Now that the NHL trade deadline is over and the playoffs are on the horizon, it is time to turn our attention to players on expiring deals and the offseason. The Toronto Maple Leafs have a handful of players on expiring deals: Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi are unrestricted free agents (UFA), and Nick Robertson, Connor Dewar, and Noah Gregor are restricted free agents (RFA). The difference between the two is that the RFA’s rights belong to the Maple Leafs, meaning that if another team offers them a contract and they accept, Toronto could be subject to a draft pick as compensation if they choose not to match. Whereas the UFAs are open to testing the free agent market as of July 1, 2024, at 12:00 a.m.
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Although there are only five names listed above, we are going to prioritize three forwards that the Maple Leafs should offer extensions to. The other two, Dewar and Gregor, are depth additions to the team that can be replaced if needed. However, I do feel that Dewar will be another player that the Maple Leafs sign to a league-minimum contract for another year to keep him around.
Nick Robertson
Robertson is a player that many members of Leafs Nation adore, but still, to this point in his young career, he hasn’t gotten the chance to be a mainstay in the lineup. Now, a part of that is due to the numerous injuries that he has faced, but when he has been healthy, he has been the fringe player who gets sent down because he is waiver-exempt and called up when they need another body. Luckily for him, after he was called up, he was given the chance to get back in the lineup. Unfortunately for the team, that chance came due to an injury. Ultimately, he would like to make the most of this chance and stay in the lineup going into the playoffs.
Ideally, the Maple Leafs offer Robertson a contract extension, and he accepts it and is given a spot on the roster as an everyday NHLer. However, there could be a chance that he doesn’t want to sign with the organization and requests a trade; the only option he has would be to sit out the season and become a UFA.
The smartest decision for Robertson would be to sign an extension that is specifically a one-way deal, which would mean that if he is sent down, he would require waivers. There would be other teams that take a chance on him via the waiver wire, which may make him feel a bit more relaxed in terms of being an everyday NHLer. Robertson has had a good season in what is essentially his first full NHL season. He has nine goals and 11 assists for 20 points in 43 games, which has provided the team with depth scoring and made him a more shoot-first player outside the top six. It wouldn’t be shocking if Robertson sought a short-term deal to maximize his earnings over his career. As a result, the Maple Leafs should offer him around $1 million for one season and see if he can have a prove-it season.
Max Domi
Domi has played a very unique role with the Maple Leafs this season. He has split time between the wing and center, spread out between the top three lines. Truthfully, he hasn’t done that badly, even though he has been used in so many different spots this season. He is a skilled player who has seemed to mesh well with Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews, and Tyler Bertuzzi throughout the season, not to mention his connection with Mitch Marner from their London Knights days. The most intriguing part about him meshing well with Knies, Matthews, and Bertuzzi is that those may be three wingers on three different lines when everyone is healthy to start the playoffs. This means that Keefe can use him on just about any of the four lines, and he will have chemistry with someone on the line.
When general manager (GM) Brad Treliving brought Domi to the Maple Leafs, a lot of people thought he would help with adding grit to the team. He has, but he has also helped with the depth scoring, too. Especially now that the Maple Leafs are without Marner and need to count on others to fill the void. So far this season, he has eight goals and 27 assists for 35 points in 67 games, and he should be able to get a bit more ice time to hit the 10-goal and 35-assist mark.
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In terms of an extension, Treliving would be smart to use the history of his family name in the city of Toronto; his dad, Tie Domi, played parts of 12 seasons with the Maple Leafs during his career. This may allow the Maple Leafs to get Domi at a lower average annual value (AAV) over the long term to potentially retire in blue and white. The offer that should be considered is somewhere in the area of $3 million over four seasons for a total of $12 million.
Tyler Bertuzzi
Bertuzzi had an awful first half of the season with the Maple Leafs, but over the last two months, a lot of opinions on him have changed. In the first half, he looked lost. He was missing the net and couldn’t buy a goal; he lost all his confidence. It showed when he was getting benched by Keefe at least once a week and was playing in the bottom six; he wasn’t involved in any scrums after the whistles. At one point, I thought he may be a deadline trade to clear his cap off of the books. Fortunately for Bertuzzi, he was able to turn it all around and find his game, and it has not disappointed fans. He is engaged after the whistles; he is putting pucks in the back of the net and getting into the dirty areas to battle for the puck to help his linemates. Besides Ilya Samsonov’s turnaround this season, Bertuzzi has been the other player who has made the most of his recent play and impressed just about everyone.
When Bertuzzi is on his game, he can have a huge impact on the game. He goes straight to the net and battles there for rebounds and screens, which has proven to be very useful, especially on the power play. So far this season, he has 14 goals and 18 assists, for 33 points in 66 games. Much like Domi has provided the Maple Leafs with much-needed help with secondary scoring, which is something that the team has struggled with in recent years, Treliving should offer Bertuzzi a similar AAV as he has now. He is signed to a one-year deal worth $5.5 million; this is where he should start. It would be smart to offer him more term than he got the first time around, but keep the AAV as close to $5.5 million as possible. It would be a safe bet to say $5.75–6 million would be a good AAV over two to three seasons.
There is a chance that this could all be different depending on how the Maple Leafs do in the playoffs, but it would be smart to get these three locked up since they have provided much-needed depth scoring. They have also shown that they can step into just about any role and give their best. Most importantly, Treliving needs to prove to his superstar players that he isn’t just going to keep rolling over the supporting cast like Kyle Dubas did. He should do his best to provide the core with players that they are familiar with; it will help them in the long run.