The Toronto Maple Leafs could explore an offer sheet to help bolster their blue line.
Toronto acquired Darren Raddysh in a sign-and-trade this offseason to be the team’s No. 1 defenseman and bolster the offense. Yet, the Maple Leafs could get younger on the blue line and could look to do it by offer sheeting Anaheim Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov.
NHL analyst Charlie McAfee of HockeyPatrol urges the Maple Leafs to pull off the rare move as the Ducks are dealing with a massive offer sheet to star centerman Leo Carlsson.
“With Leo Carlsson signing a $90-million offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers, it opens the door for the Maple Leafs to get aggressive and steal another Ducks RFA,” McAfee wrote. … “The Maple Leafs have the chance to put out an offer sheet of their own, and they should at least put out one for Mintyukov given that he offers a lot of upside and exactly what Toronto needs. Adding Mintyukov would be great, and perhaps John Chayka can end up making another trade to acquire his rights and find a deal there, but either way – if he wants him, he’s going to have to pay through the nose to get him.”
Mintyukov is just 22-years-old and would be a key part of the Maple Leafs’ roster for years. He recorded 8 goals and 14 assists for 22 points last season.
Ducks Were Surprised by Offer Sheet
Offer sheeting Mintyukov makes sense right now, especially with Anaheim having to figure out what to do with Leo Carlsson.
Philadelphia gave him a five-year deal at $18 million per season, and if the Ducks don’t match, they get four first-round picks in return. However, the salary and offer sheet did catch Anaheim by surprise, according to Elliotte Friedman.
“He warned everyone the Ducks would match any offer. That said, I have no doubt the number caught him completely by surprise. I’d bet Verbeek thought maybe 15. Maybe. But, if you’re going to do this, you have to do it in a way that you can actually get the player. I heard there was another team considering seven years at a $17.5 million AAV, and honestly, I believed someone would think about the max ($20.8 million),” Friedman wrote.
And, according to PuckPedia, multiple NHL teams are showing interest in offer sheeting Mintyukov.
“Several teams have approached Mintyukov’s agent @HockeyAgent1 about an offer sheet, and it seems likely at least one is formally offered today. Mintyukov would then still need to decide if he wants to sign it,” PuckPedia wrote on X.
Whether or not that is the Maple Leafs is unclear, but he would fit in nicely in Toronto.
Maple Leafs Sign Defenseman
Toronto signed RFA defenseman Emil Andrae to a two-year deal worth $1.55 million per season.
The Maple Leafs acquired Andrae as part of the return for Joseph Woll from the Flyers. Andrae projects to be a third-pairing defenseman with the Maple Leafs.
The 24-year-old skated in 61 games, recording 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) while adding one assist in four playoff games. He was selected in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft by Philadelphia.
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