Maple Leafs Looking At PTO Market: 3 Potential Camp Invites

New general manager John Chayka hasn't been shy in making changes to the Toronto Maple Leafs roster this off-season. And something tells us he might not be done yet. As training camp quickly approaches in a few weeks, there are a number of under-the-radar unrestricted free agents still out on the market looking for a contract or an invite to camp. 

Andre Leal of The Hockey News has proposed three players that make sense for the Leafs to try to bring in on a PTO:

Nick Blankenburg, D

Chayka has been committed to improving the mobility on the back line for the Buds, with the likes of Darren Raddysh and Emil Andrae coming in. Blankenburg would fit that trend.

The 28-year-old is an undrafted, gritty, undersized defenseman, but despite his slight stature (5'9", 177 lbs), Blankenburg plays a competitive and physical game in addition to being a capable puck-mover. He logged over 19 minutes of ice time for Nashville in 2024-25, and split last season between the Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators. 

Adam Boqvist, D

Another blueliner who can skate and move the puck out of the defensive zone.

Between an assortment of injuries and noted defensive deficiencies, the offensive d-man has never lived up to his No. 8 selection in the 2018 NHL Draft. He's never played more than 52 games in a season during his eight years in the league, and has only topped the 40-game mark three times. So expectations should be limited, but he'd still be a low-risk option on a PTO. 

Curtis Lazar, C

Lazar could serve as some bottom-six insurance, particularly given the fact that new fourth-line center Teddy Blueger only played 35 games last season due to injuries and suffered setbacks in his recovery, as Leal notes. If injury troubles cropped up again, "Lazar wouldn't be a terrible candidate to fill that void, even with Steven Lorentz also on deck."

Names are starting to come off the board this week as teams start to prepare their rosters for training camp. We should see more PTO signings in the days to come, and we expect the Leafs to be in the mix.