One pending UFA follows suit with Auston Matthews, declares his desire to continue on with the Leafs

Following their 2nd round loss to the Florida Panthers, many are wondering what the future holds for several of the Leafs' pending free agents. We already heard from Ryan O'Reilly and Michael Bunting, who plan to take the next couple of week to ponder their futures, but another pending UFA seems much more decisive on what he'd like to do on or ahead of July 1st.

During his season-ending media availability, playoff hits leader Noel Acciari commented that he'd "love to" remain in Toronto beyond this season. This should be music to the ears of those within Leafs Nation, as Acciari is absolutely a heart-and-soul player, who plays the game the right way AND plays with an edge.

Acciari came over to the Leafs in the deal between St. Louis and Toronto, which also sent O'Reilly to the Buds. The veteran grinder played primarily 3rd line minutes in Toronto, contributing 4 goals and 1 assist in 23 games to conclude the regular season. He also added 2 goals in 11 games for the Leafs in the playoffs.

The sticking point here will undoubtedly be the money. Acciari earned just $1.25M last season and will undoubtedly be looking for a raise this summer. Just how big of a raise might end up being a deal-breaker for the Leafs, who have a LOT of work to do this summer. However, if Acciari is willing to take a fair deal or a deal slightly below what his value might be on the open market, perhaps we'll see him back in a Leafs sweater this fall.