With the NHL trade deadline just a month in the rearview mirror and playoffs, now is a good time to see the free agents the Toronto Maple Leafs are waiting for. There are two types of free agents: Unlimited Free Agents (UFA), who can open the market as of July 1, while restricting free agents (RFA), the company has the rights that the team has.
The Maple Leafs have several high-profile figures yet to be free agents this summer, such as Mitch Marner and John Tavares, who have headlines in five pending UFAs at the NHL level. Their NHL team also has three RFAs, and they can receive a contract, which is bigger than young forward Matthew Knies.
Maple Leaf’s restricted free agent
As mentioned earlier, Maple Leaf has three restrictions on books, free agents, and it’s not just knives. He has become a big part of the puzzle and will be awarded a contract this summer. Importantly, the Maple Leafs had to complete a deal before the free agent market began on July 1. With salary caps set to rise this offseason, it’s very likely that the NHL will be giving sheets to big names like the Knies. Toronto had to find a way to lock him up before he could put it on the market and be offered.
Related: Mana refuses to give up on NMC showing long-term desire to stay in maple leaves
The other two RFAs are Nicholas Robertson and Pontus Holmberg. Neither will demand a substantial salary from what they are doing now. While Homeberg is likely to extend with the Maple Leafs, this could be Robertson’s last season in the organization. He looked like he had found a foothold with the team after he asked for a trade last offseason. But now it seems he is watching outside. It might be wise to trade him and allow others to play six more roles.
Unlimited free agent of Maple Leaf
As mentioned earlier, Marner and Tavares will hold their pending UFAS this summer. With the great attention to star players, there are a handful of other players who will consider their next move. Veterans Steven Lorentz, Max Pacioretty and Jani Hakanpää all reached by the end of the season. It seems that Pacioretty and Hakanpää both played the last game with Maple Leafs and would not re-sign. But Lorenz is an interesting choice for them to consider. The organization has some players in the AHL and juniors who can compete for a place on the roster. That said, re-signing Lorentz would be a wise move he brought to the team, and more importantly, in the sixth place behind.
As for Mana and Tavarez, the rumors surrounding these players have been changing. With the recent report published about Maple Leaf approaching Mana and asking if he would give up his no-trade clause, it put a lot of pressure on both sides in the negotiations. However, he came out and said he wanted to be a member of the organization for a long time, so he hoped that the deal would be completed. Ideally, this will happen after the playoffs, in case both sides want to hub based on the playoff results. As for Tavares, he publicly stated that he wanted to be the maple leaf of his life, and that was his achievement. Both parties will sit down and complete the agreement when the time is right. What is the only remaining question to answer? If Tavares wants to stay in the organization for the rest of his career, he may have to spend less money to complete the deal. Somewhere around $50,000-70,000 in three to four years should be enough for him to sign on the dotted line.
AHL and Deep Free Players
Outside the NHL, there are some players who can reach new deals. Roni Hirvonen, Nick Abruzzese, Cedric Paré, Reese Johnson, Topi Niemelä, Mikko Kokkonen, William Villeneuve and Dennis Hildeby are all RFAs of AHL. Not everyone will receive a contract or a qualified offer, but it is very likely that Niemelä, Hirvonen and Hildeby will get a new deal.
Related: Maple Leafs’ patience with Matthew Knies is paying off
As for UFAS, Alex Nylander, Alex Steeves, Nicolas Mattinen, Dakota Mermis and Matt Murray are all in an interesting situation. Nylander and Steeves will be the two names that are most likely to obtain a contract. However, Steves may look for opportunities at the NHL level as he performs well at the AHL level.
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