The Toronto Maple Leafs haven't yet made any big splashes in this summer's UFA pool. Their most notable move was signing former Montreal Canadiens checking-line forward Michael Pezzetta to a two-year deal.
Meanwhile, their most notable trade was the sign-and-trade deal that sent right winger Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights on June 30 for Nicolas Roy.
Jonas Siegel of The Athletic believes Marner's departure leaves the Leafs in need of a top-six forward. He suggested they add either a right winger to skate alongside Auston Matthews or John Tavares, or a center who could push Tavares to the wing or centering the third line.
This year's thin free-agent market is tapped out of prime scoring talent. Sportsnet's Luke Fox thinks GM Brad Treliving will turn to the trade market for a bona fide top-six forward.
The Hockey News’ David Alter observed that the Maple Leafs have over $4.9 million in cap space for this season. He suggested Treliving could weaponize that space later this summer, targeting cap-strapped teams to acquire a player the Leafs need.
Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun shares that opinion. He felt Treliving could draw on his glut of affordable bottom-six forwards for trade chips.
That could include Nick Robertson, an RFA with arbitration rights. The 23-year-old left winger created a stir last summer when he requested a trade, only to sign a one-year deal a week before training camp opened last September.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens have been active in the off-season trade market. Less than a week after their bombshell acquisition of defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders last Friday, they shipped blueliner Logan Mailloux to the St. Louis Blues for middle-six forward Zack Bolduc.
Both moves received positive reviews, but failed to address their pressing need for a second-line center. They must also cope with the departures of veteran forwards Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak.
Arpon Basu of The Athletic believes Canadiens GM Kent Hughes is willing to look within the organization to address that issue in the short term. Sportsnet's Eric Engels thinks their best option would be to try Kirby Dach in the second-line center role.
Engels acknowledged that the oft-injured Dach struggled last season before undergoing knee surgery. However, he didn't have wingers like Bolduc and Ivan Demidov as potential linemates.
Following the acquisition of Dobson, there was speculation that Mike Matheson might be used as a trade chip for a second-line center or winger. The 31-year-old puck-moving defenseman is a year away from UFA eligibility, but Hughes told reporters he's not moving him, citing the big minutes he played last season.
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