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The Toronto Maple Leafs are surely ready for the start of free agency.
The NHL opens its negotiating at 12 noon ET on Wednesday.
The Maple Leafs have been linked to one particularly big name: Sergei Bobrovsky.
Bobrovsky is a free agent after a standout tenure as goalie for the Florida Panthers. He won back-to-back Stanley Cups before a subpar 2025-26 season.
The Panthers traded for Jacob Markstrom, making it clear they won't be re-signing Bobrovsky.
The thought for Toronto is that Bobrovsky would be an upgrade on Anthony Stolarz or Dennis Hildeby.
MORE: What the Gavin McKenna pick means for the Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs also have to figure out what they're doing with Morgan Rielly.
The defenseman still has four years remaining on his contract at $7.5 million per season, so he's not cheap whether they keep him or trade him.
And the update? NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said on Oilers Now that he expects Bobrovsky to sign with Toronto, and that he actually thinks they'll keep Rielly.
That would certainly help their chances of stopping other teams from scoring goals.
Elliotte Friedman on Oilers Now says he thinks Bobrovsky is going to be a Leaf.
Friedman also says he thinks Rielly will stay.
The Rielly situation also impacts what Toronto can do with other free agency plans. But since, if anything, they want to improve their blue line, maybe they just keep Rielly.
They already added Darren Raddysh, which helps the defense. A new goalie, too? That'd be a big boost, even if it makes that a crowded depth chart once again.
It'll certainly be worth watching what Toronto does, because they have plenty of options on the table.
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