Maple Leafs Pressed to Sign Underrated Winger Who Could Elevate William Nylander's Game
Photo credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
According to Cole Shelton of Heavy.com, the Toronto Maple Leafs should really look to the free agent pool and sign Jiri Kiviranta to help give William Nylander and the top-six some much needed help.
There's a good chance the Toronto Maple Leafs will have enough firepower this season in order to bypass the departure of Mitch Marner and be able to make a strong push for the Atlantic Division crown once again.
But then again, they might not and it's always better to have more options than not, so if the Brad Treliving contingent wants to bring in someone they need to do it quickly; and they have a few choices to pick from.
Jiri Kiviranta a low-risk, high-reward option for Toronto
Jack Roslovic and Victor Olofsson are cheap free agents who would make a serious difference, but the team needs to make a few moves beforehand to ensure they have enough cap room to sign one.
Or, maybe there's a cheaper option.
According to Cole Shelton of Heavy.com, he believes that the Maple Leafs should target free agent forward Jiri Kiviranta to give their top-six a boost plus help out William Nylander.
Shelton writes:
Kiviranta is arguably the best free agent available, and his still being unsigned is a bit of a surprise. Given that he's unsigned, the Maple Leafs could offer Kiviranta a one-year deal worth around $1 million, which would be a raise from what he made last season.
Kiviranta could slide into being the Maple Leafs' second-line left winger. This is a need as that role is held by Bobby McMann, who is likely a better third-line forward.
Kiviranta could slide into being the Maple Leafs' second-line left winger. This is a need as that role is held by Bobby McMann, who is likely a better third-line forward.
Agreeing with Shelton, it is surprising to see a player who scored 16 goals on a league minimum deal, is only 29, and had never hit more than 11 points let alone goals in a season.
Why Joel Kiviranta is a perfect complement to William Nylander
He would fit perfectly alongside Nylander given both have a relentless engine, but Kiviranta is strong enough defensively and quite physical for his stature, so it would let Nylander find more open space.
As the league's top breakaway player, that could lead to some wild stats for Nylander, and if Kiviranta isn't afraid to get dirty, then Craig Berube might be able to open up some more chances for him as well.
As good as Nylander is, a knock on him could be his lack of physicality and aggressiveness (though, he's so good elsewhere, it doesn't matter much) but he's lacked a true wing presence to open things up.
Plus, look at the cost. Even if Toronto pays him $1.25-million as a way to reward his breakout season, they are still under the cap and have plenty of time to dump more space before the season starts.
It seems a bit egregious to put a forward who never really had a chance offensively in the top-six, but his standout 2024-25 season showed that Kiviranta has the capabilities to help an elite offense.
And at that price, who can say no?
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