The Toronto Maple Leafs are desperate to erase their first-round playoff curse, having failed to make a deep run in each of their previous six postseason appearances. As the pressure on the organization continues to mount, the Maple Leafs were forced to make a difficult decision ahead of 2022 NHL free agency. According to Frank Seravalli, the Leafs are not extended a qualifying offer to Ondrej Kase, making the forward a free agent when the market opens on Wednesday.

Kase will hit unrestricted free agency after just one year with the Maple Leafs, during which he featured in 50 games. Injuries have hampered his career early on, and he suffered another concussion during the 2021-22 regular season. He's reportedly had more than five concussions since joining the NHL in 2016, which is, obviously, incredibly worrying.

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The Anaheim Ducks drafted Ondrej Kase in the seventh-round of the 2014 NHL Draft. He debuted for the Ducks in 2016-17 as a 21-year-old. In all, he played 198 games for the Ducks, registering 96 points including 43 goals. He joined the Boston Bruins in 2019-20 and spent two seasons there but played in a total of just nine games, frequently sidelined by concussions.

Kase latched on with the Maple Leafs in free agency on a one-year, $1.25 million deal, and while they would be able to offer him the same contract this offseason, it's expected the market for the 26-year-old will pay him $3 million annually wherever he latches on. With the Leafs pinching pennies this offseason, nearly tripling Kase's salary was a luxury they could not afford. He'll now be looking to join his fourth team in as many seasons.

While Kase won't be back in Toronto next year, Seravalli denotes that Pierre Engvall is expected to return to the organization.