PTO Season is Upon Us and There Are 3 Players Who May Entice the Maple Leafs

Last season, the Leafs brought in a pair of veteran forwards on PTOs in Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz, with both earning one-year contracts with the Leafs.

With training camp a month away, there are still a number of players without contracts that will likely turn to PTOs in order to prove they can still play in the NHL. While the Leafs are likely interested a few of them, there are three that make the most sense for them.

The first is a former Brad Treliving pick from his time with the Calgary Flames in Oliver Kylington. The 28-year-old missed the entire 2022-2023 season after stepping away to get help with his mental health. The former second-round pick spent last season splitting time between the Anaheim Ducks and Colorado Avalanche where he skated in 19 games tallying 1 goal and 5 points.

At 28, the left-shot blueliner would bring offense to a blueline that struggled last season in addition to being an excellent puck-mover and skater.

Up front, the Leafs have been trying to build a bigger group, highlighted by the additions of Nicolas Roy and Dakota Joshua and although they need to move out David Kampf and Calle Jarnkrok to create roster and cap space, they could replace those players with much cheaper options in Luke Kunin and Klim Kostin.

The Leafs reportedly attempted to acquire Kunin multiple times during Treliving's first two seasons with the Leafs. Not the biggest, Kunin brings a physical presence to the bottom-six with a more defined role. The former first-round pick also adds versatility with the ability to play center and wing, and the Leafs have had interest in the past.

At 6'4 and 230 pounds, Klim Kostin obviously brings size to any lineup he is put into. The 2017 first-round pick can't provide much offense, tallying just 1 goal and 7 points last season, but will hit anything that moves adding 111 hits in just 35 games.

All three players would come cheap for the Leafs if they signed any or all of them, which should give the Leafs more flexibility closer to the trade deadline if they are able to ship out more expensive bottom-six forwards at some point before the season starts.