Be sure to like HockeyBuzz on facebook! For the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter In their quest to become a deeper and tougher team to play against, the Toronto Maple Leafs brought back center Jason Spezza and added veterans TJ Brodie, Zach Bogosian, Wayne Simmonds and Jimmy Vesey in free agency, but it appears that GM Kyle Dubas is still looking to add more experience to the organization in the form of future Hall of Famer Joe Thornton. According to an article from the Athletic’s James Mirtle and reports from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and the Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, Dubas, head coach Sheldon Keefe and a number of core Maple Leafs have contacted Thornton (who had 7 goals and 24 assists in 70 games last season) about coming to Toronto. Friedman indicated that there is still a chance that “Jumbo Joe… could have interest in returning to San Jose (especially with former Leaf Patrick Marleau returning to the Sharks for the third time on a one-year deal), but it is known that the 41-year-old center was not pleased at the trade deadline when GM Doug Wilson did not move him with a couple teams interested. The question regarding interest in Thornton is how he would fit in the Leafs lineup. Conceivably the big center could play on the fourth line with Spezza shifting to right wing, but another option could be shifting Alex Kerfoot to the left side to play with Auston Matthews or John Tavares (which he did when Mitch Marner was injured last season) and having Thornton and Spezza center the third and fourth lines. Based on the likelihood that Thornton would sign for something close to the veteran minimum, his addition would not require the Leafs to make a move to clear salary, but could mean that forwards Denis Malgin, Travis Boyd or Joey Anderson would start in the American Hockey League or be assigned to a taxi squad if the AHL is not active when the NHL season begins.
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The Leafs continued to address their organizational depth on Tuesday with the signing of goaltender Aaron Dell to a one-year, $800,000 contract. The 31-year-old played four seasons with San Jose and started 33 games for the Sharks last season, going 12-15-3, with a 3.01 GAA and .907 save percentage.
The addition of Dell is smart for Toronto because it gives them a third goaltender with NHL experience in case Frederik Andersen or Jack Campbell get injured. Last season, veteran Michael Hutchinson struggled and the Leafs had no viable option organizationally until acquiring Campbell from Los Angeles in February.
With Kasimir Kaskisuo departing for Nashville, Toronto had Joseph Woll and Ian Scott in their pipeline, both of who have not started an NHL game. *******
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— Norman James (@IamNormanJames) October 11, 2020