Maple Leafs in talks to reunite with “valuable” free agent striker

According to Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, the Toronto Maple Leafs could consider a reunion with Vegas Golden Knights forward and former Toronto winger Michael Amadio at the free agency level.

Amadio signed a two-year contract with the Golden Knights with a salary cap of $762,500. In the 2023 season, Amadio won the Stanley Cup with Vegas, defeating the reigning champions Florida Panthers.

Siegel identified Amadio as a potential target for the Leafs in a June 25 article, describing him as “a middle-six/bottom-six guy who could be able to play out his contracts and provide much-needed value under the salary cap.”

Toronto begins the offseason with $18.8 million in salary cap space but has only 16 players under contract on the active roster.

“Three years ago, the Leafs signed Michael Amadio as a free agent to a one-year, two-year deal. He played just three games before being claimed on waivers by Vegas, where he was used as a utility player on the bottom six lines for three seasons,” Siegel wrote. “Amadio could give the Leafs a stealthy, potentially low-cost source of secondary goals from the bottom lines, likely a fourth-line job on David Kampf’s wing.”

Siegel believes Amadio could give the Leafs a physical presence when it comes to scoring goals and that he could offer more than Ryan Reaves has recently.

“The Leafs want more of that in their lineup. Amadio is 6’1″ and 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,” Siegel wrote.

Amadio’s story with the Maple Leafs

Amadio was signed as a free agent by the Maple Leafs three years ago, but only played three games before being claimed off waivers by the Vegas Golden Knights.

During his time in Vegas, Amadio proved to be a valuable bottom-six forward, scoring 41 goals in 193 regular season games over three seasons.

Despite the possible return, it can be assumed that Amadio will first try to re-sign with the Golden Knights.

After finding a home in Vegas and winning the Cup with the team just a year before entering free agency, it would make sense for him to extend his contract with the Golden Knights.

Amadio’s career began with the Los Angeles Kings, who drafted him number 90 in the 2014 NHL Draft. After a few seasons with the Kings and a brief stint with the Ottawa Senators and the Leafs, Amadio found a home in Vegas in the summer of 2022.

Amadio transformed his game under the guidance of coach Bruce Cassidy and became a key player for the Golden Knights on their way to the Stanley Cup Final.

“I think Amadio is the type of player that can complement good players,” Cassidy said of Amadio in December 2022, according to Jesse Granger of The Athletic. “I don’t know if he can stay up there for 82 games. That will come out later if he needs to, but if need be, he can go up there because that’s his game.”

In the 2023 regular season, Amadio contributed 14 goals and 13 assists for a total of 27 points in 73 games. In the playoffs, he added 1 goal and 1 assist for a total of 2 points in 4 games. In 15 2023 postseason games, he scored 10 points.

Maple Leafs offseason and free agency outlook

NHL free agency begins on July 1, with Amadio becoming an unrestricted free agent and the Maple Leafs putting several key players on the market.

A few days from this date, Toronto only has ten strikers, five defenders and one goalkeeper under contract.

The Maple Leafs’ key unrestricted free agents include forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi, defensemen Joel Edmundson, TJ Brodie, Mark Giordano and Ilya Lyubushkin, and goaltenders Ilya Samsonov and Martin Jones.

Signing a player like Amadio could provide the Maple Leafs with a cost-effective source of additional points and depth in their lineup, adding much-needed value to the team as it enters a new era under head coach Craig Berube.