While the talk of the town might be whether the Toronto Maple Leafs can sign John Tavares before July 1 rolls around, you cannot forget about their younger restricted free agents.
Toronto has several pending RFAs aside from Matthew Knies, who's been one of the players front and center since their season concluded due to the possibility of an offer sheet. The Maple Leafs' RFA list includes Nick Robertson, Pontus Holmberg, and a couple of Toronto Marlies, like goaltending prospect Dennis Hildeby.
Toronto needs to figure out the contracts of Tavares, Knies, and other unrestricted free agents, Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz. Only then will they shift their focus to the younger faces.
"We'll get to that. With any of our free agents, we've talked to them," Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving said on Thursday.
"And this is nothing against any of the other players, the UFA guys, with the timeline, you're spending more time there. But we've certainly been engaged with any of the guys that need contracts."
Robertson's situation is most fascinating.
The 23-year-old reportedly requested a trade last summer before signing a one-year, $875,000 contract with Toronto the day before his birthday (Sep. 11). Although he played 13 more games this season, Robertson scored five points less this year, and only appeared in three playoff games under head coach Craig Berube.
What's different about Robertson's situation this summer is that he has arbitration rights, meaning that if he doesn't agree with what the Maple Leafs presented contract-wise, it will be settled through an independent arbitrator.
That, however, is if the 2019 second-round pick remains with Toronto throughout the offseason.
"I think Nick's a good player. Again, we're June whatever we are, right? The puzzle has got to come into play, but I think Nick's a good player. He's still a young player. He's still an evolving player," Treliving said.
"But he's got his skill set; he can shoot it in the net, right? And that's a good skill set to have. Again, we'll see how it all plays out, but Nick's a great kid and possesses a good skill set."
Holmberg's situation is a little bit different. Despite not scoring much, the 26-year-old was heavily relied upon by Berube at both ends of the rink. He can also play up and down the lineup, which aids the Maple Leafs if there's an injury within the top six.
However, he too has arbitration rights.
Holmberg is coming off a career-high season, scoring seven goals and 12 assists in 68 games. He's yet to score in the playoffs through 19 games, but you could catch glimpses of his offensive game coming to life during the regular season. The Maple Leafs, ideally, want to see more of that in the playoffs as well.
Aside from Knies, Robertson, Holmberg, and potentially Hildeby, Toronto has seven players they must extend qualifying offers to, to retain their rights, including Roni Hirvonen (signed a one-year deal in Finland), Cedric Pare, Reese Johnson, Semyon Der-Arguchintsev (currently playing in Russia), Topi Niemela (signed a one-year deal in Sweden), William Villeneuve, and Mikko Kokkonen.
Of the Marlies' bunch, Villeneuve and Kokkonen are the most fascinating. Both players had decent seasons, especially Villeneuve, who took a step further in his development this season with more playing time.
With Toronto's jammed defense, maybe they attempt to get an NHL shot elsewhere?
It's an enthralling time in Maple Leafs land with the Mitch Marner saga likely coming to a close, the Tavares and Knies negotiations, the NHL Draft, and whether Toronto will look to add a second-line center via trade this summer.
Everything is on the table for Treliving, who's on the cusp of what's likely to be an entertaining offseason for Maple Leafs fans.
(Top photo: Timothy T. Ludwig / Imagn Images)