Though Roman Josi is 35, he's still an elite puck-mover and with Nashville going through changes, Toronto could swoop in to pick him up if the Predators let him go.
As the Maple Leafs look for a puck-moving defender, they need someone who is reliable and consistent. Roman Josi is sitting in Nashville as they figure out which direction they want to go. Though he may be a little expensive, his resume is worth it to finally give Auston Matthews exactly what he needs.
Josi, 35, is coming off yet another strong season with the Predators. He added 55 points in 68 games and for his career has 779 points in 1,030 NHL games. Over his career as well he's reached 50 points five times and as recent as 2023-24 had 85-point season, so he's still reaching elite level numbers.
He's also someone who is waiting to see where things go in Nashville. Josi is owed $9.05-million until 2028, and while that's not a horribly expensive price given his production, his age is certainly a factor.
Pierre LeBrun reveals that Roman Josi needs to be watched as a name who could be dealt this summer
He could be on the outs according to Pierre LeBrun, who's sources told him to keep an eye on Josi's status this summer, but with trade protection and that contract - it's not exactly set in stone:
Josi is as loyal as they come and has been a Predator for life, so the most likely scenario is that he stays put. Still, it was suggested to me to keep an eye on it.
As hard as it is to even think of Josi in another uniform, I actually think this has more of a chance of happening than one might imagine.
Josi is currently their captain and someone who has spent his entire 15-year career with the team. He's as engrained within the organization as anyone and has no doubt become household name in all of Tennessean sports.
The Predators aren't exactly in a spot to immediately be a competitive force especially in the Central, and a new GM may want to make some big changes. The team already has a lot of older players committed like Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault not to mention big deals for Brady Skjei, Nic Hague and Filip Forsberg.
Maple Leafs make perfect sense given their need for a puck mover and the connection with Auston Matthews
Josi and his agent Judd Moldaver will need to make sure they have a long discussion about where he wants to be because if the Predators are far away from competing or end up rebuilding then he needs a place to compete.
Which is why Toronto makes a perfect fit for Josi. Not only because Toronto has been actively searching for a puck mover, but the fact that Josi is someone who is as consistent and reliable as they come would finally give Auston Matthews the defenceman he needs.
Speaking of the captain, both Matthews and Josi share the same agent, and there's a possible chance that the Maple Leafs leader has been in his agent's ear about potentially entertaining a move to Toronto for Josi.
Toronto can afford Josi's deal come this summer and he may come at a bit of a higher AAV than say a Darren Raddysh, there's only a couple years left on his deal and he fits the compete-now window the team is in with Matthews anyways.
Josi would give Toronto a stable piece on the back end that may end up costing a bit but has proven time and time again to be one of the best two-way defenders in the entire league. But he may be looking at a change of scenery and may be willing to waive his protection for a chance to play with a competitor.
Do you think Roman Josi would be a good fit with the Toronto Maple Leafs?
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