According to Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, the Toronto Maple Leafs may explore a reunion in free agency with forward and former Toronto winger Michael Amadio of the Vegas Golden Knights.
Amadio and the Golden Knights ended a two-year deal with a $762,500 cap hit. In the 2023 season, Amadio defeated the Florida Panthers, the defending champions, to win the Stanley Cup with Vegas.
In a piece published on June 25, Siegel mentioned Amadio as a possible trading partner for the Leafs, characterizing him as a “middle-six/bottom-six type who might be able to outplay their contracts and provide some much-needed value under the cap.”
Toronto has $18.8 million in cap space going into the offseason, but their active roster only consists of 16 players who are under contract.
“The Leafs signed Michael Amadio in free agency three years ago to a one-year, two-way contract. He only appeared in three games before Vegas claimed him off waivers, and he spent three seasons there as a valuable bottom-six player, according to Siegel. “Amadio could provide the Leafs with a low-cost, potentially stealthy secondary scoring option from lower down the lineup; he’s probably a fourth-line player on David Kampf’s wing.”
Amadio, in Siegel’s opinion, could provide the Leafs with more than Ryan Reaves did lately, as well as a physical presence that would crash into the opposing net.
“More of that in their lineup is what the Leafs desire.” Amadio, who just turned 28, is 6-foot-1, over 200 pounds, and capable of playing all three forward positions. Ryan Reaves would be much inferior to him at the bottom of the Leafs lineup, according to Siegel.
Amadio’s Past Associated with the Leafs
Three years ago, the Maple Leafs signed Amadio as a free agent; however, he only appeared in three games before the Vegas Golden Knights claimed him off waivers.
Amadio demonstrated his value as a bottom-six forward while he was with Vegas, amassing 41 goals in 193 regular season games over three seasons.
It’s reasonable to presume that Amadio will first try to re-sign with the Golden Knights despite the possible return.
It would seem sense for him to rejoin the Golden Knights after settling in Las Vegas and winning the cup with the team the year before he became a free agent.
After being selected by the Los Angeles Kings with the 90th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, Amadio started his career with them. Amadio found a home in Vegas in the summer of 2022 after spending a few seasons with the Kings and a brief time with the Ottawa Senators and the Leafs.
Under the direction of coach Bruce Cassidy, Amadio changed the way he played and ended up playing a pivotal role in the Golden Knights’ run to the Stanley Cup Final.
According to Jesse Granger of The Athletic, Cassidy stated of Amadio in December 2022, “I think Amadio is that type of player who can complement good players.” “I’m not sure if he can maintain that position for 82 games. He can go up there in a pinch because that’s his game, but that will be decided later if it becomes necessary.
Amadio recorded 14 goals and 13 assists for a total of 27 points in 73 games during the 2023 regular season. He added one goal and one assist in the playoffs, for a total of two points in four games. In fifteen postseason games in 2023, he scored ten points.
The offseason and free agency outlook for the Maple Leafs
On July 1, the NHL free agency period will begin. Amadio will be available for free without restriction, and the Maple Leafs will have multiple key players joining the market.
A few days after that date, Toronto will only have 10 forwards, 5 defensemen, and 1 goalie under contract.
The Maple Leafs have several notable unrestricted free agents, including goalies Ilya Samsonov and Martin Jones, defensemen Joel Edmundson, T.J. Brodie, Mark Giordano, and Ilya Lyubushkin, and forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi.
The Maple Leafs could benefit greatly from adding a player like Amadio as they embark on a new chapter in their history under head coach Craig Berube. He would give them a cheap source of secondary scoring and depth in their lineup.
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