Maple Leafs Frontrunner for Top Remaining Free Agent

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James Connelly
July 5, 2023 (12:10)

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Despite the busy offseason thus far, the Maple Leafs look to continue to stay busy by targeting a top free agent.

Leafs Offseason So Far

Brad Treliving has his work cut out for himself this offseason. After going out and signing Ryan Reaves, John Klingberg, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Max Domi, he has spent close to the off season salary cap limit and will need to shed roughly $8 million to become in season compliant before the 2023-24 season starts.

Treliving can get below the salary cap if he were to leave Jake Muzzin on LTIR and buy out Matt Murray and then send a cheap player to the AHL. However, it sounds like he has something much bigger brewing.

Leafs Front Runners For Dumba

Five days after free agency began, the market has dried up significantly but there are still top end talents available. The number one free agent on Sportsnet's Luke Fox's board is Matt Dumba who is a great top pairing defenseman in the right system.

Fox linked Dumba to the Leafs in his article which has drawn the attention of many.

The Toronto Maple Leafs took a run at making this work, according to Elliotte Friedman.

While this was before the Leafs signed some of their biggest free agents, this could be very plausible. Dumba could sign a deal similar to the other big free agents the Leafs have signed which would be for relatively cheaper but only for one year and they can walk next year with a potential championship.

If the Leafs were to trade William Nylander, they could sign Dumba to bolster their defense which would put them as one of the most balanced teams in the NHL with phenomenal talent from top to bottom.

As seen on Sportsnet - NHL's top 10 UFAs still available: Latest buzz