Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Maple Leafs Rumors

Toronto Maple Leafs Make Front Office Changes

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced several changes to the front office, starting with the promotions of Hayley Wickenheiser, Ryan Hardy, and Darryl Metcalf to assistant general manager. The team has also added Curtis Sanford as goaltending coach, following the departure of Steve Briere to the Seattle Kraken.

The team has broken out the positions by department, with incumbent Brandon Pridham continuing his role as the “primary” AGM and Laurence Gilman now serving as governor and senior vice president of the Toronto Marlies, the team’s AHL affiliate.

Wickenheiser (Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser to be exact) is now the assistant general manager, player development, and will continue her work with the development staff at all levels. Arguably the greatest player in the history of women’s hockey, she joined the club in 2018 while still finishing her medical residency and was promoted to senior director of player development in 2021. She becomes the fourth woman this summer to be named an NHL AGM, following Cammie Granato and Emilie Castonguay in Vancouver, and Meghan Hunter in Chicago.

Hardy, meanwhile, continues to skyrocket up the hockey organizational charts, now an AGM in the NHL just a few seasons after first serving as an amateur scout with the Boston Bruins. The architect of a powerhouse program for the Chicago Steel of the USHL, Hardy was snatched up by the Maple Leafs in 2021 and put in charge of the team’s minor league operations. That’s still the department he will lead now, overseeing the team’s three-tiered development system, with the Marlies and Newfoundland Growlers of the ECHL.

Metcalf is the longest-tenured member of the trio, having worked with the Maple Leafs’ analytics department since 2014. He too has been rising the ranks since, last promoted to special assistant to the general manager in 2018. His title will be AGM, hockey research and development, allowing him to continue the work he has done with analytics.

Sandford meanwhile is coming into something of a mystery situation, given the Maple Leafs’ current goaltending issues. Jack Campbell appears ready to hit the open market in a few days, Petr Mrazek’s struggles this year have led many to speculate that he will not be part of the team next season, and the pipeline doesn’t appear to have a true NHL starter in it.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

New York Islanders Hire Scout Jim Paliafito From Toronto Maple Leafs

at CDT | by 11 Comments

  • LeBrun also wrote earlier on the weekend’s offseason rumblings, including the status of star goaltender and soon to be free agent Marc-Andre Fleury. The veteran and his wife were to meet with agent Allan Walsh today in Montreal to discuss the plan with regards to his upcoming free agency, with Fleury’s current team, the Minnesota Wild, in the mix. In addition to the Wild, LeBrun speculates that the Toronto Maple Leafs could be suitors for Fleury, pointing to the goaltender’s willingness to head to Toronto at the trade deadline this year before the supposed trade fell apart. LeBrun adds that Fleury will be able to be as picky as he wishes, and could look at a number of contenders, listing the Colorado Avalanche as an intriguing possibility as well, though he adds Colorado would like to keep incumbent goaltender Darcy Kuemper.
  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that scout Jim Paliafito, formerly of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was hired by the New York Islanders. Paliafito, Friedman writes, is known for his expertise with the European free agent market. One of the most notable free agents Paliafito helped the Maple Leafs recruit was undrafted forward Ilya Mikheyev, who scored 21 goals in just 53 games for Toronto this season.

Latest On Ilya Mikheyev

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs made it clear to teams last week that they would be willing to trade Ilya Mikheyev’s rights before the start of free agency, as it seemed unlikely that he would be re-signing with the team. That is because of the contract demands of the pending free agent winger. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that Mikheyev and agent Dan Milstein will be looking for a multi-year contract with a cap hit somewhere between $4.75MM and $5.5MM, a hefty price and one that the Maple Leafs likely cannot pay.

Mikheyev, 27, did have a strong season, scoring 21 goals in 53 games including four short-handed tallies. That’s an 82-game pace of 32 goals and it was done without a ton of powerplay time or extended play in the top-six. Often used as a more defensive weapon, Mikheyev started a higher percentage of his shifts in his own end than almost any other Maple Leafs forward. His penalty-killing stats jump off the page, and his speed is something that can change a game at any moment.

