The Marner saga is wrapped up for now (as soon as the schedule is released I suspect there will at least be a little gas poured on the fire again) and while the tampering allegations and the inclusion of Nic Roy in the deal (which seemed to negate the Leafs pursuing the tampering allegations, but also seemed to result in Toronto paying the year one signing bonus for Marner) are worth exploring in further detail, looking ahead about what’s next for the Leafs is far more exciting at this point.
Why dwell on Marner when the Leafs are shopping for a top six forward? That’s a pretty vague concept and could loosely be defined as pretty much any forward playing 16 minutes or more a night, so it’s a low bar to cross, but given that whomever the Leafs bring in is going to be treated as the Marner replacement, for his sake as well as the player that Treliving brings in, you’d hope the bar is set a lot higher.
Kuznetsov’s return to the NHL
With Evgeny Kuznetsov showing interest in an NHL return and the Leafs being in the market for a top six forward, this seems like an idea that deserves roughly around the same consideration as the idea of bringing in Jonathan Toews.
When Kuznetsov left the NHL his final season (2023-24) saw him produce 24 points in 63 games. That’s pretty easy to pass on. He did however manage 37 points in 39 games in the KHL last season, a league where point per game pace is just as meaningful in the NHL, but it is noteworthy he did on a stacked SKA St. Petersburg club. Nevertheless, those numbers combined with Kuznetsov’s pre-player’s assistance program numbers in the NHL make him a player worth a look for Toronto and with the potential for a bonus-laden deal that seem to be all the rage with 30+ year olds in the NHL at the moment, Evgeny could be an option that doesn’t interfere with the Leafs attempting an additional move.
It’s easy to say hard pass, but a 6’2 forward that can play some centre is valuable, especially one capable of carrying/distributing the puck. If Kuznetsov is at all open to the Maple Leafs as part of a return to North America, Brad Treliving should put in some work here.
What happens next will define Treliving’s time in Toronto
Just as the departures of Gaudreau and Tkachuk, and their subsequent replacements by Huberdeau and Kadri defined Brad Treliving’s time in Calgary, how the Leafs will look post Marner will define Treliving’s time in Toronto, and with a new boss in Keith Pelley and a vacancy at the President of Hockey Operations looming over Brad Treliving, there really isn’t an opportunity to get it wrong.
As mentioned by Alex Hobson the other day, Brad Treliving is off to a good start this summer. The Tavares and Knies contracts came in at almost an identical cost to what Tavares and Knies cost the Leafs in 2024-25. Treliving then took a solid gamble on Matias Maccelli, a player who looks capable of turning around a tough 2024-25 and contributing to the Leafs’ middle six forwards. Landing Nicolas Roy instead of seeing Marner walk for absolutely nothing was a win as well. And largely sitting out an underwhelming start to free agency is a positive as well. As someone who has been skeptical of Treliving from Day One, this summer is off to a great start.
It often is a two steps forward, two steps back approach with Treliving though. Bringing in Chris Tanev and Anthony Stolarz last summer were easily his two steps forward, but the re-signing of Max Domi and signing of Oliver Ekman-Larsson are looking like two steps back as well. And there tends not to be a requirement for hindsight when Treliving gets something wrong. Even looking to the previous summer, his missteps have always been big, not moving Marner, re-signing Kampf, signing Reaves and Klingberg, before even considering the trade deadlines into the mix, just the offseason moves for Treliving have been hit or miss with a higher frequency of misses.
How does Treliving get the acquisition of forward right this summer?
The first criteria for success here would be getting through a trade with Easton Cowan still part of the Leafs organization. For the Leafs to move Cowan it would have to be something on par with Sydney Crosby deciding to finish his career in Toronto or Cowan being a key piece in a Jason Robertson of Mason McTavish deal. All of those seem like pipedreams so back in reality, Cowan should be part of the Leafs as he shows promise of being part of the 2025-26 lineup card.
Three free agents still worth kicking tires on
The free agency market was thin to begin with and now with pretty much every name of note off the board it seems like free agency has been reduced to teams under the cap floor lining up to throw money at Jack Roslovic and then assuming a holding pattern until it is time to send out pro tryout opportunities for training camp.
The pickings are slim but nevertheless, there are three players it still seems worth considering from a Maple Leafs perspective:
Luke Kunin has been rumoured to the Maple Leafs for the past couple of trade deadlines and if there is any truth to that interest, trying to get him in a Leafs uniform on the Brad Treliving special (aka $1.35M AAV for a bottom of the lineup player) would be a worthwhile endeavor.
Kunin makes the bottom six a little tougher, has the potential to create some offence, and is another right handed faceoff option. Call me crazy but you can never have too many centres. If the Leafs can put a plan in place to move on from Jarnkrok and Kampf, Kunin seems like a better bottom six fit for them.
Christian Fischer would have been my choice over Michael Pezzetta as the Leafs next enforcer project and since that role has already been filled, it’s hard to make a case for Fischer unless you are committing Pezzetta with full certainty to the Marlies.
The fact that Fischer had three seasons where he eclipsed the 10-goal mark is encouraging to me, and wouldn’t be surprised if someone like Shane Doan, who has seen Fischer play his best pro hockey, would make a case for him as well. (Or just as likely be the one directing the Leafs against him.)
Alexander Holtz would be an offer sheet opportunity that would either cost the Leafs nothing at all or a third round pick depending on whether or not the Leafs step into the $1,544,424 to $2,340,037 compensation grid.
Holtz is 23 years old and was a seventh overall pick. He also has a 16-goal season to his name before taking a step back last season and while the Leafs would already be his third team, giving up on someone at 23 who was projected to be a first line sniper seems premature. The Leafs are very light on younger talent with top end potential, and for the same reasons that you don’t trade Cowan and Brad Treliving chose to keep Nick Robertson, it isn’t a bad idea to offer sheet Holtz. At the very least Toronto would be making the cap situation a little tighter for the Golden Knights.