Reviewing the Maple Leafs’ Strong 2024 Free Agent Class

In short, Tanev has been everything that the Maple Leafs had hoped for when they signed him to join his hometown team. It bears mentioning that Tanev will be 40 years of age by the end of the contract, opening the organization up to the risk of age-related decline. Optimistically, though, the combination of a rising salary cap and a defensive game that should age gracefully offers hope that even his $4.5 million cap hit will continue to yield value.

And if the first year of the deal can produce a deep playoff run, then Tanev may have already made good on his contract.

Anthony Stolarz

The Maple Leafs weren’t exactly in a position of power as they pursued goaltending help last summer. They were seeking an upgrade on Ilya Samsonov to pair alongside Joseph Woll, but didn’t have a multitude of options at their disposal. A thin free agent class offered little in the way of bona fide, established starters, which then also raised the cost of trade candidates like Jacob Markstrom (who was shipped to New Jersey for Kevin Bahl and the Devils’ 2025 first-round pick).

It’s funny to look back on now, but Anthony Stolarz was hardly a sure thing. Yes, he was fresh off posing sensational numbers for the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers (.925 save percentage, 2.03 goals-against average), but he did so while playing in just 27 games behind starter Sergei Bobrovsky (and starting zero playoff games). In fact, the 31-year-old arrived in Toronto having never started more than 24 games in his eight-year NHL career.

Suffice it to say, Treliving hit a home run with the Stolarz signing. The long-time backup netminder has carried his performance from last season over to this season, all the while taking on a larger role in tandem with Woll. He owns a 20-8-3 record with a .923 SV% and 2.21 GAA and appears poised to get the nod between the pipes in Game 1 of the Maple Leafs’ first round playoff series.

Because he hasn’t assumed a starter’s workload, it’s unlikely that Stolarz will merit Vezina consideration at season’s end. Yet, his numbers compare to just about any netminder this side of Connor Hellebuyck. If it is the likes of Hellebuyck and Andrei Vasilevskiy battling it out for the top goalie award after the season, consider that Hellebuyck earned $8.5 million for 2024-25, Vasilevskiy made $9.5 million, and Stolarz counted for $2.5 million against the cap.

You Might Also Like

Oliver Ekman-Larsson

On the same day as the Maple Leafs officially signed Tanev, they further bolstered their defence with the addition of Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The 33-year-old Swedish blueliner joined Stolarz (and, later in the summer, Steven Lorentz) as players who hoisted the Cup with the Panthers and brought that experience to Toronto.

The Ekman-Larsson that signed with the Maple Leafs was far removed from the offensive dynamo who recorded back-to-back 20-goal seasons with the Arizona Coyotes between 2014 and 2016. However, what the 15-year veteran has lost in the scoring department (he has only tallied four goals this season), he has made up for as a heady, responsible puck-mover who makes smart plays and is trusted by the coaching staff.

The trade deadline addition of Brandon Carlo moved Ekman-Larsson out of the top-four defensive mix and into more of a depth role, similar to where he stood during Florida’s Cup run last spring. Even still, the coaching staff has continued to entrust him to play significant minutes, typically alongside Simon Benoit. In fact, prior to missing the team’s two weekend games with an undisclosed injury, he had actually averaged a season-high 22:19 of ice time over four April games.

Ekman-Larsson still has three years left on a contract that pays him $3.5 million per season. That’s a lot of money for a fifth or sixth defenceman whose role only figures to decline as he continues to age. But we’ve seen the importance of carrying reliable defensive depth this season, and that’s precisely what he promises to offer moving forward.

Max Domi

Okay, so Treliving may not have a perfect record when it comes to his 2024 free agency efforts. While Max Domi’s poor performance this season hasn’t gotten in the way of the team’s overall success, it remains, nevertheless, a disastrous start to the four-year, $15 million contract he signed in the summer.

For the $3.75 million he is earning this season, Domi has managed a career-low of eight goals and only 33 points, which is on track to be his lowest total, save for the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season. A lack of chemistry with linemates, poor decision-making and an increase in giveaways have all contributed to earning Domi Jim Parsons’ dubious distinction of “Most Disappointing Maple Leaf” this season.

The bigger concern for the Maple Leafs organization is what Domi’s struggles mean moving forward, particularly with three years and $11.25 million left on his contract. There remains time for the 30-year-old to turn things around, but it’s unclear whether he’ll be given that chance in Toronto. Trading the son of Leafs legend Tie Domi wouldn’t be without obstacles, given his undesirable contract and 13-team no-trade clause. However, heading into an offseason where the club will need all the payroll flexibility they can muster, he could prove to be a $3.75 million cap impediment.

Depth Forward Signings

While Treliving and the Maple Leafs used free agency to primarily focus on goal prevention rather than goal-scoring (save for the Domi contract that currently looks misguided), they did solidify their forward corps with some depth moves.

Lorentz joined the fold immediately before the team’s regular season opener on a one-year, $775,000, and quickly made his mark as a high-energy fourth-line spark. Despite averaging a mere 10:28 of ice time, he sits second behind Benoit on the team in hits (195) while earning trust as a lineup staple with a clearly defined role. While he likely won’t be a high priority in an offseason in which Mitch Marner, John Tavares and Matthew Knies all need new contracts, the Maple Leafs would surely love to have him back.

Toronto also retained some of their own restricted free agents, including Connor Dewar, Alex Steeves and Nicholas Robertson. Dewar was traded after 31 low-impact appearances before finding some scoring touch in Pittsburgh, while Steeves enjoyed a history-making season with the Toronto Marlies but has yet to break through for full-time duty with the Maple Leafs. Robertson, meanwhile, engaged in a holdout and even put forward a trade demand before ultimately coming to terms on a one-year contract that has yielded a solid-but-unspectacular 14-goal, 21-point campaign.

Depth Defence and Goaltending Signings

The Maple Leafs have leaned on some of their back end depth throughout the season, perhaps never more so than in the past week that has seen McCabe and Ekman-Larsson sidelined with worrisome injuries. Philippe Myers has seen action in 34 games, the most play he’s seen at the NHL level since getting into 44 games with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2020-21. Dakota Mermis made his Toronto debut on Sunday at the tail end of a season in which he was signed, waived, picked up by Utah HC, waived again and made his way back into the Maple Leafs organization.

One depth defenceman who was expected to assume a regular role on Toronto’s blue line was Jani Hakanpaa. However, after health uncertainty put the veteran defender’s contract with the Maple Leafs into some kind of purgatory, he has proven those concerns to be entirely valid and has suited up for just two games.

Speaking of injury concerns, the Maple Leafs also re-signed Matt Murray as goaltending insurance behind Stolarz and Woll, opting to accept the bad (seeming inability to stay on the ice) to get the good (two Stanley Cups). Unfortunately, injury issues reared their ugly head again for Murray, relegating him to just two starts at the NHL level and 20 more with the Marlies. Despite boasting strong American Hockey League (AHL) numbers (.934 SV%, 1.71 GAA), Murray has seemingly been leapfrogged on the goaltending depth chart by Dennis Hildeby.

Treliving’s second foray into free agency with the Maple Leafs hasn’t been flawless, but it has been impressive. Tanev – and, to a lesser extent, Ekman-Larsson – has helped forge a newfound defensive identity for the club, which has been emphasized through a standout season by Stolarz, arguably one of the summer’s biggest steals league-wide. There are a number of factors that have helped Toronto to their current perch atop the Atlantic Division, but last summer’s free agent signings rank right up there with the Core Four and the arrival of Craig Berube.