The Toronto Maple Leafs could look to bring in an intriguing offensive threat to bolster the offense.
Toronto has made some bold moves to bolster the bottom-six, but could use an upgrade in the top-six and add some more offense. Although most of the free agents are signed, there are still some impact free agents available.
With that, NHL analyst Edward Eng of FanSided urges the team to sign former second overall pick Patrik Laine.
“It was almost a decade ago when many debated on whether Auston Matthews or Patrik Laine should be the first overall pick of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft,” Eng wrote. “Laine certainly did his part by hanging in there initially by posting four straight 28+ goals, 50+ points seasons with the Winnipeg Jets. …
“Nevertheless, Laine has still got some game left in him as he has managed to top 20 goals in three of his past five seasons despite being plagued with injuries. So where many had wondered how Matthews and Laine were comparable to each other from before, how about having both of them on the same squad on the Leafs to see what they can actually produce together? Given his recent injury woes, Laine will likely be headed towards a one-year “show me” deal. If so, it could be the perfect experiment that Toronto should gratefully undertake.”
Laine has struggled with health, so he will likely come on a cheap one-year prove-it deal. If he doesn’t pan out, the Maple Leafs can simply waive him and move on.
Laine’s best season was when he scored 44 goals, but if he can get 20+ goals, it would be a good signing for Toronto.
Laine Eager for New Opportunities
After the Montreal Canadiens’ season ended, Laine made it clear he was looking forward to new opportunities.
Laine dealt with injuries last season, but he felt like he could’ve played down the stretch.
“I could have come back pretty early, but this is one of those things when you have surgeries and stuff, you don’t always feel 100 per cent,” Laine said. “You don’t want to rush anything and go play too early, and then take a step back and it takes longer. I wanted to be more cautious.”
Laine is now a free agent, and the sniper said he’s looking forward to a new opportunity, seemingly shutting down his return to Montreal.
“I’m excited to see new opportunities and see where it goes,” Laine said. “We’ll see where the wind takes me. … I’ll be playing in this league for a long time. That’s not a question. That’s never something I’ve doubted,” he said. “I just kind of need an opportunity. Great shape, feel good. Still got a lot of time before next season, so that’s definitely something I’m not worried about.”
Laine skated in just 5 games last season due to injuries.
Maple Leafs GM Wanted to be Aggressive
Toronto has been active this offseason, and GM John Chayka said that was part of the plan.
Chayka has been aggressively overhauling the roster, and he isn’t ruling out making more moves.
“Purely philosophically, I think a general manager’s job is to star-hunt, first and foremost. This game can be changed by a few top players making a big impact on a franchise, so the depth piece matters, how you fill out a roster, how you manage the cap, that’s all necessary but not maybe sufficient,” Chayka said on Real Kyper & Bourne.
“I think about the role of the general manager and their ability to go out and big-game hunt and I think that’s kind of priority No. 1.”
The Maple Leafs, however, are $2.7 million over the cap space.
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