4 Early PTO Targets Maple Leafs to Consider – Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto already had a busy offseason, adding names like Sergei Bobrovsky, Darren Raddysh, Jack Roslovic, Nick Paul, Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger, Emil Andrae and Gavin McKenna. Despite all that upside, the forward team could still use another body or two — and a professional tryout (PTO) is a low-risk way to find out who’s got something left in the tank.

While it’s too early to know if these players will be available and accept PTO, here are four names to watch as training camp approaches.

Reilly Smith

Reilly Smith’s 2025-26 season with Vegas was a step down statistically — 16 goals and 26 points in 69 games — but that followed three straight seasons of 40-plus points. His career includes a Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2023, and while he may not be signed due to his age and declining production, at 35, he may have something to offer.

Smith won’t be a high-profile difference. Still, he has played almost 1,000 games and can be a great insurance for a contending team. He would make sense as a sixth-round winger, and he was only making $2 million last season. If a team doesn’t sign him with the understanding that he’ll cost less, PTO can be a legitimate option.

Patrick Laine

Patrik Laine is the top-rated name on this list, and the most dangerous. Frustrated, injury-shortened Montreal limited him to just five games last season, raising his market value to the point where a cheap and incentive-laden “prove” deal came to fruition. The latest is that New York Islanders can be interested in a PTO basis. Maybe the Maple Leafs can offer the same.

The reward when it works is obvious: a shooter who has scored the best number of times before. Putting him alongside Auston Matthews and William Nylander, or in a protected role with playing minutes next to scorers like Gavin McKenna and Easton Cowan, will allow him to focus on shooting the puck. If he can stay healthy and score 15-20 points, especially on the man advantage, it would be great to see what he looks like in camp.

Evgenii Dadonov

Evgenii Dadonov’s 2025-26 was difficult – only one goal in 24 games with New Jersey. That won’t get him much love as an unrestricted free agent. However, he is one season away from scoring 20 goals and 40 points.

This is a player who has scored 20 goals five times, so last season could have been one. PTO is safe here: if he shows well in camp, he becomes a veteran option in the bottom six; otherwise, Toronto has nothing. At the age of 37, there is little chance of him getting a good offer. Maybe he’s waiting to see if the team he’d like to play for invites him to camp.

Michael Bunting

Of everyone on this list, Michael Bunting has the most obvious history with the Maple Leafs. His two seasons in Toronto were the best of his career — 23 goals and 63 points in 2021-22, followed by another 23-goal, 49-point year in 2022-23 — mostly playing alongside Auston Matthews. That’s 112 points in two seasons.

Since he left, he has bounced between Carolina, Pittsburgh, Nashville and Dallas and it hasn’t been the same. had 13 goals last season in Nashville. Reuniting on a cheap, one-year contract makes sense for both sides: Bunting gets a shot at reviving his career in a role he’s already excelled at, and Toronto gets a visible, dynamic and non-retroactive wing back next to Matthews if the chemistry returns.

Would either of these players make sense in a PTO? Or will they all end up getting deals without going through the trial process?