Maple Leafs 2023 Free Agents, Draft Targets, Offseason Guide After NHL Playoff Loss

Maple Leafs 2023 Free Agents, Draft Targets, Offseason Guide After NHL Playoff Loss

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have been eliminated from the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs with a second-round loss to the Florida Panthers, which means it’s time for the franchise to begin preparing for the 2023-24 campaign.

The Leafs have seemingly been on the cusp of greatness for the last few seasons, but they haven’t been able to get over the hump and bring home the Stanley Cup since 1967.

While Toronto has one of the best offenses in the NHL led by Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares, it could use upgrades on defense and in goal heading into next season.

That being said, it’s back to the drawing board for general manager Kyle Dubas, so let’s take a look at the team’s free agents, some draft targets and what to expect moving forward.

Free Agents

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Unrestricted free agents: Alexander Kerfoot, Ryan O’Reilly, David Kampf, Noel Acciari, Michael Bunting, Zach Aston-Reese, Justin Holl, Luke Schenn, Erik Gustafsson

Restricted free agents: Ilya Samsonov

The Maple Leafs have a lengthy list of free agents this summer, but perhaps the most important players the franchise needs to retain are Michael Bunting, Ryan O’Reilly and Ilya Samsonov.

Bunting, who was selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL draft, has spent the last two seasons of his career with Toronto and has blossomed into a solid depth forward for the franchise.

Through 82 regular-season games, the 27-year-old notched 23 goals and 26 assists for 49 points. He added one goal and one assist for two points in six postseason games.

Toronto acquired O’Reilly from the St. Louis Blues at the trade deadline, and he proved to be a valuable addition for the franchise, tallying 16 goals and 14 assists in 53 regular-season games this season before adding three goals and six assists in 10 playoff games.

While Toronto still has Matt Murray under contract through the 2023-24 season, it’s going to need a capable backup for the oft-injured and inconsistent netminder, which is where retaining Samsonov comes in.

The 26-year-old had a solid 2022-23 season, posting a 27-10-5 record, 2.33 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in 42 games. He missed out on the postseason because of a head injury.

2023 Draft Targets

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The Maple Leafs will be limited in the 2023 draft, so there aren’t many top-notch prospects they can target this summer.

Toronto has just one first-round selection and won’t make another pick until the fifth round after trading away multiple picks over the last few years in hopes of improving the team for a deep playoff run.

These are their current selections in the 2023 draft:

The Maple Leafs traded away their own first-round pick in 2023 in a deal with the St. Louis Blues for forward Noel Acciari, and their 2023 second-round pick was used last season to acquire defenseman Mark Giordano and forward Colin Blackwell from the Seattle Kraken.

Toronto’s 2023 third-round pick was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for defenseman Luke Schenn, and its fourth-round pick went to the Nashville Predators in 2022.

The team’s seventh-round selection was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2021 in exchange for Jared McCann.

With a late first-round draft pick, the Maple Leafs could target the likes of center Bradly Nadeau, right winger Ethan Gauthier, left winger Daniil But, forward Jayden Perron, defenseman Lukas Dragicevic and defenseman Tanner Molendyk.

Free-Agent Targets

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The Maple Leafs won’t have much money to spend in free agency, but that hasn’t stopped them from acquiring some of the top names available in the past.

Entering the 2023-24 season, it’s clear Toronto could use some upgrades on the blue line and in the crease, so John Klingberg, Vladislav Gavrikov and Tristan Jarry could be interesting options.

Klingberg spent the 2022-23 season split between the Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild. In 67 games, he notched 10 goals, including three game-winning tallies, and 23 assists for 33 points.

The 30-year-old Swede is 6’3″, 190 pounds, and while he’s not much of a physical presence, he’s a solid puck mover who is capable of quarterbacking a power play and igniting an offense.

Before signing with the Ducks on a one-year, $7 million deal last summer, Klingberg had been looking for a long-term contract. It’s reasonable to believe he’ll be searching for a long-term deal again this offseason, though it’s unclear if the Leafs would be willing to make such an agreement.

Gavrikov spent the 2022-23 campaign with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings. He tallied six goals and 13 assists for 19 points in 72 games.

The 6’3″, 221-pound blueliner is a solid two-way defenseman who can play in all situations, and there’s no doubt he would have an immediate impact in Toronto.

It’s unclear what kind of deal the 27-year-old is looking for, but locking him up on a three- or four-year deal could prove to be valuable for a Maple Leafs squad that is always looking to improve on defense.

Jarry, meanwhile, had an inconsistent 2022-23 season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, going 24-13-7 with a 2.90 goals-against average and .909 save percentage in 47 games.

That said, the Penguins as a whole were inconsistent, and the 28-year-old is expected to have a bounce-back 2023-24 campaign with whichever team he’s playing for.

He would be a nice upgrade in goal over Matt Murray for the Leafs.