The Toronto Maple Leafs could consider targeting Edmonton Oilers forward and former third-round pick Mattias Janmark in free agency, according to Jonas Siegel of The Athletic.
Janmark played two seasons in Edmonton in the last two years and he reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2024. He signed two one-year deals with the Oilers, entering free agency with a cap hit of $1 million.
In a column written on June 25, Siegel identified Janmark as a potential target for the Leafs. The analyst listed Janmark among forwards fitting the “middle-six/bottom-six type who might outplay their contracts and provide much-needed value under the cap.”
PuckPedia projects that Toronto will enter the offseason with a sizable $19.7 million in cap space but only 15 players under contract.
“The Leafs wouldn’t be adding Janmark with the hopes of much offense–though 10ish goals from the third or fourth line is probably a fair bet for the 31-year-old. Janmark shot only 6 percent last season and has scored in double figures in four of eight seasons,” Siegel wrote. “Janmark’s appeal is more about the stuff that won’t show up on the scoresheet.”
Siegel believes Janmark can give the Leafs a bit of the physicality and grittiness the team has lacked of late. The analyst thinks his contributions to the penalty kill and his experience make for a great target.
“(Janmark) is a quality penalty killer and trustworthy defender who plays a pesky game that would fit anywhere in the Leafs’ bottom-six equation,” Siegel wrote. “A glue-guy type, Janmark has tons of playoff experience (91 games), including two trips to the final.”
Janmark Nearly A Lock to Sign Another 1-Year Deal
It’s reasonable to assume Janmark will sign a one-year contract with an NHL team for the 2024-25 season given his track record.
The Detroit Red Wings drafted Janmark with the No. 79 pick in the 2013 draft but never signed him. The Dallas Stars signed the winger to a two-year entry-level contract in 2015. Once that deal expired, however, Janmark never secured a contract for more than a year.
The veteran forward has played for the Stars, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Oilers. That said, he’s always done it through one-year, bridge deals. The maximum amount of money Janmark has ever earned in a single season is $2.3 million twice.
AFPAnalytics projects Janmark to sign another one-year contract with a cap hit of $1 million.
Janmark played 71 games in 2024 scoring 4 goals and assisting 8 for 12 total points. He has appeared in at least 66 regular-season games for three consecutive years. Janmark failed to score more than 20 points in a single season for the first time in 2024.
The veteran winger, however, was a steady presence in Edmonton’s run to the Stanley Cup Final. He appeared in all 25 playoff games, averaging 11:56 minutes and scoring 4 goals with 4 assists for 8 total points.
Maple Leafs’ Offseason and Free Agency Outlook
The NHL free agency will start on July 1, and the Maple Leafs expect to be huge players in the open market.
The franchise only has 10 forwards, four defensemen, and one goalie under contract. Toronto needs to sign or active eight more men before the start of the 2025 season.
Forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi are two of the most pressing pending unrestricted free agents to deal with.
Along with those two, defensemen Joel Edmundson, T.J. Brodie, Mark Giordano, and Ilya Lyubushkin will also hit the market.
Goalies Ilya Samsonov and Martin Jones are likely to leave Toronto. Joseph Woll, however, is expected to sign a three-year extension, as reported on June 24, once the agreement can be announced on July 1.
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