The Toronto Maple Leafs offseason is already in full swing as the players, coaches and media are still left to find answers after another disappointing exit in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The team already held their end of season press conference which gave a lot of info as to what the future may hold for a team that could see major changes.
One of the many questions surrounds star winger Mitch Marner. While he has stated that he isn’t willing to move his no move clause, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast brought up the notion of mutual interest from both sides to move on (9:55). In addition, he adds that even if they lose a trade with Marner, the potential cap space will be a big win (17:50). With other names off the books like T.J. Brodie and Tyler Bertuzzi, that alone could give them endless options to improve the backend.
If they don’t land a defenseman through a trade, names that he brought up as potential free agency targets are Brandon Montour and Brett Pesce (21:30). Those were two names that were on my mind before he mentioned them and those names alone definitely could be impactful as they address an area of need for them and spreads the extra cap space very well between the two.
Montour Could Be the PP QB They Need
Last offseason, the Maple Leafs signed John Klingberg as a defender that could provide some offense on the backend. After registering five assists in only 14 games and showing some major defensive issues, he was shut down having to undergo hip surgery. There’s now another chance to look at bringing in an offensive defenseman in Montour.
In 2022-23, he had a career best 73 points for the Florida Panthers and was one of their best players in the postseason with 13 points in 21 games. This season didn’t get off to the best start as the pending unrestricted free agent was recovering from shoulder surgery. He played in 66 games and finished with 33 points and while it was a down year, he still showed the offensive game that made him dangerous for the Panthers during their postseason run.
When he was on the ice at five-on-five, Montour had a goals for percentage of 52.33 and a scoring chances for of 54.92. Some strong results for a player that was working his way back from injury. He would definitely be a welcome offensive addition, as the Maple Leafs look to be more dangerous with the man advantage. The struggles were evident in the…
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