After a series of moves to add a couple of defenseman, some depth at the forward position and spearheading trades to free up salary cap space, it appears the Toronto Maple Leafs are done making moves this NHL offseason. According to Luke Fox of Sportsnet, there’s not much else GM Kyle Dubas can do that makes sense or doesn’t interfere with what he’s already done.
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There was a report by Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now, that Leafs might be one of three teams not named the Boston Bruins who have interest in Zdeno Chara. That would be something if true. However, Fox’s report of the Leafs being done suggest this isn’t accurate. In fact, Fox doesn’t even think the Maple Leafs will invite or bring anyone into training camp on a PTO. That’s how done they are.
Fox notes that the Maple Leafs have added a number of depth pieces to low-cost contracts and that any more additions would require cleaning up what’s already in house. For example, if a player were to come in and make the team on a professional try out, Toronto would then need to make a trade to clear cap space.
The question then becomes, is there really anything better out there in the market that could make the team in a tryout and cost less than what the Leafs have spent on a handful of players in free agency?
Dubas Isn’t Closing the Door Completely
While the Leafs might not be out there looking to make more moves, Fox does admit that it would be counterproductive for Dubas to close the door completely. If something presents itself that is simply too good to ignore, the Leafs should consider it.
But, to suggest that Toronto is in the running for players like Sami Vatanen, Travis Hamonic, Andy Greene, Andreas Athanasiou, Carl Soderberg or other unrestricted free agents is probably unrealistic at this point.
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