Maple Leafs Should Offer Sheet Stars Forward

The Toronto Maple Leafs have overhauled their front office. They are in the process of overhauling the coaching staff. So, since the team is in the midst of shaking things up, why not do something else to shock the hockey world?

Toronto’s new general manager, John Chayka, is known for being unconventional. So, he seems like the perfect GM to throw out an offer sheet this offseason to a pending restricted free agent (RFA). For Chayka, he can put the rest of the NHL on notice that he’ll do anything and everything to make the Maple Leafs better.

The fun part is finding the right player who can help your team without incurring a high cost in compensation. Puckpedia.com released the offer sheet tiers. These are the 2027 draft picks a team would have to give up based on how much annual average value (AAV) a player is given through an offer sheet.

Any amount higher than $11,939,167 in AAV will require a team to surrender four 1st Round picks. If the offer falls between $9,551,333 and $11,939,166, it will cost a team two 1st-round picks, a 2nd-round pick, and a 3rd-round pick. An offer between $7,163,499 and $9,551,332 will cost one pick in each of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd rounds. Compensation for anything between $4,775,667 and $7,163,498 is a 1st and 3rd round pick. An offer made between $2,387,833 and $4,775,666 requires giving up a 2nd round pick. Offering an AAV between $1,575,970 and $2,387,832 will cost a 3rd round pick. Any offer equal to or lower than $1,575,969 doesn’t cost anything.

Maple Leafs Should Offer Sheet Dallas Stars Forward

The Dallas Stars are a team that is tight for salary cap space. Their number one priority this offseason is re-signing star forward Jason Robertson. He had an AAV of $7.75 million on his last contract. Re-signing him is going to use up almost all of the Stars’ cap space.

This means that young forward Mavrik Bourque could be available for the taking. The Maple Leafs could send Bourque an offer sheet of $4.775 million, and it’s unlikely that the Stars could match the offer. Surrendering a 2nd round pick to Dallas for Bourque through an offer sheet is cheaper than the cost of trading for his rights.

Bourque registered 20 goals and 21 assists for 41 points in 82 games this past season. The 24-year-old center could help Toronto become younger and faster while also supplying secondary scoring. It is known that the Maple Leafs are looking for a 2nd line or 3rd line center this offseason. Bourque could address that need up front.

The 30th overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft is coming off a deal with a cap hit of $950,000. It would be hard for him to say no to an offer just over $4.7 million. Does Toronto’s new GM have the guts to make such a bold move? I think he does.

Offer sheets can only be extended between July 1st and December 1st. Once an RFA signs an offer sheet, his original team has seven days to match or decline the offer.