The Toronto Maple Leafs have a laundry list of things that they need to do this summer. First and foremost, it is to find and hire their new head coach, who will help lead the new era of Maple Leafs hockey. However, after that comes the 2026 NHL Draft and, of course, free agency, which, if they play their cards right, could be where they improve their roster the most.
One of their biggest needs is on the blue line. Luckily for Toronto, there are a handful of good defencemen looking to test the open market that they can target. One of the players who should be highest on their priority list is San Jose Sharks defenceman Mario Ferraro.
Maple Leafs linked to Mario Ferraro ahead of free agency
Adam Gretz of Bleacher Report wrote an article about one move that each NHL team should make this summer. For the Maple Leafs, the move he feels they should make is signing Ferraro in free agency.
He highlights the importance of restructuring their blue line, which Ferraro can help with. He had this to say about the 27-year-old:
"Ferraro is one of the younger unrestricted free agents on the market and brings a solid mix of size, shot-blocking, and puck-moving that could be made useful on a team with more forward talent than he's been playing with in San Jose."Gretz
This is true. Ferraro is known for the defensive side of his game. He had 150 blocked shots, 137 hits, and 36 takeaways. On the offensive side of things, he recorded seven goals and 16 assists for 23 points in 82 games, which is solid production for a third-pairing defenceman.
The most important thing he brings is youth. He could be a Jake McCabe 2.0, but he is five years younger. That would help the Maple Leafs get back on the right track with some of the moves they are expected to make this summer.
In a perfect world, they'd sign both Ferraro and Darren Raddysh and address both of their needs on the blue line while also trading Morgan Rielly in the process. However, it's best to take things one step at a time, and that could mean signing the Toronto native first.
