Auston Matthews remains the leader of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ offense following Mitch Marner’s departure, who signed a sign-and-trade deal to join the Vegas Golden Knights. In a relatively quiet offseason, the franchise has shown signs of wanting to strengthen its offensive core by bringing in a high-profile teammate for its captain.
With the signings of Matthew Knies and John Tavares, along with the arrival of Nicolas Roy in the trade with the Golden Knights, the Leafs have several options up front. However, it doesn’t seem to be enough, and Toronto is looking to make another move to land a big name.
Jack Roslovic was a sought-after free agent linked to the Maple Leafs this offseason, but no developments have come from that interest. Still, general manager Brad Treliving has begun dropping hints about making a major move to support Matthews.
Will Toronto sign more players?
“We’re always looking. I don’t think you ever stop. We’ll see if it happens or not. We have a lot of players right now, so we’ll see. Most likely, unless something changes, we’ll go with what we have and see how it all plays out,” Treliving told Sportsnet when asked if the roster was set for the upcoming season.
A race against time
It’s clear that the Maple Leafs have the opportunity to acquire a key forward this offseason following Marner’s departure, especially with available cap space. However, with training camp about to begin, time is running out, and it seems unlikely the issue will be resolved before the season starts.
Toronto could look to trade players if it needs to push harder to bring in a forward of Roslovic’s caliber. Profiles like Calle Järnkrok, David Kämpf, and Nick Robertson are strong candidates to be moved in order to free up more cap space and add firepower and experience to a roster aiming to go deep next season.