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Maple Leafs Expected To Sign Ryan Reaves

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It appears that the Maple Leafs will be adding some toughness to their roster once the UFA market opens up in less than three hours.  Last night, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported (Twitter link) that Toronto will be signing rugged winger Ryan Reaves to a multi-year contract.  Today, TSN’s Darren Dreger adds (Twitter link) that the AAV for that deal should be around $1.3MM and that it remains to be seen if it will be a two-year agreement or a three-year one.

The 36-year-old started the season with the Rangers but asked to be moved early on after having a very limited role in New York.  He got his wish and was moved to Minnesota in late November, becoming a regular in the lineup for the Wild for the rest of the way.  Reaves was relatively productive in his role, collecting five goals and ten assists in 61 contests with his new team; his 15 points matched the second-best point total of his career.

Of course, Toronto isn’t bringing in Reaves for his point-producing ability.  He has been one of the more physical wingers in the league for more than a decade and while he doesn’t drop the gloves often anymore, that ability remains part of his game.  New GM Brad Treliving evidently would like to see his club get a little more physical up front and bringing in Reaves will certainly help to make his fourth line that much tougher.

Ryan O’Reilly And Luke Schenn Expected To Test The Market

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The Maple Leafs were hoping to keep a pair of their pending unrestricted free agents in the fold but it may not play out that way.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that center Ryan O’Reilly will test the market today while Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets and TSN adds (Twitter link) that defenseman Luke Schenn will do the same.

O’Reilly was one of Toronto’s key trade deadline acquisitions, coming over in a trade from St. Louis.  The 32-year-old fit in well with his hometown team, picking up 11 points in 13 games down the stretch while winning 62% of his faceoffs.  O’Reilly then put up nine points in 11 playoff contests, cementing himself as one of the top middlemen on the open market; he ranks seventh on our Top 50 UFA list.

LeBrun notes that the Maple Leafs had interest right to the end so it’s possible that the veteran circles back depending on how his market plays out today.  That said, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Detroit, Montreal, Nashville, and Vancouver are all linked to O’Reilly as well so there could be enough interest to push his price tag out of Toronto’s price range.

As for Schenn, Johnston reports that again, there was mutual interest in getting something done but the level of interest in the 33-year-old has yielded an offer from another team that’s too strong for the Maple Leafs to match.  Schenn matched his career high in points with 22 last season and chipped in with a career-high 318 hits.  After playing for the last four seasons on contracts worth less than $1MM, that seems sure to change today for the 37th-ranked UFA on our list.

Justin Holl Return Not Ruled Out

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  • Toronto Maple Leafs fans may not be the biggest Justin Holl supporters, but the blueliner could still end up returning to the team after the market opens tomorrow, says ESPN’s Ryan S. Clark. Clark notes there’s significant market interest in Holl, as multiple teams have inquired ahead of tomorrow, while The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel called it less than a 50% chance Holl would end up back in Toronto. Overall, the 31-year-old is a fine fit in most teams’ top fours but is prone to some extremely visible mistakes.

Treliving: Maple Leafs Not Planning To Use A Buyout In This Window

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  • The Maple Leafs don’t plan to execute a buyout before the window closes on Friday, GM Brad Treliving told reporters including Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. Veteran goaltender Matt Murray has long been a speculative candidate to be bought out, a move that would free up $4MM in flexibility to work this summer but they won’t go that route.  At least, they won’t for now.  Treliving noted that there is a second window to be made available as long as they have an arbitration filing.  Toronto has three arbitration-eligible players in goalie Ilya Samsonov plus defensemen Victor Mete and Mac Hollowell with the former being the most likely to file.  If that happens, Treliving and the Maple Leafs could re-assess Murray’s situation later in the summer.

Latest On Auston Matthews

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Although numerous insiders have spoken about their confidence that the Toronto Maple Leafs will end up re-signing Hart Trophy winner Auston Matthews, it doesn’t appear a deal is imminent according to The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta. Pagnotta says “a deal is not yet close,” and adds “his next deal will be 3, 4, or 5-year” term.

