Toronto Maple Leafs: Free agent targets worth considering

Kyle Turris

For some reason, Turris struggled to get acclimated with the Nashville Predators since being included in that three-way trade.

Turris put up 29 goals and 96 points in 182 games and was never the player they expected after he played a major role in the Ottawa Senators run to the Eastern Conference Final in 2017.

At 31-years-old, it is unlikely to see Turris strike rich on the free agent market and there are a couple of ways he could go with his decision. He can look to get some financial security with a multi-year deal or take less from a contender if he wants to improve his stock for next year’s free agency.

If the Leafs can find a way to add Turris at a reasonable cap hit, he could provide an improvement on the team’s centre depth behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares. At the same time, that might be a bit expensive for them which is why there is another option to consider.

Mark Jankowski

It wasn’t long ago that Dubas was looking at Jankowski as a part of a potential Kadri trade to the Flames. We discussed how Brodie would be an intriguing option even if he isn’t on the same level as Pietrangelo but getting Brodie and Jankowski in free agency seems to be a realistic possibility.

The Hamilton, Ont., native would bring the necessary size down the middle at six-foot-four, 212 pounds to replace Frederik Gauthier and as Travis Yost of TSN explains, he is an analytics dream as he has been one of the top forwards in the league when it comes to shot and expected goal differentials. His career-high in goals was 17 back in the 2017-18 season but if he can be a solid two-way contributor at a bargain price, the Leafs should consider it.