Maple Leafs Rumors: 3 Panthers Free Agents Offers Could Be Sent To

The Toronto Maple Leafs project to have a fair bit of cap space to work with since it appears as though Mitch Marner will not be returning. While John Tavares will be signing for less if he returns, Matthew Knies is set for a pay raise, but I don't think as high as some anticipate if he doesn't get an offer sheet.

With all that being said, the Maple Leafs are going to be active this offseason in reforming their team. In my opinion, the team they iced this season was the best in a while from their forwards to defense to goaltending. According to Nick Kypreos, the Maple Leafs want to send offers to Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, and Aaron Ekblad, all three of the big Florida Panthers UFAs that don't have new contracts yet.

It appears as though Bennett will be the least likely as he appears to have confirmed he's going to re-sign long-term with the Panthers, but Marchand and Ekblad are a different story.

Marchand has been underpaid for long enough and he will be looking for a higher cap hit, especially after his playoff performance. A bidding war seems likely, and he may very well consider Toronto as the Maple Leafs definitely need him.

As for Ekblad, Kypreos stated that the Ekblad offer would hinge on the Maple Leafs being able to convince Morgan Rielly to waive his no move clause, which would probably be tough. While Rielly and Ekblad play on different sides of the ice, it really depends on the money and space on the back-end. Rielly could arguably use a change in scenery, although that might not be what he's thinking. If Ekblad reaches free agency, he will get a fair bit of high contract offers and it won't be easy for the Maple Leafs to convince him.

The Maple Leafs of course don't have the cap space for all three, but by sending them all offers, there is a chance that Toronto can bring in one of the Stanley Cup champions to help their team finally push deep into the playoffs.