The Toronto Maple Leafs should really take a look at signing Vladimir Tarasenko especially if it prevents the Florida Panthers from making the deal themselves.
With the Panthers reeling from two straight big-time injuries; one to SashaBarkov and the other to Brad Marchand, they are likely going to be in the mix to add some help offensively until they are ready to come back.
That could be leading to a trade in the near future, which is always something that the Maple Leafs and the rest of the NHL need to be on guard about. However, there is another way they can add some help without giving up assets - free agency.
Panthers could target Tarasenko in free agency, so Toronto needs to pounce first
Specifically, the team can target a former 40-goal scorer and someone who could bring a winning pedigree to the lineup - Vladimir Tarasenko. Still unsigned, the long-time NHL veteran could still be of use to the Panthers and fit into their top six in the interim.
But with the Maple Leafs also needing to add some supplementary scoring and already missing out on bringing back former forward Michael Bunting, they should be the ones who target Taraenko and steal him away from the Panthers.
Tarasenko, 34, can still contribute at a high level and has averaged over 23 goals over his 14-year career, and had a very solid 2025-26 campaign with 23 goals and 47 points in 75 games for the Minnesota Wild.
He would fit seamlessly into the top six for the Maple Leafs and also allow them to spread out the offence a bit more, moving Jack Roslovic down and allowing him to help elevate the bottom six offensively and with weaker matchups he could thrive.
Toronto's cap space allows for a low-risk, high-reward signing
If Tarasenko were to follow in the footsteps of Bunting, then he could be looking at a deal worth roughly $1M - $1.5M for a year of work. That's a pretty small drop in the bucket for the Maple Leafs now that they have more cap space to work with, and there's no real risk to bringing him in.
If he works out, you have a reliable and consistent scorer who has won the Stanley Cup before. If not, he's only a fraction of the cost of other free agents, and was only here for a year - nothing too dramatic at the end of the day.
Plus, if the Maple Leafs can lure him away from the Panthers, it really hurts their chances of getting a stronger foothold in the Atlantic if they're struggling to produce without Barkov and Marchand, and can't find a suitable replacement.
So while it seems like a pretty lade endeavour for the Maple Leafs to bring in Tarasenko, it's better late than never.
Should the Maple Leafs sign Vladimir Tarasenko?
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