Still, this is a player that has just 146 NHL games under his belt and has scored just 36 goals so far. A strong 82-game pace is one thing but at this point, the 2021-22 season could just as easily be an outlier, and Mikheyev’s production is closer to the 15 goals he scored across years one and two. A severe wrist injury during that time did affect his ability to shoot the puck but given how much of his offense has come from counter-attacking with speed and not controlling the play–he had just 11 assists this season–there is some risk that in a new system, those chances disappear.

At this point, with so much money tied up in their other big-name forwards, spending $5MM on Mikheyev doesn’t make much sense for the Maple Leafs. The team will have to look for cheaper options to replace his production or promote an internal option.

Latest On Ilya Mikheyev

at CDT | by 11 Comments

A few days ago, we covered reports stating that the Toronto Maple Leafs had made it clear to teams across the league that they would be open to trading the early negotiating rights to Ilya Mikheyev to any interested teams. Now, we have some more clarity on what those interested teams might look like. According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, there look to be many. Johnston reports that “as many as half the teams” in the NHL are expected to hold at least some interest in acquiring Mikheyev this summer, and adds that Mikheyev is looking for a deal “in the $4MM range,” if not higher.

Columbus Blue Jackets Acquire Mathieu Olivier

at CDT | by 8 Comments

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Nashville Predators have announced a trade: forward Mathieu Olivier is going from Nashville to Columbus in exchange for the 122nd pick at next week’s draft, a pick that originally belonged to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Olivier, 25, is an undrafted player who spent most of this past season with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. The six-foot-two, 210-pound native of Biloxi, Mississippi had his longest stretch of NHL action in 2020-21, when he got into 30 games for the Predators, registering three goals and five points to go along with 70 penalty minutes. Olivier will play next season on a $750k cap hit before becoming an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent.

In Olivier, the Blue Jackets are acquiring a big, physical fourth-line grinder. He’s a hit-first, ask questions later sort of player who isn’t much different from what Columbus coach Brad Larsen was when he was in the NHL. Olivier isn’t much of a scorer, and his 11 points in 46 AHL games this past season is a clear indication of that. Olivier fits best in a fourth-line role at both the NHL and AHL levels and can play that role with some success. Predators coach John Hynes trusted Olivier enough to play him in three of the team’s four playoff games this year, and it’s definitely possible that he earns a similar level of trust from Larsen. While fourth-rounder is a bit of a steep price to pay for someone who likely won’t be anything more than a fourth-liner, it’s clear the Blue Jackets have an identity they want to build and they believe that Olivier helps them build it.

For the Predators, getting a fourth-rounder for Olivier is a decent bit of business, especially if he wasn’t in their long-term plans. According to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, the Predators have the 12th-ranked prospect pool in the NHL, so adding another pick in next week’s draft gives GM David Poile and his staff another swing of the bat to try to make a home-run selection.

Ultimately, if the Predators do end up feeling like they’ll miss what Olivier brings to the table, physical fourth-liners are always available in free agency. But with Tanner Jeannot and Yakov Trenin already in the fold, among others, it’s possible that dealing Olivier is simply the Predators cashing in a surplus player in order to add an extra draft choice.

Toronto Willing To Trade Ilya Mikheyev’s Rights

at CDT | by 2 Comments

It never did look like the Toronto Maple Leafs were going to be able to afford Ilya Mikheyev this summer and now they’ve basically made it clear that an extension is off the table. Both Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic are reporting that the Maple Leafs’ front office has made it clear to teams around the league that Mikheyev’s rights are available for trade if they want to try and sign him before he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 13.

The 27-year-old winger had a strong season for Toronto, scoring 21 goals in just 53 games including four short-handed tallies. The 6’3″ Mikheyev has blinding speed and a long reach, making him a perfect penalty-killing option that is dangerous on the counterattack. His offensive skill sometimes leaves something to be desired, as Maple Leafs fans will tell you he can’t always finish on his chances but there is still a valuable player to be had this summer.

