The Toronto Maple Leafs could be looking to bring in a gritty forward from their rival in free agency.
The Maple Leafs enter free agency looking to add some more depth to the bottom of the lineup. Ahead of free agency opening on July 1, NHL insider Pierre LeBrun linked Toronto to signing Michael Pezzetta from the Montreal Canadiens.
“Wouldn’t surprise me if the Maple Leafs are among the teams who show interest in Michael Pezzetta when the market opens Tuesday,” LeBrun wrote on X.
Pezzetta skated in 25 games last season, recording 0 goals and 0 assists, and was a -2, while having 24 penalty minutes.
The gritty 6-foot-1 forward would be a fourth-line player for the Maple Leafs who can hit and isn’t afraid to drop the gloves. He’s from Toronto and has spent his entire career with the Canadiens.
Pezzetta was selected in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft by Montreal. In his NHL career, he’s recorded 15 goals and 23 assists for 38 points in 200 games with 241 penalty minutes.
If the Maple Leafs don’t re-sign Steven Lorentz, Pezzetta would likely replace him on the fourth line, as well as filling the role of Ryan Reaves, who can fight and add some physicality to the bottom of the lineup.
Maple Leafs Active Before Free Agency
Before free agency opens on July 1, the Maple Leafs have been active.
Toronto first re-signed John Tavares to a four-year deal worth $4.38 million per season. The Maple Leafs then signed Matthew Knies to a six-year, $46.5 million deal, which is worth $7.75 million per season.
After signing their own players, the Maple Leafs then acquired Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for a conditional third-round selection in 2027. If Toronto earns a playoff berth and Maccelli records at least 51 points in the 2025-26 season, the pick will be converted to a second-round selection in 2029.
Maccelli has one year left on his three-year, $10.28 million deal. The 24-year-old could replace Mitch Marner on the top line alongside Auston Matthews and Knies.
Maccelli was selected in the fourth round of the 2019 NHL Draft. Last season with Utah, he recorded 8 goals and 10 assists for 18 points in 55 games. The year prior, he had 17 goals and 40 assists for 57 points in 82 games.
Maple Leafs GM Looking to Replace Marner
The Maple Leafs will be a team to watch this offseason as Toronto is likely to lose Marner in free agency.
Ahead of free agency opening on July 1, Maple Leafs’ GM Brad Treliving said there is work to do on the roster.
“You’re trying to make your team better. The potential is there to lose a really good player. So lots of challenges,” Treliving said. “Everybody’s focused on July 1st, and I get it. We don’t play on July 2nd. So you use the time starting on July 1st to try to make the team better. That may come on July 1st. It may come August 1st, September 1st, you’re not sure.
“So continue to work the market and there’s certainly some challenges, (losing) a really good player,” Treliving added. “I think I’ve said this before too. There’s not a Mitch Marner tree that you go to and just replace him. So if that indeed happens, we’ll continue to look at ways that we can help ourselves.”
The Maple Leafs have just over $10 million in cap space.
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