The Toronto Maple Leafs already did plenty of shopping on the first day of NHL free agency, bringing in Sergei Bobrovsky along with Jack Roslovic, Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger, Brandon Duhaime and Nick Paul in a shocking trade.
But if Toronto wants to add a little more punch to the roster for the 2026-27 season, there are still a few bigger names out there who could make sense. Three former All-Stars remain on the market, and each one would bring a different kind of value to the Leafs.
Vladimir Tarasenko is no longer the pure goal machine he was in his St. Louis Blues days, when he put together six 30-goal seasons. Even so, he has stayed productive, finishing with 40-50 points a year while bouncing around to five different teams over the last five seasons.
The bigger selling point with Tarasenko is what he’s done when the games matter most. He won the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019 and again with the Florida Panthers in 2024.
He also brings more than 132 games of playoff experience, with 51 goals and 78 points in those appearances. For a Leafs team trying to get back to the postseason and make some noise, that kind of resume carries real weight.
Patrik Laine is another name that would at least force Toronto to think hard. It wasn’t long ago that the debate over the 2016 NHL Entry Draft centered on whether Auston Matthews or Laine should go first overall. Laine backed up the hype early, stringing together four straight seasons with at least 28 goals and 50 points for the Winnipeg Jets.
His production has dropped since then, but there’s still some finish left in his game. Laine has reached 20 goals in three of his last five seasons, even while dealing with injuries. Because of that injury history, he’d likely be looking at a one-year “show me” deal, which could make him exactly the kind of low-risk swing Toronto should consider.
Then there’s Patrick Kane, the biggest name of the bunch and the one that could give the Leafs the most immediate jolt. Kane is a future Hall of Famer and the player Toronto’s first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, Gavin McKenna, looks up to.
That alone makes the fit interesting, but there’s more to it. Kane, one of the best American players of his generation, would line up alongside Matthews, who may be one of the best of this current one.
The idea of those two sharing a roster, even if only for a season, is the kind of thing that would get attention fast. Kane is also coming off back-to-back 50-point seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, so this isn’t some farewell tour afterthought.
He’s still producing.
When Kane makes his decision, and that could happen soon, Toronto would make a lot of sense if the Leafs are looking for one more veteran spark to go with the new faces they already added.
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Maple Leafs Push For Veteran Upgrade As Familiar Cap Tension Builds
After a busy stretch of roster tinkering, the Maple Leafs are still shopping for another top-six forward, with the front office weighing both trade possibilities and free-agent avenues. The search is not limited to one position, either, since Toronto is open to adding a center or a winger as it continues to reshape the group around its established core.
The challenge, as always, is making the math work. Toronto is operating under familiar cap pressure, which means any meaningful addition may depend on moving someone out first, and the club has to be compliant by the start of the season. For now, the Leafs are doing the usual summer balancing act: keeping options open, monitoring veteran names, and trying to find a fit without creating a new roster problem in the process. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Could Turn Anaheims Cap Squeeze Into A Risky Scoring Upgrade
Anaheims latest roster business has created the kind of cap-pressure ripple that always gets watched closely around the league, and Toronto is one of the teams that could be tempted if the price is right. The Ducks just locked up Leo Carlsson on a five-year deal, and with restricted free agent Cutter Gauthier still hanging over their books, they are looking for ways to open space. Frank Vatrano is the veteran name now floating in trade chatter, and his contract has put him squarely into the sort of conversation contenders tend to monitor.
For the Maple Leafs, the appeal is obvious enough: a chance to add scoring help without waiting for the market to sort itself out. The complication is just as obvious, because Toronto would have to create room before taking on Vatranos deal, and that is never a small task for a club already managing a tight cap picture. Even with Anaheim willing to make the move easier, the Leafs would still need to decide how far they want to go to chase a risky offensive upgrade, especially with bigger roster questions still unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Just Faced Their Biggest Young Core Decision Yet
A day of front-office churn added another layer to the Maple Leafs offseason reset, with Hayley Wickenheiser departing after eight years in a variety of roles around the organization. Her exit came as Toronto continued to reshape its hockey operations group, a process that has already included other notable departures and reflects how much change has been flowing through the club behind the scenes.
The Leafs also moved on from director of amateur scouting Mark Leach and senior advisor of player personnel Dave Morrison, underscoring that this is more than a single personnel move. For a team trying to keep its footing while reworking the people in charge of finding and developing talent, the bigger question now is how much more of the old structure is left before the next phase of the overhaul takes hold. [Read more 🡒]