- It’s extremely unlikely that the Maple Leafs bring back forward Alexander Kerfoot or defenseman Justin Holl, reports Postmedia’s Lance Hornby. Kerfoot has been a capable secondary producer over his four seasons in Toronto but cap space will be at a premium and they wouldn’t be able to offer him the $3.5MM he made on his set-to-expire contract. As for Holl, he has shown himself to be a serviceable role player on the back end but it appears that Toronto is trying to re-sign Luke Schenn to fill that spot, pushing the 31-year-out out of a place in the lineup. Both players will hit the open market two Saturdays from today.
Maple Leafs Rumors
Latest On Auston Matthews, Sheldon Keefe
- Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on today’s 32 Thoughts podcast that the Toronto Maple Leafs’ preference with Auston Matthews is to get him locked into a max-term extension rather than a short-term payday. While Friedman couldn’t comment on the likelihood of that happening, he did say there’s been a heightened sense of urgency from both Matthews and the Leafs to get an extension done so the team can move on to other offseason business. Friedman said that after Matthews had a successful meeting with new general manager Brad Treliving in Arizona last week, he’s “even more confident” a deal will get done this summer.
Potential Toronto Maple Leafs UFA Targets
While the Toronto Maple Leafs did finally win a playoff series this season, a five-game loss at the hands of the Florida Panthers in the second round erased most of the team’s forward momentum and goodwill with the fanbase. Team president Brendan Shanahan and new general manager Brad Treliving seem content to keep the team’s core intact, so any answers from outside the organization are likely going to come through free agency.
Pittsburgh Penguins Hire Jason Spezza
The Pittsburgh Penguins named longtime NHLer and former Toronto Maple Leafs executive Jason Spezza an assistant general manager today, the team said in a release. Spezza joins former boss Kyle Dubas in the Pittsburgh front office.
Spezza served as a special assistant to Dubas for Toronto last season after retiring in 2022 but resigned from his post after Toronto announced they wouldn’t renew Dubas’ contract as general manager. Dubas then joined the Penguins as president of hockey operations earlier this month.
With Toronto, Spezza was involved with all aspects of hockey operations, including player personnel and development, minor league operations, and hockey research and development. Per the Penguins, his role there will be the same, reporting directly to Dubas and “[assisting] club management in all hockey operations departments.”
Dubas gave a statement on the hire of his colleague and friend:
After a decorated playing career, Jason fully immersed himself on the management side of the game learning all facets of hockey operations this past season while with Toronto. He showed tremendous work ethic, curiosity, and ability to build relationships throughout all departments at the team facility. His move from the roster to the front office staff also helped make the hockey operations department, coaching staff and playing roster a more cohesive and collaborative unit. We are thrilled to have Jason join the Pittsburgh Penguins today as he will add a great perspective to our Club, and we are excited to watch him reach his potential in management.
It’s worth noting Dubas isn’t Spezza’s only connection to the Penguins’ front office. He played one season each with player development staff member Matt Cullen in Ottawa and hockey operations advisor Trevor Daley in Dallas.
The Penguins are building their new front office in an unusual way, hiring associate members before solidifying a longer-term general manager. Dubas said during his initial media availability in Pittsburgh that he plans to serve as interim general manager through the offseason before making a permanent hire closer to the start of the 2023-24 campaign.
Based on the club’s verbiage, it seems that Spezza will still report directly to Dubas even after a GM hire is made.
Free Agent Focus: Toronto Maple Leafs
Free agency is less than 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 Toronto Maple Leafs.
Key Restricted Free Agents
G Ilya Samsonov – The Maple Leafs took a significant risk on Samsonov, trusting him to potentially be their number-one goalie in a season where enormous pressure was placed on the team to finally go on an extended playoff run. Samsonov, now 26, had been exiled from the Washington Capitals after a disappointing 2021-22 season that included some major errors in some high-leverage moments.
