Mavrik Bourque is a 24-year-old 2C the Maple Leafs can pry from a cap-strapped Dallas team

Mavrik Bourque is a 24-year old restricted free agent who just scored 20 goals and is a reliable 2C. The Maple Leafs need to get younger while also making sure they give John Tavares some assistance. With Dallas unable to match an offer sheet given their own contract issues, Toronto has the chance to steal him away for nothing.

The Dallas Stars are not in a good financial spot heading into the 2026 offseason.

With names like Jason Robertson, Michael Bunting, and Jamie Benn all needing new deals, there isn't a lot of wiggle room for GM Jim Nill. He also has a couple restricted free agents to deal with besides Robertson, including Arttu Hyry and Mavrik Bourque who need contracts too.

It's the latter that we're going to focus on as Bourque is a player who makes a lot of sense for teams who are looking to add some youth while bringing in some serious potential.

Bourque, 24, just had a career year with 41 points (20 goals) to go along with 79 hits and only 22 PIM in all 82 games. He's got fantastic possession numbers so far in his young career, and his hockey IQ and ability to read the ice is off the charts.

The game slows down for Bourque as he's able to make such slight adjustments in real-time based off positioning that he often catches defenders off-guard:

He also always has a knack for being around the net and knowing where the puck is going to bounce, as several of his goals come in the crease where he finds the loose biscuit and puts it in:

That level of awareness is staggering for someone with only two full seasons in the NHL and he's a no-nonsense and hard worker no matter the situation.

The title of this article talked about how Toronto can get Bourque without a trade, and that's just simply by presenting an offer sheet the Stars can't match.

While it won't be an absurd salary, Bourque's maximum cap hit is $4,775,666 if given an offer sheet (per Puckpedia). That's a massive upgrade over his $950,000 and that new salary is going to eat into literally half of Dallas' cap without any other moves.

It's impossible then for the Stars to match that, and Toronto would be more than willing to give up a second-round pick for the chance to bring in their new 2C for cheap and signed long-term, and with $22-million in cap space the Maple Leafs have more than enough room.

Plus, he provides a great service to John Tavares. Bourque can step up as be that 2C as part of the youth movement and could form a great partnership alongside William Nylander and either Matthew Knies or Easton Cowan.

Tavares needs a bit less responsibility just because he deserves a break at 35 years old. He's still great, but giving him easier matchups, a bit less stress in his own end and allowing him to dominate the lower-half of the lineup is key to maximizing his efficiency.

You're still going to have Tavares on the power-play, and you're still using him in high leverage minutes given his clutch factor and leadership. But in the rigours of the NHL regular season, the best way to keep him playing as long as possible is to take the burden off his shoulders a bit.

Bourque is ready to make a statement in the NHL and is coming off his best season by far. Dallas can't afford to keep him, but Toronto can certainly afford to sign him.

Also read on Hockey Patrol :
The Maple Leafs have the cap room to pounce on a free agent market nobody else wants