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If the Toronto Maple Leafs want to keep building a roster based on postseason success, then they will do great by adding players who are getting deep into the NHL playoffs.
One of those is New York Rangers center Alex Wennberg. The Rangers and Wennberg are still in contention for the Stanley Cup and playing in the Eastern Conference finals against the Florida Panthers.
In the eyes of The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel, Wennberg is “boring, but safe,” but his full skill set is good enough to rank as the No. 5 “Best Fit at Forward” for the Leafs ahead of the 2024-25 season.
“Wennberg is boring, but safe. Safe can be good, especially in the playoffs,” Siegel wrote in an article published on May 29 in which he lists the best potential forwards for the Leafs to target in the 2024 free-agent market.
Leafs Would Add Depth By Landing ‘Boring’ Alex Wennberg
The Rangers traded for Alex Wennberg ahead of the March 8, 2024 trade deadline and he’s played in the third forward line of the Blueshirts since then, according to Daily Faceoff.
It cost New York two draft picks to acquire Wennberg. The center’s production was subpar through his regular-season stint with the Rangers (1 goal, 4 assists, 5 points in 19 games), but he’s been vital in the postseason scoring a game-winning goal in Game 3 of the conference finals.
Siegel thinks the Leafs won’t be landing a top-of-the-order forward if they sign Wennberg, but they could benefit from what he can give the team as a member of the bottom-six forwards crop.
“He is a smart, safe, moderately skilled centre who can be the anchor of a responsible third line that can handle tough matchups and onerous deployment,” Siegel wrote. “Wennberg would give the Leafs a needed boost on the penalty kill and he isn’t a total black hole on offence.”
Perhaps the most appealing thing about Wennberg entering free agency is his cost entering his age-30 season next year.
According to Spotract, Wennberg has earned nearly $36.5 million in contracts signed through 2024. The center, however, has never commanded more than $5.35 million in a single year (2019, age-25 season).
Wennberg is earning $4.5 million this year (on a deal spanning three seasons) and that figure will probably go down entering the 2024 offseason considering his age and production.
Bertuzzi, Domi & Leafs Have ‘Mutual Interest’ in Signing Extensions
Toronto’s decision on how to deal with upcoming free agents Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi might determine whether they try to acquire Wennberg.
Recent reports indicate that the Leafs, Bertuzzi, and Domi are all interested in agreeing to contract extensions before free agency starts on July 1, 2024.
According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, reporting on May 24, there is “mutual interest” between the Leafs, Bertuzzi, and Domi.
“There’s mutual interest in Bertuzzi returning to the Leafs, but the team is juggling a few things so it’s not clear if it gets done,” LeBrun wrote.
“There’s already been a conversation between the Leafs front office and (Max Domi’s) agent Judd Moldaver of Wasserman expressing mutual interest in getting a deal done. But no numbers exchanged yet,” LeBrun added.
According to PuckPedia, the Leafs will enter the offseason with $19.4 million in cap space. That figure, however, doesn’t include the potential salaries of Bertuzzi and Domi in case the Leafs re-sign them.
Bertuzzi earned $5.5 million on a one-year deal and Domi clocked in at $3 million, signing those contracts in the 2023 summer.
The former finished the 2024 season with 43 points (21 goals, 22 assists) in 80 games. Domi scored 47 points (9 goals, 38 assists) in the same number of appearances. Bertuzzi and Domi scored 4 points each in the playoffs, tied with Auston Matthews.
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