Michael Bunting, Arizona Coyotes (Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports)
The Toronto Maple Leafs probably didn’t win over any skeptics with their free-agency performance this year, but the team did well.
This year the Toronto Maple Leafs looked beyond the star recruits and the Father Figure types to focus on their bread and butter: neglected and underrated mid-20s players who don’t cost much and have some upside.
In the past, this has resulted in quality pickups like Ilya Mikheyev, Nic Petan, Kenny Agostino, Alex Galchenyuk and (though it was by trade) Alex Kerfoot. Less successful attempts were made with the likes of Jimmy Vesey and Alex Barabanov.