Maple Leafs Have Bargain Bin Options In Free Agency – Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

With the free market opening in less than 12 hours and teams setting up shop for what they want to sign, it's a good time to look at the Toronto Maple Leafs' key names who didn't receive a qualifying offer (QO) or were recently bought by their teams.

Related: 2024 NHL Free Agency Tracker

Some of these names can be household names that have been purchased and are looking to sign on the cheap. Although some of them may need a fresh start and they can get that from the Maple Leafs playing with their famous players. With that said, here are a few of the Maple Leafs' acquisitions in free agency.

Alex Nylander

Everyone knows Leafs Nation loves William Nylander, so why not sign his brother Alex and put him in the bottom six? After a shaky start to his NHL career, he has been bounced around from team to team. He was drafted by the Buffalo Sabers in 2016 and has played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, and Columbus Blue Jackets. Last season, he played 23 games with the Blue Jackets and had a high scoring average. He scored 11 goals and four assists for 15 points and was looking to find a home in Columbus, but unfortunately, they left him without a QO, and he is now an unrestricted free agent (UFA).

Despite the fact that he will be playing in the same organization as his brother, it would be nice to see the Maple Leafs give Nylander a chance. They have $12 million in cap space but still need to address other areas of need, which will force them to find acquisitions to fill out their forward group. He could be very cheap and could sign somewhere under $1 million a season and could even agree to a two-way deal. So if it doesn't work out, he can be sent down and play with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL). It could be a Maple Leafs victory; he can find his game, have a great season, and have a very low cap.

Jeff Skinner

Jeff Skinner may be one of the best forwards for the Maple Leafs. He may not have always been on their radar, but as soon as the Buffalo Sabers considered his contract buyout, he had to find a way into it. Yes, that's right; The Sabers bought him out with the remaining three years of his contract, leaving him as a UFA. Skinner is a unique player; He spent 14 seasons in the NHL with the Sabers and Carolina Hurricanes but never played in an NHL playoff game. That's 1,006 NHL games and not even a change in the postseason, so since he's a UFA, he'll probably want to sign with a contender, and the Maple Leafs should call his agent.

Last season with Buffalo, Skinner had 24 goals and 22 assists for 46 points in 76 games, a significant drop from last season, when he scored 82 points. However, if you look at the season the Sabers had, it plays a big role in why the players regressed so much in their scoring production. At 32 years old, Skinner could easily hit 50 points again in his career; you just need to be part of the right program, and that's where the Maple Leafs play. He could be a good fit for Toronto on their second and third lines. If he can be in line with John Tavares and Mitch Marner, he can stand out with his ability and collect 50 or more points this season. He could also be part of the third line with Calle Jarnkrok, Matthew Knies, Max Domi, or David Kampf and score 40-50 points, which would help the Maple Leafs a lot with their secondary scoring.

Related: Maple Leafs Get 4 More Years for Max Domi in Team-Friendly Extension

This signing would be low risk, high reward, and would be something that Skinner would welcome because the Maple Leafs are in the same league as the Sabres, so he could show them that they shouldn't have given him away. In terms of the contract, the buyer's candidate usually signs for a very small amount because they have just been bought and received a large sum of money. In Skinner's case, he was making $9 million per season, and since the remainder of that deal was bought out, it will pay him $27 million, which means he's willing to sign for $1-1.5 million to get a chance to play. meaningful games late in the season and ready for his first playoff game.

A few other names that could interest the Maple Leafs are Blake Lizotte (Los Angeles Kings), Erik Brannstrom (Ottawa Senators), and Kailer Yamamoto (Seattle Kraken); all three were not given a QO. Ultimately, it will depend on what happens as the opening day of free agency draws to a close, but as of now, the Maple Leafs will likely be hunting for big names, and Skinner may be on the list for them to try. to sign later today. Regardless, it will be interesting to see what the organization does in the next few weeks.