Maple Leafs a Very Likely Suitor for Life-Long Leafs Fan and Toronto Native in Free Agency

With how volatile the free agent market is expected to be this year and the lack of a true difference maker at the top of the list outside of Mitch Marner and Sam Bennett, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be forced into checking out the middle of the pack to address their roster needs.

There are several intriguing options to possibly look into like Claude Giroux for instance, however we can add one more name to that list with recent news surfacing that Andrew Mangiapane will not be signing a new contract with the Washington Capitals, according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.

Mangiapane was actually one of the first few selections ushered into the Brad Treliving era when he was selected in the 6th round in 2015. It took some time for him to get his game on the right track but between 2020 and 2024, Mangiapane scored 84 goals and 170 points in 295 games, while playing a key top-9 role for the Flames.

He wasn't able to find that same level of success with the Capitals this season as he notched 14 goals and 28 points in 81 games but his role lessened quite a bit with the Capitals having a well balanced lineup.

The 29-year-old who hails from Toronto should be a top target for many teams looking to address their top-9 and considering his previous relationship with Treliving, the Maple Leafs will assuredly be interested.

He shouldn't come with an overly expensive price tag, especially considering his numbers in 2024-25, but he is coming off a contract that paid him $5.8 million per season, so it will be interesting to see what his market looks like come July 1st.

Nevertheless, expect the Maple Leafs to be all over the situation when the free agent window opens as they look to address several needs within their forward corps with the expected departure of Mitch Marner well on it's way.