It’s unlikely that the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to match the energy of their first day of free agency, but if the promised overhaul this summer is to be achieved, John Chayka won’t be taking a vacation anytime soon.

Day one seemed to be foundational. A lot of bottom-six players who will beef up the penalty kill, eat minutes in low-event 1-3-1 hockey, and address the departures of Robertson, Maccelli, Laughton, McMann, and Jarnkrok with a purposeful approach to the group.

A clear style choice was made, and a few right shots were brought in. Progress.

There are still some outstanding issues. The group that was brought in does little to offer the top six forward group if injuries require one of them to move up in the lineup. The blueline leaves something to be desired. And with the amount of changes in net so far, the question of whether a replacement for Anthony Stolarz still needs to be arranged will factor in as well.

The Leafs at this point are different, but aside from Darren Raddysh and whatever Gavin McKenna can bring to the table in his rookie season, the upgrade over the roster from last year hasn’t been fully realized. Steps have been taken to finally address the departure of Mitch Marner from the Leafs, but the team needed to improve from their 2024-25 iteration, and they haven’t done that yet.

While most upgrades and major changes will likely come via trades, it’s worth looking at a few of the interesting players still available in free agency that could offer the potential of an upgrade or backfill a player that the Leafs will need to send out to bring in a bigger fish in a trade.

In the event that Matthew Knies needs to be dealt for the Maple Leafs to upgrade their lineup, Anthony Mantha is the best power forward option available in free agency. He won’t come cheap, and the Leafs being able to pull off a trade and have money for Mantha seems like a stretch, but if the Leafs are gaining cap space in other transactions or relying on Max Domi being on the LTIR, Mantha could still be a consideration.

The mystery box that is Patrik Laine is awfully enticing, and rolling the dice on him even returning to 25-goal form might be worth it for the Maple Leafs.

The attention of the Montreal and Winnipeg hockey markets wasn’t ideal for Laine, so I’m not sure he’d love the idea of Toronto, but if anyone could help him find his groove in Toronto, it seems like it would be Willy Nylander. Until he’s signed, he’s going to be an intriguing option.

More than Mantha or Laine, Tolvanen seems like an easy fit for the Maple Leafs. It’s likely a matter of money that he wasn’t brought in, but he’s the type of player you can play on the third line and move up to the top six as needed. That is a precise Leafs need if they can make it work.

So help me, I like Cam Talbot and would have been fine with a Talbot, Stolarz, and Hildeby crease a day ago. If the Maple Leafs want to move on from Stolarz to pick up an asset, Talbot might be the best backup option if Akhtyamov isn’t going to be thrown immediately to the wolves.

Blankenburg has emerged as a promising option on the blueline and given that he’s a right shot, he’s depth worth considering if the Leafs are moving on from one of their incumbents.

Blankenburg was playing sheltered depth minutes in Colorado but was more of a 4D option in Nashville. He’s an ideal option capable of moving up if Chris Tanev’s injuries are still an issue in 2026-27.

Soucy might not be the most exciting option on this list but as players continue to get signed, Soucy has started looking like a better option. A reliable steady-eddy presence in a bottom pairing would provide a worthwhile safety net if Ben Danford or Emil Andrae aren’t ready for primetime.