Maple Leafs Could Make Bold Play for These Still-Unsigned RFAs

With questions around what the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to do ahead of the 2025-26 season to add to their team, they've been linked to several names either on the free agent market with Jack Roslovic, or go through the trade block and find a name like Bryan Rust or Rickard Rakell.

There's still time to make a move but with no news on anything beyond pure speculation, it's curious as to what Brad Treliving has up his sleeve.

What if he's thinking about adding a player who is currently trying to figure out their own future?

There are several RFA's still unsigned and with Toronto desperate to seek out some help, might be willing to field an offer for them. It's going to be tough though, considering that their projected deals go from fairly realistic to downright expensive.

Some realistic targets from the list of available players are Wyatt Kaiser, Ryker Evans, and potentially Connor Zary; all who would add a different dynamic to the team.

Kaiser and Evans would be able to give Toronto young defensemen who can actually contribute offensively, and would be a way for the team to move on from a guy like Oliver Ekman-Larsson to open up cap space, or replace Simon Benoit if they decide to deal him.

Zary is perhaps the most intriguing target of the bunch, given that Brad Treliving drafted him and he would be a fantastic young center who can step in if the team decides they want to move on from Scott Laughton, or if Nic Roy doesn't re-sign.

There's also a chance that they could go for broke and try to trade for someone like Rossi or McTavish, however that's going to come at two huge costs: assets and money.

Rossi wants potentially $7-million AAV on his next deal, and while McTavish won't earn as much, he's likely to get a bridge deal, build off that, then cash in huge in a few seasons.

Well, if you're going after someone like Zary, Kaiser or Evans, then the cost is going to be much less than a Rossi or McTavish. Feasibly if the team wanted to cut ties with someone like Nick Robertson and package Kampf in a deal for Zary it would open up enough roster and cap room.

It would be roughly $4-million for the team that clears, and Zary is about $3.5-million; the numbers work out.

Plus it helps the lineup look a little more manageable:

Knies - Matthews - Domi

Maccelli - Tavares - Nylander

Joshua - Roy - McMann

Laughton - Zary - Lorentz

Putting Zary in between two gritty no-nonsense players who can give him space could give him a boost offensively, and it would shelter him from high-pressure minutes as he adjusts to the team.

So it could behoove Brad Treliving to pursue some RFA's who are waiting for their contracts; but he better act quick if he wants to add anything at all.