The Maple Leafs have already spent the offseason reshaping their roster, but one more move could still make a lot of sense up front. After a nightmare 2025-26 season, Toronto has added Sergei Bobrovsky, Darren Raddysh, Jack Roslovic, Colton Sissons, Nick Paul, Teddy Blueger, Emil Andrae, and Brandon Duhaime, giving the team a very different look from the group that finished last year.
Even with all that turnover, there’s still a case to be made that the Leafs need another forward to round out the top nine. That’s where a familiar name comes into play: Michael Bunting.
Bunting did his best work in Toronto, and the numbers back it up. In 79 games with the Maple Leafs in 2021-22, he scored 23 goals and set career highs with 40 assists and 63 points.
He followed that with another strong year in 2022-23, putting up 23 goals and 49 points in 82 games. For Toronto, he was a real contributor, not just a depth piece.
Since leaving the Maple Leafs, though, Bunting has bounced around. He’s had stops with the Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators, and Dallas Stars since the 2023-24 season. That kind of movement naturally raises the question of whether a return to Toronto might appeal to him, especially given where he’s had the most success in the NHL.
If the Maple Leafs were to bring him back, there are a couple of clear ways he could fit. One possibility is a third-line role alongside Teddy Blueger and Easton Cowan, where he could add energy, grit, and some much-needed secondary scoring to the bottom six.
Another is a bigger swing: Bunting also showed strong chemistry with Auston Matthews during his first run in Toronto, which could make him an option for the top line if he gets back to his best form. He’d also give the Leafs another power-play option.
For a team that still looks like it could use a little more punch among its forwards, a one-year, prove-it deal for Bunting would be a logical gamble. It would give Toronto another layer of depth, and it would give Bunting a shot to rediscover the form that made him so effective in the first place.
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Maple Leafs Just Made A Massive Blue Line Bet Fans Will Debate
The Maple Leafs have made a major blue-line commitment, landing Darren Raddysh from the Lightning in a sign-and-trade that cost only a fifth-round pick but brought along a massive new contract. Toronto is betting big on a defenseman whose value has surged because of his offense, especially the way he can help drive a power play, and analyst Darren Pang is among those who see the price as justified by what Raddysh can bring.
Still, this is the kind of move that will be debated for a while in Toronto because the upside comes with real risk. Raddysh is being asked to justify one of the biggest commitments the Leafs have made on the back end, and if his recent surge proves real, the deal could look smart quickly, but if his game cools off, the scrutiny will arrive just as fast. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Cap Squeeze Could Claim A Useful Veteran Before Camp
Training camp has not even opened, and the Maple Leafs are already staring at one of those roster puzzles that can shape the whole bottom half of the lineup. Jack Roslovic looks like the leading candidate to skate with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies, which would give Toronto a more offensively tilted look up top, while the rest of the forward group still needs to be sorted out with roles, fit and cap space all pulling in different directions.
The squeeze is most obvious around the fourth line, where Dakota Joshua and Steven Lorentz are both in the mix for a spot that may come down to more than just camp performance. Joshuas $3.25 million cap hit, Lorentzs $1.35 million figure and Torontos 49-of-50 contract slots all add pressure to a decision the club would rather have settled before the first puck drop. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs May Have Found A Cheaper Answer To Their Center Problem
The Maple Leafs have spent plenty of time looking for help down the middle, and Morgan Frost has surfaced as a name worth watching. Calgary is in a rebuild and appears willing to consider moving the center, who is entering the final year of his contract, which naturally puts Toronto in the conversation for a player who could fit as a mid-six option and give the lineup a little more flexibility around John Tavares and Auston Matthews.
For the Leafs, the appeal goes beyond the position itself. Frosts age and contract situation make him the kind of piece a contender can evaluate without paying full price for a long-term fix, while the Flames would likely be looking for younger assets in return. That is where Torontos prospect pool comes into play, with names such as William Villeneuve, Miroslav Holinka and Jacob Quillan fitting the type of package Calgary could ask about as the Leafs weigh whether this is the sort of move that can help now without closing off future options. [Read more 🡒]