With the 2023 NHL Draft starting yesterday and free agency opening on Saturday, rumors continue to swirl around the league as teams begin planning for next season.
Yesterday afternoon we saw 28-year-old Maple Leafs inker UFA prospect David Kampf sign a four-year contract extension ($2.4M USD) as well as re-sign RFA Pontus Holmberg to a two-year contract extension ($800K AAV) And, since then, we’ve heard that Treliving and the Maple Leafs would like to add “beef” to their lineup for next season.
Whether it’s through a trade or free agency, we’ll have to wait and see who Treliving has in mind for who these guys with that trait of having “beef” might be.
Here’s the full quote from Elliott Friedman from yesterday’s episode of The Jeff Marrick Show:
“I think they are [Toronto] We’ll add some beef at the bottom of the lineup. I wouldn’t be surprised… and I’m not necessarily saying they’d be those guys, but I also wonder about… like Austin Watson or idk… like Ryan Reeves. This is what two people told me. They think Leaf is trying to make the bottom six a little heavier.”
Right off the bat, I turned me down for Toronto’s Austin Watson, and as for Ryan Reeves, I’m kind of interested in him because of the sheer havoc he would cause on the ice. Aside from that, he doesn’t bring much on the ice, so if I’m being honest, does he move the needle? No, but it would be fun to watch him bat and fight in a Maple Leafs jersey.
My five “beef” targets for the maple leaf
1. Noel Acciari – 31 years old – C/RW – 5’10 – 209 lbs
2022-23 stats: 77 GP – 14 G – 9 A – 23 PTS – 14:19 TOI
Most recent contract: 1 year, $1.25 million
The first target is a player known by Maple Leaf fans. It’s Noel Accari!
Of course, Acciari was acquired from the Blues along with O’Reilly before the trade deadline last season and instantly became a fan favorite with his style of play and love of cookies.
He came off a one-year deal where he earned $1.25 million, and it’s safe to say after scoring 14 goals between the Blues and the Maple Leafs while being a terrific 5v5 defensive player as well as being an absolute scourge to play against, for a lift of some sort.
At 5’10 and 209 pounds, Acciari recorded 244 hits last season in 77 games, which ranks him tenth most in the entire NHL.
This is the player’s graph from J Fresh Hockey:
2. Garnet Hathaway – 31 years old – RW/LW – 6’3 – 210 lbs
2022-23 stats: 84 GP – 13 G – 9 A – 22 PTS – 11:48 TOI
Most recent contract: 4 years, $6 million ($1.5 million F)
The next target is someone I wanted to get from the Maple Leafs during the trade deadline period, but instead, it went to their rivals, the Boston Bruins.
Hathaway, similar to Acciari, is a pain in the ass to play against and will hit anything that moves. However, both players have a little touch of scoring, so it’s not like they’re a complete black hole when it comes to the offensive side of the puck.
He is also a very responsible 5v5 defensive player and takes penalties. He came out on a four-year deal that carries AAV worth $1.5 million, so just like Acciari, he got a raise, which I honestly think could be bigger than Acciari depending on where he got in free agency.
This is the player’s graph from J Fresh Hockey:
3. Jesper Fast – 31 years old – RW – 6’1 – 191 lbs
2022-23 stats: 80 GP – 10 G – 19 A – 29 points – 14:44 TOI
Most recent contract: for 3 years, $6 million ($2 million F)
Jesper Fast is a very exciting option for me in free agency, and I hope Brad Trilling feels the same way I do.
Fast, 31, is coming out of a three-year, $2 million AAV-loaded deal with the Carolina Hurricanes. In those three seasons, Fast outlived his contract and was a formidable bottom six player for one of the best teams in the entire league.
He’s a fast two-way forward, an elite killer, and doesn’t shy away from the physical part of the game. Just like the players above, Fast threw over 100 hits last season while also putting up 29 points in the bottom six.
The 2022-23 season was a down year for him compared to the year before when he scored 14 goals and 34 points, however, he’s a great choice for the bottom six, and you know what you’re getting into.
He also scored the series-clinching goal in overtime to send Carolina to this year’s Conference Finals.
This is the player’s graph from J Fresh Hockey:
4. Miles Wood – 27 years old – LW - 6’2 – 195 lbs
2022-23 stats: 76 GP – 13 G – 14 A – 27 PTS – 12:06 TOI
Latest contract: For one year, $3.2 million
The fourth target the Maple Leafs should be looking at is Miles Wood of the New Jersey Devils.
Wood, 27, is heading into the open market, according to Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald and I think he’ll be a hot commodity once free agency opens up on Saturday.
He has played in 76 games this season after missing the entire season last year due to injury. In 76 games this past season, he scored 13 goals and 27 points while averaging just over 12 minutes a night.
I’d be interested in giving him a one-year contract to prove yourself, kind of like the deal Ondrej Kase had when he wasn’t eligible by the Bruins and the Maple Leafs signed him during the 2021 off-season.
He’s a big body that might help Toronto’s last six rank in the scoring department and the physical side of the game as well.
This is the player’s graph from J Fresh Hockey:
5. Nick Bjugstad – 30 years old – C/RW – 6’6 – 215 lbs
2022-23 stats: 78 GP – 17 G – 12 A – 29 PTS – 16:12 TOI
The last contract: one year, $900,000
The last player in this article is Nick Begstad.
Now I don’t know if the Oilers will try to re-sign the 30-year-old, but if not, he would be a very attractive bottom six forward at the right price.
He came off a rolling season with 17 goals and 29 points in 78 games between the Coyotes and Oilers after taking a few years off after scoring 19 goals and 49 points with the Panthers in the 2017-18 season.
At 6’6 and 215 pounds, Bjugstad plays the game as well as a 6’6 forward. He scored 168 hits in 78 games and also had a good two-way game while playing in the bottom six minutes.
He’s coming out of a one-year, $900,000 deal, so I think he could potentially bring in at least $1 million somewhere on the open market if the Oilers don’t sign him.
This is the player’s graph from J Fresh Hockey:
(All stats from Hockey-Reference.com)
(Details of the contract from PuckPedia.com)
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