Drafted 22nd overall at the 2015 draft, Samsonov was once believed to be the Capitals’ goalie of the future but his inconsistency and inability to seize the void left in Washington’s crease by Braden Holtby’s departure led to him being available for Toronto to snag as an unrestricted free agent.
The team signed him to a one-year $1.8MM deal and he ended up rewarding the team’s faith considerably. He led Toronto netminders with 42 games played and posted a strong .919 save percentage and 2.33 goals-against-average.
While his playoff performances as a Washington Capital were cause for significant concern, Samsonov’s play in the Maple Leafs’ first-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning helped Toronto get the playoff series win they’d been long searching for. While he didn’t quite play up to par against the Florida Panthers (like the rest of his team, to be fair) and had his series end early due to injury, his 2022-23 season could be seen as serving as a major turning point for his career and a moment where he has resurrected his reputation as an up-and-coming netminder.
He’s earned himself a solid pay raise from his $1.8MM deal, but since he has a relatively inconsistent track record he might not be the safest long-term investment.
As for his future in Toronto, there are some questions to answer. The general manager that signed him, Kyle Dubas, is no longer with the organization and the new general manager, Brad Treliving, is coming from a team that has an established veteran netminder in Jacob Markstrom. Might Toronto prefer to add a proven veteran in their crease? And if so, is there going to be enough cap space to re-sign Samsonov to the type of contract his play has merited?
F Nick Abruzzese – With such a sizeable portion of the Maple Leafs’ salary cap space set aside to pay for the team’s core of star players, Toronto will need cheap, energetic, competent players to fill spots lower in their lineup. Abruzzese, 24, fits that profile after a strong first season as a full-time pro.
He scored 16 goals and 48 points in 69 AHL games for the Toronto Marlies and pitched in two assists in his two games of NHL action. With no proven NHL track record to speak of he won’t receive a significant raise from the $850k he earned last season, and as a result, could be in prime position to seize a depth role in Toronto.
Other RFAs: F Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, F Pontus Holmberg, D Victor Mete, D Mac Hollowell, D Filip Kral
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Ryan O’Reilly – The centerpiece acquisition of former GM Kyle Dubas’ flurry of trade deadline moves, O’Reilly looks poised to depart Toronto having improved his leaguewide standing to a considerable degree. In the final stretch of his tenure as a St. Louis Blue, the 2018-19 Selke and Conn Smythe Trophy winner’s significantly declined offensive production was the primary story surrounding his play.
By the time of the trade he had managed only 19 points in 40 games, a 39-point 82-game pace.
That’s a steep decline from the 58 points in 78 games he posted last year, and there was concern that at 32 years old O’Reilly was exiting his prime and was beginning a career-altering decline in form. Then O’Reilly landed in Toronto and he turned that narrative around, managing 11 points in 13 regular-season games and nine points in 11 playoff games.
His heroics at important moments, including a crucial game-tying goal in Game Three against Tampa Bay and two assists in the team’s stunning Game Four comeback showed everyone that O’Reilly still has gas left in the tank.
But as a result, he likely priced himself out of Toronto with his playoff heroics. He’ll be among the top centers available in what is a relatively thin free agent class down the middle and should receive contract offers that exceed what the Maple Leafs are in a position to offer him.
F Michael Bunting – While O’Reilly’s playoff performance changed the narrative around him for the better, the playoffs were not as kind to Bunting, 27. Bunting only managed to find the scoresheet twice in the playoffs despite scoring 23 goals and 49 points in the regular season.
His suspension due to a vicious hit to the head he laid on Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak earned Bunting some scathing criticism, and it left many wondering if he’d played his way out of Toronto, rather than priced his way out as someone such as Zach Hyman had.
Bunting remains a valuable winger who scored 63 points as a 26-year-old NHL rookie, but those questions that sprung up during the playoffs will linger as he considers offers on the open market. Is it possible that Toronto decides they can’t afford to let him walk?
