The Toronto Maple Leafs need to round out their lineup with some solid role players, so here's a list of UFA's the team should target to balance things out.
John Chayka has done an admirable job thus far as GM of the Maple Leafs at least when it comes to transactions. He traded away Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit to add draft capital and cap space, he added Darren Raddysh in a sign-and-trade, drafted Gavin McKenna, and found himself loaded with a fantastic group of prospects after the 2026 Draft.
While it's not an A+ effort and we still need to see what else he has in mind, it's a good foundation for the team to start becoming competitive now while also properly preparing for the future and drafting the next pieces of the lineup who appear five years down the line.
But if they're competing now, they need help to fill some holes either due to injuries (such as Max Domi's long-term ailment) or losing players like Calle Jarnkrok and Troy Stecher to free agency.
They don't need to break the bank, and if they are looking for role players then we have a handful who could be of interest to the Maple Leafs to help round things out.
The forwards who fit Toronto's middle and bottom-six needs
Viktor Arvidsson - Age: 33, Position: LW, 2025-26 Season: 69 GP (54 P), Contract (2025-26): $4M
Arvidsson, 33, is someone who can still add a lot of speed and offensive potential to the middle-six and is someone who is intimately familiar with Toronto after spending time in Boston last year. He was a stud in Nashville where he spent the majority of his career, and he has 219 goals in 682 career games.
He made $4-million on his last deal, and the Maple Leafs don't need to break the bank to bring him in. Adding Arvidsson on a two-year deal worth $11-million would give him the pay raise he's looking for, not hurt Toronto's cap space and give the lineup a real boost.
Think of him as like an older Bobby McMann, and he could find a great home on the third line with Nick Robertson or potentially in the top-six if Toronto makes a move to trade a winger like Matthew Knies.
Contract Projection: Two-Years, $11-Million
Teddy Blueger - Age: 31, Position: C, 2025-26 Season: 35 GP (17 P), Contract (2025-26): $1.8M
Now we get to arguably the more vital piece of the puzzled that's Toronto's new 3C. Blueger would be a perfect stand-in for Max Domi as Blueger provides comparable offensive numbers with much, much better defence and physicality.
He's only got 169 points for his career but also has 603 hits, won nearly 50% of his face-offs, is a plus-7 as opposed to Domi's minus-33 and will provide a lot of help especially if Toronto decides to bring in one of the aforementioned forwards. One knock on him is that his health isn't amazing, and it's a bit of a risk bringing him in knowing that.
Blueger did make $1.8-million so you can expect him to cost a little more this year, but if Toronto signed him to a multi-year deal worth around $3-million then it could be a cheap and reliable replacement for Domi.
Contract Projection: Three-Years, $9.3-million
The defencemen who could round out the blue line
Ryan Shea - Age: 28, Position: D, 2025-26 Season: 80 GP (35 P), Contract (2025-26): $900,000
Shea, 29, has only had one full season after a brief time with the Penguins in 2023-24and 2024-25. He showed a great bit of growth this past season and looks like a very solid two-way defender who is showing shades of late-bloomer syndrome - not a bad thing at all.
Toronto needs to replace guys like Philippe Myers and Simon Benoit, while also getting more mobile on the backend and add more playmaking. It's not going to be a huge signing and this is more getting depth and preparation. He won't cost much either as he's only gonna be a couple million per season.
Contract Projection: Three-Years, $6.25-million
Logan Stanley - Age: 28, Position: D, 2025-26 Season: 76 GP (26 P), Contract (2025-26): $1.25M
Going from mobile defender to huge on-ice presence, Stanley is someone who would add a frightening sight to the Maple Leafs blueline. He's 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds and loves to not only throw a lot of hits but also put hs body on the line.
With questions about Chris Tanev's health, he would make the perfect stop-gap or replacement for him should he go down, and if not, he still provides a third-pari shutdown player who can replace what Brandon Carlo brought.
Stanley will be getting a lot more than his $1.25-million deal prior, and there's a good shot he doubles that at bare minimum because there's a premium for big-bodied shutdown defenders.
Contract Projection: Four-Years, $11.2-million
The goaltending options if they want to make a splash
-Sergei Bobrovsky - Age: 37, Position: G, 2025-26 Season: 52 GP (27 W), Contract (2025-26): $10M
The biggest fish in the pond right now, Bobrovsky has been at the centre of free agent rumours for the past few weeks and it looks more and more like he's headed to the open market. He's going to get bank but he deserves it considering his incredible resume that includes two Vezina's and two Stanley Cups.
He has over 450 career wins, is still as durable as ever even at 37 (soon to be 38) and he's looking for a long-term deal worth a fair bit of money.
Toronto has been linked to Bobrovsky and could absolutely make their goaltending tandem incredible by reliving the Panthers group with him and Stolarz. But it's going to come at a cost of around $7-8M for five or six years. He's not retiring anytime soon and wants one last big pay day before he does.
Contract Projection: Five-Years, $40-million
Matt Murray - Age: 32, Position: G, 2025-26 Season: 5 GP (0 W), Contract (2025-26): $1M
Well, if ya wanna keep the theme of familiarity in tow this year, bringing Murray back would be a great way to help solidify the crease for cheap. He didn't play much last year but holds a career 147-89-25 record with a .910 SV% and 2.79 GAA. Murray also has two Cups to his name as well, and he's proven he can be a reliable player when called upon.
He won't be expensive at all considering he's fully accepted his role as a backup, but even if they were to sign him for a year or two at $2-million it would be a very solid pickup that brings a bit of modern nostalgia to the lineup while also bringing someone who can actually play.
Contract Projection: One-Year, $2-million
Which free agent should Toronto prioritize signing?
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