In fact, a recent report suggested that Mikheyev is looking for somewhere between $4-5MM per season, something that the cap-strapped Maple Leafs just wouldn’t be able to afford. If they can get back an asset–any asset–before he hits the open market in two weeks, it would seem a win for Toronto.

Alternatively, getting Mikheyev before he gets a chance to talk to the whole league might also save a team some cap space, especially if it comes with a long-term deal. The undrafted winger carried a cap hit of just $1.645MM in each of the last two seasons and will be looking to cash in on his strong season.

There has been the suggestion that the Maple Leafs could do the same thing with Jack Campbell, given a similar contractual impasse. The netminder will likely be too expensive for Toronto to retain, meaning getting an asset for him by trading him before free agency might be the best option they have at the moment.

Toronto Maple Leafs Extend Timothy Liljegren

at CDT | by 3 Comments

After becoming a regular with the team this season, Timothy Liljegren has earned a raise. The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed the young defenseman to a two-year contract extension that will come with an average annual value of $1.4MM. Liljegren was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer.

Selected 17th overall in 2017, it has been a bit of a bumpy ride for the young defenseman to this point. He came over to North America immediately following his draft and was one of the youngest players in the AHL, but when he struggled to make the leap to the next level, some wondered whether he ever would be a real contributor for the Maple Leafs.

That jump came about this season, when the 23-year-old played in 61 games, recording 23 points and putting up outstanding possession statistics. Though some of that is due to being deployed against weaker competition, there were times when Liljegren was arguably Toronto’s most effective defenseman, especially when paired late in the year with Mark Giordano.

Still, when the playoffs came around his inexperience showed, and head coach Sheldon Keefe decided to remove him from the lineup in favor of Justin Holl and Ilya Lyubushkin partway through the series. With this new deal in hand, Holl on the last year of his contract, and Lyubushkin an unrestricted free agent, there is a clear path forward for Liljegren as a top-four option in Toronto.

Whether he can handle that increased responsibility remains to be seen but for a team that has struggled to produce many homegrown defensemen, his development was one of the biggest positives of this year. If that upward trajectory continues, the $1.4MM cap hit could look like a steal as soon as next season, and help the Maple Leafs fit in even more talent around the edges of the roster. The fact that it leaves him as a restricted free agent is important, though he will be eligible for arbitration at its expiry.

It will be interesting to see if this deal is a template for fellow RFA Rasmus Sandin, who has shown similar upside in his short time in the NHL and also needs a new contract this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Offseason Checklist: Toronto Maple Leafs

at CDT | by 12 Comments

With the offseason in full swing aside from the two teams in the Stanley Cup Final, it’s time to examine what each squad will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Another year, another first-round exit for the Maple Leafs, who were kicked out of the postseason by the defending champs. Sure, you could argue that they were closer to defeating the Lightning than either of the other two teams in the east that had the unfortunate task of trying to snap Tampa Bay’s streak but it doesn’t really matter at this point. The simple fact is that Toronto hasn’t won a playoff series in nearly two decades and all efforts this summer will be made to change that.

Figure Out The Goaltending

Right now, the Maple Leafs have three goaltenders under contract for next season. Petr Mrazek, Erik Kallgren, and Joseph Woll. That’s not exactly what someone would call championship depth in net. Mrazek is signed for two more years at $3.8MM and did not impress in his first go-round with the team, leading some to believe they’ll find a way to get rid of his contract this summer.

But the big question mark is Jack Campbell, who did an admirable job during his relatively short time in Toronto but may have priced himself out of their range. If the 30-year-old is looking to cash in on his first real chance at a lucrative multi-year contract, it’s hard to see how it will be with the Maple Leafs, unless they can find a way to clear up some other room. Even if they did move Mrazek’s money out and bring back Campbell, is the Kallgren-Woll duo enough depth behind him?

