The Maple Leafs announced Wednesday that they have re-signed RFA forward Alex Steeves to a one-year, two-way contract. According to PuckPedia, the contract is worth a league minimum of $775,000 at the NHL level and $300,000 at the AHL level.
It’s an over-used cliché, but the 2024-25 season will be make-or-break for Steeves in Toronto.
The former college free agent signing back in 2021 has yet to receive an extended look in the NHL, making just seven appearances and recording one assist. That included just one call-up appearance in 2023-24 (10:14 vs. St. Louis, minus-one, and one shot on goal).
Down in the AHL, Steeves put up career-high numbers in goals (27) and points (57) last season, finishing as the third-leading scorer on the Marlies roster. The winger was one of Toronto’s best performers offensively at five-on-five, scoring 20 goals and producing 34 points, all but three of which were primary tallies.
The looming question is whether the 24-year-old can translate his talent at the AHL level into a regular role with the Maple Leafs.
Steeves’ biggest asset is his ability to score all types of goals and provide a potent threat inside the dots. His skating and playmaking skills have evolved and improved over the last three years, but not so much that they stand out above the internal competition. Steeves is tenacious and clever along the boards, winning his fair share of puck battles in the AHL that way rather than laying booming hits, but he is no fabulous physical presence.
The other knock on Steeves has always been his play without the puck and decision-making defensively. He’ll need to clean up this area to make the jump.
The Minnesota native’s return on a show-me-deal makes sense for the organization and the player. Still, when all is said and done, Steeves is more of a middle-six winger with scoring potential than a prototypical fourth-line player, so it’s difficult to project his fit into the Leafs‘ jigsaw puzzle. He’s definitely among a group of fringe players for whom a brand-new coach and a fresh slate is a positive heading into the fall.
It would require a strong training camp, including an impressive exhibition campaign, to force the Leafs to keep Steeves on the roster for the home opener. He will need to clear waivers to be reassigned to the Marlies, which may affect the Leafs’ thinking depending on what happens with Nick Robertson—their only remaining RFA—and any additional roster transactions between now and opening night.
