Brad Treliving Urged to Revisit His First Free Agency Strategy for Leafs' Success
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving might need to dip into his past signing history and throw out some more reasonable and shorter deals as a way to preserve money.
Although there are a few fantastic options for the Maple Leafs this free agency, they don't have to necessarily break the bank and they could very well wait until next summer to make a big splash.
Fans won't necessarily be the happiest considering they are losing some big pieces this summer, but it could very well pay off in the long run.
Brad Treliving needs to target short-term deals this summer
With names like Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov, and Cale Makar all potentially becoming free agents next summer, the Maple Leafs are going to need a lot of money.
So committing a lot of money now is going to hurt those future chances, and instead, the Maple Leafs GM should go after some much smaller contracts.
He's had success with shorter deals in the past, as he signed Max Domi to a one-year deal than translated into an extension (that might not look great frankly) as well as bringing in Tyler Bertuzzi for a year; a move that did help the Maple Leafs although not as much as anticipated.
While Domi didn't necessarily play up to his contract this season, he's realistically not that expensive even with his extension, and might be able to find his offensive spark again with Auston Matthews.
Bertuzzi on the other hand put up a very solid season for the struggling Blackhawks. He had 46 points this past season, and is the perfect playoff performer that Toronto desperately needs.
Who could the Maple Leafs end up signing to some short-term deals?
It's going to be a team full of smaller pieces, but there are certainly plenty to choose from.
If the team wanted to go the veteran route, they could try and sign Patrick Kane, Corey Perry, Brandon Saad, Jeff Skinner or Reilly Smith. All of them offer different levels of production and skillsets that Toronto could use in all facets of the lineup.
Perhaps the team wants to go the underrated route, they could put offers for quiet role players like Jack Roslovic, Andrew Mangiapane, Anthony Beauvillier, and Mason Appleton. All of them are under 30, able to provide offense and defense, and can sign for basically peanuts.
If size and grit is what they want then looking at Tanner Jeannot, Rob Bortuzzo, or Justin Brazeau are all options for under $2-million, who can bring a ton of grit, fighting spirit and a whole lot of punishment.
Even if the team decides to make a splash for someone like Brad Marchand, they don't need to commit for a long-term deal either, and building them team with enough role players to weather the storm can only mean good things come 2026.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 19 | 508 ANSWERS Brad Treliving Urged to Revisit His First Free Agency Strategy for Leafs' Success Should Brad Treliving give out a slew of one-year deals to keep his options open? | ||
| Yes | 390 | 76.8 % |
| No | 118 | 23.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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