theathleticuk
No, this summers free agent class isnt spectacular.
But there are still some real players in this bunch, many of whom can help the Toronto Maple Leafs in one way or another next season (and beyond).
General manager John Chayka could go in a lot of different directions to address roster needs that include a top-nine centre (or two), a top-six winger (or two), a top-nine winger (or two), another defenceman (or two), maybe an energetic force on the fourth line and perhaps even a goaltender.
Advertisement Seeking some combination of speed, defensive ability, playmaking and tenacity, Ive narrowed my list down to 10 free agents who would help to fill some of those holes.
One caveat: the contract matters, obviously.
A good fit stops being one at the wrong price and/or term.
The list, presented in alphabetical order, could have gone much, much deeper.
(Honestly, there are a lot of decent players out there!) Viktor Arvidsson Age: 33 Position: Middle-six winger Hes tenacious, hes quick, he can score and he would be a meaningful upgrade on some of the middle-six wingers the Leafs used frequently last season: Nick Robertson, Matias Maccelli, Max Domi and Dakota Joshua.
Arvidsson had his sixth season of 20-plus goals last year for the Bruins hes scored over 30 twice and did so in only 69 games, playing 14.5 minutes a night.
The bulk of that offense came at even strength, where Arvidsson was playing most frequently on a line with Casey Mittelstadt and Pavel Zacha.
Maybe the Leafs slot him on a second line with fellow Swede William Nylander.
The combination of Nylanders passing and vision with Arvidssons big shot (he ranked in the NHLs 99th percentile two seasons ago) could be lethal.
Or maybe Arvidsson gets a go with Matthews, bringing the kind of speed/shot combo Calle Jarnkrok once offered, only a lot better.
He might even just bring scoring depth to a third line of some kind.
Arvidsson did just turn 33, though, and theres a chance, maybe a good one, that he gets overpaid in this free agent market.
Oliver Bjorkstrand Age: 31 Position: Middle-six winger Bjorkstrand is coming off only a so-so season of 12 goals and 32 points in 80 games for Tampa, with no playoff impact whatsoever (albeit off an injury).
But maybe the Leafs can score some short-term value as a result.
Before last season, Bjorkstrand had scored 20 goals or more in six of the previous seven seasons and in that seventh season, shortened by the pandemic, he had 18 goals in 56 games.
Advertisement There is reason to think hes due for a bounce back; a career 12 percent shooter, Bjorkstrand shot only nine percent for the Lightning.
His minutes also dipped slightly.
I like him better on the right wing of the third line, for his scoring, forechecking and experience, than Robertson, a pending RFA who might come at a similar price.
Nick Blankenburg Age: 28 Position: Third-pairing right defence Blankenburg isnt as young as Emil Andrae, the 24-year-old defenceman acquired in the Joseph Woll trade, but theres some late-bloomer potential here.
An undersized defender who can move the puck and drive some offence, to the tune of eight goals and 24 points in 61 games last season, the undrafted Blankenburg has played in only 176 NHL games.
He played sparingly after a deadline move to the Avalanche this past spring, but before that, the Predators were crushing it offensively when he was out there with 3.29 expected goals per 60 minutes.
That was a top-20 mark among NHL defenders who logged at least 500 five-on-five last season.
In November, with Roman Josi missing time, Blankenburgs opportunity grew and he delivered with four goals and 11 points in 13 games.
That made him the first Nashville defenceman not named Josi to lead the group in monthly scoring since Ryan Ellis in 2019.
Where (and even whether) he fits with the Leafs is dependent on whether Chayka decides to keep Brandon Carlo and/or Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Playing Blankenburg, who is only 5-foot-9 and 177 pounds, next to Andrae might not be appealing to new head coach Jim Hiller.
But maybe Andrae plays with Chris Tanev instead and Ekman-Larsson teams up with Blankenburg.
The former University of Michigan captain would also fit nicely as QB of the No.
2 power-play unit.
Teddy Blueger Age: 31 Position: Fourth-line centre Advertisement Lets start with the potential problem: With almost no centres available in free agency, Blueger might get overpaid.
Count down the names on Chris Johnstons big board and Blueger might be the fifth-best of the bunch at centre.
Jason Dickinson, who had only 17 points last season, just got a five-year deal from the Edmonton Oilers.
So thats the caveat: Blueger makes some sense for the Leafs, but only at the right price (and term).
But this team needs centres, Blueger is one of the few available and a better fit, Id argue, than Boone Jenner or Scott Laughton because of his speed.
In an ideal world, Blueger lines up as the middleman of an energetic fourth line that swallows up defensive-zone draws.
Though he put up 17 points in 35 games last season, his calling card is defence, plucky defence.
The Leafs could even team him back up with Joshua, a successful combination once upon a time in Vancouver.
Hell kill penalties, too.
Michael Bunting Age: 30 Position: Top-six winger Auston Matthews needs at least one new sidekick next season.
Bunting has already shown he can be that guy.
He did it for the better part of two seasons as a Leaf: crashing the net (46 goals), scrounging for loose pucks, driving play, creating scoring opportunities for others (66 assists) and confronting anybody who dared to come near his close pal.
The Leafs famously missed a protector like that for their captain last season.
Buntings downfall in Toronto was the out-of-control rambunctiousness that led to far too many penalties.
