"The Toronto Maple Leafs have been rumoured to be in on a couple of upcoming UFA's and they'll likely add at least a little help. One of the top free agents on the market this summer will be sniper Ilya Kovalchuk who wants to return to the NHL. Earlier in May it was reported that Kovalchuk had reached a verbal agreement with the New York Rangers but that doesn't seem to fully be the case as he's been touring North America visiting with various teams. The Leafs proved this past season that they can compete, however they also proved they need some help in the lineup to be serious contenders.NHL Insider Darren Dreger appeared on TSN 1050 recently and talked about the possibility of the Leafs going after the 35 year old Kovalchuk. «So I'm a bit more skeptical when it comes to how close the Toronto Maple Leafs are, and for that reason – and the fact that you've already got Patrick Marleau on a three-year deal going into Year Two this year. He can still skate at a high level. Do we believe, do we know that Kovalchuk can still skate at a high level – again, the skeptics are wondering about that.
«But he can score. He can shoot the puck. He can do a lot of good things. I just don't know that the Toronto Maple Leafs would be the right fit, from even Kovalchuk's perspective, because I don't see Toronto contending for the Stanley Cup as early as next year.»Do you think the Leafs should stay away from Kovalchuk?"
