Letting Pontus Holmberg Walk Could Bite the Maple Leafs – The Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

In a summer full of flashier moves and all-too-familiar roster shuffling, one decision by the Toronto Maple Leafs slid under the radar—but maybe shouldn’t have. Pontus Holmberg, a sixth-round pick back in 2018, worked his way up through the Maple Leafs’ system, earned a spot in the lineup, and played honest, dependable hockey.

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He didn’t light up the scoresheet, but he did enough of the little things right to make you notice, especially in tight games. So when the Maple Leafs let him walk in free agency this offseason, some fans were left asking the same thing: Why? Holmberg wasn’t a star, but he was steady. And with the salary cap still squeezing every team, especially Toronto, letting go of an affordable, homegrown forward in his mid-20s felt… off. When he signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning—of all teams—the conversation started.

What Holmberg Brought to the Maple Leafs

Let’s not overhype him. Holmberg primarily played in the bottom six, averaging about 12 minutes per night, and finished last season with 19 points in 68 games. But there’s context to those numbers.

He killed penalties, played smart in his zone, and could switch between centre and wing without missing a beat. Coaches trusted him. Teammates respected him. And in a lineup that’s often been top-heavy and short on bottom-six identity, that kind of role player matters.

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Holmberg wasn’t flashy, but he fit. He showed up, played the system, and improved every season. All that makes his departure harder to comprehend.

For Toronto, Cap Pressures, Arbitration, and the Business Side

Here’s what we know: Holmberg was a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, and general manager Brad Treliving chose not to tender a qualifying offer. That made Holmberg an unrestricted free agent (UFA), free to sign with any team. According to Treliving, it came down to dollars and risk: “We weren’t able to, between us and Pontus’s side, find a number that we felt fit for us,” he said.

In plain terms, the Maple Leafs didn’t want to go to arbitration and risk paying more than they were comfortable with. But Holmberg wasn’t asking for a massive…