Subscribe
Follow Us
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost Mitch Marner in NHL free agency. While it was a foregone conclusion by the time the trade with the Vegas Golden Knights went down, it is still a big loss. The Maple Leafs tried to get Andrew Mangiapane to play next to Auston Matthews in free agency. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that Toronto's chase for a winger continues.
“The Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins were among the teams interested in Andrew Mangiapane, who inked a two-year deal with Edmonton,” Pagnotta reported. “Also on the Leafs, they will continue to peruse the trade market for a top-six winger, preferably someone who can slot on the right side of Auston Matthews.”
Replacing Marner will be nearly impossible, considering he had a 100-point season just before hitting free agency. They did pick up Mattis Macelli from the Utah Mammoth, but another winger should be on the to-do list. The Maple Leafs should look to Vegas to find their next right winger.
Viktor Olofsson is not going to replace Mitch Marner's production, but he can play the right side at a high level. He has had three 20-goal seasons in his career and scored 15 goals in 56 games last year. The key to playing with Matthews is positioning, passing, and defense. That is how Vegas plays, so he could be a good fit. Olofsson is an unrestricted free agent.
The Maple Leafs could also go the trade route with Bryan Rust or Rickard Rakell from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Both of them are right-wingers and could be on the move this summer. Kyle Dubas knows the Leafs' prospect system inside and out and could be motivated to make this move. Either veteran would be a great addition to the team, even with a decent haul going the other way.
