six years ago. Hoffman’s offensive touch seems to have diminished, and he brings you negative value off of the puck. Pacioretty is an interesting option, with an Achilles injury now behind him. He had a career-low shooting percentage last season, but that could be something to buy low on – though there is gossip that other teams are kicking tires there.
Kubalik, who stormed into the NHL with a 30-goal season in 2019/20, has never rediscovered that form and had the worst year of his career in Ottawa last season. Barabanov saw his production fall by nearly three quarters, and his first stint in Toronto was hardly inspiring. These are low-risk gambles, all with some potential reward, but not much likeliness.
Explore Remaining Trade Options
The other avenue to explore for adding new players is the trade market. Similar to the free agency market, your options are pretty limited here—teams looking to move on from certain players have likely made their moves at this stage.
Looking over to our friends at Daily Faceoff, specifically Frank Seravalli’s last edition of the NHL Trade Targets board from the Entry Draft, there’s not a ton left on it that hasn’t moved already.
There is one superstar winger at the very top who hasn’t moved, and Toronto has an inside track towards having him on their roster, but that’s because that winger is Mitch Marner – so that doesn’t help them much. Going down the list, Martin Necas is staying in Carolina, Patrik Laine has moved to Columbus, and Rutger McGroarty has moved to Pittsburgh – but also, everyone in this paragraph plays the right side.
On the left side, you have Nikolaj Ehlers in Winnipeg and Brandon Saad in St. Louis. Ehlers would be an interesting fit for Toronto from a pure talent perspective, with consistent production and an underrated possession element to his game, but between Winnipeg likely wanting offensive firepower in return and Toronto needing to move money to take on his $6 million cap hit, he’s an unlikely acquisition.
Saad might be a bit more attainable, as the St. Louis Blues are now a couple of draft picks short following offer sheets to Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway, and would likely be happy to recuperate some assets. The 31-year-old scored 26 goals for St. Louis last season and has familiarity with Berube behind the bench, playing two full years for him with the Blues. His asset cost would be a bigger question, especially since Toronto would likely look for retention on his $4.5 million cap hit, due for each of the next two seasons.
Internal Development
Similar to the Robertson point, maybe the move here is to hope that the options you already have can find success. Matthew Knies had a strong rookie season last year and is only expected to take a further step this season. Bobby McMann was a cost-effective revelation, going from call-up to fourth-line forward to 13 goals in his final 30 games, though we’ll see how much of that was a hot stick in February.
Or maybe Alex Nylander, signed to an AHL deal with the Marlies, has a strong camp that implies he can match his 11 goals in 23 games with Columbus last season and gets promoted to an NHL deal.
Certainly, Toronto will want to find something – while they currently have the ninth-shortest odds to win the Stanley Cup (+1400, currently boosted to +1600 on bet365), their repeated struggles to get scoring in the playoffs have left their springs cut shorter than planned year after year. Getting just a little more punch off the flanks could go a long way to breaking a very frustrating, years-long barrier. With limited ability to spend and a quiet market, though, it may take some creativity.
