The Toronto Maple Leafs offseason is already in full swing as the players, coaches and media are still left to find answers after another disappointing exit in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The team already held their end of season press conference which gave a lot of info as to what the future may hold for a team that could see major changes.
One of the many questions surrounds star winger Mitch Marner. While he has stated that he isn’t willing to move his no move clause, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast brought up the notion of mutual interest from both sides to move on (9:55). In addition, he adds that even if they lose a trade with Marner, the potential cap space will be a big win (17:50). With other names off the books like T.J. Brodie and Tyler Bertuzzi, that alone could give them endless options to improve the backend.
If they don’t land a defenseman through a trade, names that he brought up as potential free agency targets are Brandon Montour and Brett Pesce (21:30). Those were two names that were on my mind before he mentioned them and those names alone definitely could be impactful as they address an area of need for them and spreads the extra cap space very well between the two.
Montour Could Be the PP QB They Need
Last offseason, the Maple Leafs signed John Klingberg as a defender that could provide some offense on the backend. After registering five assists in only 14 games and showing some major defensive issues, he was shut down having to undergo hip surgery. There’s now another chance to look at bringing in an offensive defenseman in Montour.
In 2022-23, he had a career best 73 points for the Florida Panthers and was one of their best players in the postseason with 13 points in 21 games. This season didn’t get off to the best start as the pending unrestricted free agent was recovering from shoulder surgery. He played in 66 games and finished with 33 points and while it was a down year, he still showed the offensive game that made him dangerous for the Panthers during their postseason run.
When he was on the ice at five-on-five, Montour had a goals for percentage of 52.33 and a scoring chances for of 54.92. Some strong results for a player that was working his way back from injury. He would definitely be a welcome offensive addition, as the Maple Leafs look to be more dangerous with the man advantage. The struggles were evident in the playoffs as the movement was slow and execution was completely off as they had a 4.8% on the powerplay.
Here’s a breakdown of both Montour’s and Morgan Rielly’s numbers in that situation, even though Rielly has moved in and out of that spot all season.
| Category | Rielly | Montour |
| GF% | 89.19 | 89.13 |
| xGF% | 87.48 | 91.70 |
| HDCF% | 92.86 | 94.25 |
| HDGF/GA | 13-1 | 27-3 |
Montour has better results than Rielly on the man advantage in terms of generating offense in a smaller sample size compared to Rielly’s 72 games played. Montour has more minutes and has executed very well, as his 30 points on the powerplay last season show. Montour is much quicker leading the attack and doesn’t slow things down as much as Rielly, which could make the Maple Leafs much more effective.
Related: Maple Leafs Need to Move on From Either Marner or Rielly
The Panthers obviously would want to keep Montour, but he is looking for a big pay raise. If Marner is moved, the Maple Leafs could afford to bring him in. However, he’s 30 years old and was late breaking out. There’s some risk to giving an offensive defenseman a lot of money as he might be on the downward trend in his career.
Pesce’s Calm Two-Way Game
If the Maple Leafs miss out on Montour, Pesce should definitely be on their radar. He was a name I had as a trade target before, but now that he’s slated to become a free agent, the Maple Leafs should definitely call.
Pesce is a reliable two-way defender and has been for a number of seasons. His calming presence on the backend is one of many reasons why the Carolina Hurricanes are one of the better defensive teams in the league. That was a problem this season for the Maple Leafs as they allowed 3.18 goals against per game in the regular season. Pesce does a great job to mitigate the chances against and has shown to have an impact offensively with a 57.45 SCF% and a 55.76 high danger chances for percentage. Although, it’s his ability to deny entries, defend the rush effectively and regain possession that stands out.
The Maple Leafs did that very well in their last three games in the postseason, but still struggled early on. While Pesce plays a similar style to Brodie, his right shot is a big reason he may thrive more than Brodie.
Matt Roy Could Also Be a Target
I have to give a shoutout to my fellow THW Maple Leafs writer Andrew Forbes on this one. He had Matt Roy as a potential trade option from the Los Angeles Kings before the trade deadline. Now that he’s a pending free agent, the Maple Leafs could use the physical, two-way defender as a potential second or third pairing defenseman.
The Maple Leafs brought in Joel Edmundson as a physical shut down presence on the blue line and it showed in the postseason. Having another physical player, but one that can be strong in transition and provide some offensive upside in Roy, could be a great add. He has been pretty steady with his production as he has been over 20 points the last three seasons. His underlying numbers are very strong, especially when he is going up against elite level competition.
This season, Roy spent 34.9% of his ice time against them and has done very well in terms of providing an offensive impact. He had a Corsi for percentage of 52% and a GF% of 57.7%. While known for being a defensive stalwart and shutdown player, he has shown to have an underrated impact offensively. Having a strong and mobile two-way defenseman at probably a decent cap-hit of around $3-$4 million could be intriguing to bring in. It would be tough to keep him in LA, so the Maple Leafs should look to him as a target.
Related: Maple Leafs: 3 Trade Destinations for Mitch Marner
Depending on what happens with Marner and the other names heading to market, the Maple Leafs will look to have the cap space to bring in one or multiple of these names. Montour, Pesce and Roy all bring something to the table. Be it on special teams, or shutting things defensively in their own zone, they’re the type of players that can have an impact and push the team forward in the playoffs.
It’s early on in the Maple Leafs’ offseason and changes to the roster is a big talking point. With changes coming, these would be major additions to change the way the team plays.
Statistics from Natural Stat Trick, Puck IQ and Hockey Reference.