Toronto Maple Leafs Eyeing Another Top Free Agent Center, per Elliotte Friedman

The Toronto Maple Leafs added a young piece to their organization earlier today, inking prospect defenseman John Prokop to an amateur tryout contract; he'll be reporting to the Toronto Marlies.

In his most recent '32 Thoughts' column, Elliotte Friedman indicated that Toronto general manager Brad Treliving will be going shopping for centre depth during the summer.

There are several players set to hit the open market on July 1 that could potentially attract the interest of Treliving, including Yanni Gourde, Mikael Granlund, Alex Iafallo, Brock Nelson, and Ryan Donato.

The Leafs will also have a decision to make when it comes to the future of centre John Tavares, who is playing in the last year of the 7-year deal he signed in the summer of 2018.

Several of the aforementioned players aren't likely to command financially crippling salaries in their next contracts, and could be enticed to join a Leafs team that has championship aspirations.

Gourde was recently sent back to the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021, from the Seattle Kraken. Meanwhile, Granlund was recently sent from the lowly San Jose Sharks to the contending Dallas Stars.

Iafallo is currently with the Winnipeg Jets, while Brock Nelson was recently traded from the New York Islanders to the Colorado Avalanche.

And while Donato was included in multiple trade rumours while playing for the struggling Chicago Blackhawks, they ultimately decided to keep him.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a good season so far, boasting a 41-24-3 record. They currently sit in second place in the Atlantic Division, trailing only the Florida Panthers.