Maple Leafs could look to cash in from Kessel trade on restricted free agent market
The Leafs are in rebuild mode with very limited cap space available, so one place where they could find some valuable players could be on the restricted free agent market. Bleacher Report recently compiled a list of three RFAs for the Leafs to target, and one name could be of high interest to Maple Leafs fans.
That name is Dougie Hamilton, the Bruins defenseman whom Boston selected in the 2011 NHL Draft thanks to a first-round pick from the Phil Kessel trade. Hamilton will be a restricted free agent over the summer, and while Hamilton's potential is high, the Bruins might not be able to keep him due to salary cap issues of their own.
Meanwhile, Hamilton's defensive skills could be a great asset for the Toronto, where the blue line is a weakness. And as Bleacher Report noted, Hamilton has strong ties to the Toronto area.
"The Toronto, Ontario, native would be coming home, and he has the smarts and the demeanour to make it work in Toronto," Bleacher Report wrote. "He had 72 points in his best year in the OHL, and he's demonstrated steady progression at the NHL level. He went from 16 points in his first year to 42 points in 2014-15. He's begun to play tough minutes in Boston and is plus-23 in his three NHL seasons. He'd be a great addition in Toronto and would fit in well at just 21 years old."
(h/t Bleacher Report)
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