Absolutely, but it feels like the team is headed in a different direction, especially with Matthew Knies penciled into his spot in the team’s top-six at what is likely to be a significantly cheaper price than the cap hit Bunting has earned.
F Alexander Kerfoot – While Kerfoot’s status as a focal point of Toronto’s return from trading Nazem Kadri to the Colorado Avalanche might leave a sour taste in the mouths of the Maple Leafs faithful, it isn’t exactly fair to judge Kerfoot against Kadri and the things he achieved in Colorado.
Kerfoot never had the breakout season in Toronto like the one Kadri had in Colorado, but Kerfoot nonetheless had his moments as a Maple Leaf. He scored 51 points in 2021-22 and was the second-highest-scoring Maple Leaf during the team’s infamous 2021 playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, putting together a six-point performance that exceeded the production of stars such as Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and Morgan Reilly.
He’s a quality third-line forward with the versatility to either play center or along the wings, and he has also been a consistent presence on one of Toronto’s penalty-killing units. There are far worse players to staff a middle-six with than Kerfoot, but after he only managed two points in eleven playoff games it’s possible Toronto will look in a different direction for that area of their lineup.
F David Kampf – Kampf took a step forward after joining Toronto from the Chicago Blackhawks and has proven himself to be a solid defense-first fourth-line center. He was Toronto’s most heavily-used penalty-killing forward over the past two seasons and in that span of time, Toronto’s penalty kill ranks sixth in the NHL with a kill rate of 82%.
Toronto would surely like to have him back but like many of the other players on expiring deals, he may have earned a pay raise that bumps him to an area of pay Toronto won’t be able to match. He’ll be among the top fourth-line centers available on the market in any case and should earn a bump from the $1.5MM he earned this past season.
D Luke Schenn – Schenn has found himself in a different spot than where he was during his first tour of duty with the Maple Leafs. No longer is he a former top prospect whose NHL play has disappointed relative to the expectations placed upon him by the media, now he’s a widely-respected veteran defenseman who can offer gritty, hard-nosed play and two Stanley Cup rings worth of playoff experience.
Schenn earned $850k this past season but will in all likelihood earn at the very least more than $1MM AAV on his next contract, and possibly far more than that. He’s a quality option for a team looking to add a proven veteran defensive defenseman to their mix but perhaps not what Toronto needs with T.J. Brodie, Timothy Liljegren, and Conor Timmins already in pace along the right-hand side of their defense.
D Justin Holl – Holl’s playoff performances made him a bit of a lightning rod for the Maple Leafs fanbase, but as someone who worked his way up from the ECHL he’s carved out a solid career for himself. He’s been a regular on head coach Sheldon Keefe’s blueline since Keefe first took over the job in 2019-20 and has averaged over 20 minutes of ice time per night for the past three seasons, including as one of the team’s leading penalty killers.
As a right-shot blueliner, Holl may not have a spot in Toronto given the presence of Timmins, Brodie, and Liljegren, but he’ll find his place on the open market and be a solid option for a team looking to beef up its blueline.
Other UFAs: F Noel Acciari, F Zach Aston-Reese, F Wayne Simmonds, F Radim Zohorna, D Erik Gustafsson, D Jordie Benn, G Erik Kallgren
Projected Cap Space
The presence of Toronto’s highly-paid core of stars makes their cap situation quite complicated, especially as key contract extensions for Matthews, Marner, and William Nylander, among others, will need to be negotiated. As a result, Toronto may not be in a position to make any major, long-term commitments before those deals are finalized. This is likely to impact the players they’ll be able to target on the open market.
CapFriendly projects them to have a little over $9MM in salary cap space, though that number would increase considerably should they manage to find a way to remove Matt Murray and his $4.687MM cap hit from their books. That should be enough to add a few role players, though if they want to make a more sizeable change to their team composition some creativity is likely to be required.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Toronto Maple Leafs Hire Shane Doan
June 9: Toronto has officially named Doan as a special advisor to Treliving.
