The Toronto Maple Leafs were looking to replace Mitch Marner and had their eyes set on Brock Boeser.
Boeser was one of the top free agents available, and he hit the open market on July 1. However, shortly after free agency opened, Boeser signed a seven-year, $50.75 million deal to return to the Vancouver Canucks.
NHL insider Nick Kypreos reports that the Maple Leafs offered Boeser more money in terms of annual salary than the Canucks, but the sniper turned down Toronto’s offer.
“The Leafs had a short wish list heading into free agency that included some of the top names on the board, led by Brad Marchand,” Kypreos wrote in his Toronto Star article. “But when Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito secured all three of his Stanley Cup heroes in Marchand, Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad, the Leafs shifted focus to 30-goal scorer Brock Boeser, who quickly became the one that got away.
“The word is that the Leafs may have offered a higher annual salary than the $7.25 million that he took to stay with the Vancouver Canucks, but on a much shorter-term deal than the seven years he agreed to,” Kypreos added.
Boeser is coming off a season where he had 25 goals and 25 assists, which was a down year, as the year prior, he had 40 goals.
Boeser would have helped replace the offense of Marner and added another goal scorer to the Maple Leafs’ lineup. Yet, he opted to remain with the Canucks, leaving the Maple Leafs to continue searching for a top-six forward.
Boeser Picked Canucks Over Maple Leafs
Despite Toronto offering more money in AAV for Boeser, he turned the deal down to remain with the Canucks.
According to Kypreos, Boeser was more interested in the long-term deal and familiarity with the Canucks, rather than the short-term high-money deal with the Maple Leafs.
“Boeser ultimately chose the longer contract and familiarity with the West Coast over playing on a line with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies,” Kypreos wrote. “If he hadn’t, would his arrival in Toronto have been enough to re-energize the Leafs and give fans some confidence as it enters the post-Marner era? It certainly couldn’t have hurt.
“Beyond Boeser and Marchand, the likes of Andrew Mangiapane, who signed with Edmonton, Brandon Tanev, now with Utah, and Tanner Jeannot, off to Boston, were rumoured to be considered by the Leafs, but none of them came close to signing here,” Kypreos concluded.
Boeser has recorded 204 goals and 230 assists for 434 points in 554 career games.
Maple Leafs GM Searching for Top-6 Forward
Although Toronto had added Nic Roy and Mattias Maccelli to the roster, Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving says there is still more work to do.
Treliving believes the Maple Leafs need another top-six forward to help replace the void of Marner.
“Mitch was a top-six forward, and we haven’t replaced that hole,” Treliving said on July 1. “That’s really where our focus is.”
Toronto projects to use Maccelli on the top line with Matthews and Knies, where Marner played last season. But if the Maple Leafs can add another top-six forward, they could take that spot and make Toronto that much deeper.
The Maple Leafs have just under $5 million in cap space.
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