While the NHL Draft is still between us and the opening of free agency, the offseason is already moving fast and furious in Toronto, where new GM John Chayka has already completed two significant transactions at the defense and goaltending positions. Before the ground shifts further, let’s jump into some free agent forward targets I have my eye on as possible fits in Toronto.
Last year, we broke down free agency by tiers regardless of position. This summer’s class isn’t particularly loaded at the top, so we’re going with a slightly different approach: We’ll break things down by position, including top-six wingers, centers, bottom-six forwards, and defensemen.
Before we get into the free agents themselves, it’s important to evaluate the options against the current state of the Leafs‘ roster.
At this point, we’ll consider Max Domi as an LTIR player until further notice and exclude him from the conversation. We can also reasonably assume the Leafs will select one of Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg. For our purposes, the important detail is that either player projects as a left winger. While you can argue that certain wingers, including those two, can play on the right side, the forward depth chart currently looks something like this based on natural position and handedness:
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Knies | Auston Matthews | William Nylander |
| Gavin McKenna/Ivar Stenberg | John Tavares | |
| Easton Cowan | Jacob Quillan (RFA) | |
| Dakota Joshua | ||
| Steven Lorentz | ||
| Bo Groulx | ||
| Matias Maccelli (RFA) | ||
| Nick Robertson (RFA) |
Yes, the Leafs can move left wingers over to the right side. They will likely have little choice. That said, from a roster-building perspective, I wouldn’t approach this group planning to place two or three left shots on their off-wing. Good teams with any sort of structure will exploit it. The Leafs clearly need to inject more right shots into this roster.
Further, while you can argue the Leafs already have a talented top six in place if they simply move Easton Cowan to the right side — where he has played and performed fine — the idea of entering a season with an 18-year-old rookie in the top six, alongside a 21-year-old who just posted 29 points in 66 games as a rookie, feels like a good time to remind everyone that hope is not a plan.
A proper top-six winger who can push a talented young player down to the third line is a good problem to have, not something that should be avoided.
This Leafs team genuinely lacked talent and skill last season. Just because they are about to receive an injection of both courtesy of the draft doesn’t mean they should stop there. They must keep adding talent to the group.
I should also note that while we’ll cover centers in a separate article — it’s a clear organizational need — I don’t consider any of this year’s UFA centers to be legitimate top-six options. As a result, this article will focus exclusively on top-six wingers.
Top-Six Wingers
Viktor Arvidsson
2025-26 season: 69 games, 25 goals, 54 points, 14:36 TOI per game, 50.09 CF%, 48.15 xGF%
2026 Playoffs: 4 games, 2 goals, 2 points, 11:21 TOI per game
AFP Projected Contract: 2 x $4.91M
Level of interest: High — he fills a major need as a right-shot top-six forward, and the term fits with the current group.
Things to Like
Admittedly, I’m a big fan of Arvidsson’s, and he checks a lot of boxes relative to the Leafs’ needs. As noted, the lack of right-shot forwards throughout the organization is glaring. Arvidsson is a quality right-shot winger with a proven track record of top-six production, and he shouldn’t require an onerous contract.
The AFP projection is fair, but even if it required a bit of a premium to get the deal done — say, 2 x $5.5 million — it wouldn’t be a major issue. The Leafs have cap space, and he’ll be worth that money if he can stay healthy.
As for the player himself, he had a strong season with Boston. While his 14.3 percent shooting percentage was the second-highest mark of his career, he has scored at a higher per-game rate four other times and produced more points in two other seasons. He also matched his career-best 0.78 points-per-game pace. In other words, this wasn’t a career year by any means.
Arvidsson formed a highly productive line alongside Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt. That trio recorded a team-high 42 goals at five-on-five. Zacha scored a career-high 30 goals, smashing his previous best of 21, and Arvidsson assisted on 12 of them. For me, he’s a big reason why Zacha reached that milestone.
Arvidsson has been a positive play-driving winger for virtually his entire career, and he’s not a liability defensively. That makes him a versatile option you can move throughout the lineup.
I can envision him playing anywhere in the Leafs’ top nine, whether that’s alongside Matthews and Knies, with Tavares so Nylander can move up to Matthews’ line, or even on a third line with Cowan. I like all of those possibilities on paper, and while some may not work out in practice, they are all realistic options. On a short-term deal, there’s very little risk.
