Free agency has been very hit-or-miss for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Auston Matthews era. Some of their best players have come from the open market, but they’ve also had to send players away, with very valuable picks attached, just to rid themselves of bad contracts.
We already covered the worst deals in recent memory, where we remembered the disaster that was the 2021 offseason, but things aren’t all bad. Mostly value signings, the Leafs have found some diamonds in the rough in the past few years.
It’s always a good sign when a signee gets a big raise when they hit free agency again, and that seems to happen a lot with Toronto.
So without further ado, let’s get into the best Leafs free agent signings of the Matthews era.
Michael Bunting
Year Signed: 2021
Contract Details: Two years, $950k AAV
After the departure of Zach Hyman, Kyle Dubas was on a mission to find his replacement. With the Nick Ritchie experiment failing miserably, his next gamble was on former Soo Greyhound Michael Bunting.
Bunting had only played 26 NHL games before coming to Toronto, potting 11 goals and 3 assists, but clearly the Leafs saw something in him, and it worked beautifully.
Immediately finding chemistry with Matthews and Mitch Marner, Bunting scored 63 points in 79 games in his first full season. He knew how to play with the stars, doing the dirty work while also playmaking and feeding them pucks. With Matthews especially, the connection was special.
And the best part of this deal was getting it at two years. A sub-$1M gamble on a depth forward isn’t uncommon, but adding the second year gave the Leafs another season of incredible value, where Bunting scored another 23 goals and 49 points.
Bunting priced himself out of Toronto, playing well enough to earn a three-year, $4.5M AAV with the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2023 offseason. Once again, it’s a great sign when a player leaves with a massive raise, and that’s exactly what happened with Bunting.
For two years, the Leafs had a top-line forward making under $1M. That’s a steal of a deal no matter how you slice it.
John Tavares
Year Signed: 2018
Contract Details: Seven years, $11M AAV
Yeah, I know. The John Tavares deal hasn’t been the best in terms of pure value, and is looking worse every year as the centre ages, but this is a deal the Leafs would still make again in a heartbeat.
Tavares signing with the Leafs was the beginning of a new era. It signalled the franchise was ready to win, and Tavares has done his part.
In his first season in blue and white, Tavares scored a career-high 47 goals and 88 points. He’s scored 23 goals in 62 playoff games, including some massive ones in massive games (including the pick play).
His play has dipped, for sure, but throughout his time in Toronto Tavares has been a top-of-the-league faceoff guy, scored a ton of goals, and been the captain of the biggest franchise in the league. His production was elite for the vast majority of the contract, and even with a dip in play last year, he’s still producing like a great second line centre.
No, the Tavares deal is not the best in the league, or even close to it. But he’s played up to his contract, and will hopefully sign a cheap extension soon. Tavares has represented Toronto well and should be celebrated in the city.
T.J. Brodie
Year Signed: 2020
Contract Details: Four years, $5M AAV
Though the last year of this deal was a bit of a disaster, the first three years did more than enough to justify T.J. Brodie’s spot on this list.
Brodie was the best defensive defenceman the Leafs have had in the Matthews era, and gave Morgan Rielly his best partner, too.
He was absolutely shutdown, helping the Leafs transform from a fast-paced, high-event team to a slower, defensively focused one. Brodie logged the most minutes on the team, played an exceptional penalty kill, and chipped in some decent playmaking as well.
He never scored in the playoffs, but was a key part of postseason rosters and one of the only Leafs who didn’t perennially underperform in the postseason.
His shot-blocking and overall defensive game is something the Leafs are trying to replicate with Chris Tanev, and it will be a challenge for anyone to live up to prime Brodie’s defensive measures. He was that good.
