The Toronto Maple Leafs await the choice of the expansion Seattle Kraken on Wednesday night and the decision of who they select from their roster will have an effect on what direction GM Kyle Dubas takes in the days leading up to the NHL Draft and the start of free agency on July 28.
The Leafs protected eight skaters (forwards Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and John Tavares, defensemen TJ Brodie, Justin Holl, Jake Muzzin, and Morgan Rielly) and goalie Jack Campbell, leaving forwards Alex Kerfoot, Adam Brooks, Pierre Engvall, Wayne Simmonds, Jason Spezza, Jared McCann, and defenseman Travis Dermott available.
Most prognostications have the Kraken selecting Kerfoot, the 26-year-old Pacific Northwest native who can play both center and left wing with two years left at an AAV of $3.5 million, but there is a distinct possibility that Seattle GM Ron Francis could go with Dermott, who is 24 and head coach Dave Hakstol is familiar with from his two years as an assistant in Toronto.
McCann, who the Leafs acquired from Pittsburgh on Saturday for Filip Hallander and a 2023 seventh round draft pick, appears to be the less likely to be plucked by Seattle then Kerfoot and gives Toronto a player with a lesser cap hit and the versatility to take over at third line center of as a top six winger.
Assuming the speculation is correct, the Leafs acquiring McCann uses up most of the savings created by Kerfoot’s departure, which makes the odds of the club bringing back pending free agent Zach Hyman quite remote based on his projected salary to be between $5 to 6 million per season on a long-term deal.
If the plan is to use McCann at center, the Leafs will need to replace Hyman as a top line left-winger. One option may be to re-sign 33-year-old Nick Foligno to a shorter term deal (two or three years) at a more economical salary (in the $3 to $3.5 million range), while another may be to bring back Alex Galchenyuk on a one-year prove-it deal.
Another possibility would be to trade for a Hyman replacement using the Leafs financial strength and other clubs lack thereof as an advantage. One such scenario could be the Arizona Coyotes, who are reportedly shopping former Leaf Phil Kessel, defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, goalie Darcy Kuemper and restricted free agent Conor Garland as part of an organizational rebuild.
The Coyotes have only three NHL defensemen under contract, and could be interested in Dermott (who earlier this month signed a two-year, $3 million contract) and/or 22-year-old Timothy Liljegren (who has been unable to crack the Leafs lineup with the additions of veterans Jake Muzzin, TJ Brodie, and Zach Bogosian).
Garland (who finished third in Arizona scoring with 39 points) is an arbitration eligible restricted free agent and will undoubtedly cost a hefty price, but would give the Leafs a legitimate top-six wing option if they are fearful that rookie Nick Robertson is not ready for that role next season.
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