MAJOR: Maple Leafs to Aggressively Target Star Free Agent this Summer
The Toronto Maple Leafs are eyeing off the Stanley Cup in 2023-24, and while their forward group is capable of a run, question marks still persist over their goaltending and their blue line.
Toronto to target Defensive star over the summer
While Brad Treliving was unwilling to part ways with top assets to make a deal work at the deadline, he's reportedly eyeing a huge addition this summer in the form of Carolina's Brett Pesce.
According to a report, the 29-year old is atop the Maple Leafs wish list over the summer, and given his experience and consistency, he would be a massive pickup for Toronto.
Pesce has played 612 games over the course of his nine-year career with the Carolina Hurricanes, and with great size, skating ability and leadership, he's just what this team needs on the blue line.
While his last contract carried a cap-hit just over $4 million per season, Pesce is expected to get above $6 million on his next deal, so that becomes a major barrier that Treliving needs to confront if they want to land the star blue liner.
Ultimately, this is a forward group that's ready to win a Stanley Cup, and with massive contracts to William Nylander and Auston Matthews kicking in after this season, the Leafs need to be aggressive in building a Stanley Cup contender, and Pesce could play a huge role in that.
As Read on Maple Leafs Daily - Leafs expected to pursue pending free agent defenseman aggressively this summer
| POLL | ||
Will the Leafs land Pesce this summer? | ||
| Yes | 435 | 51.5 % |
| No | 409 | 48.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
