Toronto Maple Leafs: 10 Storylines Heading Into the Draft and Offseason

10. Will the Leafs Make Any Offer Sheets

Apr 24, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) in the game against the Minnesota Wild during the second period in game five of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

There are players that could sign offer sheets this summer, especially those who play for teams with a tight salary cap or are unwilling to give them their contract demands. That list could include: Dougie Hamilton, Tyler Toffoli, Derek Stepan, Brandon Saad, Kadri, Bernier, Carl Hagelin, Braden Holtby, Gustav Nyquist, Alex Galchenyuk, Vladimir Tarasenko, Adam Larsson, Mark Stone. Now all these players may not get offer sheets, but many of them could be candidates. Tarasenko, Saad, Hamilton and Toffoli are at the top of the list, because they are all decent prospects. In the case of Saad, Toffoli and Hamilton, their teams have salary cap issues to deal with.

Feb 22, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Dougie Hamilton (27) with the puck during the second period against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

I expect Saad to stay in Chicago (why would he want to leave?), but Hamilton is the one that will receive the most interest, because he is a good young defenceman with size and offensive upside. However, the Leafs will have to be careful with which players they do an offer sheet for, because relationships with GMs get tough when a team offer sheets a good young player. The San Jose Sharks put in an offer sheet for Niklas Hjalmarsson, knowing the Blackhawks would match it, and that forced them to part with Antti Niemi. As a result, the Sharks were able to pick him up. Could a team do that with Saad? Yes, but Chicago always finds a way to get by it. The Flyers signed Shea Weber to a huge offer sheet and as a result the Predators could not afford to pay Ryan Suter, so there is a benefit to doing it. I do not see the Leafs putting in an offer sheet this summer, but if they want to make life difficult for the Bruins and Kings, then putting an offer sheet in for their top RFAs will do just that.