Maple Leafs Officially Linked to Former 35-Goal Scorer Ahead of Free Agency

In preparation for the departure of Mitch Marner, Leafs GM Brad Treliving has been exploring all of his options ahead of the draft and free agency in order to accomplish the DNA change he is seeking in Toronto.

As much as there will be change, Treliving is also attempting to negotiate fair deals with Matthew Knies and John Tavares before they hit the market as unrestricted and restricted free agents, respectively.

To change the DNA of the forward group, it would appear that Treliving is targeting a player that he is very familiar with from his time as GM of the Calgary Flames.

According to Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Leafs and Treliving will be making a strong push to land the 29-year-old.

A sixth-round pick of Treliving and the Flames in 2015, Mangiapane is coming off of a 3-year deal that saw him earn $5.8M per season, but given his down year, producing just 14 goals and 28 points, he should come at a relatively cheap price.

Although not the biggest body, Mangiapane does play with the compete level and bite of someone much larger and would bring some speed to the Leafs' top-nine as well.

Should the Leafs be able to land the Bolton, Ontario native at a decent price, the hope will be that he can regain his 20+ goal form and provide some secondary scoring to replace Marner's 102 points by committee.