Veteran forward could make for an intriguing PTO at Leafs training camp

While they hope the likes of Nick Robertson, Joey Anderson, Nick Abruzzese and potentially even Pontus Holmberg will take the next step in their development and push for spots with the Leafs, there are some intriguing names out on the free agent market who could make for intriguing professional tryout (PTO) options. One such player available is 33-year-old Sam Gagner.

A GTA native, Gagner is familiar with the organization as he was loaned to the Marlies a few years ago to allow him to be close to home for family reasons. Those family reasons could be enough to persuade him to join the Leafs on a PTO alone. If not, maybe John Tavares can have a word or two with him given the fact that they're close friends.

Gagner would fill the void of fourth line center for the Leafs, but also has the skillset to provide an offensive punch to the bottom 6 of the lineup. He also shouldn't cost much more than league minimum if he does enough to earn a spot in the lineup during camp.