The Toronto Maple Leafs had a busy first week of free agency. General Manager (GM) Brad Treliving knew he had to address the blue line, and he did. He also brought in Anthony Stolarz to be a part of a goalie tandem with Joseph Woll. The one area that wasn’t addressed, however, was the forward group, which is still the same as it was last season. Management might be hoping that Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten will take a leap and crack the roster out of training camp. However, if that doesn’t happen, the forward group is in a very questionable spot.
Treliving must get creative if he wants to change the forward group. He can waive Ryan Reaves to clear cap space, sign a player to a professional tryout (PTO) and then a league minimum contract. Alternatively, he might choose the more challenging path and move on from a combination of David Kampf and Calle Jarnkrok. Their total salary of $4.5 million could be used to sign additional players who can perform the same purpose as them at a lower cost.
Maple Leafs Need Cap Space
If the Maple Leafs aren’t going to trade Mitch Marner this off-season and use his $10.9 million cap hit to help balance the forward group, they will have to pivot and move a few secondary players to clear cap space. Trading Kampf and Jarnkrok would clear up $5.5 million in cap space, and they could be dealt for players who could help the roster or for draft picks to restock the cupboard.
Kampf is a very reliable defensive forward who makes a bit too much against the cap. However, a few teams could be interested, like the Utah Hockey Club, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Washington Capitals. All three could take on his full $2.4 million cap hit and part with a mid-tier draft pick. They would also benefit from bringing in a defensive-minded centerman who can play a shutdown role.
Related: Brad Treliving’s Offseason Moves Show His Impact on the Maple Leafs
Jarnkrok is a good two-way forward, and while his cap hit isn’t awful at $2.1 million, the term is too long and getting a mid-tier draft pick for him would also be good. The Nashville Predators and New York Islanders could make sense. Jarnkrok started his career with the Predators. As for the Islanders, they need depth scoring, and he can score 15-20 goals.
Potential Free Agent Replacements
There are a handful of good secondary scoring options that could replace these three players for a reasonable cost and might be of interest to the Maple Leafs.
Internal possibility Pontus Holmberg, a much lower-cost may step in for Kampf as a fourth-line centre. On the open market, Sammy Blais would be a good replacement. Although he isn’t known for scoring, he can be a thorn in an opponent’s side. Under this scenario, the fourth-line centre position would be occupied by either Holmberg or Connor Dewar (who still needs to be signed). At 6-foot-2 and 206 pounds, Blais is a true fourth-line grinder. Last season, he had 194 hits in 53 games with the St. Louis Blues, and in 257 career games, he had 835 hits. Plus, new Maple Leafs bench boss Craig Berube is his old coach. He would also likely sign for around $900,000–$1 million for a season. – the two highlighted sentences are confusing and disrupt the flow.
Related: The Curious Case Of Maple Leafs and Jani Hakanpaa
Daniel Sprong could replace Jarnkrok. I’m not sure why he hasn’t been signed yet, but it could be his asking price. He is a great secondary scoring option that the Maple Leafs need to pursue. Sprong can easily score 40–50 points in the team’s top nine. Last season with the Detroit Red Wings, he scored 18 goals and 25 assists; the year prior, with the Seattle Kraken, he had 46, a career-high. He and Jarnkrok are almost the same size (Sprong is three pounds heavier), and they both bring speed and a hard forecheck. It may cost the Maple Leafs $1.5 million for a season, but he would help provide some scoring in the bottom six that they badly need.
Treliving still has time to address the forward group. The Maple Leafs can’t come into the 2024-25 season with the core four still together and the same returning forward group other than Tyler Bertuzzi. The hope is that the management group can find a few gems at very low-cost that can have a big impact. To do that, they need to part with Kampf and Jarnkrok.