Additionally, there is familiarity with new head coach Jim Hiller from their shared time in LA, where Arvidsson was quite productive overall.
Causes for Concern
To some extent, Arvidsson already went through this scenario when he signed with Edmonton a few years ago. In his lone season there, he posted just 27 points in 67 games before he was effectively given away the following summer. Some of that was probably an overreaction. He still scored 15 goals, and he was obviously much better in Boston. Edmonton, meanwhile, was a bit of a mess throughout last season.
At 33, however, Arvidsson is much closer to the end of his career than the beginning, so you run the risk of him hitting a wall at any point.
Arvidsson is undersized and, while slippery, he’s not exactly a speed demon. In some ways, that’s actually encouraging because his game has never relied heavily on speed. On the other hand, if you’re going to be small, ideally, you’re also fast.
Most importantly, Arvidsson has played more than 70 games in a season just twice over the last nine years. He’s a good player, and his size has never prevented him from succeeding, but health is a legitimate concern, and he’s getting older. The best ability remains availability, and he’s struggled in that department throughout his career.
Alex Tuch
2025-26 season: 79 games, 33 goals, 66 points, 19:00 TOI per game, 51.07 CF%, 51.86 xGF%
2026 Playoffs: 13 games, 4 goals, 7 points, 20:33 TOI per game
AFP Projected Contract: 7 x $10.11M
Level of interest: High on the player, low on the contract. It depends entirely on the market.
Things to Like
Other than Arvidsson, Tuch is really the only bona fide top-six right-shot forward available unless you want to consider Claude Giroux — which seems unlikely — or Jack Roslovic, which I wouldn’t (the Leafs need to get better defensively, not worse).
Over the last two seasons, Tuch is tied with Steven Stamkos and John Tavares for 23rd in the NHL in goals with 69. He’s a legitimate first-line-calibre winger and one of the few quality right-shot forwards available.
Tuch drives play effectively, using his 6-foot-4 frame to protect pucks and his soft hands to make plays off the cycle. He also does the vast majority of his damage at five-on-five and on the penalty kill.
Tuch recorded just nine power-play points last season, which actually has some appeal. You don’t need to force-feed him first-unit power-play minutes. For a team that already has locks like Matthews, Nylander, and probably Knies occupying those spots, that’s valuable.
Tuch is similar to Arvidsson in that he can play throughout your lineup, except he’s simply better across the board. He can handle difficult head-to-head assignments, and you’d almost certainly want him alongside Matthews on a high-end first line.
The domino effect would create all sorts of possibilities. You could justify almost any left winger on the opposite side because both Matthews and Tuch are strong defensively. You could drop Tuch down a line to drive offense elsewhere while building a more attack-oriented line around Matthews and Nylander.
You could also spread Matthews, Tuch, Nylander, Knies, and Tavares across three lines while using Cowan and the first-overall pick to round things out. Suddenly, the Leafs would have a loaded forward group.
Causes for Concern
On paper, Tuch is a tremendous fit. The problem is that he’d be a tremendous fit for many teams, which is exactly why he’ll command a massive contract.
On one hand, the Leafs have made it clear they’re trying to win right now. If that’s truly the case, shouldn’t you simply pay for a very good player who will immediately improve your team?
On the other hand, if he’s potentially making eight figures on a long-term deal shortly after turning 30, are you locking yourself into a contract that won’t age particularly well?
The cap hit won’t be a problem in the short term. Tuch remains an excellent player, and the Leafs have plenty of cap space. The concern comes later. Paying a massive cap hit during his age-34, age-35, and beyond seasons could become problematic.
Some will point to his second-round performance against Montreal, in which he recorded zero points over seven games. That obviously isn’t acceptable from a big-ticket player, but these things sometimes happen. Mark Stone got skunked by Montreal in the conference final during the COVID season. Two years later, he won the Stanley Cup.
Meanwhile, Tuch had seven points in six games against Boston in Round 1 and was one of Buffalo’s best players in that series. He’s reached a Stanley Cup Final and two other conference finals. I’m not overly concerned about one poor series.
