As we approach the draft and free agency, we are breaking down options of potential interest to the Maple Leafs.
We have already worked through the top-six winger market, which represents a real path toward meaningful improvement. There are legitimate producers in that group who are capable of contributing near the top of the Leafs‘ forward group.
We can’t say the same about the center market. Like most years, this is an uninspiring free-agent class at center, and centers are traditionally difficult to acquire via trade unless you’re willing to pay a premium.
The Leafs currently have only two centers signed: Auston Matthews and John Tavares. Jacob Quillan is a pending RFA and will likely be in the mix, but his three points in 23 games — however much he was misused by the previous coaching staff (and he was) — don’t exactly provide much comfort.
Further, even if the Leafs want to move forward with Quillan in the opening-night lineup, what exactly would his role be? He is not strong in the faceoff circle (yet), he isn’t on the Marlies‘ top penalty-killing unit, and it’s hard to imagine trotting him out against players like Brayden Point, Nick Suzuki, Tage Thompson, and others in a genuine checking role.
If anything, I’d suggest deploying Quillan in a more offensive, sheltered role if he’s going to be in the lineup, to see if he can chip in some offense. He’ll have to earn that opportunity, though. It shouldn’t simply be waiting for him without competition next season.
Ultimately, that means the Leafs need to find two centers: one checking-type center and one more offensively inclined option. In a perfect world, they find a way to trade for a potential or established top-six center who pushes John Tavares into not necessarily a traditional third-line role, but a heavily offensive role alongside players like Easton Cowan or potentially Gavin McKenna.
The Leafs won’t solve that problem in free agency. There are, however, some potential checking-center options available, along with one player who can reasonably contribute offensively if you trust him to stay healthy.
This exercise really underscored the need for the Leafs to get creative in the trade market. Perhaps, though, they can use free agency to fill one of those holes.
Jason Dickinson
2025-26 season: 64 games, 7 goals, 17 points, 15:32 TOI per game, 48.05 CF%, 46.8 xGF%
2026 Playoffs: 4 games, 2 goals, 3 points, 12:14 TOI per game
AFP Projected Contract: 4 x $5.05M
Level of interest: Moderate — like the player, worried about the contract
Things to like
Dickinson is a speedy center who has graded out very well for years in both shot and chance suppression, making him one of the better defensive centers in the league. He is also an excellent penalty killer.
Last season, the Leafs used Auston Matthews in a matchup role for much of the year. Dickinson would help alleviate some of that defensive burden and, with his speed, you wouldn’t be too concerned about playing him alongside a slower but defensively responsible winger like Dakota Joshua. That could form two-thirds of a matchup line that you would feel comfortable deploying on a nightly basis.
The other centers on this list are either not good enough defensively or too slow for me to feel all that comfortable building a true matchup third line around them. They profile more as fourth-line centers or players better suited to different roles.
Dickinson sits in that sweet spot. He’s good enough defensively, fast enough to keep up, and capable of handling 14-15 minutes per night.
Causes for concern
Dickinson is very limited offensively, and he’s likely going to command significant money because quality centers are always in demand.
He has only reached double-digit goals once in his career — when he “exploded” for 22 — and has topped 30 points just twice. I can live with that because I think he’s good enough defensively to provide a meaningful impact, and the Leafs were awful defensively last season.
That said, some of the numbers getting thrown around are massive. AFP’s projection of four years at over $5 million per season is a hefty commitment for a player who probably won’t even score 10 goals annually.
It’s a premium position, and Dickinson is a bona fide NHL center who provides plus value on half the ice. Still, there is real risk in giving that type of contract to a player with limited offensive upside who is about to turn 31.
He’s also a career 47.6 percent faceoff man and has never posted a season above 50 percent (he did hit exactly 50 percent once). Personally, I prefer checking centers who are strong in the faceoff circle.
Kevin Stenlund
2025-26 season: 80 games, 4 goals, 18 points, 14:29 TOI per game, 46.68 CF%, 42.55 xGF%
2026 Playoffs: 6 games, 1 goal, 1 point, 14:48 TOI per game
AFP Projected Contract: 2 x $1.46M
Level of interest: Moderate to high — good price tag, fills a major need as a right-shot center
Things to like
Stenlund is a prototypical bottom-six center and the only option on this list who shoots right while also carrying the lowest projected term and salary. That’s ultimately what makes him appealing.
The Leafs have two left-shot centers, and their main viable prospects are also left shots. Ideally, you have someone on the right side who can take critical faceoffs while also serving as an effective penalty killer and checker — all things Stenlund can do.
He is a career 53.9 percent faceoff man and won 54.2 percent of his draws last season, despite taking just 32.09 percent of his faceoffs in the offensive zone.
He’s turning 30 later this year, a prime age. He has played more than 350 NHL games, won a Stanley Cup with Florida while appearing in every playoff game and averaging a respectable 11:17 per night, and is a professional checking center who understands exactly what he is as a player.
The Leafs need someone capable of handling this type of role to ease the defensive burden higher in the lineup. John Tavares and Auston Matthews ranked first and second on the team in defensive-zone faceoffs last season, and that really shouldn’t be the case.
Stenlund was teammates with Steven Lorentz in Florida, and the pair played more than 150 minutes together at five-on-five. Their underlying numbers were solid, although they were outscored 10-2. Still, I think there’s enough there to envision the two forming part of a reasonable defensive-zone line that can grind, kill time, and set the table for the team’s more talented units.
And they could accomplish that on a contract with virtually no long-term ramifications.
Causes for concern
Stenlund is fine for what he is, but he isn’t a needle mover. He’s serviceable.
