Brad Treliving Could Reunite with Former Player as Maple Leafs Free Agency Option Emerges
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Maple Leafs GM can use the free agent market to bring some life into the team without breaking the bank, and could look to a familiar face for assistance.
It's going to be a busy summer for Toronto to say the least. Dealing with the Mitch Marner situation, needing to re-sign key players like John Tavares and Matthew Knies, while also trying to add some additional scoring has got to have Brad Treliving stressed.
But if they didn't want to stretch their cap too thin by signing a player like Sam Bennett, they could scout some of the cheaper names on the market.
Brad Treliving Needs To Target Andrew Mangiapane
Which is why he needs to take a look around and grab one of his former players set to be a free agent: Andrew Mangiapane.
Mangiapane, 29, is a hometown kid who could come in for cheap and help give Toronto some much needed additional offense.
He's never going to blow you away, but he's consistent and given that Toronto's third line had some rough production; would be a refreshing change.
A former 35-goal scorer, he's dropped off a bit in recent years, but with the right system and trust in his ability, he can get back to that level potentially.
Plus, working with Craig Berube and his group would allow him to get back to that two-way skillset he had with the Flames.
Only scoring 28 points this season in Washington after being traded, he struggled to replicate his output in Calgary, and wouldn't cost Toronto much in terms of contract length or price.
Cost Shouldn't Be An Issue, As Long As Toronto Doesn't Panic
Mangiapane made $5.8M this past season, and with a bit of a hometown discount, plus a reunion with Treliving and former teammate Chris Tanev; he could be a very cheap option.
Signing him to a three-year, $15M contract would be a slight reduction in his salary, but give him a chance to redeem himself and earn a bigger contract after his presumed time in Toronto ends.
That gives Toronto a chance to dump some other pieces like Calle Jarnkrok and David Kampf in order to make room for other acquisitions and open up a spot for Mangiapane in the bottom-six.
But they shouldn't rush to sign him for more than that, and he needs to be seen as a role player, not a feature star.
But a third line with Mangiapane, Bobby McMann and Scott Laughton is a really energetic and balanced group and offers more than a Jarnkrok or even Nick Robertson would.
So Treliving needs to pick up the phone and call Mangiapane's agent to gauge what it would take to bring him in. Probably not a lot, which is a blessing for the team come 2026.
| POLL | ||
MAI 29 | 471 ANSWERS Brad Treliving Could Reunite with Former Player as Maple Leafs Free Agency Option Emerges Should Brad Treliving try to acquire Andrew Mangiapane in free agency? | ||
| Yes | 270 | 57.3 % |
| No | 201 | 42.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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