Toronto Maple Leafs general manager (GM) Brad Treliving left all of Leafs Nation wanting more after his first two days of free agency. His first signing as the boss of the club was one of the toughest players in the league, Ryan Reaves. He followed that up by bringing in a defenceman who can push the pace offensively in John Klingberg, which had fans excited but worried because of who all left the organization on July 1. They saw Ryan O’Reilly, Luke Schenn, Michael Bunting, Alex Kerfoot and Noel Acciari all find new homes, and it almost felt like Treliving was late to the party. Well on July 2, he made the wait worthwhile. He managed to sign both Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi to help make the Maple Leafs harder to play against and give them a much different looking top six. Now all of Leafs Nation is counting down the days until opening night to see the new-look Leafs in action.
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Although the Maple Leafs made some pretty significant signings, there are still more spots to fill between the organization’s depth and/or free agents that can be signed to very cheap deals. There still are options for the Maple Leafs to fill a hole to two in their lineup, so let’s look at some players that could help make an impact as the supporting cast.
Adam Erne
Adam Erne, 28, is the first player of interest. It’s evident that Treliving and the Maple Leafs are trying to become harder to play against as a group and Erne can help with that. Although he isn’t the biggest player at just 6-foot-1 and 213 pounds, he loves to throw his body around. In the last two seasons, he has 160 and 161 hits respectively, which is something that the Maple Leafs have lacked. Now that they have Bertuzzi, Domi and Reaves, adding Erne would be a good depth player that could force the opponent to make plays before they get rocked into the boards.
Erne is not a very offensive player, but with the club’s star power up front, he doesn’t need to be. He can easily be slotted on the fourth line alongside Sam Lafferty and Reaves and replicate the Pat Maroon, Corey Perry line that the Tampa Bay Lightning had for the last few years. If the Maple Leafs can sign Erne, the deal would be for the league minimum for one season.
Pius Suter
Pius Suter, 27, has shown that he can be a reliable bottom-six guy in the NHL. He is coming off a 24-point season, which is the lowest of his NHL career thus far. This makes this the best time for the Maple Leafs to reach out about his services. They have a good lineup on paper, but as all Leafs fans know, that doesn’t always translate well to the ice. This is why the Maple Leafs should look at Suter as a bottom-six option. Last season, the team struggled to get consistent production from their depth players, which resulted in a lot more pressure on players like Calle Jarnkrok, and that is what Suter can help relieve. He gives Jarnkrok the ability to focus on his two-way game and less on scoring, which will subsequently help the team.
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Suter has only been in the NHL for three seasons but has shown that he can easily score 15 goals per season with the potential of more. But as mentioned, he is coming off his worst season and the contract offers could be less than expected. The Maple Leafs could offer him a one-year, $1 million deal as a show-me style contract to help him keep his NHL career afloat. If he can do well in Toronto, he could revive his career and get a contract with a bit of term and a higher cap hit next offseason.
Josh Bailey
Josh Bailey, 33, is an Ontario native as well as a buyout victim. At the draft, he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks and immediately found himself on waivers to terminate his contract. Once he cleared waivers, he became an unrestricted free agent (UFA) and can now sign with any team. Well, let’s welcome the Maple Leafs to the conversation. They are a team that is looking to win the Stanley Cup, in the same province that Bailey was born in, which could be a very appealing destination for him.
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Bailey has spent the last 15 seasons with the New York Islanders organization, where he served as an alternate captain for many years. He also played alongside Maple Leafs’ captain John Tavares, which could be a factor as to why he would like to come to Toronto. He is coming off a 25-point campaign, which is tied for his worst season besides the 2012-13 shortened season. It appears that he is in need of a fresh start, and the Maple Leafs could be willing to give it to him.
The Maple Leafs and Bailey could work out a contract that pays him $1-$1.5 million for a year, with some performance bonuses included. Much like Domi and Bertuzzi, taking a one-year deal with a team like the Maple Leafs is a smart idea. He can increase his point production and end up getting a bigger contract next season when the salary cap goes up. Now, in Bailey’s case, it may be all about chasing the chance at a Stanley Cup, which is another reason why Toronto makes sense for him. All Treliving would need is for Tavares to reach out to his former teammate and longtime friend and convince him to sign with the Maple Leafs in what seems like another all-in season for the club.
It is worth noting that the Maple Leafs have some players from their system that could make the roster like Bobby McMann, Pontus Holmberg, and others. But it seems that there is only one spot for a player of that calibre to take, and the rest of Treliving and company want it to be filled by bonafide NHL talent. These three options are not the only ones on the open market that could fit the Maple Leafs’ system. There is also Oskar Sundqvist, Danton Heinen, and former Maple Leaf Zach Aston-Reese, all of which could help strengthen the team’s roster. However, the three listed in this article are the options that can be signed for a cheap cap hit and help address needs at the same time.