Add Youth To The Bottom-Six

With Ilya Mikheyev and Colin Blackwell both unrestricted free agents, Pierre Engvall and Ondrej Kase restricted free agents (who are both trade or even potentially non-tender candidates, because of the threat of arbitration), and Jason Spezza now in the front office, it could be a very different look at the bottom of the Maple Leafs’ lineup next season.

Deciding how many spots the team will leave open for competition among the younger players in the organization is a huge decision and one that could drastically backfire if they aren’t able to make the jump to the NHL full-time. Nick Robertson (20), Alex Steeves (22), Curtis Douglas (22), Nick Abruzzese (23), Pontus Holmberg (23), Joey Anderson (24), and others are potential options there, though they each come with very different skillsets.

With the cap squeeze coming in other areas, the team desperately needs some of these entry-level contracts (or minimum deals in Anderson’s case) to start paying off upfront.

Solve The Sandin Problem

When the Maple Leafs re-signed Mark Giordano to a hometown discount quickly after the season ended, the question immediately emerged: where is Rasmus Sandin going to play? The team now has Giordano, Morgan Rielly, and Jake Muzzin all entrenched on the left, while Sandin has struggled in his short time trying to play his off-side.

The 22-year-old is a restricted free agent for the first time and will need a new contract, but also some clarity on where exactly he fits into the picture for next season. Many fans have suggested a Muzzin trade to clear room for the younger Sandin but the veteran holds a full no-trade clause until next summer, so there would be complications even if the team did decide they wanted to move on–which isn’t clear anyway.

Given that they also have question marks on the right side with Justin Holl’s up-and-down season and Timothy Liljegren’s inexperience, how the Maple Leafs’ defense pairings shake out is a complete unknown at this point.

Find A Second-Line Left Winger

It may seem like a non-issue for a team that had no trouble scoring goals this season but the second-line duo of John Tavares and William Nylander often struggled to find chemistry with a rotating cast of left-wingers (and each other at times). With Mikheyev, perhaps the most natural fit there, likely moving on due to his open market price tag–Chris Johnston of TSN noted that the Russian UFA is looking for somewhere between $4-5MM on a per-year basis–it’s hard to see who will step into that void from the internal options.

Alexander Kerfoot has at times found success in the top-six but is really more of a third-line option, while a young skilled player like Robertson may not yet be ready. A free agent signing could be in the cards if the team can find some extra cash.

One thing that may play into the decision, however, is the emergence and development of prospect Matthew Knies. The second-rounder exploded this season with the University of Minnesota and played at the Olympics for Team USA. Knies is headed back to school for 2022-23 but could be an option for the Maple Leafs’ top-six as early as next spring, meaning any multi-year free agent move could create a logjam moving forward.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Auston Matthews Wins The 2022 Hart Trophy

at CDT | by 12 Comments

On Tuesday, the final five NHL awards are being handed out.   Last up for the night was the Hart Memorial Trophy, given to the most valuable player as voted by the PHWA.  After receiving the Ted Lindsay Award for the same honor as voted by the players, Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews was this year’s recipient.  The other finalists were Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin and Oilers center Connor McDavid.

It was a career year for Matthews in terms of goals (60), assists (46), points (106), and shots on goal (348) with his goal and shots totals leading the league despite only playing in 73 games.  His goals per game rate (0.82) was the highest in the NHL since Mario Lemieux back in the 1995-96 campaign.  That helped lead Toronto to the second spot in the Atlantic Division and their most successful season in franchise history in terms of points.  Matthews is the third Maple Leaf to win the Hart and the first to do so in quite some time as Toronto’s previous winner was Ted Kennedy back in 1954-55.

Matthews received 61% of first-place votes among the 195 ballots cast while appearing on all but two of them.  That helped him finish more than 500 points ahead of McDavid to take home the award with Shesterkin coming a distant third.  Four other players received a first-place vote – Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau, Florida’s Jonathan Huberdeau, Nashville’s Roman Josi, and Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov.

The full voting results can be found here.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top