3 free agents the Toronto Maple Leafs should still sign

After a flurry of signings on July 1, the market has finally calmed down. Even after the rush, many solid players remain unsigned. The Maple Leafs have already brought in the likes of Jack Roslovic, Colton Sissons, Darren Raddysh, and Sergei Bobrovsky. All of these signings indicate that the Leafs are gearing up for another playoff run. With Gavin McKenna joining the team, the Leafs will be in a great position to start the new season. However, should they attempt to sign any other free agents to bolster the team?

Let’s review some potential options.

Eeli Tolvanen, Forward

Another scoring forward that the Leafs could add is Eeli Tolvanen. The Finnish forward had a tough time breaking into the NHL with the Nashville Predators. However, he really found his footing in Seattle and started to establish himself as a solid NHLer. Through 78 games last year with the Kraken, Tolvanen scored only 12 goals and 36 points. This was easily an underwhelming stat line for him, but in all fairness, he was playing for the Kraken. That team lacks star power, and Tolvanen needs star talent around him to produce.

One of the most electric parts of Tolvanen’s game is his shot. He has an absolute cannon of a slapshot, which could be a great secondary weapon behind Matthews. Tolvanen’s career high in goals is 23, but I think he could easily break that while playing for the Leafs. Tolvanen could also slide into the top-six, bumping Easton Cowan or Jack Roslovic to the third line. His last deal was two years with a salary just under four million, which is also affordable.

Eeli Tolvanen? More like Eeli SCOREvanen!

The Finn scores to pull the #SeaKraken within one and it's a

power
play
goal! pic.twitter.com/XSLNjW5Ywb

— 𝘿𝙖𝙫𝙮 𝙅𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨' 𝙇𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙧 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙢 (@DavyJonesLR) January 20, 2026

Michael Bunting, Forward

The last interesting forward I could see the Leafs pursuing is former Leaf Michael Bunting. Bunting spent two seasons with the Maple Leafs, which were the best of his career so far. The Leafs signed him after the forward showed promise in the Arizona Coyotes organization. This led to a huge breakout season in 2021–22. During this season, Bunting recorded 23 goals and 60 points. This was a spectacular season, followed by a solid 2022–23 campaign. Here, Bunting repeated a 23-goal season, but only recorded 49 points. Either way, he was a very solid middle-six scorer.

I could see the Leafs as a good landing spot for Bunting, although I do not think it will happen. He is another middle-six forward whom the Leafs have a lot of. The Leafs have already signed the likes of Roslovic and Sissons and acquired Nick Paul. These guys will likely be part of the middle-six moving forward. Bunting will likely sign somewhere for a cheap deal, especially considering that he is still unsigned.

Nick Blankenburg, Defence

The lone defenceman on this list is Nick Blankenburg. The undrafted defenceman has played on three NHL teams in his career and remains a current UFA. I think that this could be one of the players that the Leafs should pursue. Blankenburg could serve as a solid third-line defenceman and will be affordable to bring in. He made just 775K per season on his latest two-year deal. This is the kind of contract the Leafs could afford to bring in with so little cap space.

I think Blankenburg could be a good addition just to have as an extra option. With Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Chris Tanev getting older, who knows how injuries could affect them (mostly concerned with Tanev on that). Blankenburg could be an extra right-handed defenceman to take over. Stecher is not the greatest option in my opinion. He has his inconsistencies and struggles to find a full-time NHL role. On top of all this, who knows how well Emil Andrae will fit in. All of this must be in John Chayka’s mind before the season begins.

Do you think the Leafs should snag any of these UFAs? Or is the roster pretty much set?