June 8: The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to name current Arizona Coyotes executive Shane Doan as an assistant to newly-hired general manager Brad Treliving, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports Thursday afternoon.
Doan replaces the outgoing Jason Spezza, who served as a special assistant to the GM under the previous Kyle Dubas regime. Spezza put in his resignation with the Leafs after they announced they were not re-signing Dubas to a new contract.
It is surprising to see Doan leave Arizona after spending his entire playing career with the Coyotes. However, given that the future of the club is up in the air it makes sense for Doan to move on to a high profile position in which someone he knows is at the helm. Doan becomes one of Treliving’s first hires as he begins to build out the Maple Leafs management hierarchy. The two men do have history together as Treliving served as assistant general manager during Doan’s playing days in Arizona.
Doan has always been a representation of stability through the turmoil within the Coyotes organization. He stuck around through a franchise relocation, threats of relocation, ownership changes, and financial peril. Now he finds himself in perhaps the most stable franchise in hockey with an excellent opportunity to build out his career in management.
Evening Notes: Schenn, Quenneville, Senators
CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reported today that pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Luke Schenn likely wants to remain with the Toronto Maple Leafs and he expects the rearguard to get a well-deserved raise in pay on his next contract. Dhaliwal said this today on Donnie & Dhali The Team and added that Schenn is seeking some term on his next contract as well as some no trade protection.
It makes sense that the soon to be 34-year-old would like some stability for himself and his young family as he has bounced around the league the past few seasons and played under several contracts that have been for near the NHL minimum. Schenn is coming off one of the finest seasons of his career having put up four goals and 18 assists in 70 games split between the Maple Leafs and the Vancouver Canucks and is trying to cash in on what could very well be his last big payday in the NHL.
In other evening notes:
- Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes that he doesn’t believe the delay in the New York Rangers search for a new coach is tied to former Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville. Brooks lists several reasons for his thinking here including the fact that general manager Chris Drury is currently in Buffalo at the scouting combine. Brooks goes on to add that he can’t see NHL commissioner Gary Bettman meeting with Quenneville before the draft to discuss reinstatement and that the Rangers would like to have someone in place before free agency begins on July 1st.
- The final stage in the sale of the Ottawa Senators has been going on for over three weeks and according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia there has been no indication of who will be awarded preferred bidder status. Garrioch writes that this may be a tactic being used to keep all the groups engaged in case they need fall back options should one of the bids fall through. The belief is that the final stage has been slowed by all the back and forth between the parties involved as they try to hammer down the final details in what should be the end of a very long process. Garrioch goes on to say that is does appear that this has become a three-horse race as it looks as though the Neko Sparks group is a long shot to win ownership of the club. They are having issues putting the financing in place, but at this time, they are still in the running.
Snapshots: Matthews, Bratt, DeAngelo
David Pagnotta of the NHL Network is reporting that the Toronto Maple Leafs are focused right now on evaluating their coaching staff and don’t have urgency at this time to speak with star forward Auston Matthews. He adds that they do intend to meet with the 25-year-old and his agent later this month, at which time they will presumably begin to talk about a contract extension for the upcoming unrestricted free agent. Matthews is just a year away from being able to walk out the door for nothing and the direction of the franchise will likely be dictated by what happens in the Matthews talks.
It’s an interesting approach from newly anointed general manager Brad Treliving given that he cited talking to Matthews as his number one priority at his introductory press conference. It’s also curious because he just came from a franchise in which he lost two 100-point scorers in a matter of months just one year ago. One would have to assume he will be prudent in making sure that doesn’t happen again with Matthews who has a no-trade clause that kicks in on July 1st.
