4 Maple Leafs Free Agents Who Might Follow Keefe to the Devils
Maple Leafs coach now lists four essential players who will leave the team to sign a top star.
4 Maple Leafs Free Agents Who Might Follow Keefe to the Devils
Josh Reinitz – May 23, 2024
On Wednesday, New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald revealed that Sheldon Keefe will be the team’s new head coach. Fitzgerald’s off-season to-do list began with Keefe’s appointment, but there are still other items on it. Keefe, the former head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, will now set about establishing a coaching staff and implementing a playbook aimed at restoring the Devils’ prominence.
Traditionally, new coaches bring in seasoned players to help smooth the transition to a new style of play. Players who are familiar with how a coach wants the team to practice and play might adapt to a new plan more quickly. While the Devils cannot fix their goalkeeper situation by looking to the Maple Leafs, they may address other requirements, such as acquiring supporting forwards and seasoned defenseman. Toronto has six skaters set to become free agents on July 1; here are four who may fit into the Devils’ plans financially and tactically. (AFP Analytics’ salary estimates)
Max Domi’s Forward Projection: 2 years x $3.575 million
Max Domi has been a contentious player throughout his career. He has never lived up to the expectations that prompted the then-Phoenix Coyotes to choose him with the 12th selection in 2013. After nine seasons in the NHL, he has established himself as a tough middle-six player who can contribute from both center and wing positions.
In some ways, he is a younger version of Erik Haula, a valuable player for successful organizations who constantly moved teams. Domi’s finest play this season came in the second half and playoffs, when his ice time climbed significantly. Domi was thrown into the lineup after William Nylander and Auston Matthews were sidelined at various stages in their first-round series against the Boston Bruins. He answered with four points in seven games.