While he’s competent defensively and on the penalty kill, I wouldn’t describe him as a high-end matchup center by any means. He also offers very little offensively, having surpassed 18 points just once in his career, and he’s not particularly fast.
We’ll say it repeatedly throughout this series: you can’t get faster if you don’t bring in faster players.
Scott Laughton
2025-26 season: 64 games, 13 goals, 20 points, 14:21 TOI per game, 43.94 CF%, 48.36 xGF%
2026 Playoffs: 4 games, 0 goals, 0 points, 16:27 TOI per game
AFP Projected Contract: 3 x $4.1M
Level of interest: Moderate — like the player, worried about the contract
Things to like
Leafs fans are obviously familiar with Laughton at this point.
He is a very good penalty killer and a decent checking center who can chip in some offense. Unlike Jason Dickinson, he isn’t nearly as strong defensively at five-on-five, but he does offer more offensively.
I also think Laughton was misused in Toronto. After arriving in Los Angeles, he played more than two additional minutes per game and saw his production increase, more in line with his career norms in Philadelphia. He is capable of being a top-nine forward rather than the pure fourth-line role Craig Berube deployed him in.
This past season, I wish we had seen more of a sample of Laughton alongside Dakota Joshua. They played just over 61 minutes together at five-on-five with an offensive-zone faceoff percentage below 11 percent and a 52.43 expected-goals percentage.
It’s far too small a sample to draw meaningful conclusions from, but stylistically, the pair makes sense to me as a decent grinding line similar to the one we outlined with Dickinson. The difference is that they should be more capable of contributing offensively, but they won’t be as strong defensively.
Causes for concern
While I understand the cap is rising and centers remain a premium position, I think AFP’s projection is too rich for a 32-year-old Scott Laughton.
His production has trended toward the mid-20-point range in recent seasons, and he isn’t much of a play driver. That profiles more as a fourth-line center who is being paid like a third-line center, if he’s not chipping in steady offense or driving play but is solid defensively.
As noted above, he is capable of performing like a top-nine forward, but that may be more true on the wing than at center.
The Leafs need centers. What they absolutely do not need right now are more left wingers.
Boone Jenner
2025-26 season: 67 games, 13 goals, 38 points, 16:05 TOI per game, 51.47 CF%, 51.35 xGF%
AFP Projected Contract: 3 x $5.2M
Level of interest: Low — don’t mind the player, worried about the contract
Things to like
Jenner is the only player on this list with some real offensive juice. His 421 points in 808 career games separate him from the rest of the group. On paper, that makes him the only realistic free-agent option listed here who could potentially center a player like Easton Cowan next season.
That isn’t to suggest it’s an ideal situation, but rather that Jenner can still contribute enough offensively to complement a young skilled player. If the Leafs want to create three legitimate scoring lines, Jenner probably offers the best chance of adding a center who can help them accomplish that goal through free agency. Lining up Jenner with Cowan or even Gavin McKenna in that role on a third has some appeal — enough that he received a mention here.
Right now, the Leafs simply don’t have the three centers required to accomplish that goal, and it’s difficult to identify obvious trade solutions.
Jenner isn’t a burner, but he’s a slightly above-average skater who plays with physicality and edge. He’s also a highly respected “character” player who serves as Columbus’ captain, so there is some appeal in having a young player learn alongside him.
When healthy, Jenner has generally remained an effective player. Over the past two seasons, he has outscored opponents 17-14 at five-on-five against elite competition, according to PuckIQ.
Causes for concern
Jenner hasn’t played more than 68 games in a season since 2019-20. As we always say, the best ability is availability, and Jenner simply hasn’t been available often enough. He’s also not a full-time center at this point, having spent considerable time on the wing.
While there have reportedly been discussions about remaining in Columbus, there has also been plenty of speculation that he’s seeking the type of long-term deal the Blue Jackets are unwilling to offer their own captain. That speaks volumes about their fears regarding the term, especially given his injury history. The Blue Jackets chose to commit to Charlie Coyle instead.
You can also legitimately question whether Jenner is really a center anymore. He took just 380 faceoffs last season. For reference, Max Domi took 431 despite spending months on Auston Matthews’ wing.
If Jenner is more of a winger than a center at this stage, it’s a non-starter. I’d take any of the top-six winger options from our first article over him.
Teddy Blueger
2025-26 season: 35 games, 9 goals, 17 points, 16:31 TOI per game, 43.79 CF%, 41.92 xGF%
AFP Projected Contract: 3 x $2.7M
Level of interest: Fallback option
Things to like
Blueger is a no-frills fourth-line center capable of handling a traditional fourth-line role. He can take defensive-zone faceoffs, contribute on the penalty kill, and absorb some difficult matchup minutes — a theme we’ve discussed repeatedly throughout this piece.
Blueger also brings some speed and is an above-average skater. Similar to Stenlund, you can envision a defensive-minded fourth line featuring Steven Lorentz alongside him. The difference is that Blueger is projected to earn more money, shoots left, and is two years older.
Causes for concern
Blueger is a limited player. He’s about to turn 32, has played more than 450 NHL games, and has never recorded a double-digit goal season or surpassed 28 points. He is a career 50 percent faceoff man and finished below that mark last season, which again isn’t ideal for a checking center.
He’s essentially fine for what he is, and that’s a description that isn’t all that different from David Kampf.
Can he stop-gap a bottom-six checking role? Absolutely.
Can he do much beyond that? Probably not.
So the question becomes whether that’s worth pursuing for the Leafs. At AFP’s projected contract, probably not. If his market is cold and the contractual term comes down, however, he could make sense in a fourth-line role.
