The Toronto Maple Leafs have reportedly signed forward Brandon Duhaime to a contract. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first to report. At the time of filing, it has not been reported what the length of the deal is or how many years it will be for.

Duhaime, 29, is a 6-foot-2 forward with speed and strong penalty-kill abilities. He spent last season with the Washington Capitals after beginning his career with the Minnesota Wild but had an extreme down year offensively, with only nine points in 82 games. His career high is 21 points, set with the Capitals the year before in 2024-25.

While Duhaime’s offensive numbers aren’t what will make headlines, his aforementioned speed and penalty-kill tendencies undoubtedly made him an attractive target for the Maple Leafs. He finished in the 92nd percentile league-wide in max speed, which feeds into the identity they’re trying to create in their bottom-six. He’s also physical, finishing second on the Capitals with 159 hits behind only Tom Wilson, and he’s the type to drag his teammates into the fight with him.

It’s been an incredibly busy day for John Chayka and the Maple Leafs, who have now completed five signings on the day and one trade. Along with Duhaime, they brought in Jack Roslovic, Colton Sissons, and Teddy Blueger, all on two-year contracts, and all to address different needs in the bottom-six. Roslovic can bring offensive touch to a team that desperately needs more depth scoring, and the other three can chip in with offence while reinventing their penalty kill look.

In addition to their bottom-six revamp, they also added veteran star goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky on a three-year contract worth $7 million annually. They also traded forward Nick Robertson to the Pittsburgh Penguins, reuniting him with former general manager Kyle Dubas, who drafted the California native as a second-rounder back in 2019.