  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports today that the Toronto Maple Leafs are “looking to beef up their bottom six,” and specifically connects two names to the team: Ryan Reaves and Austin Watson. Neither Reaves or Watson offer much on the ice outside of their physical play, but given the perception among many that Toronto didn’t put up enough of a fight in recent playoff series that might be exactly what the team needs.

Toronto Maple Leafs Re-Sign David Kampf, Pontus Holmberg

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The Toronto Maple Leafs won’t be losing David Kampf after all. The pending free agent forward has signed a new four-year contract with an average annual value of $2.4MM, per the team. Toronto also announced a two-year extension for 24-year-old depth forward Pontus Holmberg, who’s now locked in through 2025 at an $800K cap hit.

Kampf, 28, is coming off a pair of career years with the Maple Leafs, scoring 26 and 27 points while operating as a penalty kill specialist and bottom-six pivot. He is asked to take almost all of the team’s defensive zone draws, and saw more shorthanded ice time than any other Maple Leafs forward in 2022-23.

That makes him a valuable piece for the team, but there is significant risk in a deal like this Generally, long-term pacts with fourth-line players do not age well, given how many replacements are readily available. While Kampf has shown the ability to play a bit higher in the lineup, his offensive upside is limited, and he will turn 29 next January.

He’s also receiving a raise on the two-year deal he first signed in Toronto, which carried a cap hit of just $1.5MM. It’s hard to see many ways for Kampf to outperform this new deal, even if he does provide some solid defensive metrics in limited ice time.

It’s a curious first move for general manager Brad Treliving, given how much panic was pouring out of Toronto after another disappointing loss in the playoffs. The team had several unrestricted free agents, meaning he could put his stamp on the roster by bringing in different depth players.

Instead, Treliving has inked Kampf to a four-year pact that keeps him in Toronto through the 2026-27 season—which the Czech center will complete at age-32.

Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first to report that Kampf had signed a four-year contract, while NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston was first to report his $2.4MM cap hit.

Brad Treliving Confirms Sheldon Keefe To Remain Maple Leafs Head Coach

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  • Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving confirmed to the media today, including The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, that Sheldon Keefe will remain behind the bench for next season, going so far as to say the team is “excited for him to do so.” Keefe has led Toronto since taking over for Mike Babcock in 2019-20 and won at an extremely high rate in the regular season. While he has just one playoff series victory to his name, Keefe has shown himself to be a capable bench boss. With his immediate future now clear, Keefe will look to build on the momentum started by their elimination of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Latest On Travis Sanheim

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The Philadelphia Flyers will be one of the hottest names in trade talks all offseason long, and the second domino fell earlier today with Kevin Hayes getting shipped to St. Louis. One name supposed to be included in that trade was defenseman Travis Sanheim, who remains a Flyer thanks to Blues defenseman Torey Krug’s no-trade clause eliminating all the ancillary parts of the proposed deal.

It remains clear, though, that Sanheim is a highly sought-after asset – he was expected to fetch Krug and a first-round pick from St. Louis (either 25th or 29th overall) in return. Teams are still calling on him, namely the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets, says The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta.

Sanheim, a former first-round pick (17th overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft, is Philadelphia’s most competent all-around defenseman and has been for the past few seasons. His stock took a small hit in 2022-23, seeing his offense dip to 23 points in 81 games and his defensive play falter at times, and it certainly wasn’t the best timing with an eight-year, $50MM extension with trade protection set to kick in on July 1. It seems at least a few teams are attributing that to the team around him, though, and they believe the 27-year-old is still a high-end top-four defender.

Despite having many holes to fill among their forward group, the Maple Leafs seem to keep popping up in conversations surrounding marquee defenders on the trade market. While they were already linked to Erik Karlsson earlier today, acquiring Sanheim would be a more financially sensible and palatable move for their needs. Sanheim would slot behind Morgan Rielly on the team’s depth chart of left-shot defenders, likely kicking Jake McCabe over to the right side and keeping 39-year-old Mark Giordano in a bottom-pairing role. Toronto’s been reported to have their first-round pick, 28th overall, on the block for more immediate boosts to their lineup.