But hes toned that down with age and experience, taking only 10 minors last season.
Bunting and Matthews had sneaky-good chemistry on the ice and off it.
Having him do the dirty work next to Matthews and (maybe) Gavin McKenna makes a lot of sense.
And while it may be irrelevant, its worth pointing out that Buntings career started in Arizona when Chayka was still the Coyotes general manager.
Ian Cole Age: 37 Position: Third-pairing left or right defence The thinking with Cole is pretty simple: hes a grizzled vet with tons of experience, including 135 games in the playoffs and two Stanley Cups as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
And because of his age, only a short-term commitment should be necessary, unlike the deal someone like Mario Ferraro will command.
Advertisement Trade Carlo for assets and the Leafs could simply turn to Cole to handle many of his duties.
Cole isnt the biggest guy, not like Carlo, but hes a thick 237 pounds and he defends hard, particularly around the front of the net.
Utah allowed just 8.8 high-danger attempts per 60 minutes when Cole was out there last season, the third-stingiest mark of any defenceman who logged at least 500 five-on-five minutes.
He will block hundreds of shots (including on the penalty kill), he can play left and right, and he just plays all the time: 82 games in each of the last two seasons and 78 apiece in the two before that.
Cole is ideally slotting in next to Andrae on a third pair at this point in his career, but hes the kind of defenceman who can drop in just about anywhere if needed in a pinch.
But how many greybeards on one defence is too many? That would be one argument against someone who turned 37 in February.
But as a short-term, low-ceiling, low-floor kind of fit for a defence in transition, Cole could make for a solid addition.
Patrick Kane Age: 37 Position: Top-six right winger Need a playmaker who can step in right away and make Matthews life easier? How about Kane? Hes no longer the superstar of his Chicago years and will turn 38 in November, but he can still make a play (57 points in 67 games last season) and would likely create more (and better) scoring opportunities for Matthews than the likes of Domi, Maccelli, and Bobby McMann delivered last year.
Kane can still help a power play, too.
Will he leave Detroit? Maybe the uncertainty there with captain Dylan Larkin requesting a trade keeps him from returning.
Maybe hes intent on getting back to the playoffs, where he tends to dominate (138 points in 143 games, plus three Stanley Cups), and thinks he can be part of the solution in Toronto.
He has a long-time fan in Matthews.
And if hes willing to take another one-year deal on the cheap, like the last three he signed with the Wings, the Leafs might get a player who greatly outproduces his contract.
Advertisement Ilya Mikheyev Age: 31 Position: Middle-six winger Why bring Mikheyev back for another go? The dude still has wheels, per NHL EDGE data, and the Leafs need more of that from a forward group that was slow and sluggish last season.
His speed can be disruptive on a penalty kill that needs new recruits.
| NHL percentile | | |---|---| Max speed | 95th | 35+ kph bursts | 92nd | 32-35 kph bursts | 95th | An attentive defender, Mikheyev was once a prominent member of a Leafs third line with Pierre Engvall and David Kampf that swallowed up defensive-zone draws against tough competition in the playoffs.
He could reprise his role on another line like that or simply add hustle and energy, some of that defensive conscience, and bits of offence to another top-nine combination.
Mikheyev should be good for anywhere between 10 to 20 goals, including the odd one short-handed.
Mikheyev left when the Leafs couldnt pay him.
Theres a case for him to return to where his NHL journey began.
Corey Perry Age: 41 Position: Fourth-line winger There were too many occasions last season when the Leafs needed some pushback and didnt get it.
Enter Perry, maybe the snarliest (or the most annoying) player in the league, who seems to inject that attitude onto any team he plays for.
Whether Perry has anything left is really the question.
It didnt look like it in the playoffs when his minutes and impact shrank to almost nothing with the Tampa Bay Lightning: zero points playing only nine minutes a game.
But before that, Perry still strung together another somewhat remarkable 17-goal, 37-point season at age 40.
Keep his minutes in check, stick him in front of the net on the power play, and theres reason to think Perry can still deliver some tangible impact along with those intangible qualities.
This wouldnt be so unlike the Joe Thornton addition years ago: a low-cost, low-risk bid on a future Hall of Famer.
Only in Perrys case, a pain-in-the-butt low-cost, low-risk future Hall of Famer who looks like he can still play a little.
Advertisement Mats Zuccarello Age: 38 Position: Top-six winger The rationale for signing Zuccarello is similar to Kane as an aging but still productive playmaking winger.
The Leafs probably only need one.
Zuccarello formed a dangerous partnership with Kirill Kaprizov in Minnesota the last few years, so maybe the Leafs give him a go next to Nylander, their own supremely dynamic winger, and let those two wreak havoc from a second line.
Or maybe they partner him up with Matthews on a new-look top unit.
Heck, maybe Hiller loads up one line and plays Zuccarello, Matthews, and Nylander together.
Chayka needs to find someone to bring more creativity and playmaking pop to the top six.
Zuccarello, who produced nearly a point per game last season (54 in 59), could be that guy.
The feisty Norwegian does turn 39 in September.
And as with any player that age, and perhaps more so with someone as small (5-8, 181 pounds), theres a risk of imminent fall-off.
The dearth of high-impact forwards could also make for a prohibitively high price.
But if the price is right and he doesnt re-sign in Minnesota, Zuccarello is an option the Leafs should consider.