With the 2025 NHL Draft less than a week away, NHL teams aren’t just preparing for the draft but also free agency that takes place only a few days after. For the Toronto Maple Leafs, their focus isn’t fully set on the draft but rather changing their DNA and the best way to do that is via free agency. General Manager Brad Treliving has the chance to drastically change how this team is built, especially with Mitch Marner hitting the open market and the potential of losing John Tavares as well.
This off-season has the potential to be the most important in the Auston Matthews era, which could have a large impact on how the future of the Maple Leafs looks. There are a few big moves that the Maple Leafs should consider, they need to clear a bit more salary off of the books by trading David Kampf and Calle Jarnkrok. That will open up more cap space to sign other players that can help improve secondary scoring, an area that the Maple Leafs have struggled with over the last few years. So, let’s look at four targets that can help improve their secondary scoring.
Pius Suter
First up, Pius Suter, the former Vancouver Canucks forward had a breakout year this past season. He set a career-high in goals and points, which should earn him a nice raise on his next deal but also, more attention from other NHL teams. In 81 games, he scored 25 goals, 21 assists for 46 points, which if he can reach that amount of points or close to it, he will be one of the sneakiest pickups this free agency.
Related: 2025 NHL Draft Guide
Suter, 29, is projected to sign a four year contract with an AAV of $4.9 million, which would be a good contract for a middle-six forward with the salary cap going up. If Suter can continue to score 45-50 points per season, it would prove to be a very good pickup for Treliving and the Maple Leafs.
Jack Roslovic
Next up, Jack Roslovic the former Carolina Hurricanes center is exactly what the Maple Leafs need. As a right-handed center, he would provide them a right-handed center who can take faceoffs, especially in their own zone. In 81 games, he scored 22 goals and 17 assists for 39 points, and also had a 54.1% in the dot. This is just six points off of his career-high, when he hit 45 points in 81 games back in 2021-22 with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Roslovic would be an ideal target for the Maple Leafs, especially given his handedness and that he is a center. If he did sign with the organization, it would allow Max Domi to play on the wing, therefore making the roster deeper. Roslovic is projected to sign a contract in the neighbourhood of $4 million per season over three seasons. A very affordable deal for the Maple Leafs to look for when the market opens on July 1.
Andrew Mangiapane
Andrew Mangiapane is another name that could be linked to the Maple Leafs. They are in need of players that will outwork their opponents and he certainly does that. He may not throw 150+ hits but he has a motor that never stops and that would fit in very well with the Maple Leafs’ bottom six. This past season with the Washington Capitals he only had 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points. However, in the past few years, he has reached 40, 43, and 55 point seasons. If he can get back to that with a bit more of an increased role with Toronto, he could easily be able to hit that total again.
Related: Ranking the Maple Leafs’ Best Options to Replace Mitch Marner
The 29 year old has a connection to Toronto more than it just being his hometown, he was drafted by the Calgary Flames by Treliving. If they can work on that connection and a better chance to win, they could become the front runner for his services this summer. He is projected to sign a contract in the neighbourhood of $3.8 million over two years, which is very affordable for the Maple Leafs. It would be a smart pickup to add the middle six, that would help change the DNA of the roster.
Treliving will have to get creative if they want to truly change the DNA of the core. Although this year’s free agent class doesn’t have a ton of big named players, they do have a lot of very solid and reliable depth players that can make a difference within a lineup. This will be the year that Treliving will be truly graded on, it’s the biggest one in the last decade.
