Some remaining UFA forwards who may interest the Leafs
At this point in the summer, most rosters are largely set, with most teams possibly making one or two additional free agent signings to cap off their respective rosters. This year could be a little bit different in that Nazem Kadri and John Klingberg appear to be holding up teams from making their final moves to address needs for their forward groups and on the blueline.
For the Leafs, it appears to be mostly minor tinkering remaining, unless the Buds look to move veteran Jake Muzzin and his $5.625M deal or both of Justin Holl ($2M x1) and Alexander Kerfoot ($3.5M x1) to make one more impact add after they sign RFA defenseman Rasmus Sandin.
It doesn't appear overly likely at this point that the Leafs look to make any really significant additions to the blueline, so for the purposes of this article, we'll assume that the defense in Toronto is largely set, with one trade coming to move a body out. With that in mind, here are some remaining UFA forwards who might be of interest to the Leafs in the middle/bottom six.
Evan Rodrigues - 28, RW/C
Rodrigues may be a familiar name to Leafs fans, and as well he should. He was part of a package that the Leafs had originally acquired when they moved Kasperi Kapanen back to Pittsburgh in 2020. Of course, Rodrigues never ended up signing with the Leafs as a restricted free agent, so he returned to the Pens with whom he played two more seasons before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
Part of the holdup here is that Rodrigues broke out this season, recording 43 points and put over 240 pucks on net, so it's difficult to gauge what his true value is, since this season was a real outlier for him. If he is willing to settle for a 1 year "show me" deal, Toronto could be the perfect setting for the hometown kid to prove what he's worth - and perhaps pick up a Cup in the process, as the Leafs will undoubtedly be a playoff team.
Sonny Milano - 26, LW/RW
The ultra talented Sonny Milano has never really found his way as a consistent star player in the NHL, but managed to turn some heads last season, being thrust into a top-6 role, flanking young superstar Trevor Zegras. The duo thrived with their creativity, and Milano posted a career best 34 points in 66 games. They even connected for one of the prettiest goals of this past season:
Like Rodrigues, Milano could be interested in a 1-year "show me" deal where he can put his skills on display in a large market like Toronto in hopes of boosting his value for a bigger deal next summer.
Zach Aston-Reese - 27, LW/RW
Zach Aston-Reese is a lot like newly minted Leaf Nicholas Aube-Kubel, and not just because they have a hyphenated last name. Both players play a hard, physical two-way game and show a strong defensive presence. In other words, Aston-Reese is a "glue guy", whose role on his team is to be a relentless forechecker who uses lays big hits to force turnovers and make life difficult for the opposition.
He doesn't offer much in the way of offense, so I wouldn't bank on ZAR contributing much secondary scoring, but if placed with the right linemates, he could be an effective addition to the Leafs' 4th line. The only real reason to add him though is if they plan to use Aube-Kubel in the middle six, since they're essentially the same player.
Honorable mention: Tyler Motte, Victor Rask, Michael Raffl
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 28 | 385 ANSWERS Some remaining UFA forwards who may interest the Leafs If you could only add one more UFA forward to the Leafs (salary cap in mind), who would it be? | ||
| Rodrigues | 54 | 14 % |
| Aston-Reese | 82 | 21.3 % |
| Milano | 143 | 37.1 % |
| Other | 106 | 27.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