The Winnipeg Jets are scouring the trade market for talent, looking to retool on the fly and keep their team competitive despite the impending departures (via trade or buyout) of Blake Wheeler, Connor Hellebuyck, and Pierre-Luc Dubois. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of roster room for Sanheim with the Jets, so a potential trade could involve the final season of Brenden Dillon’s contract at a $3.9MM cap hit heading to the Flyers. The 32-year-old Jets defender does not carry trade protection.

Multiple Teams Engaging In Erik Karlsson Trade Talks

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An expectedly hot trade market could soon see a rather Earth-shattering trade. Newly-crowned Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson of the San Jose Sharks has been on the trade block for quite some time, and he’s made it known he’d like to get dealt to a contender.

Now, we have some clarity on some teams EK65 could suit up for next season. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes, and Seattle Kraken have reportedly initiated discussions with the Sharks regarding the possibility of acquiring the star defenseman, says Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. LeBrun also indicates, though, that Karlsson has not yet provided Sharks general manager Mike Grier with a list of preferred destinations, leaving the trade negotiations as an “open canvas.”

Karlsson boasts a massive $11.5MM cap hit through 2027 and has long been considered one of the most dynamic defensemen in the league. However, injuries had plagued the Swedish defenseman in recent seasons, dampening his on-ice impact. 2022-23 saw him shake off most of the rust, though, becoming the first defenseman to record 100 points in a season since Brian Leetch in 1991-92. Nevertheless, his defensive deficiencies combined with the concern for re-injury will likely involve the Sharks, and potentially a third party, retaining massive amounts of his salary.

The Maple Leafs are definitely the team who would need the most help via salary retention to get a deal done. They are slated to have around $14.75MM in cap space with defenseman Jake Muzzin headed for long-term injured reserve, but they need to fill at least five roster spots at forward and get a new contract signed for netminder Ilya Samsonov. A trade, however unlikely it may seem, could include T.J. Brodie, who’s locked in at a $5MM cap hit next season and is a UFA in 2024. Karlsson would essentially replace his spot in the lineup.

Few teams would complement Karlsson’s puck-moving style as well as Carolina. This is likely a fallback option for them if they can’t reach an extension with Brett Pesce, although it’s hard to imagine two players at further ends of the defense spectrum. One would have to wonder about the necessity of acquiring Karlsson for the ’Canes, though, as a former teammate of Karlsson’s,  Brent Burns, is already under contract through 2025, and they’re still working on acquiring Anthony DeAngelo from the Philadelphia Flyers (which, legally, can’t be completed for another few weeks for cap circumvention purposes).

As for the Kraken, the budding franchise has apparently wasted no time in trying to solidify themselves as a championship contender after winning their first playoff series this spring. They’ve got a bevy of talented forwards and a true four-line attack, but their biggest roster hole lies with a second-pairing right-shot defenseman behind shutdown stalwart Adam Larsson. They do have the cap room to make it work – their only notable expenditure this offseason will be re-signing blueliner Vince Dunn, which could cost them around $7MM per season. It still would leave them with about $13MM in cap space and very few other roster holes to fill, making this a very doable task for the Kraken with 35-50% salary retention.

More to come…

Maple Leafs Reportedly Interested In Flyers' Travis Sanheim

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The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that “a few teams spoke with Philly about Sanheim, including the Toronto Maple Leafs.” While Sanheim’s $6.25MM cap hit expiring in the early 2030’s might seem difficult for Toronto to fit on their books, Sanheim would certainly be an intriguing addition to the left side of their defense. Worth noting is a conflicting report from Crossing Broad’s Anthony SanFilippo, who tweets that Toronto has not yet spoken to the Flyers about a possible Sanheim deal.

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