Leafs GM Brad Treliving Must Take Advantage as Three Unexpected UFAs Hit the Market
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Brad Treliving has to utilize the free agent market and all of its options this summer, including looking at a trio of low-risk forwards to bring about his identity change.
With all the talk about who the Maple Leafs are going to bring in, the usual suspects are ones people are discussing.
Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and Brad Marchand seem to be the biggest fish the team can pursue, though it's going to take a lot of money, and a lot of commitment; a dangerous proposition come next summer.
Three smaller named free agents available July 1: Frank Seravalli
Though the team doesn't necessarily need to make a huge splash, and there are several smaller named free agents who would be able to come in and offer a similar amount of production at a fraction of the cost.
Names like Tanner Jeannot, Pius Suter, and Jonathan Drouin are all cheap but reliable options to give Toronto either the size, defense, or offensive potential they need to make a push this season.
But according to NHL Insider Frank Seravalli, there are three names who might also of interest to the Maple Leafs: Cody Glass, Philipp Kurashev, and Klim Kostin.
Glass, Kurashev intriguing targets; Kostin heads overseas
All three players would be great low-end options for Treliving, however it seems they might only get a chance at two of the three mentioned; Kostin has been rumoured to sign with Avangard Omsk in the KHL for 2025-26 according to Sharks beat writer Curtis Pashelka.
However, Hockey Writer reporter Jesse Courville-Lynch reached out to Kostin who denied he had signed in Russia at this time.
If Kostin is staying in North America, the Maple Leafs could certainly use him especially given his physicality and seamless fit into a Craig Berube system.
Kostin, 26, is a 6'4, 232-pound power forward who is known for laying in crushing hits, being tough as nails, and giving the team some tertiary offense on the fourth line.
He only has 53 points in 190 games (25G, 28A) and has spent time with St. Louis, Edmonton, Detroit, and San Jose; he would bring a lot of size to a bottom line that could also feature the uber-physical Steven Lorentz; creating a threatening 1-2 punch of size and strength.
We previously touched on Glass as a potential option for Treliving, and if he wanted to move on from David Kampf; then he's got a cheaper replacement in Glass.
Also 26 years old, Glass would give Toronto a respectable fourth-line center at a cheaper cost than Kampf, and comes with the same amount of offensive potential; however he does have a 14-goal season under his belt so that may give him a slight edge.
He's elite defensively, and can give Toronto a solid second PK pivot, given that Auston Matthews seems to earn a lot of those duties under Berube.
Finally, coming to Kurashev. He might be an outlier on this list given he's really not that strong on the defensive end, but if Toronto wants to add more consistent scoring on their third line; he fits the bill.
The speedy winger is only a year removed from an 18-goal, 54-point campaign with the Blackhawks, but struggled this year with only 14 points in 51 games.
He's about average on the face-off dot, and he's not going to wow you with a ton of physicality but he's a very solid option, and if Toronto wants to move on from Nick Robertson then at least they can replace him with someone a bit more consistent and seasoned.
Neither of the three made more than $2.5-million on their most recent deals, and Toronto can easily bring them in for under $2-million on a one or two-year audition deal and see how things go from there.
But whatever way Brad Treliving wants to approach things, if he wants to add some low-risk, low-cost talent to his roster in order to shake things up, he's certainly got his pick of the litter come July 1.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 26 | 435 ANSWERS Leafs GM Brad Treliving Must Take Advantage as Three Unexpected UFAs Hit the Market Which free agent should Toronto pursue? | ||
| Cody Glass | 113 | 26 % |
| Philipp Kurashev | 98 | 22.5 % |
| Patrick Kane | 174 | 40 % |
| Michael Eyssimont | 50 | 11.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
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