Maple Leafs targets as free agents: Seven forwards who could offer more value than they cost

The class of free-for-all strikers is strong this summer.

While they are not stars, they are useful players with a wide range of skills, many of which could help the Toronto Maple Leafs.

We identified the top 10 prospects earlier this month, and here we’re going deeper, looking at seven guys from the middle and bottom six teams (listed alphabetically) who can potentially outperform their contracts and provide some much-needed value under the salary cap.

GO DEEPER

Maple Leafs UFA targets: Top 10 forwards

Michael Amadio

position: Winger
Salary cap reached last season: $762,500

Three years ago, the Leafs signed Michael Amadio as a free agent on a one-year, two-year deal. He played just three games before being claimed off waivers by Vegas, where he played as a utility player for three seasons in the bottom six. Amadio could give the Leafs a stealthy and potentially inexpensive source of secondary goals from further down the lineup, likely a fourth-line job on David Kämpf’s wing. Amadio scored 41 goals in 193 regular-season games in Vegas — 11 in 53 games, 16 in 67 and 14 in 73 games last season — and that was despite playing fewer than 13 minutes a night. He scored another five goals and 10 points in 16 games during the 2023 Golden Knights’ Cup run. He did that by committing to starting in goal. The Leafs want more of that in their lineup. Amadio is 6’1″ and weighs over 200 pounds; he can play all three forward positions; and he just turned 28. He would be a real backup to Ryan Reaves at the bottom of the Leafs’ lineup.

Teddy Blueger

position: Center, left wing
Salary cap reached last season: 1.9 million US dollars

Teddy Blueger led the Canucks’ most used (and very effective) line last season, playing in the middle between Conor Garland and Dakota Joshua, another free agent who could be of interest to the Leafs. He also played a big role in Vancouver’s much-improved shorthanded game, and saw most of the forwards’ ice time during the regular season and playoffs. The Leafs could bring him in for a similar role — as a PK specialist and third-line center. Blueger isn’t a big guy (6’1, 195 pounds), but he plays a competitive, down-to-earth game. The problem with Blueger for the Leafs: He won’t bring much in the offense (though he did set a career-high with 28 points last season) and this team already has a center in the bottom six (Kämpf) with similar limitations. How much offense can the Leafs get out of their bottom six lines if those lines are led by Blueger and Kämpf? If there is no higher-end upgrade in the mid-range, Blueger still makes sense as an upgrade to Pontus Holmberg at 3C, provided the price is similar to last season.

Connor Brown

position: Winger
Salary cap reached last season: 775,000 USD

Connor Brown had an excellent playoffs for the Oilers. His former agent, Jeff Jackson, is the Oilers’ CEO of Hockey Operations. Edmonton will presumably try to bring Brown back next season, but if the Oilers can’t find the cap space to make that happen, the Leafs should ask about a reunion. Brown had a challenging regular season. He finished with just four goals in 71 games. It was his first year back after missing most of the 2022-23 season with a torn ACL. There’s reason to believe the second year after the injury will go more smoothly. His playoff performance has hinted at that possibility. He’s also unlikely to shoot 3.7 percent again. A 15-20 goal season wouldn’t be the least bit surprising for Brown, especially if he finds a role on one of the Leafs’ top two lines. He’s probably best suited for a third-line job, with a whole lot of shorthanded play on the side. He played that role in the Stanley Cup Final, when he, along with Adam Henrique and Mattias Janmark, formed a safety valve for Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch to use when his team needed a safe switch. The fact that Brown elevated his play in the postseason should, of course, be attractive to the Leafs as well.

Anthony Duclair

position: Winger
Salary cap reached last season: 3 million US dollars

Anthony Duclair is on the small side – 6’1″ and 200 pounds – but that shouldn’t rule him out for Brad Treliving and Co. Why? Duclair can score goals, and the Leafs can use more of those safe players in the middle of their lineup, especially if the price is right. Duclair scored 24 goals for the Sharks and Lightning last season and 31 for the Panthers two seasons before that. He’s fast, he’s competitive, he’s experienced, and he could easily play on the first, second or third line for the Leafs.

Duclair will likely not cost as much as Tyler Bertuzzi as a free agent, and there is reason to believe he can deliver similar, if not better, performance.

The two had similar statistics last season:

• Duclair: 24 goals, 42 points in 73 games
• Bertuzzi: 21 goals, 43 points in 80 games

The difference? Duclair cost $2.5 million less according to the cap.

Mattias Janmark

position: Winger
Salary cap reached last season: 1 million US dollars

Like Brown, his Oilers buddy Mattias Janmark Really struggled to score goals during the regular season. He had two separate 20-plus game droughts, including a 27-game drought before the postseason. The Leafs wouldn’t sign Janmark hoping for much offensive power — though 10 goals from the third or fourth line is probably a fair bet for the 31-year-old, who shot just 6 percent last season and has scored in double figures in four of eight seasons. Janmark’s appeal is more in the things that don’t show up on the scoresheet. Like Brown, he’s a good penalty killer and reliable defenseman who plays a tenacious game that would fit anywhere in the Leafs’ bottom-six equation. His most frequent linemate in two seasons with the Oilers was Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Janmark is the guy who holds it all together and has tons of playoff experience (91 games), including two Finals appearances — this season against the Oilers and in 2020 against the Stars.

Jordan Martinook

position: Winger
Salary cap reached last season: 1.8 million US dollars

Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour praised Jordan Martinook a few years ago: “He’s one of the most energetic players in the NHL. His speed is there every time he’s on the field and you can feel it. He’s a tough opponent. And when you apply that to a line that may not be getting going, suddenly the dynamic changes.”

That’s the kind of player the Leafs could use in the middle of their lineup, a reliable veteran who plays hard and adds a boost to whatever line he’s on. Martinook spent most of the last two seasons in Carolina (where he was named an alternate captain), playing alongside Jordan Staal and Jesper Fast on a line that regularly struggled with top talent. Depending on how they construct their lineup, the Leafs could use Martinook in a similar capacity. Or they could use him as the defensive conscience of the second line, a Calle Järnkrok-like option on the left side. Martinook scored 23 five-on-five goals over the last two seasons, the same number as Järnkrok for the Leafs. He would be another building block for Craig Berube, an energetic, responsible, double-digit scorer who would bring some of Carolina’s PK expertise to Toronto.

Stefan Noesen

position: Winger
Salary cap reached last season: $762,500

Like several other players on that corps, the Leafs once had Stefan Noesen. However, he never got a chance to do much, playing in just one game during the 2020-21 season. He eventually landed in Carolina and became a valuable, budget-friendly backup player for the Hurricanes. Noesen averaged 13.5 goals and 36.5 points over the past two seasons, playing about 12 minutes a night and making about the NHL minimum salary. That included the kind of secondary power-play potential — 10 goals and 26 points coming from the blue zone — that the Leafs could use on their No. 2 unit. Noesen is a solid 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, and can skate. At worst, he’s a four-line player. More likely, he will enter the mix as a reliable third-line player who can contribute 10-15 goals at a bargain price.

Stats and research courtesy of Cap Friendly, Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Reference and Evolving Hockey

(Top photo of Connor Brown: Eliot J. Schechter / NHLI via Getty Images)