What I do find noteworthy is that while Tuch is a legitimate goal scorer — with 33 or more goals in three of his last four seasons — he’s topped 67 points only once.
Nik Ehlers was in a similar situation coming out of Winnipeg, and Carolina focused heavily on the underlying five-on-five impacts. The difference is that Ehlers signed for $8.5 million per season.
If Tuch lands somewhere in the $10-11 million range, that’s a lot of money for a player who isn’t that productive.
Mats Zuccarello
2025–26 season: 59 games, 15 goals, 54 points, 18:39 TOI per game, 49.97 CF%, 54.99 xGF%
2026 Playoffs: 8 games, 2 goals, 9 points, 18:22 TOI per game
AFP Projected Contract: 1 x $5.82M
Level of interest: Moderate to high if he only needs a one-year deal
Things to like:
Zuccarello is turning 39 this fall, and while I’m generally not in the habit of paying players at that age, it seems he’s flying a bit under the radar because of it. Zuccarello was one of the most productive UFAs available, finishing tied for seventh in UFA scoring despite only playing 59 games. I assumed he was returning to Minnesota, but that hasn’t materialized yet, and there have been reports that Minnesota might be trying to save space for a center instead.
The general argument for Zuccarello is pretty simple: on a one-year deal, he is a good veteran to play in the top six and give Cowan and/or the first overall pick time to develop down the lineup rather than being thrown into the fire. Paying big dollars for one year is a low-risk swing for the Leafs. Anything beyond a year is a non-starter.
On the ice, Zuccarello is a strong passer who can play with elite players, and he can play either wing. He would make sense alongside Knies and Matthews as a facilitator for both players, someone who can hold the puck while they get open and find them through seams. He was also a key cog in Minnesota’s third-ranked power play this season. The Leafs have generally had a strong power play and plenty of talent already, but they did finish 15th this past season.
While Zuccarello is small, he has a notoriously long stick and is heavy on it. Stylistically, he’s quite different from many of the Leafs’ smaller players with his ability to hold pucks and make plays for teammates, along with a minor ability to irritate opponents. He has a gamer quality to him and has played in another big market in New York, where he also performed very well.
As a minor note, he’s also a career 43 percent shooter in the shootout.
Causes for concern:
Anytime you sign a player who is 39, there’s concern he could fall off at any point. Over the past three seasons, he has played 69 games twice and 59 games last season, so the likelihood of getting a full season out of him is slim at this point. Zuccarello’s size isn’t the issue—he’s been a very good player for a long time—but his speed has clearly declined. It won’t necessarily hinder his ability to produce, but if the goal is to play fast and you’re adding slower, aging players, that becomes difficult to balance.
Bobby McMann
2025–26 season: 78 games, 29 goals, 46 points, 15:56 TOI per game, 46.84 CF%, 45.45 xGF%
AFP Projected Contract: 4 x $5.3M
Level of interest: Moderate to high, given he’s one of the younger UFAs and also one of the fastest
Things to like:
There’s proof of concept with McMann—he has worked through the Leafs’ system and become an effective player over the past few seasons. There’s something to be said for pre-built confidence in a player’s ability to fit within the group, especially in this market.
Over the past few seasons, McMann has developed into a 20-goal player. In Toronto, he has shown well up and down the lineup, including an extended stint on the Leafs’ top line last season where he didn’t look out of place. He also spent notable time with William Nylander, where he fit in well, and he helped drive a third line away from the Leafs’ top players. He is one of the fastest wingers in the league, and if I were the Leafs, I would be interested in adding more speed to the group.
The rumoured contract might sound dicey at first glance, but with the increased cap, it’s barely five percent of the cap—reasonable value for a prime-age player who is already proven and can play up and down the top nine in all situations.
Causes for concern:
McMann is coming off a contract year, which always carries risk. Over his first two seasons with the Leafs, he shot 12.2 percent; last season, he shot 15.8. He’s more of a 20-goal player than a 30-goal player, and you have to be careful not to overpay someone who is more of a middle-six forward than a true top-six winger.
Given the weak market, he’s the exact type of player who can draw a bidding war and land an inflated contract. At the AFP projection, it’s palatable, but if the term creeps to five years and the salary is closer to $6M, it becomes too much for what he is.