In other news from around the league:
- Pagnotta also writes that talks between the New Jersey Devils and pending RFA Timo Meier have picked up this week, but he describes the situation with Jesper Bratt as status quo. Bratt and the Devils have a bit of a contentious relationship when it comes to negotiations as they have come up against each other in the past when it comes to money. This happened most notably last summer when they nearly went to arbitration but settled on a one-year deal just hours before they were set to square off. Bratt posted a career high 32 goals last season while posting his second consecutive 73-point season. He has bet on himself in the past and with just a year left until he is an unrestricted free agent, this could be the Devils toughest negotiation yet.
- Elliotte Friedman mentioned on The Jeff Marek Show today that he believes the Philadelphia Flyers are looking to move defenseman Tony DeAngelo. The 27-year-old continued to produce on the powerplay in his first season in Philadelphia but struggled at even strength and in his own defensive zone. The New Jersey native became a lightning rod for criticism, particularly from head coach John Tortorella who scratched DeAngelo multiple times last season. Philadelphia acquired DeAngelo last summer from Carolina for multiple draft picks and signed him to a two year $10MM contract. Many people questioned the move at the time and that continued into the season despite the defenseman’s offensive production. It’ll be curious to see if any teams bite on the gifted but limited rearguard.
Carl Dahlstrom Signs In Sweden
CBS Sports is reporting that former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Carl Dahlstrom is returning to his native Sweden for next season. Dahlstrom, who also played with the Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets has apparently signed a contract with Farjestad BK of the SHL after splitting the last five years between the NHL and AHL.
The 28-year-old Dahlstrom suffered an unfortunate shoulder injury this past September while he was competing for one of the final spots in the Leafs lineup. The ailment likely cost him a job on Toronto’s backend as Dalhstrom had to endure a six-month recovery after shoulder surgery and managed to work his way into eight AHL games with the Toronto Marlies tallying one assist. He was never able to get back into an NHL lineup and may have seen his run in North America come to an end. If this closes the book on his NHL career it has to be a disappointment for a player who was traded for Paul Stastny just a few short years ago.
Over parts of four seasons the former Blackhawks second round pick never scored an NHL goal but did have 12 assists in 67 games. He struggled with the puck on his stick and could never really find any offensive traction while in the NHL. He did fare better in the AHL and could easily secure a job in another organization but at this point in his career he has opted for the comforts of home.
While its always possible that a player in his 20’s could return to the NHL it seems unlikely given Dahlstrom’s injury history and the fact that he hasn’t been able to establish himself as an NHL regular up to this point in his career.
Brad Treliving Not Allowed At Maple Leafs Draft Table
Brad Treliving was recently announced as the 18th general manager in Toronto Maple Leafs history. Treliving was officially introduced today and stated that his first priority is to meet with superstar Auston Matthews. While getting Matthews signed long-term is the focus, another focus is the upcoming NHL entry draft, which Treliving will not be allowed to take part in. Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets is reporting that this condition was put in place by the Calgary Flames when granting Toronto permission to talk to him. Treliving is under contract with Calgary until July 1st.
Maple Leafs president of hockey operations Brendan Shanahan was asked about this stipulation at the press conference this morning and praised the teams scouting staff and said they are still preparing to pick late in the first round of the draft as well as the fifth and sixth round. One would have to presume that either Shanahan or head scout Wes Clark will be making Toronto’s picks this year in the absence of Treliving.
It’s not surprising to see the Flames attach a condition like this to Treliving as they were originally apprehensive about even allowing their long-time general manager to interview for other jobs before his contract expired. Three weeks ago, it was reported by The Hockey News that Calgary wasn’t allowing him to speak with teams, however they had a change of heart and let the 53-year-old pursue other employment. One would have to guess that the draft condition was a compromise Treliving, and the Maple Leafs had to make to move forward with the interview process.
It’s not unheard of for a team to block a former employee from participating in the entry draft, although it doesn’t happen often. In fact, it happened to the Flames back in 2000 when general manager Craig Button came over from the Dallas Stars and was blocked from taking part in draft day.