The Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly considering Jay Woodcroft, Jay Leach, Jeff Halpern, and Manny Malhotra for their head coaching vacancy. General Manager Brad Treliving is expected to discuss their strategic approach with Auston Matthews and aims to finalize a plan by mid-July.
A significant focus for the Maple Leafs will be retooling their defense. They are exploring the possibility of Morgan Rielly waiving his no-movement clause and assessing the trade value of Brandon Carlo.
Additional needs for Toronto include a third-line center, potentially a top-six forward, and a complete overhaul of their fourth line. With approximately $24 million in cap space, excluding a potential $2.5 million for Gavin McKenna, the team acknowledges the limitations of the free agent market and will actively explore trade options. Vincent Trocheck’s name has surfaced in trade discussions this week.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Wild are facing considerable salary cap constraints. They require a top-six center and have roughly $15.4 million in projected cap space to fill eight roster spots.
Several key players have no-trade clauses that complicate potential moves. Ryan Hartman, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Jared Spurgeon possess 10-team no-trade clauses, while Marcus Foligno and Jake Middleton have 15-team no-trade clauses that become full no-move clauses on July 1st. Jonas Brodin, Nico Sturm, and Yakov Trenin do not have such protections.
In other news, Quinn Hughes might sign a three-year contract extension this offseason, aligning his deal with his brother Jack’s.
The Wild have several pending restricted free agents (RFAs) in Bobby Brink and Daemon Hunt. Their pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) include Vladimir Tarasenko, Nick Foligno, Mats Zuccarello, Michael McCarron, Marcus Johansson, Robby Fabbri, Zach Bogosian, and Jeff Petry.
Questions surround the future of these UFAs. It remains to be seen if Zuccarello will accept a reduced salary and role. Michael McCarron could command $4-5 million on the open market. Tarasenko served as a valuable mentor to Danila Yurov. Zach Bogosian might consider a league-minimum deal. Robby Fabbri and Jeff Petry are unlikely to return to the team.
