Several Notable Names Linked to Maple Leafs as Potential Upgrades at Center

The Maple Leafs have already made a major change in leadership at the top, informing team president Brendan Shanahan that his contract would not be renewed, following a heartbreaking loss in Round 2 to the Florida Panthers.

Additionally, all eyes are on Mitch Marner and John Tavares and the impending start of free agency, which is now just 3 short weeks away.

Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving has his work cut out for him this summer, but what are the chances that they could soon reunite with an old fan favorite?

Per James Mirtle of The Athletic, there will be several options for the Maple Leafs to consider in free agency to bolster the center position, and one of them is ex-Leafs forward Nazem Kadri.

Kadri, who was dealt to the Avalanche on July 1, 2019 in a controversial trade, and later helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2022, has since played for the Calgary Flames. He's under contract for another 4 years with an AAV (average annual value) of $7 million.

He spent the 1st several years of his NHL career with the Maple Leafs after they took him with the 7th overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Another ex-Leafs forward that Mirtle floated was Ryan O'Reilly, who briefly played for Toronto and helped them pick up their 1st playoff series win in 19 years by beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2023.

O'Reilly, now with the Nashville Predators, didn't sound open to a reunion with the Maple Leafs at the Trade Deadline in March, but he does not have any trade protection built into his contract.

Other names Mirtle suggested included Rangers star Mika Zibanejad, though the price would be very high. Meanwhile, Pavel Zacha, J-G Pageau, Phillip Danault, William Karlsson, Brayden Schenn, and Alex Wennberg are also names being floated as potentially on the radar for the Leafs.