The Toronto Maple Leafs have spent the offseason reshaping the roster, and two of the quieter additions may end up mattering more than they first appear.
Ryan Tverberg and Samuel Hlavaj both arrived on one-year, two-way deals worth $850 thousand, and both come in with the kind of upside that can get buried when bigger names grab the spotlight. For Toronto, though, these are the sort of depth bets that can pay off fast if the players hit.
Tverberg is already familiar to Leafs fans. The 24-year-old forward played a key role in the Toronto Marlies’ Calder Cup run this year, finishing with six goals and eight assists for 14 points in 24 AHL playoff games. His work was overshadowed at times by players like Easton Cowan, Artur Akhtyamov and Vinni Lettieri, but he was still an important part of the Marlies’ championship mix.
That playoff run is what makes his deal interesting. A one-year, two-way contract gives him a shot at NHL games while also keeping him available to help the Marlies defend their title. An opening-night roster spot is not a lock, but his postseason showing gives him a real case to build on.
Hlavaj brings a different kind of intrigue. The 25-year-old goalie has already shown he can shine on a bigger stage, especially for Slovakia.
At the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships in Czechia, he posted a .925 save percentage, which ranked third in the tournament. In the 2023 event, he was even sharper, finishing with a .932 save percentage that placed him among the top five goalies.
His AHL season with the Iowa Wild was not nearly as clean. In 22 games, he went 7-11-5 with a 3.28 goals against average and a .887 save percentage. That dip naturally brings some questions, but his international track record suggests there is still something there if he can get back on track.
There is also a clear fit in Toronto’s system. Hlavaj is expected to work with AHL playoff MVP Artur Akhtyamov in net for the Marlies, and that pairing could help him rediscover the form he showed with Slovakia. He is still young, only a year older than Akhtyamov, which keeps the Leafs in a good spot in goal for the future while Sergei Bobrovski and Anthony Stolarz play out the back-end of their respective careers.
Both players still have work to do. Tverberg has to turn his Calder Cup momentum into a stronger push for NHL time, and Hlavaj needs a rebound season to justify the faith in him. But with the contracts they signed and the roles they could fill, both look like underrated pieces who could strengthen Toronto’s depth in a meaningful way next season.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs May Be Eyeing The Blue Line Swing Fans Fear And Crave
Daniel Alfredssons arrival as an associate head coach has already given the Maple Leafs a new layer of intrigue, and it naturally invites a look at how Toronto might try to use that connection to its advantage. Alfredsson spent years on the other side of the rivalry as the face of the Senators, so his presence behind the bench gives the Leafs a familiar name with real weight in any conversation about improving the blue line.
The idea is complicated, though, because any move of that size would have to clear both roster and financial hurdles, and Toronto would be dealing with a player on a major contract who is still set to hit free agency next summer. Even before the Maple Leafs get to the hockey fit, they would have to decide how much they are willing to part with from a defense corps that already has its own structure, which is why this remains more of a tantalizing possibility than a simple next step. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs May Have Found The Young Winger This Top Six Needs
Trade chatter around Buffalo has given Toronto another name to think about as it looks for a winger who can help the top six. The appeal is easy to see: a young forward coming off a career-best season, with enough production to suggest there may still be another level to reach, and enough age to fit with a team trying to balance present urgency with longer-term value.
Quinn is also in the final year of his contract, which only adds to the intrigue for a Maple Leafs front office that has spent plenty of time weighing fit, cost and upside on the wing. Nothing has been reported officially, but the idea of adding a player with his scoring touch and room to grow is the kind of conversation Toronto will keep circling as it looks for ways to deepen its forward group. [Read more 🡒]