- Dmitry Chesnokov: Maple Leafs RFA winger Leo Komarov: “Won’t hide it – I’ve held negotiations with Dynamo , but I’m waiting for an offer from Toronto.”
- Luke Fox of SportsNet: Maple Leafs defenseman Carl Gunnarsson made $1.35 million last season and will be a RFA.
“The ball is in their court right now, so they got to get it moving,” Gunnarsson says of the Leafs, who have seven unrestricted and seven restricted free agents to figure out this summer. “The four years I’ve had here have been great. We’ll see what they want from me next year. I haven’t thought about what I want.”
Gunnarsson will meet with agent this week and go over their plan.
- Jeff Simmons of SportsNet: The Leafs have a current projected cap room of $19,495,833 according to CapGeek.com. They have to decide if they want to re-sign UFA Tyler Bozak, and if so, how much do they want to commit to him. They need to re-sign RFAs Nazem Kadri and Cody Franson. Kadri could be a tough sign.
UFAs: Clarke MacArthur future as a Leaf is up in the air after a disappointing regular season. Colton Orr showed improvement this season. Tim Connolly is gone. Ryan Hamilton could return with the Marlies. The Leafs will likely look for an upgrade on Ryan O’Bryne. Mike Kostka could be back as an No. 7 option.
RFAs: Joe Colborne is still a project but could be an eventual Bozak fill-in. Leo Komarov is a nice bottom-six piece. Frazer McLaren is a Carlyle favorite but easily replaced. Reliable Carl Gunnarsson should be back. Mark Fraser performed well but future unclear.
Free Agent Fits: Devils right winger David Clarkson would give the Leafs some size in their top-six. If the Leafs don’t re-sign Bozak, Mike Ribeiro could be a nice fit between Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul. Defenseman Rob Scuderi would bring the Leafs blueline some toughness and experience.
