Meh. Wasn’t expecting much. Plus they did their work yesterday with Maccelli and Roy
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Maple Leafs fans react to Day 1 of 2025 free agency

Photo credit: (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)
Jul 2, 2025, 11:40 EDTUpdated: Jul 2, 2025, 11:35 EDT
The first day of free agency frenzy has come and gone, with the Toronto Maple Leafs having a mostly quiet day on the signing front.
Their only singing of significance was bringing in Michael Pezzetta as a sparkplug option for their fourth line, with the only other ones being a few depth signings to fill up their Marlies squad. Monday saw the Leafs a lot more active as they traded Mitch Marner’s signing rights to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Nicolas Roy, acquired Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth, and re-signed Steven Lorentz.
GM Brad Treliving said that he is looking to acquire a top-six forward, and perhaps there is another signing on the horizon. All of which is to say that the Leafs still have a lot of work to do if they want to change the makeup of their roster before the start of the season.
We asked you on social media about your thoughts on where things stand for the Leafs after the first day of free agency, and here are the highlights.
Given that the bulk of the Leafs’ work came the day before the floodgates opened and there weren’t a lot of intriguing players that were worth considering, it makes sense why it was a mostly quiet day in Toronto. Granted, not all of the marquee free agents ended up signing and there are still a few intriguing names out there, but trades will be where the improvements occur.
When it comes to the first day of free agency, you always like to see your team get involved in the action. But sometimes being busy singing free agents isn’t necessarily a good thing; there’s still time for the Leafs to shape up their roster and make the adjustments needed.
Confused. Unless Kampf and Callie are getting traded, I don't see why we needed him tbh.
As far as the only notable signing was concerned, one portion of the fan base was not entirely thrilled about the arrival of Pezzetta. Part of it has to do with the fact that he went scoreless and was barely in the lineup for a Montreal Canadiens team that made the playoffs. They are also concerned he will be a net negative in terms of on-ice impact and effectiveness.
Like 👍 great 4th liner and Fan favourite
On the flip side, there are others who are excited about his energy and relentless forecheck that will add some additional physicality on the fourth line. Pezzetta could also be seen as a younger and more useful version of Ryan Reaves, who is likely to be on the outs or, at the very least, assigned to the AHL next season. Whichever side you land, it is clear that Pezzetta has gotten Leafs fans talking!
Great pickups for the Marlies. But the Leafs are way worse today than they were in May!
As mentioned earlier, most of the signings were depth additions that will be able to help improve the Marlies. The NHL team is still undergoing renovations, so it is too soon to say how much better or worse the Leafs will be come next season. Regardless, Treliving still has plenty of work to do.
We want to hear from you: what are your thoughts on the first day of free agency?
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