Maple Leafs Free Agency: Thoughts on Domi, Liljegren, Tanev, Stolarz
TORONTO — What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
Surely, whoever dreamt up that saying was referring to the relevance of a beat reporter’s latest column.
In the time it takes to leave a Nevada strip hotel and check into home life, the Toronto Maple Leafs have re-signed three intriguing players, watched more walk away, locked up two veteran defencemen who can play in their top four, watched a trade request go public, and completed their goaltending search.
Here are some quick thoughts on a news-filled Canada Day weekend in Leafland, as Brad Treliving & Co. remain in Las Vegas to spend their cash.
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Ekman-Larsson comes back to Canada
Defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson returns to Canada a Stanley Cup champion.
Treliving locked up the affable Swede with a four-year contract at a $3.5-million cap hit, which marks a $1 million raise and triple the term he got as a UFA from Florida last off-season.
Bought out by the Canucks in 2023, Ekman-Larsson enjoyed a strong bounce-back campaign in South Florida — winning a Stanley Cup and logging some meaningful minutes and power-play time, especially when Brandon Montour was sidelined with injury.
The left-shot Ekman-Larsson, 32, averaged 18:54 with the Panthers. His ice time should spike in Toronto, a city that could use more offence from its blue line.
Domi ain’t leaving
The power of the fishbowl.
On Sunday, Domi signed the longest (four years) and richest ($15 million) contract of his NHL career despite scoring just nine goals in 80 games and once more in a seven-game playoff series loss to the Bruins.
No matter.
The Maple Leafs love four things about their second Domi: his passing, his edge, his versatility, and his character.
Domi ranked second in the NHL this past season in 5-on-5 assists per 60 minutes (2.23). Only Connor McDavid (2.57) was more efficient with his passing.
No pending UFA centreman registered more assists than Domi (38), and it certainly aided his case when he found quick on-ice chemistry with off-ice pal Auston Matthews after an injured Mitch Marner (ankle) fell off the top line in April.
“It’s my hometown. I wanted to be here and had a dream of winning the Stanley Cup from as long as I can remember — being two years old, whenever I started playing hockey, long before I knew anything about cash or a paycheque,” Domi said Monday.
“That dream hasn’t changed. And whenever I had that dream, I was always wearing a Leafs jersey.”
The swift skater can play both wings or centre, chip in on the power play, and float around a top nine.
Domi also can handle and understands the market (as evidenced by the best re-signing announcement in club history), puts the team first and has a hunger to win.
“I’ve had that idea for a while, and it’s tough to fill that video when you’re on a new team every year,” Domi said. “So, first time that I’ve gotten the stability I’ve been looking for, and obviously a long-time goal of mine to be in Toronto.
Question becomes: Does his newfound comfort in term or his speed game take a toll into his 30s?
Liljegren remains a conundrum
Seven years after Timothy Liljegren was drafted in the first round, neither the player nor the Maple Leafs really know where their relationship is headed.
Why get married when you can keep prolonging the engagement?
The Maple Leafs re-signed the impending restricted free agent to a second bridge deal Sunday, more than doubling his salary: $3 million times two years.
“I feel good. Toronto was always the place I wanted to be, and I’m happy we got it done. It was pretty easy talking with Toronto,” Liljegren said.
“I feel I took some big steps last year and kind of got derailed a little bit because of my injuries. A little bit unlucky with two big ones that cost me some games. But I still took strides in my game offensively.”
Treliving was in a pickle.
Twenty-five-year-old, right-shot NHL defencemen aren’t easy to find.
Had the GM not qualified Liljegren and let him walk out the door, that would be some atrocious asset management for a 17th-overall pick the team had poured so much development and patience into.
Yet Liljegren — who has been healthy scratched at least one game every postseason and has yet to assert himself as an everyday player — probably wouldn’t fetch a ton on the trade market.
That $3 million AAV? Liljegren has the stats (23 points in 55 games) to earn that had he needed to exercise his arbitration rights.
