Toronto Maple Leafs to Target Four Veteran Superstars in Free Agency

This is going to be one of the most important offseasons of the last decade for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and for very good reason.

Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and Matthew Knies all need to be re-signed. However, general manager Brad Treliving wants to change the DNA of the team, which means Marner and Tavares could be on their way out.

The Leafs want to experience playoff glory, and in order to get there, they must bring in proven winners who play with grit and passion. Thankfully, there are plenty of guys like that who will be available this summer in free agency.

According to Chris Johnston of TSN, the Leafs have four veteran superstars in mind. In fact, two of these players have won Stanley Cups.

The names are Brad Marchand, Patrick Kane, Claude Giroux, and even Jamie Benn. Needless to say, the Leafs are thinking big right now.

The critics out there will say that these four guys are at the end of their careers and their current production levels are a reflection of that.

Next season, they are likely to suffer yet another steep decline. However, the key here is that these guys are proven veteran superstars. Additionally, they would be signed to short-term deals that wouldn't cost the Leafs a ton of money.

Overall, Treliving has his work cut out for him. There is no guarantee that these four guys would even want to suit up for the Leafs.

Teams will be gunning for these guys, and the Leafs are going to have to do their best to make the best case possible.