The Toronto Maple Leafs, per Elliotte Friedman, have placed center Ty Voit on unconditional waivers for contract termination. Voit, drafted 153rd overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2021 NHL Draft, played just one game with Toronto’s AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies before suffering a shoulder injury. He’s played 68 games over the last two seasons in the ECHL since his injury.
Voit, 22, is on the last year of his entry-level contract. Once the termination is complete, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent. In 68 games with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones last season, he managed eight goals, 29 assists and 37 points. He’ll look to sign with a new club as soon as Wednesday of this week.
The Maple Leafs are currently pushing for their first Stanley Cup in nearly 60 years. Voit struggled with injuries and inconsistency throughout the ECHL. Without much room on the AHL for a player like Voit, a buyout appeared inevitable.
Voit, Maple Leafs Agree to Mutually Part
Fortunately, per David Alter of The Hockey News, the split seems mutual. This move gives Voit a fresh start and allows Toronto to engineer a new solution to their depth. “With the regime change in Toronto, this was an amicable parting of the ways,” Alter said.
With that said, there’s a chance that Voit may reunite with the general manager who drafted him: Kyle Dubas. Dubas, per Pro Hockey Rumors, has ties to Voit and may sign him once he clears waivers. “The 5’9″ forward could still be in line for an AHL contract somewhere, even if NHL interest isn’t likely,” said Josh Erickson. “There’s a potential fit with the [Pittsburgh] Penguins – he’s a Pittsburgh native and was drafted by current Pens general manager Kyle Dubas when he was in Toronto.
The Penguins are at the precipice of a long rebuild. With Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson approaching their late 30s, the team desperately needs an infusion of young talent. Adding Voit to the roster would be a low-risk, high-reward opportunity for both the Penguins and Voit.
Maple Leafs Forge Ahead
The Maple Leafs, on the other hand, are focusing on the present. This offseason, the Maple Leafs have extended John Tavares and acquired Mattias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for a third-round pick. While star forward Mitch Marner left the organization for the Vegas Golden Knights, the Maple Leafs were able to recoup Nicolas Roy in exchange for Marner’s rights.
During a press conference at the end of last season, general manager Brad Treliving emphasized the importance of change. “There’s some DNA that has to change in our team. If you keep getting to the same result, there’s some DNA that needs to change. That’s on me going forward. “We’ve now started the planning, and it’s early, for putting a team together for 2025-26.”
The Maple Leafs currently hold the longest postseason streak in the NHL at nine consecutive seasons. Should they hope to keep the streak going, they’ll need to ensure opportunities are available for new faces. Moving on from Voit gives Treliving another contract opening for either a player or prospect in the future.
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