So here we are again: Liljegren and the Maple Leafs will head into the fall as always.
The defenceman wanting more opportunity, and the team wanting him to be deserving of it.
If Liljegren remains a third-pairing guy, it’s an overpay. If, with a healed ankle, he takes a meaningful step to the second unit, Treliving’s patience pays off.
Stolarz signs, Leafs lock up two-year tandem
The Domi and Liljegren raises didn’t leave a ton of budget for a goaltending splash.
As Laurent Brossoit signed in Chicago, the focus zeroed in on Cup champ Anthony Stolarz, who inked a two-year deal with Toronto at $2.5 million per season.
The hope is he is ready for an increased workload as the partner of Joseph Woll, who re-signed an extension at the earliest opportunity.
Woll’s new three-year deal at a $3.66 million AAV carries him through 2027-28 and marks a 47.8 per cent raise from his current salary.
The Leafs also brought back a rehabilitated Matt Murray (one year, $875,00) on a low-risk contract to play the third-string option occupied by Martin Jones last season.
The concern here: Stolarz no doubt had his career-best .925 save percentage boosted at least a little playing behind the best team defence in the Eastern Conference this past season.
Stolarz, 30, has never played more than 28 games in a single season.
Woll has never played more than 25.
Call it great risk. Call it great opportunity.
Tanev trade turns into a signing
We wrote about Chris Tanev more extensively here, but suffice it to say, Treliving was able to secure a long-sought-after target — at a cost.
Good on Tanev, one of the NHL’s most respected warriors, for cashing in.
His six-year extension with the Maple Leafs comes in at a $4.5 million AAV, approximately 80 per cent of which will be paid in bonuses, according to Elliotte Friedman.
The right shot will be 40 years old when that contract expires.
No one will be surprised if the über-resilient but oft-injured Tanev “plays” out a couple of those final seasons on LTIR.
No one will be surprised if he partners well with Morgan Rielly, kills a grip of penalties and eats a million pucks in the short term.
Tanev played with Rielly at the world championships, and the longest-serving Leaf has been talking to Tanev over the past two days about forming a top-pair partnership.
“He’s one of those elite players that there’s not many around in the game,” Tanev said. “If that is the way coach and organization wants to go, I’d obviously be excited for that.”
Tanev’s homecoming contract essentially replaces T.J. Brodie’s, as he walks away from a contending Dallas Stars club due to cap constraints, the Canadian departure tax, and family matters.
“I’m gonna have my second child on the way in a couple of months, so being close to home, being around grandparents is important,” the Toronto native said.
“And then the main thing is, I think this team is really good. There’s so many elite players here. It’s not like I’m leaving Dallas to go to a team that hasn’t been successful over the last number of years. There’s a ton of elite talent here, and new coach coming in, Stanley Cup champion, he’s gonna bring a different aspect, different game style to how we want to play here. Super excited for all of that.”
Robertson requests change of scenery
Nick Robertson was issued his qualifying offer Sunday but does not plan to re-sign with the Maple Leafs, as Chris Johnston reported.
The restricted free agent has requested a trade coming off career highs in games played (56), goals (14), and assists (13).
Unlike fellow pending RFAs Simon Benoit and Bobby McMann, Treliving didn’t initiate serious extension talks with Robertson’s agent, Pat Brisson, in-season.
Robertson has never made the roster out of training camp and was scratched in Game 7 in Boston. He’s been passed on the depth chart by McMann and Matthew Knies. He has a difficult time getting top-six minutes or a sniff on the power play.
Robertson’s best assets don’t fit the Leafs’ big needs.
His only leverage is to withhold his services. Treliving holds the hammer.
One-Timers: Tyler Bertuzzi was open to returning to Toronto, but the Maple Leafs had no chance of matching the four years at $5.5 million the free agent secured in Chicago… Fourth-liner Noah Gregor was the only RFA the Leafs did not qualify…. Jake McCabe and Matthew Knies are now eligible to sign extensions.
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