Mason Marchment
2025–26 season: 68 games, 19 goals, 45 points, 17:22 TOI per game, 51 CF%, 53.47 xGF%
AFP Projected Contract: 3 x $5.67M
Level of interest: Fallback option — there are better fits out there, but at some point you just need good players, and he is a good player.
Things to like:
Marchment is a solid offensive top-six winger, and the Leafs need more scoring talent—it’s as simple as that. Over the past three seasons, he has scored between 19 and 22 goals and produced between 45 and 53 points. He’s 6-foot-5 and does a lot of damage at the front of the net, where he has soft hands and is a decent finisher.
If we’re working off the AFP projection, a three-year deal is not prohibitive for a player about to turn 31—he should have a few good seasons left, and he has been fairly consistent throughout his career.
Stylistically, he’s interesting because while he’s 6-foot-5, he’s not overly physical and hasn’t had a fight in the league since 2024. Still, he is very involved in games and can get under opponents’ skin at times, including the occasional dive or bit of theatrics.
He is more of an offensive winger than a two-way player suited for tough matchups, but adding him to a softer scoring line with John Tavares could allow the Leafs to move a player like William Nylander around more freely. Last season, they simply weren’t deep enough to do that consistently.
A solid-scoring winger like Marchment would give them the flexibility to shift other players around.
Causes for concern:
Marchment is one of the slower players in the league, so if the goal is to get faster, he doesn’t help in that regard. You can live with that if he uses his size physically, but he doesn’t really do that, either. I don’t think you could play him with a Cowan or a first-overall pick and expect him to protect them—that’s not his game.
I’d also have some concern about adding him to a forward group that already includes Dakota Joshua and Steven Lorentz. How many big, plodding, not-that-physical wingers can one team carry?
Marchment is likely to command a notable deal with term. There are other players I’d prioritize for that kind of commitment, but at some point, you do need to add offensive production and talent.
Michael Bunting
2025–26 season: 74 games, 14 goals, 33 points, 14:26 TOI per game, 51.9 CF%, 53.1 xGF%
2026 Playoffs: 1 game, 0 goals, 1 point, 9:11 TOI
AFP Projected Contract: 4 x $5.8M
Level of interest: Fallback option
Things to like:
It is probably a tad generous calling Michael Bunting a top-six forward, but he still generally produces and has the skill to play there. He is similar to Mason Marchment in that regard, although Marchment is probably a slightly better player, while Bunting has the advantage of having already played for the Leafs.
In his three seasons since leaving Toronto, Bunting scored 19 goals twice and 14 goals once. While everyone is now three years older, Bunting was very productive alongside Matthews as a forechecker and net-front presence, just skilled enough to make plays. That wasn’t solely with Mitch Marner on the other side, either. Over his two seasons with the Leafs, the line of Bunting–Matthews–Nylander played over 500 minutes together and outscored opponents 33–19, tilting the ice and scoring-chance share in the process.
Bunting also remains very good at drawing penalties—he tied for 25th in the league in drawn penalties, and his +17 penalty differential was sixth overall. I don’t always appreciate his antics, but for a Leafs team that finished fourth-last in drawn penalties, that’s a meaningful upside.
While Bunting has his warts (which we get into below), the reality is this: Auston Matthews was not himself last season. Whether that’s coaching, injuries, linemates, or a combination of factors, depending on how other options pan out, you could do worse than reuniting him with a player he has previously had success with.
Causes for concern:
The proposed contract for Bunting by AFP is quite rich. I’d rate every other player listed here ahead of him, yet he’s projected for one of the more expensive deals.
Bunting is still solid offensively, but he’s never been particularly strong defensively, which limits his usage. If he’s playing with Matthews, you likely need to shelter that line to some degree rather than using them as a head-to-head matchup line.
That raises the question: Why not simply play younger players at that price point? Bunting is better framed as insurance—useful if prospects don’t hit—but for options within the lineup, it’s a steep drop-off to go from Easton Cowan on the skill side to Dakota Joshua and Steven Lorentz after that.
Bunting’s antics also grew tiresome during his time in Toronto, and they have seemingly followed him since—he’s been traded three times in three seasons since leaving the Leafs. That always raises some red flags.
